Blogging Software Firm SixApart Buys Social Media Agency Apperceptive

SixApart, the blogging software firm with products like MovableType, Typepad and Vox, is now moving up the value chain into offering advertising and consulting services, and has bought New York City-based social media creative agency, Apperceptive. The financial details were not disclosed. Apperceptive has worked with Six Apart for the past two years, and its clients include Huffington Post, Washington Post (NYSE: WPO), Gothamist, Boing Boing, Major League Baseball, and others.

The idea for SA is to move beyond an increasingly commoditized blog publishing software business, and into adding advertising, design, implementation, development and site optimization services to bloggers and companies. With the addition of these services, it will now compete with Federated Media, though on a more one-to-one scale then FM's multi-scaled approach...as opposed to FM, it also has the publishing platform running the sites (SA and FM would make a good rollup together, by the way...). SA is partnering with Adify, the white label vertical ad network, to provide the ad program to bloggers.

SA is also opening New York City offices with this move, and forming two division: Six Apart Media, headed by EVP and GM David Tokheim, for these ad services; and Six Apart Services, led by Marissa Levinson and David Jacob, for design and implementation services to larger publishers and corporate customers. The company recently sold off its LiveJournal service to Russian company SUP.

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