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51-413: Leaf Group , formerly Demand Media Inc. , is an American content company that operates online brands, including eHow , livestrong.com, and marketplace brands Saatchi Art and Society6. The company provides social media platforms for large company websites and distributes content with social media tools to web outlets. It is commonly known for being a content farm . Demand Media was created in 2006 by

102-486: A Brooklyn -based tutoring company which in subsequent decades would grow its footprint and expand its offerings beyond test prep to become Kaplan, Inc. On August 5, 2013, it was announced that the Washington Post Company would sell the flagship newspaper for $ 250 million to Jeff Bezos , founder and chief executive of Amazon.com . The Washington Post Company agreed to adopt a new corporate name once

153-406: A Garrett, Indiana -based electrical manufacturer. In 2017, Graham acquired Hoover Treated Wood Products, Inc, a supplier of lumber and plywood products for fire retardant and preservative applications. In May 2020, Graham Holdings announced that it had acquired Framebridge . In July 2019, Graham Holdings acquired Clyde's Restaurant Group , the owner and operator of several restaurants in

204-551: A McDonald's burger vs. a wonderful, home cooked meal" Search engine DuckDuckGo 's CEO Gabriel Weinberg has criticized eHow, along with other Demand Media websites, labeling the company a "content mill," because of the website's search engine driven content, low article quality and low writer salaries. DuckDuckGo filters out eHow content because of Weinberg's perception that Demand Media produces low-quality content designed specifically to rank highly in Google Searches for

255-440: A collection of sites and relaunched them with social networking features and video capabilities. In the company's first six months, it made nine acquisitions, including the purchase of registrars eNom and BulkRegister. On November 6, 2008, Shawn Colo, head of Demand Media mergers and acquisitions , said the company would continue to buy niche, well- trafficked sites because the company was profitable and still had "a lot of cash in

306-421: A former private equity investor , Shawn Colo, and the former chairman of MySpace , Richard Rosenblatt . The company employs an algorithm that identifies topics with high advertising potential based on search engine query data and bids on advertising auctions. These topics are typically in the advice and how-to fields. It then commissions freelancers to produce corresponding text or video content. The content

357-700: A freelance basis, being paid by article. eHow is frequently called a content farm . eHow was founded by Courtney Rosen in 1999. On 8 February 2001 it filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy . At that time it had $ 1.16 million in assets and $ 7.2 million in debts and had used up $ 23.5 million in venture capital funding in a year and a half that came from companies including Hummer Winblad Venture Partners ($ 1.3 million) and Dominion Ventures ($ 982,035). eHow's major debts included $ 598,460 owed to Vignette Corp., $ 140,024 to Engage Media in San Francisco and $ 237,492 to LifeMinders. The Silicon Valley Bank seized $ 180,548 that

408-612: A group of seven television stations. Led by chief executive officer Catherine Badalamente, the company is based in Detroit , co-located with its local NBC affiliate WDIV-TV . Stations are arranged in alphabetical order by state and city of license . Graham Holdings Company also owns several companies active in various capacities on the World Wide Web . These include The Slate Group , which publishes Slate , Slate V , ForeignPolicy.com and World of Good Brands (formerly

459-704: A lifestyle resource for women that produces short-form how-to videos. Additionally, its studioD business develops and executes content marketing strategies, and creates custom content for third-party brands, agencies and publishers. Through its Marketplace service offering, Demand Media operates two art and design marketplaces where one can market and sell artworks or designs printed on a variety of products. Society6.com, which it acquired in June 2013, provides an online commerce platform to sell images or designs on consumer products. SaatchiArt.com, which it acquired in August 2014,

510-835: A majority stake in Troy, Michigan -based Residential Healthcare Group, the parent company of Residential Home Health and Residential Hospice, which provides at-home and on-site health care and hospice services in Michigan and Illinois. Graham Healthcare Group provides home health, hospice and palliative care services through joint ventures with health systems and physicians groups. The subsidiary designs business and technology solutions aimed at streamlining hospice and home health operations and improving quality of care. Graham Healthcare Group includes Residential Healthcare Group, Allegheny Health Network-Healthcare @ Home, Mary Free Bed at Home, Clarus and InTeliCare. Graham Healthcare Group also operates

