Mindspring, Atlanta Garden Connection Team Up To Offer Southeastern Gardeners The Inside Track On The Southeastern Flower Show

Business Wire, Feb 12, 1997

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 12, 1997--

Local radio talk show host and gardening expert Walter Reeves

will host live on-line coverage and IRC chat

Good things are growing at MindSpring! MindSpring Enterprises (NASDAQ/NM:MSPG), an Atlanta-based Internet service provider, will host a live online chat on its new Internet Relay Chat Server (IRC), to kick off opening day of the Southeastern Flower Show.

On Wednesday, February 19, Internet surfers will chat with Walter Reeves, best known to Atlanta gardeners as the host of "The Lawn & Garden Show with Walter Reeves" on WSB-AM, 750. Complete instructions can be found in the help area on the MindSpring homepage at www.mindspring.com. The Southeastern Flower Show will be held Feb. 19 - 23, 1997, at the City Hall East Exhibition Center in Atlanta.

The Java-based chat allows participants to chat without Internet Relay Chat (IRC) client software - they simply point their Web browser to the MindSpring homepage (http://www.mindspring.com), follow the link, and join in the conversation! The new Java chat software will make participation easy and fun both for IRC chat veterans and novices.

MindSpring Enterprises will host the chat in conjunction with Diane Cox of the Atlanta Garden Connection.

"Live chats give Internet users access to experts and celebrities in a format that previously was not possible," said Mike McQuary, MindSpring president and COO. "Our technology provides information seekers and hobbyists a new, interactive platform to exchange ideas in a friendly, easy to use environment."

The one-hour February show is the first in a series of chats on a variety of topics that MindSpring will sponsor using its new Internet Relay Chat (IRC) server. The chat, moderated by Diane Cox of the Atlanta Garden Connection, will have a "town hall meeting" format with a free exchange of information, ideas and comments. Participants will be able to type and send gardening questions and comments. Walter Reeves will answer in "real time." The questions, as well as Walter's answers, will be seen by all participants.

"We are very pleased to bring this new service to MindSpring subscribers and the Internet community," McQuary said. "We believe that compelling content and special events like our live chats are an excellent way to add value to our service. We think this fits nicely with our on-going mission to make using the Internet an enriching experience for our subscribers."

"The Atlanta Garden Connection web page was created to bring practical information and networking opportunities to gardeners here in the Southeast and across the nation," according to founder Diane Cox. "I'm truly thrilled to work with MindSpring to take things to the next level. MindSpring's loyal and broad customer base will extend our reach to gardeners everywhere."

"In this day and age, I'm certain a large number of gardeners are Internet users," according to Ginny Plummer, director of the Southeastern Flower Show. "MindSpring and the Atlanta Garden Connection are helping us bring the show to a whole new audience. We're so excited about that!"

BACKGROUND:

A few years ago, Diane Cox saw an opportunity to "grow" an on-line business: an Internet site that gives gardeners in the Southeast and all across the nation a chance to network and connects them with valuable information and suppliers. The Atlanta Garden Connection Web site has been an enormous success. When it started, the site received some 60 hits, or site visits, a day. Now, the site receives more than 2,000 hits a day.

The Atlanta Garden Connection offers site visitors immediate access to the information they need, including a buyers guide to suppliers, an "ask the experts" feature for tips and advice, on-line ordering of books and magazines and a detailed calendar of events. The Atlanta Garden Connection has been rated as a green light site by Magellan, a popular Web search engine and site reviewer, and was named one of the best gardening sites on the Internet by the Virtual Garden.

MindSpring is a leading Internet service provider focusing on delivering outstanding service and support to its customers. By following its core values and beliefs (www.mindspring.com/aboutms/co re.html), MindSpring is committed to doing an exceptional job of serving its customers, its employees, its owners and its community. PC World magazine awarded MindSpring a prestigious "Best Buy" ranking in its February, 1997 issue and PC Magazine recently awarded MindSpring "excellent" ratings in the categories of setup/orientation, software and technical support. MindSpring ranked first in InfoWorld's poll of end users.

MindSpring subscribers can browse the World Wide Web, send electronic mail, participate in informative on-line chats and access over 26,000 newsgroups. MindSpring offers local Internet service in more than 200 locations throughout the United States. MindSpring is one of the nation's largest providers of Web Hosting services. To learn more about MindSpring and its services, visit the web site at www.mindspring.com or call (800) 719-4332.