Two years ago, Meredith Artley (pictured) left her post as LA Times online managing editor for a gig in Atlanta with CNN.com. It’s been going well, just as it did here and previously with the New York Times.

Per an interview with Marketwatch’s Jon Friedman, Artley says she is getting ready to go after a big fish in the U.S. Internet traffic pond. Not Fox News; not MSNBC; but rather, Yahoo. Artley says one weapon of choice will be a range of new blogs:

The blogs’ subjects are: education, race and identity in America, the cultural and social aspects of technology, and technology in terms of innovation. “The common thread is that these are topics that people are passionate about,” she explained…

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Well, the contenders for the very newest Online Journalism Awards can’t claim biased voting: Meredith Artley, executive editor of LATimes.com, was one of the judges — yet the local site didn’t win a single award. To find out who did, check out the list here.

Open Letter to Meredith Artley:

You have a pervert on your staff. We don’t know who it is (though if you feel like supplying the name, by all means …) We just know that every time — and we mean every time — there is a story about Britney Spears in the paper, someone in the Web’s art department feels the need to run that 170-year-old picture of Britney Spears kissing Madonna. We are tired of looking at. Please make this person stop.

Conversely, if you find a way to include more pictures of George Clooney on your site, we’d be much obliged.

Sealed With A Kiss,

Fishbowl LA

One of our favorite bloggers is joining latimes.com. Veronique de Turenne, who writes under K-Rod’s banner at LA Observed, is joining former LAist.com editor, Tony Pierce, to help beef up the news blogs at latimes.com.

According to the memo (which you can read below):

In her new position she will work closely with reporters, editors and the Web team to create a new kind of local coverage for latimes.com in the form of a fast-paced local news blog. The blog is still in development and will be launched early next year.

Veronique was kind enough to answer a few of our dumb questions:

1. What will you be doing on the site that is different than what you do for LAO and your own blog? I’ll be blogging the local news — anything and everything that has to do with Southern California.

2. What direction do expect news blogs to take in general, and at the LAT in particular? I think we’ll be seeing a lot more live-news blogs on newspaper web sites. Information on demand — the Times is on the leading edge with this. Put someone like Tony Pierce in the mix and you’re talking smart and fun and crazy innovations.

3. Will you be working from home or are they bringing bloggers into the newsroom? A bit of both. I’ve always loved the energy in a newsroom, especially at the city desk, and can’t wait to see how it’ll filter through to the blog. But the reality is, you can blog from anywhere — home, a cafe, a local library, Dodger Stadium, city hall, a park bench. I’d love to expand on that and blog from everywhere.

Congratulations, Veronique!

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The LA Times snatches up LAist Tony Pierce to run their 25 blogs. Pierce, with uncharacteristic tact, suggests he might change things:

Andy: So is this a new position for the Times?
Tony: From what I understand it is a new position. Currently Bettie Rinehart has been in charge of the blogs which have been built out to about 25 blogs on the Times. But it sounds like my job will be slightly different from what she’s been up to.

The departing Matt Welch was Pierce’s big cool pal at the paper (as well as one of the stronger online presences) and pushed Pierce to go for the gig.

Predictably, some in the blogging community aren’t thrilled by the news. (Although some are quick to suck up, hoping for work, perhaps.)

Meredith Artley is certainly kicking Times.com into the big leagues. And what’s next for LAist? Choire’s available, we hear.

The Los Angeles Times gets all busy with a new committee and some more blogs. Innovation editor Russ Stanton (who must just cringe when he has to call himself that) announces:

A2/A3 redux: The design department has been working on a remake of pages A2 and A3 of the newspaper. The plan is for A2 is to devote some space to promoting what’s on the website, and introduce a rotating series of smaller features. The corrections and index will remain. For A3, the remake involves a more visually attractive page that is less reliant on text. The goal is to debut both of these before the end of the year.

Promoting the website in the print edition? That’ll fetch ‘em. And less text? Graphic novel news?

Readers Rep Journal: We’re launching a new space on latimes.com on Wednesday, Nov. 14, where Readers’ Representative Jamie Gold will host a daily dialogue between our readers and members of the print and online editorial staffs. The Readers’ Representative Journal will include features such as staff announcements, links to 1st Amendment sites and answers to frequently asked questions.

We’re living for the answers to those FAQs, especially the ones asked by Patterico.

Innovation blog: This will be the last one of these you’ll receive from me via email, as we’ll be moving online and expanding the discussion beginning Monday, Nov. 12, with a blog called “Newsroom 2.0.” The goal is to more frequently share insights, success stories, explain traffic patterns, look at interesting things other media are doing, pass along tips, answer questions and address complaints. Joining me will be Meredith Artley, executive editor of latimes.com; Aaron Curtiss and Tracy Boucher, deputy innovation editors; and Mike Castelvecchi, managing editor/breaking news at latimes.com.

And there’s a committee to study why Monday’s such slow day.

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The LA Times is just growing by leaps and bounds. Coming soon, as announced by Meredith Artley:

* Small changes to the homepage including a dedicated area for sports, more visible blog and quote treatment.
* “Emerald City,” a blog on green living in LA.
* “Up to Speed,” a new auto blog.
* A Mideast blog from our foreign staff.
* New designs for The Envelope, Autos and Opinion.
* Readers’ Rep, a blog from Jamie Gold and her team.
* A columnist blog for Sandy Banks.
* Even more original videos and design changes to our video player.
* A new, singular email newsletter system, which will allow us to grow our email offering in areas like politics, breaking news and more.

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Meredith Artley sent out the official count for the LA Times website: 77.9 million page views for May. May was the botox treatment, in June look for

revamped politics section with a blog, a food blog, a Mideast blog, and visual changes and tweaks to sections such as Home and Garden, Sports, and Opinion.

Top Ten Blogs

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FBLA co-Fishie Kate Coe schooled public relations folks at the PR Newswire Media Coffee this morning and came back with a bit of gossip from latimes.com Executive Editor Meredith Artley.

“Meredith said they’ll soon be doing ‘a Botox procedure’ for the Web site,” Coe said.

Expect more white space and an easier-to-navigate page. Once that’s complete, they’re going to “do a throw-gas-on-it-and-light-a-fire redesign of the entire Web site.”

The site will also likely make better use of citizen journalism: During the Hollywood Hills fire, the photo that lead the online edition’s front page came from a reader.

While there was much gnashing of teeth about it internally, Artley realizes it’s the way of the future.

NYT Takes Baquet. LAT Gets Artley: LAT hired Meredith Artley, digital development director the International Herald Tribune’s online edition, as executive editor of latimes.com.

Advice For The LAT: It’s nice that you’re beefing up your online staff. But if you’re looking for cost-cutting measures, don’t lay off writers, tell the writers to lay off gambling with Times’ money. Especially if they’re going to bet on the Bears.

Red Carpet In the Rotunda: Hollywood is getting into the lobbying game today, meeting with lawmakers, giving presentations about the dangers of piracy and contributions of the movie industry to the GNP. And in case that doesn’t work, they’re getting Clint Eastwood to wave and smile at them.