Internet pioneer AOL, which Time Warner plans to spin off into an independent company later this year, announced on Thursday that it had bought two small Web startups focused on local content.
AOL, in a statement, said it had purchased Patch Media Corp., a local news and information platform for local communities, and Going Inc., a platform for sharing information about events in major cities.
Financial terms of the deals were not disclosed.
"Local remains one of the most disaggregated experiences on the Web today -- there's a lot of information out there but simply no way for consumers to find it quickly and easily," said Tim Armstrong, who was hired away from Google this year to become AOL chairman and chief executive.
"It's a space that's prime for innovation and an area where AOL has a significant audience and a valuable mapping service in MapQuest," he said.
"Going forward, local will be a core area of focus and investment for AOL," Armstrong said. "The acquisitions of Patch and Going will help us build out our local network further."
Patch.com is currently available in five local communities in the United States and expects to be available in a dozen by the end of the year.
Going.com provides information for young people about what is going on in major US cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Boston.
"By joining with AOL, we have the opportunity to greatly expand the reach of our platform to more cities both in the US and around the world," said Going chief executive Evan Schumacher.
AOL is currently the number four gateway to the Web after Google, Microsoft sites and Yahoo! and has been trying to refashion itself recently as a popular one-stop portal.
Agencies
Showing posts with label Miami. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miami. Show all posts
Friday, June 12, 2009
Saturday, November 22, 2008
US teenager kills himself live via webcam
The family of a US teenager who killed himself live online via a webcam have spoken of their regret at how no-one stopped the unfolding suicide.
Abraham Biggs, 19, from Pembroke Pines, near Miami, killed himself hours after announcing his plan on his blog.
His father said it was "unimaginable" that neither the website's operators nor any viewers alerted the police.
Biggs took an overdose of anti-depressive drugs, but remained comatose online for hours before he died.
His father, Abraham Biggs Sr, said he had no idea his son was contemplating suicide.
''We were very good friends,'' Mr Biggs said of his son, adding: "It's wrong that it was allowed to happen.''
Biggs Jr, who was studying to be a paramedic at the college where his father is a maths professor, suffered from mental illness which his mother said had finally claimed his life.
''My son, Abraham Biggs Jr, was well-loved and cared for. However, the mental illness of bipolarity and depression got the better part of him,'' she wrote on MySpace.
'Nothing happened'
The sense of disbelief at the teenager's death was heightened by the realisation that his end was drawn out and, most likely, preventable.
He began the process by posting messages telling people he was going to kill himself, and then started streaming live pictures from his home.
Reports say that some of viewers who logged in to watch began to encourage the teenager to kill himself, while others tried to dissuade him.
After several hours, when he had not moved some viewers finally notified the site's moderator, who then called the police.
The boy's sister, Rosalind Biggs, denounced the website, Justin.tv, which allows people to broadcast themselves online: "They got hits, they got viewers, nothing happened for hours."
It is unclear how many people watched Wednesday's suicide unfold, although reports suggest that some viewers thought it was a hoax.
The last transmission from the webcam was of a police officer bursting into Abraham Biggs's room, where he discovers his body and then places his hand over the camera.
Michael Seifert, chief executive of Justin.tv, said the company and its staff would "take a moment to recognise and reflect upon the tragedy that occurred within our community" and offered condolences to the Biggs family.
The footage has since been taken down and his father is now calling for more regulation of chatrooms.
Source: BBC
Abraham Biggs, 19, from Pembroke Pines, near Miami, killed himself hours after announcing his plan on his blog.
His father said it was "unimaginable" that neither the website's operators nor any viewers alerted the police.
Biggs took an overdose of anti-depressive drugs, but remained comatose online for hours before he died.
His father, Abraham Biggs Sr, said he had no idea his son was contemplating suicide.
''We were very good friends,'' Mr Biggs said of his son, adding: "It's wrong that it was allowed to happen.''
Biggs Jr, who was studying to be a paramedic at the college where his father is a maths professor, suffered from mental illness which his mother said had finally claimed his life.
''My son, Abraham Biggs Jr, was well-loved and cared for. However, the mental illness of bipolarity and depression got the better part of him,'' she wrote on MySpace.
'Nothing happened'
The sense of disbelief at the teenager's death was heightened by the realisation that his end was drawn out and, most likely, preventable.
He began the process by posting messages telling people he was going to kill himself, and then started streaming live pictures from his home.
Reports say that some of viewers who logged in to watch began to encourage the teenager to kill himself, while others tried to dissuade him.
After several hours, when he had not moved some viewers finally notified the site's moderator, who then called the police.
The boy's sister, Rosalind Biggs, denounced the website, Justin.tv, which allows people to broadcast themselves online: "They got hits, they got viewers, nothing happened for hours."
It is unclear how many people watched Wednesday's suicide unfold, although reports suggest that some viewers thought it was a hoax.
The last transmission from the webcam was of a police officer bursting into Abraham Biggs's room, where he discovers his body and then places his hand over the camera.
Michael Seifert, chief executive of Justin.tv, said the company and its staff would "take a moment to recognise and reflect upon the tragedy that occurred within our community" and offered condolences to the Biggs family.
The footage has since been taken down and his father is now calling for more regulation of chatrooms.
Source: BBC
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