I'm very excited about the "Content provided in partnership with...

I'm very excited about the "Content provided in partnership with Topix.net "unofficial" partnership announcement, shown on this Looksmart Vertical, right here ....

http://www.looksmartretirement.com/p/search?sb=topixresults&qt=entert...

It means, that LOOK's 181 Verticals will (or, can, potentially) now recieve up to the moment "news" on the hour, from Topix.net

This (Topix.net) "feed" will also (most likely) go to all the newspapers (sites) within the "network" group. That being McClatchy, (their existing sites, plus all the Knight-Ridder "stable's" sites, they have just bought), the Tribune & all of Gannetts newspaper sites. Potentially, hundreds of newspapers.

An example is demonstrated here in the (Tribune's) LA Times. Note here, how the LA Times has Topix.net, "powering" their site. (down the RHS here)

http://www.latimes.com/search/la-advancedsearch-new,0,5277523.htmlstory

What I'm really suggesting is that this "partnership" with Topix.net (who are majority owned by those three newspapers groups) ............

"We're very pleased to announce that Topix.net has taken a majority equity investment from three of the largest newspaper and media firms in the US"

http://blog.topix.net/archives/000071.html

.....would, (it's more than fair to say), then "formalise" a contextualised ADS feed upon all content supplied from this (new) partner "network", into (both) Looksmart's F/A's and the current 181 Looksmart Verticals.

The logical final step then is, for ALL these (above) publisher sites to then have a "FindArticles in" BUTTON installed to provide that "merry-go-round effect" on all of their own, individual "user" eyeballs searching for special content of interest, when visiting any/all of these partner sites. ADS "click" Revenues would be apportioned accordingly.

I've also accepted that they don't necessarily have a need to change their "current" web search provider, (be it GOOGLE,YAHOO, MSN) who will be "co-opted" (accordingly), to at all times provide full & prominent (page one) Looksmart Verticals in their results at all times. A compromise understanding, you could call it.

Everyone would agree that it's ALL about "users" and advertisers. That LOOKSMART ARE IN THE BUSINESS OF ADVERTISING, THESE DAYS. The Looksmart 'concept' of Verticals and the placing contextualised ADS from Google (adsense or, EVEN Look's own) into all content result pages within them, ensures that the growing number of partner "eyeballs" passing through, can "click" on an add while "just visiting", besides the direct effect of helping those partner "users" stay longer, within the "stable" loop. Advertisers then remain (or, even start to return) to the "old world" publishers, as a result!! They follow the "eyeballs".

It is complicated, but I hope it all makes sense. I also Hope that's what "they" (The Publisher/media Co's) see, too.

:)
LC