Primedia's About.com has "overhauled" its site, as reported by Reuters via Cnet, in order to strengthen its brand and encourage users to spend more time exploring pages on its site. About.com is an ad-supported site that contains guides to a wide range of mostly consumer-interest topics--e.g., health, sports, gardening, travel. Sort of a collection of online consumer magazines. A key source of revenue for About is Google's AdSense, a relationship that was sealed when Google acquired Sprinks from Primedia last fall. According to the Reuters article, the revamped About.com will offer more targeted advertising based on a user's profile, and repeat visitors will see different landing pages from first-time visitors. But, About.com will also have to improve its methods for directing users to related content on other About.com subject guides, if it really wants to encourage users to stick around and explore additional areas of its network. Perhaps more important, About.com should seek some non-advertising sources of revenue.

On a related note, Charles McCurdy, the former CEO of Primedia, has announced that he has formed a new company, Apprise Media, which will be backed by Spectrum Equity Investors. Spectrum has committed $175 to $200 million to help Apprise Media acquire stakes in niche publishing businesses, according to BtoB Online.