Annotate.net and USNews.com Make Selecting a Graduate School Easier

Business Wire, April 11, 2000

Business & Technology Editors, Education Writers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 11, 2000

'America's Best Graduate Schools' Guide and Other

USNews.com Content Featured on the Annotate.net Network

Annotate.net, a leader in personalized Web navigation, today announced that USNews.com, the online counterpart to U.S. News & World Report magazine, has joined the Annotate.net network to offer its trusted news content to Internet users as they surf the Web. This coincides with the publication of U.S. News' latest "America's Best Graduate Schools" guide, the content of which is served up in context to Annotate.net users whenever they visit a Web site that's been "annotated."

"Let's say you're visiting a business school's Web site to find out how extensive its e-commerce curriculum is," said Brian Flynn, CEO of Annotate.net. "The Annotate.net detector will notify you that USNews.com has more information about that program. Simply clicking the USNews.com icon will take you to the business school's area on the USNews.com Web site, where you can quickly find out how its e-commerce program ranks among other top business schools, the application deadline, tuition, and other relevant information."

Unlike traditional search engines, the Annotate.net Find Engine delivers relevant content without interfering with the Web page being viewed and without requiring users to leave a Web page to gain more information. After downloading the free, super-thin client module (400 Kbytes) and selecting their preferred content and commerce advisors, Annotate.net users are alerted via a persistent desktop icon whenever they visit a URL that has been annotated by their preferred providers. Just one click will bring users relevant information from these annotators, e.g. USNews.com.

USNews.com joins an Annotate.net network that already includes trusted Internet content and commerce sources such as USAToday, Excite, CNET, Productopia, Mortgage.com, eHow.com, Merrill Lynch, Standard & Poor's Personal Wealth, BusinessWeek Online, mySimon.com, RollingStone.com, Gomez Advisors, and Epinions.com.

U.S. News' "America's Best Graduate Schools" guide is one of the most comprehensive sources available. Annually updated with exclusive rankings, this guide helps students pick the right program in virtually any discipline, then explains how to apply and finance the grad school experience. This year, U.S.News & World Report ranks graduate programs in business, law, medicine, education, and engineering, as well as health specialties.

Other guide features that are annotated and served up to Annotate.net users include:

- School directory of essential information on more than 1,000

programs

- Understanding the value of a graduate degree

- Where the jobs are

Another popular U.S. News guide, "America's Best Colleges," is also available to Annotate.net users. This guide provides in-depth, step-by-step help to the undergraduate college admissions process, allowing families to distill the vast amounts of data available to them into easily manageable nuggets of useful information.

"Our college guides offer some of the most popular features in the magazine and our Web site," said Emily Schmenk USNews.com, Online Partnership Manager. "Now, our customers can take USNews.com along with them as they search the Internet for college information. It's also a great way for us to distribute our content beyond our own site and expand our base of loyal web visitors."

In addition to its popular college planning information, USNews.com brings more insightful commentary and analysis to Annotate.net users interested in national and international affairs, politics, business, health, science, technology, and social trends. In the NEWS YOU CAN USE(R)section, USNews.com provides practical advice on how to live smarter and better with tips on money, travel, health, technology and work.

About Annotate.net

Annotate.net creates, licenses and markets easy-to-use tools that harness the power of the World Wide Web for both users and content providers. The company has created the Internet's first content network and Find Engine to enhance and simplify the Web user experience -- providing users with the content they need when they need it. Developed and incubated by Edwin Schlossberg Inc. (ESI), a multi-disciplinary design firm that specializes in interactive media and entertainment, Annotate.net is funded by ESI, Merrill Lynch and PS Capital Ventures. Annotate.net was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in the heart of New York's Silicon Alley. For more information visit www.annotate.net.