Here's what Nokia Conversations has to say about the merger:
With this new release, we welcome our colleagues from the Nokia Connects blog, bringing the two sites, Connects and Conversations, together as one.
From the point of view of readers, we know that having lots of different Nokia blogs isn’t ideal. Earlier this year, we integrated posts from the Location team here on Conversations, instead of Nokia having a separate Maps blog.
Now, the Connects team join us too, to create a bigger, more inclusive site than ever before.
The merger of Nokia Connects into Nokia Conversations means the majority of Nokia's official, global, blog activity is now available under a single URL. A few exceptions, including country or project specific blogs do remain separate, with the most notable example being Nokia Beta Labs.
In the last few years Nokia Conversations has placed more of an emphasis on becoming the official communications (PR) voice of the company, rather than a Nokia slanted and produced commentary on its own ecosystem and products. The content on Nokia Conversations is written by a dedicated team, consisting of both Nokia staffers, freelancers, and a number of journalists and copywriters from a pair of third party media agencies (1000heads and Republic Publishing).
The blog is usually the first stop for those looking for the official corporate commentary on Nokia related news and announcements. New Nokia products are sometimes announced first on Nokia Conversations, a contrast to the days where the official word would always come through a press release, which helps explain why it has become one of the most visited corporate blogs on the Internet.
As part of the merger the design of Nokia Conversations has been tweaked, with the front page showcasing content in three categories: News, Features and Connect. The blog also includes a Location category detailing news and features related to Nokia Maps and associated services.
Nokia Connects says it will be narrowing its focus:
In a nutshell, the new look Nokia Connects will focus less on us and more on our community, as we celebrate all the great stuff you guys are up to. Things like amazing videos, photos and Nokia experiences.
More information in these two blog posts.