• MediaBeat, Wednesday, November 3, 2010 12:08 PM

Premium ad network-cum-marketing company Federated Media has acquired BigTent -- a maker of social networking and community tools for parents. By MediaBeat's reckoning, "That's a surprising choice for Federated company's first purchase, since I usually think of the company in a tech news context." Founded by blogger and tech entrepreneur John Battelle, Federated sells advertising, with a particular focus on "conversational" campaigns. President and chief operating officer Deanna Brown tells MediaBeat that the company also focuses on business, the real-time Web, and "lifestyle media."

Said Brown: "I care less about platform, if you will, and I care more about the influence of the authors and the products as well as the audiences that they serve." Presently, Federated claims to reach roughly 8 million parents through its partner sites, and that it's interested in reaching the "chief household officer" who makes a family's spending decisions.

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