Michael Arrington’s creation is easily one of the most influential blogs around. With absolutely no venture capital backing, the blog made $3 million in 2007. But TechCrunch will need to raise more money soon if it is to fulfill Arrington’s ambition of a roll-up of the blogging space. However, given his ego and that of some his fellow bloggers, it might be some time before Arrington is able to realize his dream, if at all.
Om Malik pioneered his blog early in the millennium, and it is now one of the most renowned business technology blogs. The popularity of GigaOm paved the way for a network that includes NewTeeVee, which covers the changing world of online video and television. The network raised $1.25 million and has monetized itself well with the help of Federated Media. The slow, deliberated approach has worked so far, and the company will likely be one of the prime acquisition targets for larger media companies looking for brands in this category.
Like the previous two blogs, PaidContent started off as a personal blog. Though PaidContent had not raised as much money as GigaOm, it eventually was acquired by Guardian News and Media (GNM). Keeping in line with my belief about the best way for blogs to realize their potential, Rafat Ali made a wise decision in being acquired The blog was already bringing in decent revenue, and it will hopefully flourish further under GNM’s umbrella.
Not strictly a blog, Seeking Alpha is more like a news aggregator that gets content from various sites, including blogs. Seeking Alpha raised between $2-$4 million in 2006. It is an interesting acquisition target given that it attracts more attention than any other financial blog. Monetization has been slow, though.
Federated Media, the vertical ad network, powers blogs like TechCrunch, BoingBoing, Ars Technica and GigaOm. The company arose out John B. Battelle’s need to commercialize his blog. Federated Media has not stuck to business and tech and has diversified its reach; it would have been wiser to first strengthen its hold over these two areas. The company is well funded and is bringing in good revenue.
Glam Media is another media network, one that represents and packages content from over 400 sources including fashion blogs, websites and magazines. The lifestyle media company has raised $85 million and has a host of advertisers including Victoria’s Secret, H&M, Nike, Max Factor and Lacoste.
Travel Ad Network (TAN), which focuses entirely on travel, organizes niche audiences and targets them with more effective advertising. Strong CPM rates have helped TAN bring in high-end advertisers and get premium clients like Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and DK Eyewitness Guides.
Adify is a vertical ad network that gives networks, advertisers, and publishers total control while it handles back-end operations. The company was acquired by Cox Communications for $300 million.
