Weblogs Inc

Extracted Attributes

• Founders

  Jason Calacanis, Brian Alvey

• Founded Date

  2003-09-01

• Key Investor

  Mark Cuban

• Surviving Brands

  Engadget, Autoblog

• Acquisition Value

  25 million USD

• Peak Portfolio Size

  85 to 90 blogs

• Headquarters Location

  Santa Monica, California, United States

Timeline

• Weblogs, Inc. is founded by Jason Calacanis and Brian Alvey with financial backing from Mark Cuban. (Source: Weblogs, Inc. - Wikipedia)

  2003-09-01

• Weblogs, Inc. officially launches its blog network operations. (Source: Weblogs, Inc.: Funding, Team & Investors | Startup Intros)

  2004-01-01

• AOL acquires Weblogs, Inc. for approximately 25 million USD in an all-cash deal. (Source: AOL Acquires Weblogs, Inc. | TechCrunch)

  2005-10-05

Weblogs, Inc.

Weblogs, Inc. was a blog network that published content on a variety of subjects, including tech news, video games, automobiles, and pop culture. At one point, the network had as many as 90 blogs, although the vast majority of its traffic could be attributed to a smaller number of breakout titles, as was typical of most large-scale successful blog networks of the mid-2000s. Popular blogs included Engadget, Autoblog, TUAW, Joystiq, Luxist, Slashfood, Cinematical, TV Squad, Download Squad, Blogging Baby, Gadling, AdJab, and Blogging Stocks. Today, Engadget and Autoblog are the only remaining brands from the company.

Web Search Results

• Weblogs, Inc. - Wikipedia

  Weblogs, Inc. was a blog network that published content on a variety of subjects, including tech news, video games, automobiles, and pop culture. At one point, the network had as many as 90 blogs, although the vast majority of its traffic could be attributed to a smaller number of breakout titles, as was typical of most large-scale successful blog networks of the mid-2000s. Popular blogs included Engadget, Autoblog, TUAW, Joystiq, Luxist, Slashfood, Cinematical, TV Squad, Download Squad, Blogging Baby, Gadling, AdJab, and Blogging Stocks. Today, Engadget and Autoblog are the only remaining brands from the company. ## History [edit] [...] The company was founded in September 2003 by Jason Calacanis and Brian Alvey, in the wake of Calacanis's Silicon Alley Reporter magazine, with backing from investor Mark Cuban. By early 2004, Weblogs, Inc. and Gawker Media were establishing the two most notable templates for networked blog empires. Initially, Weblogs, Inc. consisted of a few dozen blogs, all residing as subdomains of weblogsinc.com. The exception was Engadget, a stand-alone site covering new technology in blog format. Engadget was co-founded by Peter Rojas, the former editor of Gizmodo in the Gawker Media network. Eventually a plethora of independent brands were established, including 26 stand-alone sites and over 50 sub-blogs. A few of the company principals also maintained personal blogs on the network, including Mark [...] Weblogs Inc was sold to AOL for a reported $25 million in October 2005. The move came as AOL was preparing to become an independent division within Time Warner. Weblogs Inc continued to operate independently from AOL's other content websites for many years, until AOL began phasing out the Weblogs Inc branding in favor of its own, consolidating to a few of the strongest titles, and integrating more closely with its namesake media division, which included AOL News, AOL Autos, AOL Tech, etc.

• Weblogs, Inc.

  Weblogs, Inc. was a blog network that published content on a variety of subjects, including tech news, video games, automobiles and pop culture. At one point, the network had as many as 90 blogs, although the vast majority of its traffic could be attributed to a smaller number of breakout titles, as was typical of most large-scale successful blog networks of the mid-2000s. Popular blogs included: Engadget, Autoblog, TUAW, Joystiq, Luxist, Slashfood, Cinematical, TV Squad, Download Squad, Blogging Baby, Gadling, AdJab, and Blogging Stocks. Today, Engadget and Autoblog are the only remaining brands from the company, now existing as part of Verizon Media division. - [x] ## Contents [...] The company was founded in September 2003 by Jason Calacanis and Brian Alvey, in the wake of Calacanis' _Silicon Alley Reporter_ magazine, with backing from investor Mark Cuban. By early 2004, Weblogs, Inc. and Gawker Media were establishing the two most notable templates for networked blog empires. Initially, Weblogs, Inc. consisted of a few dozen blogs, all residing as subdomains of weblogsinc.com. The exception was Engadget, a stand-alone site covering new technology in blog format. Engadget was co-founded by Peter Rojas, the former editor of Gizmodo in the Gawker Media network. Eventually a plethora of independent brands were established, including 26 stand-alone sites and over 50 sub-blogs. A few of the company principals also maintained personal blogs on the network, including Mark [...] Weblogs Inc was sold to AOL for a reported $25 million in October 2005.( The move came as AOL was preparing to become an independent division within Time Warner. Weblogs Inc continued to operate independently from AOL's other content websites for many years, until AOL began phasing out the Weblogs Inc branding in favor of its own, consolidating to a few of the strongest titles, and integrating more closely with its namesake media division, which included AOL News, AOL Autos, AOL Tech, etc.

