No announcement yet on AOL’s future search partner—we’re beginning to believe a watched pot really doesn’t boil—but the Time Warner unit is changing directions when it comes to classified ads. AuctionBytes.com first reported that AOL would stop accepting personal classifieds as of Dec. 31, suggesting the site would be closed. An AOL spokesman said the site will stay open but the mix of personal and aggregated listings will switch to aggregated only. From a statement sent to AuctionBytes: “Due to a strategic shift in direction pertaining to our Search & Directional Media plans, the AOL Classifieds Marketplace will no longer support personal classifieds listings and as of December 31st will transition into an aggregator of listings from leading industry partners.”
Meanwhile, talk continues about a much bigger possible change—switching Google for MSN.