The extended Yahoo family just got a whole lot bigger.  Yahoo announced this afternoon that it’s acquired Associated Content, and Associated Content, which specializes in crowdsourced content, is in contact with around 380,000 contributors.

If you’re wondering how this purchase has anything to do with Yahoo’s core businesses – and/or whether it represents a wise decision – Carol Bartz is eager to voice her opinion.  In a statement, she addressed the second issue by saying, "Combining our world-class editorial team with Associated Content’s makes this a game-changer."

Bartz also explained, "Together, we’ll create more content around what we know our users care about, and open up new and creative avenues for advertisers to engage with consumers across our network.  These are important aspects of building engaging consumer experiences on Yahoo!, and one of the reasons why we’re one of the most visited destinations online."

Unfortunately, Yahoo’s CEO was less forthcoming when it came to the financial terms of the deal, but numerous whispers put Associated Content’s price in the neighborhood of $100 million.

Anyway, this development looks to be a big deal for Yahoo.  Considering that Carol Bartz has been much more inclined to sell properties than buy them, the acquisition of Associated Content and her enthusiasm concerning the purchase would seem to signal that we’ll be hearing a lot more about it in the future.