Specialty Match Network Launches Company To Address The Challenges Facing Online Person-to-Person Communities

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— Specialty Match Network, Via Proprietary Pairing and Online Relationship Management technology, Solves the 'Faceless Community' Challenge —

Laguna Beach, CA — October 14, 2003 — Specialty Match Network, a startup based in Orange County California, has taken on the challenge of redefining how people find, meet and interact online when they share a common interest or lifestyle with other people regionally, nationally, and internationally.

Founded by Jim Harrer and Scott Hunter, Specialty Match Network utilizes the founders' decades of online interaction experience and innovation as the foundation for this new venture. Messrs. Harrer and Hunter met online in 1984 and in 1986 they established Mustang Software, the makers of the Wildcat! Bulletin Board system. Wildcat! sold over 53,000 servers connecting over 4 million people online before the World Wide Web became prevalent in 1995. Each of the 53,000 servers delivered a niche online community where people with similar interests could meet and interact on a limitless number of subjects or topics.

Mustang evolved from the BBS market and created the Enterprise Email Response Management System (ERMS) market in 1996 with the introduction of Internet Message Center — the first commercially available ERMS application used by hundreds of businesses worldwide, including Fortune 500 companies Nordstrom.com, Carnival Cruise Lines, Sprint, Time Warner and Dow Jones. Mustang was sold to Quintus in 2000 and is now part of Avaya. These experienced entrepreneurs understand how to develop products to solve real world challenges.

"The technology enabling people to find others on the web and then organize and manage these online relationships has not kept up with the general communication and technological advances over the past several years. The web sites that have succeeded at this are the online dating services including match.com and americansingles.com. However, they've fallen short when it comes to the next generation of online relationship management" stated Jim Harrer, president & chief executive officer for Specialty Match Network. "We intend to use our proprietary technology to redefine the user experience in the online dating markets as a first step, then, shortly afterwards, use this as a tool to unite numerous groups of people with common interests worldwide."

Mr. Harrer continues, "Imagine a day when people who drink Coca-Cola, ride Harley Davidson Motorcycles, drive Volkswagen Beetles, or enjoy modern country music, are brought together and connected through a secure, inviting and highly personal environment. Imagine the possibilities! Not only will this enable them to establish new friendships around the brands and lifestyles they love, it will offer much more. Corporations spend millions of dollars to build communities around their brand(s), yet seem deficient in two areas Specialty Match Network will address: creating a more personal relationship with these customers by building a community, and enabling customers to network with others of similar interests and brand loyalties for the benefit of all. For brand owners and consumers, we find these aspects exciting and the possibilities nearly limitless." By gathering brand-loyal consumers with a common interest in one place, in an online property, and enabling brand-related interactive communications, consumers loyal to and passionate about a brand, lifestyle or common interest, will likely become even more so — and spread the word about the brand to others as well. Specialty Match Network will enable existing brand devotees to network, learn more from others through interaction, and even cross-promote based on love of the brand, its products and services. "We're talking about fundamentally changing the way individuals and corporations socialize and interact around common yet unique interests. This leads to the establishment of fully-leveraged brand platforms — which bring together people, products and services of value to all parties involved," stated Mr. Harrer.

"Online relationship development and management is the next step in bringing people together in a more meaningful, and entertaining way," stated Scott Hunter, EVP/CTO and co-founder for Specialty Match. "The proprietary matching, pairing and presence engines we designed facilitate more effective, more productive, faster and easier communications within online communities — while they encourage community growth and expansion. Since the engines are extremely user-friendly, participation becomes second nature. There is little or no learning curve involved. Our advanced technology addresses the faceless nature of online communities and communications that exist today resulting in a richer user experience."

Specialty Match Network will establish more meaningful ways to bring people together of common interest, while helping companies take advantage of the opportunities that result. Over the next several months Specialty Match Network will bring its network of properties online — starting with MyCountryMatch.com — an online dating site for people who love modern country music and its associated lifestyle. MyCountryMatch.com will be pre-market tested in November 2003, fully launched January 2004. MyCountryMatch.com is only the beginning.

About Specialty Match Network

Specialty Match Network is a leading provider and developer of special interest properties. These properties deliver countless benefits to both individuals and all types of organizations, on a local, national and international scale, and on all levels.

Our core competence is in facilitating easier, more meaningful and better communications among people of common interests, utilizing our innovative methods and proprietary technologies.

For individuals, Specialty Match Network's properties provide opportunities to personally and securely socialize with other individuals sharing common interests. Specialty Match Network's network of niche lifestyle-based properties will enhance the user's lives by personalizing the currently faceless process of establishing quality individual and corporate relationships online.

For corporations, corporate sponsors, organizations, advertisers, affiliates and others, unique opportunities exist and are inherent within the Specialty Match Network — both online and off.

For established brands involved in vertical markets, as well as brands with multiple-market product and service lines, opportunities include creating and nurturing brand-loyal communities, increasing brand loyalty and brand awareness, expansion of the brand, and increased interest by consumers in the brand and new products and services of the brand. Jim Harrer commented "For brands with diverse product or service offerings — a manufacturer of both cameras and PCs for example — additional cross-promotional branding opportunities inherently exist as a result. It seems highly likely that consumers, brought together in these brand-loyal communities, will, by nature, promote other products and services of the brand to those within these brand-loyal communities, as well as to others outside these communities."

Specialty Match Network works closely with Brand Managers, Communications Directors, Marketing Directors, Advertising agencies, Public Relations advisors, and others involved in branding and promotion, to help them identify and assess the ways these communities can be developed and leveraged. The goal is two-fold: to expand reach, improve brand image, and increase the bottom line for the brand owner; while enhancing the experience and value of the common interest community for the brand-loyal consumer.

Driven by the founder's experience in establishing over 53,000 online communities hosting in excess of 4 million members, the Specialty Match Network was created to explore and enable the next level of human relationship pairing technology.

About The Founders

Jim Harrer
Known among the Wall Street community as a "bruiser" when it comes to meeting short and long-term goals, Mr. Harrer believes the way to win in business is by building a loyal workforce and, with a great product, by nurturing true brand passion. This results in a brand-loyal customer base where customer satisfaction and trust in the brand results in customers promoting the brand by word of mouth. A self-taught businessman, Mr. Harrer started Mustang Software in 1986, taking it public in 1995, reinvented it in 1997, and sold it to Quintus Corporation in May 2000. Quintus later became part of Avaya. Since 2000 Mr. Harrer has assisted in two turnarounds. In 2001 as CEO of Web Associates, an internet professional services company, Mr. Harrer led the reorganization which resulted in a return to profitability. In 2002 Mr. Harrer became President & CEO of Starbase Corporation, an enterprise software company specializing in software configuration and requirements management, resulted in a sale to Borland Software Corporation in January 2003.

Scott Hunter
With over 14 years in the software industry, Mr. Hunter has extensive experience in managing software development projects — beginning with product concept to pre-customer focus groups — engineering design, milestone planning — quality control — concluding with a successful commercial release.

Mr. Hunter also has a strong business background, including experience as a technical competitive analyst, and in institutional leadership and project management. In his career, he was personally responsible for over 20 product introductions — from concept to commercial delivery — as Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Mustang Software and Executive Vice President of Engineering and Chief Information Officer for Starbase Corporation. Mr. Hunter is a graduate of California State University, Bakersfield with a degree in Computer Science and a minor in Economics.

To learn more about Specialty Match Network, visit us online at www.specialtymatch.com or e-mail info@specialtymatch.com for more information.

Specialty Match Network... We Bring People Together^™

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