561-566: A nationwide specialty pharmacy licensed in 38 states that serves patients suffering from chronic illness through its Clinical Specialty Infusions, LLC (CSI Pharmacy) business located in Texarkana, Texas . Through its Clarus Care, LLC (Clarus) business in Nashville, Tennessee , GHG provides call management solutions to physician groups and hospitals. In July 2013, Graham Holdings purchased Forney Corp. for an undisclosed sum. The company, which

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612-446: A principal with Spectrum Equity Investors, specializing in media and communications companies. In June 2007, Demand Media hired Charles Hilliard, a former Morgan Stanley investment banker, NetZero / United Online senior executive and initial public offering (IPO) specialist, as its president and chief financial officer and acquired Byron Reese's how-to website, ExpertVillage.com of Austin, Texas , for about $ 20 million. Reese became

663-436: A result of the separation, Demand Media is no longer a provider of domain name services. In April 2016, Demand Media announced the sale of its brand, Cracked.com, to E.W. Scripps. In May 2016, Demand Media announced the sale of its brand trails.com to LoveToKnow Corp. (owned by Howard Love ). In February 2017, Demand Media's Airliners.net site was acquired by VerticalScope, majority-owned by Torstar . In 2018, Leaf acquired

714-574: A social media management platform for newsrooms, through its subsidiary, Graham Media Group. In June 2021, Graham Holdings acquired Leaf Group , a consumer internet company that runs both online consumer-orientated brands and marketplace brands. In 2023, the Leaf Group was restructured to become World of Good Brands, separating Leaf’s lifestyle publishing websites – Well+Good , Livestrong , Hunker and OnlyInYourState — from its marketplace businesses, Saatchi Art and Society6 . In October 2012,

765-522: A son-in-law of CEO Don Graham, joined GHC as president. O'Shaughnessy became CEO in November 2015. In November 2014, Graham Holdings said it would spin off Cable ONE as a separate, publicly traded company in 2015. The spin-off was completed on July 1, 2015. In March 2018, Graham sold Kaplan University , Kaplan’s online higher education operation, to the Purdue University system , and it

816-466: A value of some $ 1.5 billion. However, as a result of a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation regarding the company's novel accounting for "long-lived content", the pricing was delayed. On January 12, 2011, the company announced it would price its shares between $ 14 and $ 16 each, giving it a valuation of approximately $ 1.3 billion. Questions were raised about Demand Media's claim to be profitable, given that its IPO filings had reported losses for

867-546: A week. Pluck.com's content comes with advertising. The website owners get free content for their sites and split the advertising revenue with Demand Media. In April 2010, the Financial Times reported that Demand Media was planning an initial public offering of shares (IPO). The IPO filing was completed in August of that year. Shares were initially expected to be offered in December 2010 that would give Demand Media

918-534: Is an online art gallery for the purpose of selling works. In 2017, Leaf Group acquired Deny Designs, a modern home furnishings company based in Colorado. Demand Media was co-founded in May 2006 by Richard Rosenblatt and Shawn Colo. Rosenblatt was chief executive officer of Intermix Media and Chairman of MySpace.com . Colo is a financial acquisition specialist. He worked for 10 years in the private equity industry as

969-479: Is based in Addison, Texas , manufactures equipment that monitors and controls the combustion of coal, natural gas, and other materials. This equipment is sold to electric utilities for use in power generation plants. In June 2014, Graham Holdings acquired Joyce/Dayton Corp., a Dayton, Ohio -based manufacturer of screw jacks and other linear-motion systems. In November 2015, Graham Holdings acquired Group Dekko,

1020-464: Is posted on a variety of sites, including YouTube and the company's own sites, such as eHow and livestrong.com. The company was acquired by Graham Holdings in June 2021 for $ 323 million. Demand Media's Content & Media service offering includes leading online properties that publish content in text, video, photography, and designed visual formats. This content is published across several key categories on eHow.com. It also owns and operates LEAFtv,

