AOL is launching new vertical-oriented blogs in an ongoing effort to appeal to many niches, reports The Associated Press.

In March, the company announced it would debut at least 12 niche sites in 2008, ostensibly to cash in on ad revenue.

New AOL destinations include The Boot and The BoomBox, which cover country music and hip-hop/R&B, respectively.

AOL also plans to relaunch ParentDish, which was started by Weblogs, Inc., now an AOL subsidiary. The site compiles advice for new parents on how to maintain active, productive lifestyles with a baby in tow.

AOL's existing stable of ad-supported properties include destinations geared to men (Asylum) and financial news (BloggingStocks). Each represents an effort to move away from the subscription-based portal model.

Platform-A, AOL's advertising division, will sell text and display ads on all sites.