Taking Issue With the Web

Open wide the floodgates. Sez Folio:

If this week is any indication, it seems publishers are beginning to move past talking about the Web in 2006 to actually producing stuff to talk about. New online product announcements—from Ziff Davis, Penton, Inc. and New York, among others—ranged from core to cosmetic, but the fault-lines along which publishers are moving are utterly clear.

Earlier this week, Ziff Davis launched smartcompany.com, a site targeting entrepreneurs, owners and technology professionals at small businesses. The company is designing the site with all of e-media’s bells and whistles: “SMBcasts, live interactive Web-based seminars on new technology and products; a weekly email newsletter, constant updates via RSS feed, and podcasts and video offerings are planned.”

On Tuesday, Penton Media launched CFO-targeted searchfinance.com, tapping into the buzzed-about online vertical search market.

Also Tuesday, New York relaunched its five-year-old website—the former URL-brand-confused nymetro.com—at nymag.com, promising “more original content to be phased in throughout 2006, a more navigable design, and expanded search and listings capabilities.”

“My goal is for nymag.com to have a strong relationship to the printed magazine, but it will not be identical,” said New York editor-in-chief Adam Moss of the launch, echoing a publishing sentiment as redundant as it is appropriate.

Mansueto Ventures' Inc. rolled out a redesigned site on Wednesday that had been in the works for months, the company said. A redesign for Fast Company’s site is also slated.