Six Apart Acquires Apperceptive, Expands Offerings For BloggersSix Apart Acquires Apperceptive, Expands Offerings For Bloggers

Six Apart on Monday announced several expansion efforts, including the acquisition of a social media company, the opening of a New York Office and the launch of new advertising and marketing services.

The blogging software and services company said it has acquired Apperceptive, a company that designs and creates social media communities to expand its offerings to bloggers and small businesses. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Six Apart Services helps manage Web publishing from one scalable application and integrate social publishing platforms. The company plans to expand its Six Apart Professional Network of third-party developers, designers, consultants, and systems integrators who provide services to customers, expand its advertising offerings, add marketing tools, and form two new business units.

Six Apart Media executive VP David Tokheim will lead a premium advertising program for influential bloggers and provide custom advertising solutions to marketers. Six Apart Services Vice Presidents Marissa Levinson and David Jacobs will provide custom development, implementation, and design services to large publishers and corporate customers.

Six Apart's new VIP program aims to help influential bloggers expand audiences and increase visibility. VIP services include blog assessment and optimization, design and template analysis, educational services and webinars. The company offers "Turbo Tune Up" and "Power Launch" services to TypePad bloggers to improve their marketing impact.

The company is expanding on the media solutions it has offered to HP, MSN, and Universal Studios, to offer bloggers on platforms like TypePad and self-hosting tools like Movable Type and WordPress.org advertising revenue. The ad program runs through Adify, a technology and media company that specializes in vertical online advertising.

Six Apart has established a New York City office and is hiring to expand social media services to customers and advertisers. The company also has offices in San Francisco, Tokyo, and Paris.

"Our customers have asked us for complete solutions as their blogging and social media efforts grow," Chris Alden, CEO of Six Apart, said in a news announcement. "Our mission is to help everyone succeed in blogging. Today, we're expanding our business so that our customers can benefit not just from our technology, but from our years of experience. With the launch of Six Apart Media and Six Apart Services, we are able to help any blogger, publisher and advertiser who wants to succeed online."

Apperceptive was founded two years ago and has worked, from the beginning, with Six Apart on blog-based Web publishing communities for The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, BoingBoing, Major League Baseball, iVillage, and Gothamist, among others.