To: Rock_nj who wrote (5102 ) 2/2/1999 9:57:00 AM From: MoneyMade Respond to of 15987
INDI--NEWS!! Individual Investor Online Ad Impressions Increase 62% in January Over Prior Record Month - Up 119% Since November NEW YORK, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Individual Investor Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: INDI - news) today announced that total advertising impressions in January 1999 on Individual Investor Online (www.iionline.com) increased 62% from the prior month, to a record of more than 6.9 million, as measured by DoubleClick. Ad impressions increased 119% from November to January. The Company exited January with strength, capping its two highest page view days on record with the strongest total weekend page views ever. The Company also reported that advertising impressions on its second online site, InsiderTrader.com (www.insidertrader.com), increased by 88% in January from the prior month. The combined properties registered a 63% increase in advertising impressions over the prior month, to a record 7.4 million in January. Individual Investor Online has seen record growth in advertising impressions and page views for two consecutive months since its relaunch in early December 1998. The Company attributes much of January's traffic increase to the expansion of the site's ''community pages,'' such as its message boards and portfolio management areas. The message boards allow users to discuss specific stocks as well as broader investment issues with other users and with Individual Investor Online's team of professional analysts. The ''Your Portfolio'' section of the site allows users to view continuously updated information, including detailed fundamental data, on their holdings. These two sections now constitute almost one-fourth of the site's traffic. ''In response to user requests for more in-depth community pages, we expanded our message boards earlier this year to allow our users to discuss any stock,'' said Jonathan L. Steinberg, Individual Investor Group's chairman and chief executive officer. ''Our boards are designed to harness the vast investment knowledge base of our community, and make that knowledge available to all of our users. We also try to add value through the participation of our in-house, professional analysts, and believe we are creating the highest quality message boards available on the web.'' Steinberg continued, ''Over the long run, the rise in traffic on our community pages should have a positive impact on the operating results of Individual Investor Online. The costs associated with features that rely on user-generated content typically are lower than costs for other features. These types of features also can build loyalty among our active users, and help to attract new users.'' The Company also announced today that, to further its goal of expanding its e-commerce revenue, the Company recently signed contracts with more third parties to sell Individual Investor products through the third party sites and electronic services. Located at www.iionline.com, Individual Investor Online, which merges in-house, professional stock analysis with news and commentary, consistently delivers the highest quality investing and financial information to its users. Individual Investor Online is published by Individual Investor Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: INDI - news), an information services company that also publishes and markets Individual Investor Magazine (circulation 500,000), Individual Investor's Special Situations Report, InsiderTrader.com and Ticker Magazine. Safe Harbor Notice Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Except for historical information, the above statements of this press release (including without limitation expressions of expectation, belief anticipation or estimation of the Company or its management) are forward-looking statements that are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, the possibility that page views and/or advertising revenue received by the Company may decrease due to: increased competition; decreased demand for advertising on Individual Investor Online or the Web in general; decreases in the rates paid for Web advertising resulting from competition or other factors; technical difficulties at the Company, at its third-party advertising agent or at various Internet service providers or other entities necessary to provide access to Individual Investor Online's Web site that is satisfactory to the viewer; decline in economic conditions specific to the Web as well as general economic conditions; and other risks detailed in the Company's most recent Forms 10-K and 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (which are available from the Company or at www.sec.gov). These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Company's expectations with regard thereto or to reflect any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such forward-looking statement is based, in whole or in part. SOURCE: Individual Investor Group, Inc.