Widget-maker Clearspring Buys AddThis

Widget-maker Clearspring Technologies has purchased online bookmarking and content-sharing service AddThis in an undisclosed deal.

Clearspring helps people distribute content across social networks through mini-applications like games, slideshows, and news feeds that can be added to Web sites. AddThis is the most widely used tool for bookmarking and sharing Web pages.

Hooman Radfar, Clearspring CEO and founder* *, says that he thinks the partnership will help Clearspring create a large platform of targeted content and capitalize on the next evolution in online advertising — widgets.

"Today both of our products are services to publishers and advertisers. Ultimately we want to build an ecosystem with developers of new services, applications, and advertisers, that delivers a simple experience to consumers."

By using AddThis's recommendation services and tracking user behavior, Clearspring will be able to bring more relevant and useful widgets and advertising to consumers and take part in the ways that social networks use "content as communication." Says Radfar:

"A lot more of media is going to become communications driven. And we're letting people communicate content."

Clearspring has received more than $35 million in funding since it was founded in 2004 and has about $10 milion in annual sales, but neither company is currently profitable.

Radfar says that the companies together reach an audience of 200 million viewers monthly with their combined tools, but acknowledges their currently small stature:

"Today we’re in baby world. AddThis is an investment in the future for Clearspring."