That means going beyond commenting and moderation to#nbsp;also include community pages and other ways to#nbsp;highlight and monetize user-generated content. The company’s customers include Hearst, Refinery29, Fox News and our corporate siblings at#nbsp;Engadget and AOL.com.
Shoval argued that these tools are particularly important as digital media business models are struggling#nbsp;— regardless of#nbsp;whether those publishers are focused on#nbsp;advertising, subscriptions or#nbsp;other models, the key is#nbsp;to#nbsp;focus on#nbsp;loyal readers and viewers rather than "random users that come in#nbsp;and disappear."
Spot.IM can make a#nbsp;big difference in#nbsp;this area by#nbsp;keeping users engaged, and by#nbsp;providing data to#nbsp;help publishers understand their behavior and value. In#nbsp;fact, Shoval said that for some publishers, a#nbsp;Spot. IM#nbsp;user will provide five times as#nbsp;much lifetime revenue as#nbsp;a#nbsp;non-Spot.IM user.
"We do#nbsp;believe it’s about better understanding: Who are our users, what do#nbsp;they want and how can we#nbsp;provide them with more value?" he#nbsp;added.
The company has now raised a#nbsp;total of $#nbsp;63 million, according to#nbsp;Crunchbase. The new funding was led by#nbsp;previous investor Insight Venture Partners with participation from Norma Investments (representing businessman Roman Abramovich), AltaIR Capital, Cerca and WGI Group (founded by#nbsp;Noah Goodhart, Jonah Goodhart and Mike Walrath).
Spot.IM is#nbsp;also announcing that it#nbsp;has appointed tech and media executive Itzik Ben-Bassat as#nbsp;president and as#nbsp;a#nbsp;member of#nbsp;its board of#nbsp;directors.