• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, May 3, 2007

The New York Times has enlarged its online presence, launching a new Small Business section on its Web site. It targets small-business owners and entrepreneurs with weekly columns and features, as well as third-party content from sites like AllBusiness.com, Inc. Magazine and SmallBusiness.org. For advertisers, according to a top company executive, it's a "powerful new platform."

Vivian Schiller, NYTimes.com's senior vice president and general manager, said the site has given advertisers what they've wanted--a vehicle to reach the small-business community that "aggregates all of the great reporting we do in this area, as well as carefully selected partner content."

Among the advertisers for the Web site's launch are American Express, AT&T, Hewlett-Packard and FedEx.

Among the online-only columns are regular features like "Entrepreneurial Edge," an extension of James Flanigan's monthly print column, including his notes and blog entries; "In the Hunt," a column by Brent Bowers, which covers the world of small business; and "Shifting Careers" by Marci Alboher, describing the personal-professional implications of a changing business landscape.

Also available in the section will be books, blogs, conferences, seminars and podcasts of interest to small-business owners.

As an added user bonus, the site hosts a Small Business Resource Center that will host topic pages on start-ups, finance and capital, marketing, sales, e-commerce, human resources, legal issues, retail and franchising, and technology and operations. Each page will include news, archival information, how-to guides and links to other resources.