Internet guide MiningCo.com Inc. Monday changed its name to About.com Inc. and launched a new site
The company said it renamed itself to reflect its transition from primarily
acting as a portal to a network of destinations incorporating original
content, search and community at more than 650 topic-specific sites within 18
channels. The service and
brand change takes effect Monday. Users who access www.miningco.com will
be automatically forwarded to www.about.com.
In addition, the company’s new ticker symbol, (Nasdaq: BOUT), is slated to
take effect May
20th. Until then, it will continue to
trade under the symbol (Nasdaq: MINE).
About.com said its first major marketing campaign will focus on the
service’s main benefits, professional human Guides, who run sites based on
their
area of expertise.
A membership drive is underway asking users to create an “AboutMe” page
in site areas describing their interests to connect them with fellow
hobbyists and favorite guides.
“Our users feel connected with the Guides and communities that are relevant
to their interests,” said
Scott Kurnit, About.com’s chairman and CEO. “Today we allow them to
affiliate themselves with the Guides and GuideSite of their choice and more
easily connect with others who share their interests online and offline.”
On May 3 the company unveiled its national promotional campaign through TV,
print,
radio, outdoor, grassroots and online, with the tagline: “Hello, is anybody out
there?”
The campaign targets user frustration with what the company terms the
impersonal nature of Internet properties.
“Unlike any other Internet brand, About.com has real people at the front,”
said John Caplan, senior vice president of marketing. “Our Guides ensure that
any Internet
user, regardless of his or her level of experience, can have a successful
and fulfilling Internet experience.
It’s easier, more fun and far more productive to have a relationship with a
knowledgeable person than with a
robot.”
“While ‘mining’ for information will remain a key part of our business,
About.com positions us for the post-portal environment where consumers
demand topic-specific destinations that combine search, community and
original content,” Kurnit said.
“We feel the About.com name better
underscores the unique and highly targeted media platform to advertisers
and commerce partners, which
we feel is the most efficient platform for reaching relevant consumers.”
