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Media Contact:

Janet Song
1351 4th St. #200
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 979-4103
janet@userplane.com
MEDIA ADVISORY

Userplane Introduces Flash-Based Web Chat System, Provides New Technology to Social Networking Site Connexion.Org

LOS ANGELES, CA (July 27, 2004)—Userplane a pioneer in applying Flash-based instant messaging to support live communications for Web-based communities, today announced Userplane Web Chat—a multi-user web text chat room system—and announced the latest deployment of Web Chat on Connexion.org, an increasingly popular destination in the social networking community.

Userplane Web Chat capabilities will enable Connexion users to interact with each other easily in live text conversations in a multi-room chat environment. Developed in Macromedia Flash MX, the multi-user chat requires no client-side installation. Complete multi-stream audio/video integration will be released later this year.

Like Userplane’s other tools in its Communication Suite—Instant Communicator and Web Recorder—the Userplane Web Chat system allows full website administrative control, integration via XML with a (members-based) website’s user database, and customization for each deployment to match the business model and branding of the site.

Userplane Web Chat capabilities are ideal for online dating and social networking websites, as well as internal corporate meeting environments, online audio/video classrooms and organizations that need multimedia presentation capabilities. Userplane Web Chat integrates seamlessly with companies’ current websites and user databases, with users’ existing logins and buddy lists, and with any Web scripting language (PHP, ASP, .NET, ColdFusion, XML, JSP, etc.).

The deployment of Userplane Web Chat has fostered success for current clients involved in the latest online collaboration trend of social networking. Founded in 2003, Connexion.org is a social networking site aimed at getting the LGTB community involved in the political process.

“Userplane Web Chat was the easiest piece of technology I’ve ever integrated with Connexion,” said Tim Gill, founder of Connexion.org. “The chat facility has only been installed for a few weeks and I can already see the difference it’s making in site traffic.”

“Whether users want to meet new people, stay in touch with family or set up a virtual meeting room with friends, our new chat application is a powerful way to get people together,” said Michael Jones, president, Userplane. “We continue to provide leadership to the ‘online community’ market through differentiated products, superior standards and technology that enables live, robust Web communication. With peak performance in almost all environments, Web Chat is an exciting addition to our innovative communication suite of applications.”

The Flash-based Userplane Web Chat’s primary advantage over traditional Java-based chat solutions is its cross-platform functionality, performing with ease on virtually all operating systems. Flash comes pre-installed in Windows XP, works on the Macintosh and Linux platforms, and is currently installed on more than 98 percent of Internet browsers—translating into instantaneous, one-click operation for most Internet users.

Other Userplane Web Chat features include user and administrative room creation, and the ability to display user photos and profile details while communicating. When released, the audio/video component will enable selected A/V reception, A/V universal broadcast and the option to initiate private A/V sessions with users.

According to comScore Media Metrix, personals websites attract 30 million visitors a month in the U.S. alone. According to Nielsen NetRatings, 84 percent of visitors to online dating sites surf for love five or more times a week. Spending on online personal ads and dating Web sites in 2003 reached $449.5 million, up 49 percent from 2002, according to the 2003 Online Paid Content U.S. Market Spending Report conducted by the Online Publishers Association (OPA) and ComScore Networks. The personals/dating category was the largest, making up almost 30 percent of total online content spending by U.S. consumers, according to the report.

About Userplane
www.userplane.com

A wholly owned subsidiary of AOL, Userplane is the world’s premier communication platform for online communities. The company’s hosted applications enable instant community and communication for websites of any scale and audience. The combination of instant and elegant with robust and powerful has made the platform a must-have for thriving sites worldwide – supporting millions of daily users. Founded in 2001 by long-time partners Michael Jones, Nate Thelen, and Javier Hall, Userplane is a diverse and talented team headquartered in Santa Monica, Calif.

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