CNN.com Builds Out Blog Presence
CNN.com announced plans on Tuesday (Apr. 13) to roll out a spate of new blogs as the site looks to dive deeper into select content verticals—while also looking to become more social in nature.
Among the new blogs in the works are the food- and health-centric Eatocracy, which is being shepherded by AOL Food editor Kat Kinsman and Belief Blog, which will tackle religious issues. The site has already launched This Just In, which compiles the most immediate information available on breaking news stories; and Afghanistan Crossroads, which focuses on the ongoing war in that region and its impact on Afghani citizens.
Besides new blogs, CNN.com is also looking to beef up its existing technology and entertainment channels. On the tech front, the site editors plan to cover more gaming, social media and mobile topics, said officials, by featuring regular columns from the likes of Mashable CEO Pete Cashmore, Slate magazine technology columnist Farhad Manjoo and craigslist founder Craig Newmark.
On the entertainment side, the site is rolling out a new feature dubbed Trending Now, which will highlight topics that readers are commenting on—both on CNN.com and social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook.
In fact, Facebook is set to become integral to the CNN.com experience. After hosting several live events during which Facebook was fully integrated with CNN.com’s coverage—starting with President Obama’s inauguration last year—the site is planning to make Facebook a permanent part of the user experience sometime this spring.