1071-598: The Washington metropolitan area , including Old Ebbitt Grill . In January 2019, Graham Holdings acquired 90% of two automobile dealerships from Sonic Automotive. The company's latest acquisition — its fourth auto dealership to date — is located at 8820 Centreville Road in Manassas. Christopher J. Ourisman of Ourisman Automotive will operate and manage the dealership, which the Arlington holding company purchased from

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1122-503: The 2nd Annual Open Web Awards. In 2009 the website introduced a mobile version for cell phone users and also was a CNET Webware 100 Winner in the category of Search & Reference . That same year Demand Media merged their acquisition of Expert Village into eHow and opened a branch operation in the United Kingdom . The moves gave eHow over one million articles and videos available on-line in 2009 and doubled that number by

1173-523: The Battlefield Automotive Group. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. In 1984, Graham Holdings (then The Washington Post Company), acquired Stanley H. Kaplan Educational Centers. In the 1990s, the company expanded abroad and grew beyond test preparation, expanding its training and publishing businesses, diversifying into English language training, higher education, pathways programs, online learning and other services. It launched

1224-482: The Demand Media making an estimated US$ 200 million in revenue in 2009, including from Google 's advertising income. In 2011 the site released an iPad application, providing a direct shortcut to the website. That same year the site received a reorganization and overhaul of its look, consolidating its now three million articles and videos into six categories: Home, Health, Food, Style, Money and Family. In 2011

1275-627: The FP Group, which includes Foreign Policy magazine and ForeignPolicy.com), Graham Media Group (formerly Post-Newsweek Stations), a group of seven television stations ; education company Kaplan ; manufacturing operations including Hoover Treated Wood Products, Dekko, Joyce/Dayton Corp, Forney Corporation; Graham Healthcare Group, which provides home health, hospice and palliative care services through joint ventures with health systems and physicians groups as well as other services; Graham Automotive, which includes eight automotive dealerships around

1326-549: The Leaf Group). The Root , an online magazine focusing on African American culture, was owned by The Slate Group until Graham Holdings sold it to Univision Communications in 2015. Graham Holdings Company also owns SocialCode, an advertising agency specializing in social media/ID-based marketing, and is an investor in Pinna, a children's podcast company. In November 2014, Graham Holdings Company acquired Social News Desk,

1377-479: The Washington, D.C. region; and content and marketplace company World of Good Brands (formerly Leaf Group ). Graham Holdings Company also owned cable television and internet service provider Cable One until it was spun off in 2015 and the now-defunct Trove (formerly WaPo Labs)—the developers of a news reader app . The history of Graham Holdings Company dates back to 1877, when The Washington Post

1428-556: The bank". In 2008, Demand Media acquired Pluck , a company providing social networking and commenting solutions to other websites, for a reported $ 75 million in cash. IndieClick and RSS Graffiti were acquired in August 2011. Name.com , a domain name registrar , was acquired on January 7, 2013. Society6 was acquired on June 25, 2013. Saatchi Online was acquired on August 11, 2014. In August 2014, Demand Media announced it had successfully separated from Rightside Group, Ltd. and its brands eNom, Name.com and online auction site NameJet. As

1479-539: The beneficiaries of various family trusts) collectively control the company through their ownership of the unlisted Class A common stock that selects 70% of the company's board of directors . As of 2014, it forms more than 90% of the family's assets. Prior to 2014, Berkshire Hathaway was a substantial holder of the public Class B common stock that selects 30% of the company's board of directors, but exchanged most of that stock for WPLG-TV , one of Graham Holdings' television stations, and other assets, in 2014. Since 1950,

1530-487: The company by a factor of 20–25 times. The automated program combines search data, internet traffic patterns and the rates of keyword use and uses this information to determine what internet users want to know and also calculates how much money advertisers will pay to appear on the same page content created. Another algorithm, called the Knowledge Engine, then works out what exactly internet users want to know about

