PresenceWorks, Inc

PRESENCEWORKS TO BRING AOL INSTANT MESSENGER PRESENCE TO LEADING CONSUMER WEB SITES

Alexandria, VA. (April 3, 2002) - PresenceWorks, Inc., a leading developer of presence technology, today announced an agreement with America Online (AOL) under which it will offer leading consumer Web sites the ability to add value to their sites by expanding the reach of AOL ® Instant Messenger (sm) (AIM). Under the agreement, PresenceWorks will enable leading Web sites to embed AIM presence into pre-existing applications and will provide them with the tools and presence signal to bring sites and directories to life. With AIM and PresenceWorks, consumers using major Web sites that adopt this technology will now be able to see presence information - which lets them know who is online and available to chat via instant messaging.

PresenceWorks' software embeds presence information - the instant messaging "Buddy List" signals that show when users are online - into the directories and databases driving software such as affinity Web sites and consumer Web directories. With this technology, users can experience the benefits of presence and IM in new locations entirely beyond the Buddy List. The presence information of unlimited contacts can be displayed on these Web Sites so users can see online or offline status alongside existing contact information, for instance within the directory listings of a community site. AIM is the most widely used instant messenger worldwide, with more than 140 million registered users. It's available free of charge from AOL at http://www.aim.com/.

PresenceWorks founder and CEO Matt Smith said, "Millions of people have already demonstrated their preference for AIM over other forms of communication, with over a billion messages being sent per day. Sites that facilitate presence and AIM will be offering both new value for their current subscribers, as well as a compelling new enticement to attract new subscribers."

"Web sites can now display presence information along side other contact data for each person listed, enabling viewers to see whether a person is available and to instantly chat with them. This allows large Web sites to use AIM to drive subscriptions, increase customer retention, speed communications, increase transactions, enhance service and save on communications costs," Smith added.

"AOL and PresenceWorks are broadening the AIM community and making AIM useful and enjoyable in entirely new ways across the Web," said Raul Mujica, vice president of AOL's AIM. "Presence is the key to making AIM use ubiquitous and this new service will help consumers enjoy AIM more widely."

Instant messaging began as a simple way to swap brief, instantaneous messages over the Internet, but it has swelled into a medium for people to communicate in real time over computers, mobile telephones and personal digital assistants. "Presence " is the part of instant messaging that signals availability - the instantaneous knowledge that someone is online and reachable via instant messaging at that particular moment.

Web sites interested in learning how PresenceWorks and AIM can help improve their applications can contact PresenceWorks at 703-519-4530.

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