The notion of the New York Times Company filing for tech patents—one in process, several others en route—might sound like it comes from left field but Michael Zimbalist sees it as a sign of the Times’ transformation from a media company to a technology services provider. Zimbalist joined the company in late 2005 as VP-R&D operations to head the new “futurist unit” designed to help direct and shape that evolution. The R&D group developed, and then filed a patent, for a local search tool. Boston.com has aggregated a collection of more than 4,000 area-related websites chosen by the Boston Globe editorial staff. The problem that needed solving: how to search for those sites without using the Google (NSDQ: GOOG) page-ranking system, as the company decided that a more human perspective was needed in order to ensure that the correct content comes up. Getting down to the process of how the R&D unit works, Zimbalist says they’ve tried to create a product development model along the lines of a technology company: “Traditionally, media companies have planned new products immaculately and for long, long periods of time before launching them and largely leaving them be. Technology companies have very short release cycles and then it’s version and version and version. They follow the model of test, learn and adjust… And that’s part of our evolution.”http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-looking-to-its-future-nytco-sees-a-tech-services-company-patents-pendin/
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