no idea but there are 2 more news releases the latest tonight
August 23, 1999 19:55
Talk City Launches 'Back-To-School' Web Site Targeting Teens And College Students Online
SmarterKids.com and efollett.com Sponsor Seasonal Programming
CAMPBELL, Calif., Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Talk City, Inc. (Nasdaq: TCTY), a provider of online communities
for businesses and consumers, today announced that it has rolled out a special "Back to School" area on its popular
consumer community site, www.talkcity.com. On the microsite, students can find valuable information relating to
school, including back-to-school fashion tips, school supply lists, a special chat series geared around
back-to-school and much more.
In conjunction with the campaign, Talk City has signed up a host of new sponsors and advertisers. Major brands
committed to advertising in Talk City's new "Back to School" area include SmarterKids.com and efollett.com
among others. "Talk City Back to School" site can be found online at www.talkcity/events/backtoschool/.
"Talk City's clean, well-lit community environment and category-leading 'stickiness' is attracting even more
mainstream brands," said Patricia Griffith, vice president of Sales for Talk City. "In our targeted "Back to School"
neighborhood we create a tremendous environment for students to get back into the swing of school, and a
powerful way for advertisers to connect with students during this key buying period in a medium the students
prefer."
Talk City's "Back to School" area includes a special "Back to School Chat Series" that provides useful information
from experts for students going back to school. Included are chats on issues important to parents and teens,
including new teachers, new classmates and other school-related topics including education, sports, authors and
home economics.
Upcoming chats include ice skating sensation, Ekaterina Gordeeva who will share how she has rebuilt her life after
her husband and skating partner died of a heart attack in 1995 and how she is preparing for her performance in
Lake Placid this November. Bill Strickland, the founder, president and CEO of the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild
will share how he has transformed the lives of Pittsburgh public school kids by exposing them to arts. And
Spiritual Medium, Rosemary Altea will chat about her life as a healer and teacher and a voice to the spirit world.
The schedule for these chats and more can be found at www.talkcity.com/events/backtoschool/.
SmarterKids.com and efollett.com's sponsorship is expected to include inclusion in events and content.
SOURCE Talk City, Inc.
/CONTACT: Mary Devincenzi of Krause Taylor & Associates, 408-871-4254,
for Talk City, Inc./
/Web site: efollett.com
/Web site: smarterkids.com
/Web site: talkcity.com
(TCTY)
and one earlier
e-Net, Inc. and ZeroPlus.com Sign Agreement With Talk City
To Provide Internet Telephony To 3 Million Members
Distribution Agreement Provides Members of Community Provider with Internet
Phone Numbers for Free Calling on the Internet
GERMANTOWN, Md. and CAMPBELL, Calif., Aug. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- e-Net, Inc. (Nasdaq: ETEL - news), its
wholly-owned subsidiary, ZeroPlus.com and Talk City, Inc. (Nasdaq: TCTY - news), today announced that they have entered
into a strategic relationship to provide Talk City's 3 million members with free PC-to-PC calling over the Internet.
Introduced late in June 1999, ZeroPlus.com lets users place domestic telephone calls over the Internet by dialing ''0'' plus a
10-digit number, or international calls by dialing ''00'' plus the number, very similar to the way people make calls on a traditional
phone network. Last week, the company announced an enhancement to the service, allowing people around the world to reserve
their home phone numbers, regardless of the number of digits. With the announcement of recent network alliances, ZeroPlus.com
anticipates it will soon enable members to make PC-to-Phone calls.
''We are very excited about the relationship we have signed with Talk City,'' said Robert Veschi, President and CEO of e-Net,
Inc. ''We believe that users of chat rooms are prime candidates for our ZeroPlus.com service. In fact, we believe that the ability
to talk over the Internet for free will enhance the overall experience that a person will have in a chat room by allowing them to
talk, one-on-one, in a more private manner.''
Continued Mr. Veschi, ''Talk City has proven that they are one of the leaders in community services and chat, and their website
is one of the most popular chat sites on the Internet. By integrating a joint Talk City/e-Net service offering, we will provide Talk
City members with a total communication experience that they cannot receive anywhere else in the world.''
Since 1996, Talk City has offered a ''clean, well-lighted'' place where Internet users can chat online in twenty topical
communities, build homepages and be a part of celebrity events. According to Media Metrix, Talk City outpaces its online
community competitors in many of the indicators often associated with customer loyalty, retention, and ''stickiness.'' According
to Media Metrix At Home reports, Talk City routinely surpasses Geocities, theglobe.com, and xoom.com in average time spent
onsite per day, with Talk Citizens averaging of 10 minutes per usage day on www.talkcity.com.
''The world is ready for Internet Telephony,'' said Peter Friedman, CEO of Talk City. ''Providing the ability to talk over the
Internet for free is a natural extension of our Talk City offerings, and ZeroPlus.com's unique concept of Internet phone numbers
for online dialing is the best available.''
As part of this relationship, ZeroPlus.com will provide Talk City with a co-branded version of their software, and will integrate a
registration page on the Talk City website to facilitate the reservation of an Internet phone number. Talk City will provide a link
to the registration page from a listing in the ''Special Deals'' section of the website and include information about ZeroPlus.com in
their monthly e-mail newsletter, delivered to over 600,000 of their members.
Another unique aspect of the relationship will be a series of three live chat events on the Talk City website to educate users on
Internet telephony. The events will be hosted by an executive from ZeroPlus.com. Said Mr. Veschi, ''Most consumers are still
unsure how Internet telephony can be an integral part of their daily communication. These chat events will allow us to talk with
our users, answer their questions, and show them that Internet telephony is no longer an application for techies.''
ZeroPlus.com and Talk City expect to begin providing their co-branded service in early September.
About e-Net and ZeroPlus.com --
e-Net, Inc. is a recognized leader in developing hardware and software technology that allows voice to be transmitted over data
networks, including the Internet, IP, ATM, or Frame Relay. The company's wholly owned subsidiary, ZeroPlus.com, provides
consumers with their own permanent Internet telephone number and specialized software that enables them to place and receive
phone calls anytime, anywhere via their computers -- completely free of charge. The revolutionary aspect of this service is that
domestic Internet calls are made by dialing ''0'' plus a 10-digit number and international calls by dialing''00'' plus the number,
very similar to the way people make calls on a traditional phone network. To begin using this new service, consumers first
register on- line at zeroplus.com, select their permanent Internet phone number and download e-Net's free software.
With three simple steps, consumers can place and receive free calls over the Internet, PC to PC. |
