• by October 10, 2005

A week goes by and the news piles up in this Minute's absence. Strange how that happens, isn't it? Luckily, our talented colleagues covered most, if not all of the news in one form or another for MediaPost subscribers.

Rewinding to last week's events in the Minute's addled brain ain't easy, especially on a misty gray Monday, but let's take Yahoo!'s acquisition of Upcoming.org for starters. Gobbling Upcoming.org, a mere snack for Yahoo!, is a smart move. The online event planning venue will help Yahoo! stoke its 360 product and beef up local community content. No financial terms were disclosed or leaked, so we're not sure just how bite-size the acquisition is. Suffice it to say, Yahoo! is likely to keep on snackin'.

Speaking of meals, here's a small one. America Online, which apparently wants to be called AOL now (duh!...can someone explain what's new here?), snatched up Jason Calacanis' Weblogs, Inc. last week for a reported $25 million. AOL reps were so jazzed they reached the Minute on vacation to share the news.

Calacanis, the online wunderkind, certainly knows how to play his cards right. Reports from the blogosphere have him beaming, simply ebullient, and sure, who wouldn't be since he sold his company to AOL at what might just be the top of the market. We do have a wee question: Just what makes Jason's company worth $25 million? Does anyone want to read what some geek in the basement thinks of Rokr on Engadget? Or what Slashfood thinks of Boston 375 ale ("thick and sweet with a rummy flavor and a coppery color")? What's AOL banking on here?

Oh yeah, there are ads on the sites. But who knows whether the momentum for ads supporting user-generated content and such mundane fare as "End of Month Egg on Toast Extravaganza" will continue?

Now AOL expects to run Weblogs as an independent entity without filters, muzzles, and restraints. We'll see.

Talks between MSN and AOL are back on again. We haven't weighed in on this one yet, but stay tuned. Interestingly, we spotted Wayne Pace, Time Warner's CFO, at a party thrown by MSN during Advertising Week. Now what was the gracious Mr. Pace doing at a Meatpacking District hotspot in the company of MSN executives, no less? Our lips are sealed for now, at least.

That Sept. 29 party was positioned by MSN's marketing honchos as a gathering of Mitch Kanner, partner in Integrated Entertainment Partners, a MadVine/branded entertainment guru, and friends. Personally, we think it was just a good excuse to get together during Advertising Week. The party had an insiderish feel, as many potential celebrants were uptown at the Time Warner Center kickin' it up with Jon Stewart and the MPA/Google gang.

Speaking again of AOL, the portal kicks off a new ad campaign today heralding to consumers that it is live and open for business. The campaign is designed to highlight AOL's entertainment properties, along with its convenience, search, and community features. And, hey, it's an online campaign! You're bound to see it everywhere. Agencies Carat Fusion, Atmosphere BBDO, OMD, and The Martin Agency (for offline advertising), are the heavy hitters on this one. In addition, Hill Holliday and Marden-Kane have designed a "Win What You Want Now" sweepstakes/instant win game to support AOL.com