Yahoo buys freelance news site Associated Content

Yahoo Inc. is buying freelance news site Associated Content in a deal that will add a more folksy touch to one of the world's biggest Web sites.

So Associated Content, which is a content mill a la Demand Media/AOL Seed based on SEOing the hell out of trending news items is now owned by a search engine. That sounds like the worst/greatest idea Yahoo has come up with yet depending on your perspective.

well to be fair Yahoo is getting out of the search business(they'll be powered by bing)

Risky. A strategy based on low-quality content is bad for any brand, but because this product is tied so closely to SEO, it is really putting itself at the mercy of Google. A fundamental change in the search algorithm or SERP design could really screw Associated Content.

Yahoo: A second rate company trying their damndest to be third-rate.

Another steaming pile of mediocrity to compete with IAC's about.com? yawn

IAC doesn't own about.com. It's owned by The New York Times Company.