• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, February 6, 2007

Social networking site Gather.com has forged partnerships with three major publishers and a record label to sponsor sections within newly created content categories. Under the deal, Harvard Health Publications, Publishers Weekly, McGraw-Hill Professional and Columbia Records will each provide exclusive content and experts online to connect with Gather.com. members on topics including books, music and health.

On the site's health channel, for instance, users will gain access to current research and information from the 9,000 faculty physicians at Harvard Medical School and its affiliated hospitals via Harvard Health Publishing. Users also will be able to pose health-related questions to Harvard physicians on the site.

In the books category, Publishers Weekly will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the publishing world, while getting feedback from avid readers. "On Gather.com, our experts will not only share what they discover, but learn about what book lovers think and want to know," said David Nudo, publisher of Publishers Weekly, in a statement. "This information is invaluable to us."

Columbia, meanwhile, is developing a site for Gather.com's music channel to promote the label's new releases and artists like Beyonce, Bob Dylan and John Mayer. The label's recording stars will join in online sessions with users as part of promotional efforts around new records.

McGraw Hill Professional, which publishes technical reference works for the business, scientific, engineering and medical communities, will sponsor content on the site's money section.

The idea behind the sponsored content is "to bring in expert voices and have them join in the conversation that's happening on Gather.com," said the site's founder and CEO Tom Gerace. He expects the four expert content sections to be rolled out over the next two months. Terms of the deals were not disclosed, but Gerace said they do have financial components.

Started in 2005 as a social site for adults, Gather.com has amassed 192,000 registered members to date. In keeping with its mission, the median age of its audience is 42, with most possessing a college degree and having an annual household income over $50,000. The site also skews a bit more toward women, who make up 54% of its users.

With the recent launch of nine new content channels, Gerace said it's especially important to involve experts in areas such as health and money. The Harvard partnership, for example, presents "a really unique opportunity to go out and learn from some of the best minds in medicine," he said. "The doctors will be responding to people--they will address the most asked about questions from members."

Gather.com plans to add audio and video publishing later in the quarter to help aid interaction between experts and members. Gerace said the content sponsor agreements require a minimum level of engagement by experts, but he declined to disclose the terms.

Prior content sponsors on Gather.com have included Starbucks, Borders Books, and Nintendo. Its display advertisers include Amtrak, SmarterTravel, Monster.com and American Express.