About Classmates Online, Inc.
Press Release

National Survey Finds 40% of People Use Internet to Rekindle Old Flames

Classmates Plays a Major Role

RENTON, WA - Feb 14, 2002 - Classmates Online, Inc, a personal networking service connecting friends, family and military colleagues, today released the results of its national romance survey. The survey indicates that people frequently think about their high school sweetheart, and that many of them use the Internet to track down and reconnect with old flames. Survey findings include:
  • 61% of respondents thought about their high school sweetheart in the past year
  • 66% of respondents think about their first love or high school sweetheart when thinking about their love life
  • 36% of respondents have used the Internet to look up or reconnect with an old boyfriend or girlfriend
  • 15% of respondents engaged in an online romance in the last 5 years
  • 1 in 10 respondents have been on a date with someone they met or reconnected with online
  • 69% of respondents think more people will turn to the Internet to find love in 2002
"I'm not sure that anyone ever forgets his or her first love or high school sweetheart," said author and relationship expert, Dr. Pepper Schwartz. "Our first experiences with love shape the way we think about romance and commitment. People often reconnect with former sweethearts using the Internet because it allows couples to rekindle a relationship with very little risk. Email allows the recipient to determine if he or she wishes to pursue a dialogue, similar to the way that caller ID prepares you for a conversation." Using Classmates (www.classmates.com), hundreds of people have reconnected with their high school sweetheart, many even marrying. Several reunion stories are available online at the Classmates Valentine's Day Headquarters under the Features Tab. Survey note: The romance survey was conducted on Classmates.com with results tabulated by Intimetrix. 1,011 U.S. adults between the ages of 18-75 responded in January 2002. This survey has a margin of error of +/- 5%.


About Classmates Online, Inc.

Classmates Online, Inc., founded in 1995 and based in Renton, WA, is a leader in online social networking. The company operates Classmates.com (www.classmates.com), connecting millions of members throughout the U.S. and Canada with friends and acquaintances from school, work and the military. Its Classmates International subsidiary also operates leading community-based networking sites in Sweden, through Klassträffen Sweden AB (www.stayfriends.se), and in Germany, through StayFriends GmbH (www.stayfriends.de). Classmates Online is a wholly owned subsidiary of United Online, Inc. (Nasdaq: UNTD). For more information about United Online and its Internet subscription services, please visit www.untd.com.

Press Contacts:

John Uppendahl,
Vice President of Public Relations & Community Affairs
john.uppendahl@classmates.com, 425.917.4933

Joanne Petitto,
Senior Public Relations & Community Affairs Manager
joanne.petitto@classmates.com, 425.917.4927

Online pressroom: www.classmates.com/cmo/about