Homestead Technologies Inc. announced
advertising partnerships with the Rolling Stone Network, AccuWeather,
VantageNet and HotBot for its “Elements,” or Web site building blocks offered
to consumers.
Elements are the basic building blocks for creating Web sites using the
company’s Web publishing platform, and range from text and images to chat rooms
and
guestbooks. Homestead users can now choose to enhance and enrich their Web
sites by integrating branded Elements from these partner companies. Financial
arrangements were not disclosed.
With the introduction of branded Elements, Homestead said it is introducing “a
new paradigm for Internet advertising.” Elements drive traffic and promote an
advertiser’s brand, yet unlike traditional ad banners, they are functional,
and can be any type of Web content such as search boxes or news tickers.
Since users choose which Elements to integrate into their sites, advertisers
reach a highly targeted audience and maximize their return on marketing
dollars because they are only charged when a user integrates an Element into a
Web site.
“Our partners are excited about our innovative Element model because it gives
them the most targeted reach,
yet provides users with a much more positive experience because they don’t
have to put up with annoying, unsolicited ad banners or pop-ups,” said Justin
Kitch, Homestead founder and CEO.
The new Elements from the Rolling Stone
Network let Web site creators add music-related functions to their sites.
The first two Elements–Music Search and Live Concert Search–are now available
in the Editor, with
more to be added in March.
The Music Search Element lets users search the complete Rolling Stone Network
artist archives. The Live Concert Search Element lets users search for
concerts by date, artist and venue, with access to online ticket purchase.
Homestead will soon add additional Rolling Stone Network Elements, including
This Day in Rock, Webcast Schedule and
New Video Releases.
The HotBot Element lets users perform Web
searches. After a query is entered, the user is transferred directly to
www.hotbot.com to view search results.
The AccuWeather Element lets users
perform
weather searches by Zip code, city or
state. VantageNet’s Web Poll Element calculates
instant results of votes cast by visitors to users’ Homesteads.