• Weblogs, Inc.: Funding, Team & Investors | Startup Intros

  Jason Calacanis ## Deep Dive ## High-Level Overview Weblogs, Inc. was a pioneering blog network founded in 2003 that operated a portfolio of niche-focused websites covering tech, gaming, autos, and pop culture. It generated revenue through SEO-optimized content, freelance bloggers producing over 1,000 posts weekly, and advertising like Google AdSense, attracting millions of organic visits. The company scaled rapidly to 85 blogs, including hits like Engadget, Autoblog, Joystiq, and Cinematical, before AOL acquired it in 2005 for approximately $25-30 million (with rumors up to $40 million). [...] As a media startup in the early blogging era, Weblogs, Inc. served avid online readers seeking specialized content, solving the problem of fragmented, low-quality web information by curating high-volume, targeted blogs that capitalized on emerging search traffic. ## Origin Story Weblogs, Inc. emerged from the dot-com aftermath, founded in September 2003 by Jason Calacanis and Brian Alvey. Calacanis, a serial entrepreneur, had previously run Silicon Alley Reporter, a tech publication he sold after declining a $20 million offer, only to face personal financial setbacks with a negative net worth. Alvey brought technical expertise, and together they launched the network in January 2004 as a venture-backed, privately held media company. [...] ## About Weblogs, Inc. developed and managed a diversified network of online publications, delivering niche-specific content across a broad spectrum of interests. The company operated a portfolio of weblogs focused on subjects including technology news, video games, automotive culture, and general entertainment, effectively curating and professionalizing the burgeoning blogosphere. Its operational model centered on specialized content creation and aggregation to serve distinct online communities.

• AOL buys blog network Weblogs Inc.

  Morning Rundown: Trump announces Hamas deal, two GOP senators push back against AG threat, and why college grads are struggling to land jobs IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. # AOL buys blog network Weblogs Inc. America Online has agreed to buy Weblogs Inc., a network of Internet sites focused on niche topics ranging from food to gadgets, including the popular site Engadget. Add NBC News to Google / Source: The Associated Press America Online Inc. will inherit Engadget, Autoblog and other popular Web journals as part of a $25 million deal announced Thursday that expands AOL’s presence in the blogging community and the company’s potential to attract advertising dollars. [...] Although Santa Monica, Calif.-based Weblogs will operate with full editorial control and independence as a wholly owned subsidiary, AOL will integrate the blogs into its AOL.com portal by linking to the best entries. Visitors to AOL’s Moviefone, for instance, might see referrals to Weblogs’ Cinematical blog on films. Jim Bankoff, AOL’s executive vice president for programming and products, said the company will work with the Weblogs team to create additional journals that fit with AOL’s existing lineup of programming channels and new ones that emerge. Until now, AOL’s blog presence has been largely limited to giving visitors free tools to create their own blogs. [...] The 85 blogging sites that AOL is getting as part of its purchase of Weblogs Inc. let users read about everything from travel to technology and debate on topics like parenting and movies. The move comes as AOL, facing drops in subscriptions as its traditional dial-up business declines, focuses more on offering free content to attract a larger audience and create more advertising space. AOL, a division of Time Warner Inc., is paying $25 million in an all-cash transaction, said an executive familiar with the deal. The executive spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to disclose financial details.

• AOL Acquires Weblogs, Inc. | TechCrunch

  Weblogs, Inc., founded by Jason Calacanis and Brian Alvey was launched just two years ago and is funded by Mark Cuban. Calacanis has reported a revenue run rate of about $2 million. Congratulations to all of the bloggers and employees of Weblogs, Inc. There are a number of additional public/private acquisition deals that will be announced this month as well. Topics When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence. Michael Arrington Partner [...] ### Topics Latest AI Amazon Apps Biotech & Health Climate Cloud Computing Commerce Crypto Enterprise EVs Fintech Fundraising Gadgets Gaming Google Government & Policy Hardware Instagram Layoffs Media & Entertainment Meta Microsoft Privacy Robotics Security Social Space Startups TikTok Transportation Venture ### More from TechCrunch Staff Events Startup Battlefield StrictlyVC Newsletters Podcasts Videos Partner Content TechCrunch Brand Studio Crunchboard Contact Us # AOL Acquires Weblogs, Inc. There are reports that AOL has acquired Weblogs, Inc. and will officially announce it later this week. The acquisition price, including earnouts, is reported to be $20-35 million.