RENTON, WA U.S.A. and NURNBERG, GERMANY - Mar 18, 2004 - Classmates Online, Inc., a leader in community-based networking, today announced that its wholly owned Classmates International, Inc. subsidiary has acquired StayFriends GmbH , a German website which helps hundreds of thousands of members reconnect with each other.
In a separate news release today, StayFriends GmbH and Classmates International, Inc. announced a partnership with T-Online, whose portal reaches more than 50% of Germany (Nielsen//NetRatings, Jan. 2004), to make StayFriends easily accessible through the T-Online portal. The terms of the deals were not disclosed.
"The success of StayFriends, which has grown to more than 400,000 listings and counting, is a great example of the worldwide importance of reconnecting with people we care about," said Marco Menato, Vice President of International Operations for Classmates Online, Inc.
"As people move, change jobs and experience other changes in their lives, they often lose touch with people with whom they shared close experiences. StayFriends helps people reconnect and stay in touch with their friends and former schoolmates," said Michel Lindenberg, co-founder of StayFriends GmbH. "As a wholly owned subsidiary of Classmates International, Inc., StayFriends benefits from Classmates Online's more than nine years of experience and its resources to execute our next phase of growth."
StayFriends members can reconnect with former schoolmates, teachers and friends they have lost touch with, both through the website and via an email system which protects the privacy of members' email addresses. More than 40,000 German schools are listed on the website, making it easy for people to find old friends.
StayFriends.de Feature Highlights:
- Search the StayFriends community of more than 400,000 listings and 40,000 schools with the Class Computer to easily find friends and acquaintances by the year they graduated. School listings are examined daily by StayFriends staff to help eliminate double listings, maintaining the integrity of school lists.
- Contact friends and acquaintances through StayFriends' secure communication system, which does not reveal members' email addresses, protecting users' privacy.
- Post and share photos and text online to let others know about your business success, personal life, hobbies and friends. Member content is voluntary and can be updated anytime.
- StayFriends features timely customer support with an average response time of two hours.
- StayFriends will soon offer an annual premium membership which allows members unlimited email contact with an ever-expanding list of friends; email alerts when new friends join the site; easy-to-create personal profile pages; a choice of newsletter content; regular contests; and a unique e-card.
Classmates Online, Inc., founded in 1995 and based in Renton, WA, is a leader in online community-based 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 Klasstraffen Sweden AB (www.klasstraffen.com), 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:
Classmates Online, Inc.
John Uppendahl,
Director of Public Relations & Community Affairs
john.uppendahl@classmates.com, 425.917.4933 (United States)
StayFriends.de
Text 100 GmbH
Karin Gall / Eva Simmelbauer
karin.gall@text100.de / eva.simmelbauer@text100.de
Telefon: +49 (0)89/99 83 70-40 / -25
