AOL seeks growth in shift from mass site to niches

AOL already has behavioral-targeting technologies meant to let advertisers reach audience segments wherever they are on the Internet, but Clarizio said nothing can match reaching them when they are already engaged in a subject. The niche sites should help AOL attract sponsorship deals and other coordinated ad placements.

"That generally is the most valuable advertising inventory, the most expensive," Clarizio said.

Wilson said launch decisions are primarily based on whether AOL can offer consumers an experience unmatched elsewhere. Advertising potential is also crucial — Wilson likens it to broadcast networks canceling shows that cannot draw ad revenue.

The individual sites are being given unprecedented freedom — in many cases even shedding the AOL brand — to best appeal to a particular community.

ParentDish, tapping into parental desires to connect, hopes to let visitors to share photos and ask one another questions. In a twist, ParentDish will use Yahoo's Flickr rather than AOL's own photo services.

The Asylum site for young men takes an irreverent tone — and devotion to the pursuit of women. The lead item recently: "How to Make Searches for Hot Babes Even Hotter."

With the new site on country music, AOL is adopting a homier feel. The Boot plans to go beyond the better-known artists who have crossed into the mainstream, something that might not appeal to a broader audience.

Such genre-focused sites allow writers to make assumptions about the visitor's knowledge, even posting jokes that would fly over the heads of a mainstream audience, said Bill Crandall, editor in chief for AOL's music sites.

Most are adopting a blog-like format to engage its visitors, a formula that has worked extremely well with TMZ.com, the celebrity-gossip site jointly run by AOL and Time Warner sister company Telepictures Productions.

In a departure, the new sites routinely link to articles found elsewhere. AOL would rather have visitors start at one of its sites than bypass them completely for the blogs.