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New ChannelGuide Initiative Enhances Visitor Experience and Expands Advertising Opportunities

Debuts With Style Expert and Author Kim Johnson Gross of Chic Simple Fame

About.com, the leading online source for original consumer advice and information, today announced the launch of unique video content through its new ChannelGuide initiative. ChannelGuides -- broad-topic experts who complement the Guide content delivery model pioneered on About.com -- deliver expertise via broadband programming on select topics across About.com's 23 content channels. The innovative programming also allows marketers to utilize TV advertising by running the ads within related video content.
"With this new video platform, we are able to provide our visitors with content and expertise that enhances the robust collection of original content from the About.com Guides," said Peter Horan, president and CEO of About.com. "The integration of video also offers advertisers added value with a new outlet through which to reach their targeted audience. Video advertising is the next big thing for Web publishers and we're excited to be the first major site to integrate this by serving content-targeted ads within video on related topics."

The ChannelGuide initiative debuts with style guru and author of the acclaimed Chic Simple book series, Kim Johnson Gross serving as the Style ChannelGuide (www.about.com/style). An extension of the original content provided by the About.com Guides, Johnson Gross will offer men and women practical advice and solutions to everyday problems such as what to wear for work, maternity wardrobes and special occasion dressing.

The Home & Garden Channel (www.about.com/homegarden) launches its video content with veteran interior designer Anne-Marie Barton offering advice on home decorating and life inside the home. As ChannelGuide, Barton provides visitors with decorating demonstrations, solutions, and step-by-step instructions on how to best incorporate their personal style into their living space.

Visitors will find the ChannelGuide content at the top of the Style and Home & Garden homepages. The video is surrounded by contextual advertising and links to content written by About.com's Guides. In 2005, About.com plans to launch additional ChannelGuides on the following topics: Food & Drink, Travel, and Parenting.

Honda and Black & Decker will premiere as the charter advertisers for the Style and Home& Garden Channels, respectively. Honda will use About.com's video platform to bring its successful TV campaign, "Odyssey" online and in front of a powerful, style- conscious audience. Honda's sponsorship of broadband video content points to a rising trend among automotive manufacturers packaging commercials to grab consumer attention on the Web and impact brand awareness. On the Home & Garden Channel, Black & Decker will connect with its targeted audiences during a key buying season with large ad units of their featured products.

"We have run successful video-based campaigns on About.com and feel their ChannelGuide initiative offers a fresh take on how video is presented and consumed on the Web," said Meridee Alter, senior vice president and media director at RPA, Honda's advertising agency.

About.com is the first leading website to implement a user-driven publishing model that dynamically serves a combination of personalized content and targeted advertising to visitors each time they come to the site. This system enables each visit to About.com to be a truly unique and customized experience. The introduction of video content both enhances the visitor experience and provides advertisers with new sponsorship opportunities that both mimic and go beyond a TV experience, with related content and eCommerce links contextually served next to video segments.

Added Horan,"The TV experience plays out nicely on the Web, and for About.com these advertising spots serve as an effective navigational tool and a way to frame up the depth of our content across the various channels and topics."

At the center of About.com remains the unique Guide System featuring 23 content channels and approximately one million pages of original content from more than 475 topical advisors or "Guides." The Guides share their passions, knowledge and expertise, crafting coverage of more than 55,000 topics, from parenting to personal finance; travel to technology; health & fitness to cars and trucks. The large library of proprietary content maintained by About.com represents the largest of its kind on the Web today.

The practical solutions and information offered on About.com attract more than 20 million unique visitors and generate 400 million page views per month. Consistently ranked among the top 15 Web properties by Nielsen/NetRatings, About.com's extensive reach and viewership connects to more women than iVillage.com, more men than ESPN.com and more teens than MTV.com.

About About.com
Founded in 1997, About.com is the leading online source for original consumer information and advice, and is part of PRIMEDIA, Inc., the leading targeted media company. As a top 15 Web property, About.com holds a valued role in the lives of more than 20 million Internet users. The success of About.com centers around a unique Guide System that features 23 content channels and promotes original content from more than 475 topical advisors or "Guides." The Guides are the heart and soul of the About.com experience, sharing their passions across 50,000+ topics and offering actionable information and advice that is always useful, practical and personally relevant. With more than 1 million pieces of original content and approximately 400 million page views per month, About.com's robust library stands as the largest of its kind on the Web today, maintaining its position as one of the Web's most popular destinations.

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