Avoiding online ads and the blockers

New York

WHEN Allrecipes unveiled a revamped website last week, it billed the move as part of a broader transformation into a social network for food lovers. Among other new capabilities available to them, the site's millions of users can now follow other cooks and share what they have made on Facebook.

But behind the redesign is also an attempt to make the site a more appealing destination for advertisers. The company is calling its new site an "always-on platform," where brands can "be part of the conversation" by creating their own profile pages. Stan Pavlovsky, the president of Allrecipes, said the offering would give brands a way to incorporate themselves into the cooking site and improve the consumer experience. Swanson, part of the Campbell Soup Co, has created a profile page that includes recipes for flank steak and spaghetti soup.