Some very good thinking on NYTimes/About.com

PressThink: A Little Detail in the Sale of About.com to the New York Times

Jay Rosen on the NYTimes buy of About.com and how it relates to SEO and, in particular Google

With current NYTimes model, there is no "stickiness" to their content as far as Google is concerned.
Articles pass into the archives and "disappear" for all intents and purposes.

While the Times model is to monetize the content via the archives, they may well be missing the boat in that they are not partaking of the AdSense model of ads tied to content.

Also: site design and "getting noticed"

“About.com is a network of about 500 mini-sites where people who know a lot about a subject--they're called "guides," but they could also be called bloggers--write columns and offer links and resources about specialty topics from personal finance to parenting to fly-fishing. The mini-sites are surrounded by ads--including "cost-per-click" advertising--and sponsored links; that's where the money comes from. Everyone I asked about the "search engine optimization" told me it was a minor part of the deal. They're right, from the business point of view.

I'm looking at it from a blogger's point of view.

Search engine optimization means the business of getting your site noticed by Google, Yahoo and other engines. Some firms claim to know how it works and will "boost" your site for a price. But About.com is not in that business (a very shady business.) What About.com, and it's competitor, iVillage, know how to do is design pages that find their way into search engines, and thus have a second life.”