1581-562: The company had been based in the Washington Post building in Washington, D.C. , which was sold off separately in 2014. Its new headquarters are at 1300 North 17th Street in Arlington, Virginia, with the choice of state motivated (according to Don Graham) by the proximity to Congress and the fact that two of the holding's activity areas, education and health care, are subject to federal regulation. In 1984, The Washington Post Company purchased Stanley H. Kaplan Education Centers, Ltd.,

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1632-565: The company was not for sale. It was reported that Rosenblatt wanted a price closer to $ 3 billion for Demand Media. In August, 2014, Demand Media acquired online art-gallery marketplace Saatchi Art and named the startup's top executive, Sean Moriarty, as the new CEO of Demand Media Inc. The company changed its name to Leaf Group in 2016. On June 10, 2021, Leaf announced shareholders had approved an acquisition by Graham Holdings for $ 8.50 per share in an all-cash transaction valued at approximately $ 323 million. Since 2006, Demand Media has acquired

1683-490: The company's chief innovation officer and developed the algorithm that the company uses to identify topics with high advertising potential. In 2007, Demand Media raised more than $ 355 million in financing over its first two years from investors such as Oak Investment Partners , Spectrum Equity Investors, Generation Partners and Goldman Sachs . By 2008, Demand Media had acquired more than 30 domain-name portfolios and owned 65 destination websites. It said that its 2009 revenue

1734-489: The costs of content and amortizing them over five years, giving them the appearance of profitability. EHow eHow is an online how-to guide with many articles and 170,000 videos offering step-by-step instructions. eHow articles and videos are created by freelancers and cover a wide variety of topics organized into a hierarchy of categories. Any eHow user can leave comments or responses, but only contracted writers can contribute changes to articles. The writers work on

1785-592: The firm purchased Celtic Healthcare Inc. for an undisclosed sum. Celtic Healthcare, based in Pennsylvania , provides home health care in western, central, and northeastern Pennsylvania as well as Montgomery and Baltimore County, Maryland . It also provides home hospice services in the same areas, as well as owns a 10-bed inpatient hospice in Dunmore, Pennsylvania . In 2014, it had around 558 full-time and 45 part-time employees. In 2014, Graham Holdings bought

1836-487: The following year. In 2010 they received a New Media Award. It was in 2009 that eHow was noted as having changed its method of identifying content to contract for creation. The company moved from human-identified lists of potential content to the use of a computer-based algorithm , a move that increased revenue by a factor of 4.9 times per article or video created. Getting rid of the human editors who formerly identified and approved content to be produced increased profits for

1887-528: The largest buyers of articles and videos, often commissioning low-quality articles to cut costs in an effort to mass-produce articles and videos to appear highly in Google search results, purchasing thousands of search-engine-driven content from low-paid freelancers to use on its websites to attract advertisers, such as Israeli startup Simpli (now owned by Google's AdSense ). Demand Media has also been criticized for its methods of accounting, such as capitalizing

1938-449: The long tail " search. It then tries to retain visitors with related content and social media tools. Its social media platforms get 3 billion interactions per month for clients with already well-established brands. Demand Media commissions specific website content that it then distributes to its own websites and others where it has advertising revenue sharing agreements. As of 2008, Demand Media owned 135,000 videos and 340,000 articles. It

1989-446: The past several years. On December 14, 2020, the company announced the closing of its underwritten public offering of 8,216,750 shares of its common stock, including full exercise of the underwriter’s option to purchase additional shares of common stock, at a public offering price of $ 4.20 per share, receiving an aggregate net proceeds from the offering of approximately $ 32.0 million. Demand Media has attracted criticism for being one of

2040-510: The purposes of promoting advertising. Another search engine, Blekko also regarded eHow as spam , blacklisted the site and filtered eHow results out. Wired magazine has also criticized eHow and Demand Media, calling their content: "slapdash" and a "factory stamping out moneymaking content". Graham Holdings Its current holdings include the digital marketing company Code3 (formerly SocialCode); online and print media entities including Slate Magazine , Foreign Policy through

