Yahoo sure likes to make deals toward the end of the year. Last year there was a flurry of acquisition activity and this year they are starting to heat up in the same department.

Yahoo will index and tag content from seven major newspaper chains and make the news content from 38 states available on the web. Yahoo will also power local events listings, maps and search technology on the local newspapers’ websites. The partnered newspapers will also use Yahoo’s advertising platform to sell and host the targeted local ads on their websites. The ads will largely be powered by Yahoo Local.

I’m not sure who this deal helps more, a print newspaper business moving (begrudgingly?) to the web or Yahoo. And why are they using ads from Yahoo Local and not Yahoo Publisher? We still don’t subscribe to any newspapers, you?

Perhaps just me, but why does this deal — piggybacking on what I wrote Monday on the allegedly leaked internal Yahoo memo — all feel like a part of some throw at the wall and see what sticks scheme?

Yesterday another deal that was announced which makes more sense is Yahoo Answers teaming up with Answers.com to form a definitive Q&A database, which answers.com CEO explains::

“The phenomenon of the ‘wisdom of crowds’ has taken on extraordinary momentum, as evidenced by the meteoric growth of Yahoo! Answers,” explained Bob Rosenschein, CEO of Answers.com. “While our existing content is incredibly rich, relevant and cross-disciplinary, answers drawn from a community Q&A site provide a flip side - the dynamic, interactive voice of the people. User-generated content is a powerful wave on the internet and is a direction that we will continue to actively pursue.”

It’s going to be tough for Microsoft Live QnA or Google Answers to put a dent in that combination.

Another thing Yahoo continues to be doing right is improving their developer relations, products and services. This will always pay dividends in the software world.

• Why subscribe to newspapers any more?
• The newspapers are dying meme must be a spring thing
• 3 Doors Down member newspaper scuffle
• New Yahoo search spiders subscriber-only areas
• The F-Word in print?
• Doomsday prophecies for local newspapers?