About.com is an information portal web site founded in 1996 by Scott Kurnit and Bill Day. The site began as MiningCo.com, until a multifaceted ad campaign introduced the new About.com on May 17, 1999.BNET: MiningCo.com's About.com Face (Jul 19, 1999) Since its inception, the site has grown to become one of the internet's leading providers of how-to information, content and entertainment.
Sale and Acquisitions
On November 6, 2000, About.com was sold to Primedia, a magazine and trade publisher, for $690 million dollars in stock.Information Today, Inc: About.com Acquired by Primedia: Sin or Synergy?(Nov 6, 2000) The company kept the site until 2005, when it was sold to The New York Times Company for $410 million dollars.MarketWatch: New York Times to buy About.com (Feb 17, 2005) About.com gained 30% in revenue during the 2007 financial year. In the past three years About.com has made acquisitions as well, buying out search engine ConsumerSearch.com, hospital web site UCompareHealthCare.com, and the nutritional site CalorieCount.com.The New York Times: About.com Buys ConsumerSearch.com (May 7, 2007)
About.com's Content
About.com offers information through a variety of "channels," including: Autos, Business and Finance, Cities and Towns, Computing and Technology, Education, Electronics and Gadgets, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Health, Hobbies and Games, Home and Garden, Jobs and Careers, News and Issues, Parenting and Family, People and Relationships, Religion and Spirituality, Shopping, Sports and Recreation, Style, Travel, Video Games