LookSmart Opens Up New Education Channels

Just in time for school, LookSmart has unveiled a nice new cluster of vertical search education sites; ten sites in all. Here are just a few:

• LookSmartUSA: Top articles and web picks exclusively related to America-centric topics, such as National Heritage, the Civil Rights movement, or the Melting Pot.
• LookSmartJrHigh: Everything a studious junior higher needs. Includes articles and web picks on subjects such as science, reading and writing, and computers.
• LookSmartMom: Articles and web picks for Moms. I found it telling that "Wine" is placed strategically at the top of the page, right next to "House of Bliss."

There's seven more sites in the LookSmart cluster of educational sites, including Zinkle for kids, LookSmart High School, and more.

One thing that makes this little vertical cluster unique is that LookSmart is enabling advertisers to place ads across one centralized channel. From the press release: "All LookSmart vertical sites now offer several choices for advertising with search Pay-Per-Click (PPC) products, as well as banners, rich media and other units. As a result, advertisers can deliver targeted advertising to demographically relevant consumers such as teens, collegiates, parents and busy moms." You can get more advertising information at LookSmart's ad info area.

I found this cluster of sites pretty helpful. I appreciated that articles are placed front and center; students of all ages will find that this feature is particularly useful for in-paper citations.

Related: Start getting those educational sites revved up; school starts in about three weeks, depending on what part of the country you live in. Check out my favorite research sites, web archives, or search for research and reference experts.