Time Warner Inc.'s Internet services group AOL has launched a new online event listing service called  When.com, aimed at giving its users a way to find out about local live performances, family activities and other happenings, driven by event-based search technology from San Mateo, California-based company Zvents, the company announced Monday. The addition of the When.com Web site was the latest to AOL's group of local online sites, which reached some 56 million visitors during the month of September according to Reston, Virginia-based Web traffic analysis firm comScore. AOL Platform-A To Provide Advertising Packages To When.com When.com will eventually display advertising alongside event listings that will be sold through Platform-A, AOL's advertising network created in September 2007 to combine ad sales for all the company's Web sites and network properties. AOL did not disclose details about when the Platform-A-sold ad packages for When.com would begin running, however it did say that additional features for the new events listing service would be released over the next few weeks. "In the coming weeks, additional When.com features will be rolled out including a When.com widget that can be added to any social networking page and a new 'MyWhen' feature that will enable users to save events to their own When.com calendar and receive alerts and reminders for upcoming events," AOL said in announcing the service's release Monday. AOL said that it expects to expand the reach of When.com during the same general timeframe, through integration with additional AOL Web properties such as AOL Travel, AOL CityGuide and MapQuest. The SearchEngineWorld example search below shows WebmasterWorld's PubCon conference listed as the first event for Las Vegas, Nevada conferences on November 11.  Natural Language Events Searching The When.com user interface shows consumers two search boxes for entering the type of events they are interested in finding information about and when they are looking to attend them, which brings up a list of  suggested events for the local area. Natural language words for finding events, such as "today," "tomorrow," and "next seven days" can be used for event searching with When.com. The area searched is automatically determined by using the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer used to access When.com, although the site allows a user to easily change their current location by city name, or for United States users, postal ZIP code, to find events before travel or to recommend events to those living in other areas. Users can adjust how great a distance from their location they want to view events, with the default set at 25 miles or kilometers depending on the country being searched. An alternate set of buttons allows users to browse through events. AOL Local and Search Verticals general manager Chris Spanos said that When.com had many uses. "Whether you’re looking for events that are suitable for the whole family, something to do on a Friday night or ways to entertain out of town guests, When.com makes it easy for users to find where to go and what to do in their community or places they are traveling to," Spanos noted in the Monday AOL announcement. New AOL Event Listing Site When.com Powered By Zvents Search Engine The new AOL service has offered free event listings for those who create an no-cost account at When.com, and encouraged "new and aspiring musicians, actors, and performing artists" to "gain public exposure by promoting themselves and showcasing their work." "When.com is also a powerful way for event organizers and advertisers to reach and connect with a targeted audience by providing them the ability to quickly and easily submit their events right from the When.com homepage," Spanos added. AOL's so-called "hyper-local online event guide" included links to purchase tickets to certain performances, maps and directions, and the ability to add events of interest to its online calendar or those from Google, Yahoo or Microsoft Outlook. Zvents, the provider of the search engine technology driving the new AOL service, was founded in 2005 by Ethan Stock and Tyler Kovacs, and last month received $24 million in funding from a group of investors that included AT&T, NAVTEQ and Nokia Growth Partners. Related Links :
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