-By Stacy Straczynski

The Food Network is getting into the giving spirit this November by making its Thanksgiving 2009 microsite the center of its digital strategy. FoodNetwork.com, yesterday, began promoting its editorial holiday offerings on its homepage to attract consumers hungry for holiday recipes and preparation tips.
 
Foodnetwork.com/thanksgiving aims to set FoodNetwork.com apart from other food-focused sites. “Thanksgiving is the most popular food holiday, and therefore, it is the most popular food holiday for us online,” said Angela Moore, vp of Scripps Network Digital and FoodNetwork.com site director. “Our Thanksgiving package is extremely talent-centric, and we have woven our most popular Food Network talent into every section of the Thanksgiving feature…[t]hat really is what distinguishes us as a brand and makes our feature different from every other Thanksgiving feature that you find online.”
 
The online content available at the Scripps Networks Digital-powered site includes how-to videos featuring Food Network talent, such as Ina Garten and Giada De Laurentiis and Alton Brown. From soup to nuts, there are 14 complete recipe menus with complementing appetizers, main courses and desserts (seven of which were created by top Food Network chefs). It also includes a turkey calculator and buying guide.
 
Visitors have the opportunity to have their own Thanksgiving preparation questions answered by Food Network talent on air during Dear Food Network Thanksgiving episodes.

Inquiries and cooking dilemmas can be submitted via the “Dear FN” tab at foodnetwork.com/thanksgiving. Users can also enter the All-Star Green Bean Casserole Sweepstakes by voting online for their favorite green bean casserole recipe to win a grand prize of $4,000 cash, a $500 gift certificate to the Food Network Store and a year-supply of Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers.
 
The 2009 Thanksgiving feature was originally launched in mid-September, earlier than in previous years, to utilize SEO strategy and take advantage of “Thanksgiving” keyword searches that begin to spike shortly after Labor Day, according to Moore. It began promoting the microsite this month. It is the largest digital Thanksgiving compilation the Food Network has ever produced.
 
The site also incorporates content, recipes and photography from Food Network Magazine and Food Network TV shows.