Netivation.Com Signs Pact With Microsoft

Netivation.com has signed a contract to provide election news for the Microsoft News politics channel.

“Our agreement with them is very big, very significant for us,” said Tony Paquin, president and CEO of the Post Falls company.

The 12-month contract will bring millions of new viewers to Netivation’s political Web site, Votenet.com, Paquin predicted.

Votenet.com contains news articles, voting records and information about campaign contributions. Content from the Web site will be featured on the Microsoft News Politics Channel, “Political Pulse.”

Votenet.com will also supply political items for a newsletter that reaches 46 million people who get free e-mail through Microsoft, he said.

Microsoft interviewed a number of potential partners, said Scott Moore, publisher of Microsoft’s online magazine, Slate.com.

“They were very impressive with what they have already accomplished … and their vision of how the Internet will affect politics in the future,” Moore said.

Value of the contract was not disclosed.

Netivation.com has grown rapidly since going public last June. The company employs about 70 people in Post Falls and 40 in Washington, D.C.

This week, Votenet.com added archives of C-SPAN’s presidential coverage to its Web site through an arrangement with Virage Inc. of San Mateo, Calif.

In addition to its political division, Netivation has a separate health care division.