Tribal Voice Hosts 2nd Annual Online Chat on Crime and Drug Prevention as The Cyber-Presence of 'National Night Out'

Business Wire, August 2, 1999

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 2, 1999--

Tribal Voice's PowWow Software Unites Millions of Concerned

Citizens Across the Country on Aug. 3rd Beginning at 4 p.m. PDT

Following the success of last year's first ever "National Night Out Against Crime" online chat, Tribal Voice(TM), the leading provider of instant messaging and interactive communications solutions, will once again unite concerned citizens nationwide in a PowWow(R) online chat room as part of this year's 16th annual crime and drug prevention event.

Sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW), last year's National Night Out attracted 31.2 million people from all over the United States and Canada.

PowWow adds a cyber dimension to National Night Out, which is often marked by street parades and vigils, by enabling PowWow users to participate in an online chat room focused on ways to make neighborhoods safer. The brainchild of the Sacramento, Calif. Citizens' Community Watch, an online PowWow community (called comwatch@tribal.com) will be an additional National Night Out gathering point for participants from across the nation tomorrow night, Tuesday, Aug. 3rd, beginning at 4 p.m. PDT. The online community will feature McGruff the Crime Dog(R), community policing experts, concerned citizens, and law enforcement experts who will lead discussions about safety issues and drug prevention. The group encourages everyone who has not participated in the past, to venture out into their neighborhoods Tuesday night, meet with local police and get to know their neighbors, and then join in the online discussion.

"We first became aware of PowWow from police officers who were enjoying participating in its many communities while at home," said Dave Jenest of the Sacramento Citizens' Community Watch. "The software was then so successful linking our handheld computer-equipped bike patrol with the Community Watch Center that it seemed natural to take its power one step further and use it to unite people nationwide on this important night. PowWow will let us support National Night Out to its next level, Project 365, by linking together an entire nation to fight crime by sharing experiences and tips we might never have heard about. Like the vigils, parades, and flashlight walks before it, this is a new way to take action all year long."

"Crime is a problem that affects all of us. We are pleased to support the Sacramento Citizens' Community Watch and all the other national crime and drug prevention agencies and citizens' groups participating in this year's National Night Out," said Tribal Voice President and CEO Joseph Esposito. "Our hope is that the crime prevention knowledge gained in the National Night Out online community can be applied successfully to participants' offline communities -- the ones in which they physically live."

How To Participate

To join the National Night Out PowWow online community, users first need to download and install the PowWow software on a Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 computer. PowWow is free and can be downloaded from the Tribal Voice Web site at http://www.tribal.com. After launching PowWow, choose "Join a Community" and type in comwatch@tribal.com in the address field. Then, click the "Join" button.

For event information on the National Night Out, as well as further information on the Sacramento Citizens' Community Watch, visit http://www.watchdogs.org/nnoreg.htm. The National Night Out PowWow community event will begin tomorrow night, Aug. 3rd, at 4 p.m. PDT. People are also invited to visit the community every Wednesday evening from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. PDT for weekly conversations about crime prevention and community empowerment.

About PowWow

PowWow is a fully integrated instant messaging, interactive communications and online community solution that features the only instant voice messaging and integrated voice chat capabilities available, as well as group chat, instant messaging, buddy lists, and real-time peer-to-peer communication. PowWow users can utilize a collaborative white board and bulletin board system, conduct Web tours, and share files, URLs and sounds. In addition, PowWow's highly scalable distributed community server (DCS) architecture enables users to quickly and easily create, host, and moderate their own private, personalized online communities.

About Tribal Voice

Tribal Voice is the leading provider of instant messaging, interactive communications and online community solutions based on its PowWow technology. Founded in December, 1994, by anti-virus software guru John McAfee, the company is headquartered in Scotts Valley, Calif. and maintains a development organization in Woodland Park, Colo. More than five million worldwide users participate in over 18,000 communities via the company's PowWow software. For more information on Tribal Voice and to download its PowWow client software, please visit http://www.tribal.com or call 831/461-3100.

Note to Editors: Tribal Voice is a trademark and PowWow is a registered trademark of Tribal Voice. McGruff the Crime Dog is a registered trademark of National Crime Prevention Council. National Night Out is sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch. All other products and company names are trademarks of their respective owners.