2091-433: The ranking and impact of content farms. These changes led to a 40% drop in traffic to Demand Media sites. Demand Media responded to the algorithm changes, saying their business model remained solid. Jack Herrick , former owner of eHow, started up wikiHow after concluding that the wiki method of content creation would ultimately produce higher quality work. He described the difference between eHow and wikiHow as "eating

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2142-457: The sale was finalized. It adopted Graham Holdings Company as the new name effective November 29, 2013. Amazon.com was not involved in the sale. Nash Holdings LLC, a company owned by Bezos, closed the purchase of the newspaper and affiliated publications on October 1, 2013. Graham Holdings Company retained ownership of WaPo Labs, its technology innovation group, since rebranded as Trove . In 2014, Tim O'Shaughnessy, founder of LivingSocial and

2193-666: The site was adding more than 5,000 articles and videos a day while employing 13,000 freelance writers, editors and producers. In 2012 a seventh category was added, entitled Mom , focusing on parenting and family issues. Demand Media and eHow in particular have been criticized for large amounts of low-quality content and for operating as a content farm , paying contributors low rates for content intended to rank high in search results, rather than focus on quality information, with poor quality articles intended mainly to drive up search results rather than inform. In 2010 and 2011 Google implemented changes to their algorithms intending to reduce

2244-433: The subjects identified and details exactly how to approach profitable subjects and what its potential subject longevity is. The machine-created subjects are then proofread by freelance proofreaders for 8 cents each, to ensure that they are clear enough for bidding on by freelance article and video producers. Content producers are then paid about US$ 15 per article or US$ 20 per video to produce the product. This change resulted in

2295-401: The website Well+Good. In February 2019, Leaf acquired the website OnlyInYourState. In 2021, Leaf Group was purchased in an all-cash offer by Graham Holdings. Demand Media executives say their websites are content-driven to attract visitors by showing up in multiword search-engine queries. The more words that are typed into a search engine, the more specific the search will be. This is called "

2346-414: Was claimed to be one of the largest contributors to YouTube , uploading between 10,000 and 20,000 new videos per month and getting about 1.5 million page views per day on YouTube. Content is generated via a process in which Demand Media uses algorithms to generate titles, then posts the titles to a screened pool of freelance writers or video creators. The list of available titles used to be over 100,000 but

2397-611: Was first published. The Washington Post Company was incorporated in the District of Columbia in 1889, and remained a District of Columbia corporation until it changed its place of incorporation to Delaware in 2003. It is a public company and its Class B common stock trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GHC; it went public in 1971. Descendants of the late Eugene Meyer (including Chairman Donald E. Graham , his sister Lally Weymouth , and

2448-452: Was in EHow's accounts to pay off outstanding loans. eHow was acquired by Demand Media in 2006. Originally it was a source of written articles and step-by-step instructions. At the time of its acquisition it had 17,000 articles and 5.8 million visitors a month. A year after purchasing the website Demand Media introduced the video format. In 2008 the site won a Mashable Blogger's Choice award in

2499-447: Was nearly $ 200 million, but it was later reported that the company had never been profitable. In July 2008, it was reported that Yahoo! was interested in buying Demand Media for between $ 1.5 billion and $ 2 billion. Sources close to both companies said Yahoo! executives were interested in Demand Media's advertising impressions and its ability to create niche social networks for media sites. Demand Media CEO Richard Rosenblatt later said that

2550-527: Was rebranded Purdue University Global , a new public university to serve adult learners. In 2019, children's podcasting company Pinna spun out of the Slate Group as a separate Graham Holdings subsidiary. In June 2021, Graham Holdings completed their acquisition of Leaf Group , a consumer internet company, at a valuation of approximately $ 323 million. Through its Graham Media Group subsidiary (formerly Post-Newsweek Stations), Graham Holdings owns

2601-401: Was severely curtailed in the second half of 2011. Typically, writers can claim up to ten titles and then have a week to submit the articles. Format and length are dictated by guidelines. Submitted articles go to an editor (also a freelancer), who can either clean them up or request a rewrite. After writers submit a revised article, it is either accepted or rejected. Payment via PayPal is twice

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