The Lycos 50 for Week Ending May 6, 2000; 'The Love Bug' E-Mail Virus Bites its Way Onto the Top 10; Rapper Eminem Pushes Past Boy Band 'N Sync

Business Wire, May 9, 2000

Entertainment/Lifestyle Editors

WALTHAM, Mass.--(ENTERTAINMENT WIRE)--May 9, 2000

The following information is from The Lycos 50(TM), the 50 most popular user searches for the week ending May 6, 2000. For a complete list of The Lycos 50(TM) and for in-depth text of The Lycos 50 Daily Report, go to http://50.lycos.com.

The Lycos 50(TM)Top 10 Search Terms For The Week Ending May 6, 2000

1)    Pokemon                    6)    Cinco de Mayo
2)    Dragonball                 7)    Tattoos
3)    "I Love You" Virus         8)    Eminem
4)    Britney Spears             9)    'N Sync
5)    WWF                       10)    Gundam Wing

Notes of Interest:

The Love Bug, the Loveletter Virus, or simply stated, the I Love You e-mail virus, sent Lycos users scrambling for more information, pushing the virus to number three on this week's list. Users searched frantically for anti-virus software protection (http://computers.lycos.com) and Lloyd's of London even declared the Love Bug virus as the "biggest insurance risk of the 21st Century." The Love Bug's showing was especially impressive since it didn't go public until May 4. The Lycos 50 weekly search logs ended on May 6, meaning the virus made it to number three in only three days.

Other Notes of Interest:

Rapper Eminem knocked 'N Sync down a notch, making his first-ever debut on the Top 10 of The Lycos 50. The rapper's new album, full of naughty lyrics and Christina Aguilera-bashing, is getting a lot of play on MTV, pushing his online popularity into full gear.

The Big Game is a Big Hit:

The jackpot for The Big Game (#16), the multi-state lottery reached more than $225 million last week, prompting a flood of queries from users eager to check out their numbers. Since there were no winners, the estimated jackpot for the next drawing is an alleged $300 million, the biggest purse in U.S. lottery history.

About Lycos, Inc.

Founded in 1995, Lycos, Inc. is a leading Web media company and owner of the Lycos Network, one of the most visited hubs on the Internet reaching nearly one out of every two U.S. Web users. The Lycos Network is a unified set of Web sites, attracting a diverse audience by offering a variety of services, including leading Web search and navigation resources; Web community and communications services including free homepage building, free Web-based e-mail, clubs, chat, instant messaging; a personalized My Lycos start page; a comprehensive shopping center featuring more than 2,400 merchants; and an assortment of compelling content such as games, music, news, fun and educational information and activities for kids as well as information about investing, technology, entertainment, sports, small business, travel and more. The Lycos Network is composed of premium sites: Lycos.com, Tripod, WhoWhere, Angelfire, MailCity, HotBot, HotWired, Wired News, Webmonkey, Suck.com, Sonique, Quote, Gamesville and Lycos Zone. Lycos.com (http://www.lycos.com), "Your Personal Internet Guide," is dedicated to helping each individual user locate, retrieve and manage information tailored to his or her personal interests. Headquartered near Boston, in Waltham, Mass., Lycos, Inc. is a global Internet leader with a major presence throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and Latin America.

(c) 2000 Lycos, Inc. - Lycos(R) is a registered trademark of Carnegie Mellon University. All other product or service marks mentioned herein are those of Lycos or their respective owners. All rights reserved.