In Post-9/11 GI Bill era, new Web Site offers military and veteran students the tools they need to find Military Friendly Schools.

PITTSBURGH, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ – G.I. Jobs announces the launch of its new Web site at www.militaryfriendlyschools.com. The site, loaded with interactive tools and search functionality, helps military veterans find the schools that best meet their educational needs.

The 1,000 schools on the new Web site are those selected to G.I. Jobs “Military Friendly Schools” list in August.  They represent the top 15 percent most “military friendly” of the nation’s 7,000 schools.  The new Web site augments the recently published Guide to Military Friendly Schools, with a circulation of over 150,000 to prospective military students.

Military students can search for schools based on degree type, geographic location, military tuition discounts, credit for military service, Yellow Ribbon program, academic accreditations and more.  They can even request information directly from the school, via an innovative Electronic Reader Response form.

The militaryfriendlyschools.com search engine creates a filtered list of the Military Friendly Schools and provides prospective military students with critical information they need to select a school.  The schools listed include undergrad colleges, graduate schools and trade / vo-tech schools.

“This website is especially important now because the recently enacted Post-9/11 GI Bill has given veterans virtually unlimited financial means to go to school,” said Rich McCormack, G.I. Jobs publisher. “Veterans can now enroll in any school, provided they’re academically qualified. So schools are clamoring for them like never before.  Veterans need a trusted friend to help them decide where to get educated. The www.militaryfriendlyschools.com Web site is that trusted friend.”

It’s never been easier for students to find everything they need to enroll in the Military Friendly School that’s right for them.  In addition to finding the right school, www.militaryfriendlyschools.com is packed with information students need about how to make the right decision and maximize their GI Bill benefits.

Methodology used to determine the list of Military Friendly Schools were developed with the assistance of an Academic Advisory Committee (AAC) consisting of educators and administrators from Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Toledo, Duquesne University, Coastline Community College and Lincoln Technical Institute.

ABOUT G.I. Jobs

G.I. Jobs (www.gijobs.com) annually rates the nation’s “Military Friendly Employers,” “Military Friendly Franchises” and “Military Spouse Friendly Employers.”

NOTE TO EDITORS: www.militaryfriendlyschools.com/mfspr

CONTACT: Matthew Pavelek of G.I. Jobs, +1-412-269-1663 Ext. 145, matthew.pavelek@gijobs.com

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ – Penn Foster College, one of the nation’s largest online colleges, has launched a new Fashion Merchandising Associate Degree Program.

The new Fashion Merchandising Associate Degree Program covers the many functional areas of fashion merchandising including fashion promotion, textiles, retail management, marketing, buying, and merchandising.

Upon completing the program, students will have the necessary skills to seek employment in the fields of merchandising, sales management, marketing, e-commerce, and retailing.

Penn Foster College has more than 34,000 active online students worldwide. Students study independently and, in many cases, more quickly than a traditional college. The college is ideal for those who have family and employment obligations.

Penn Foster College is nationally accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council and licensed by the Arizona State Board of Private Postsecondary Education. To learn more go to www.pennfostercollege.edu.

About Penn Foster

Penn Foster College, Penn Foster Career School, and Penn Foster High School are part of Penn Foster Inc., a global leader in online education.  For more than 117 years, Penn Foster has been providing career training programs in the fields of health care, business, technology, automotive technology, and select trades. Nationally and regionally accredited Penn Foster High School serves more than 40,000 online students seeking individual courses or a complete diploma program. Penn Foster Career School (www.PennFoster.edu) and Penn Foster High School (www.PennFosterHighSchool.com) are headquartered in Scranton, PA, with regional offices in Montreal, Canada.

Penn Foster, Inc. Corporate Website: www.pennfosterinc.com

CONTACT: Michelle Dempsey at Penn Foster, +1-570-961-4641, Michelle.Dempsey@pennfoster.edu

Hampton Roads’ Newest Creative Arts Destination Slated to Begin Classes in January 2010

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ — The Art Institutes system of schools officially announces the opening of The Art Institute of Virginia Beach. The new school, a branch of The Art Institute of Atlanta, will hold its first day of classes on January 11, 2010.

The Art Institute of Virginia Beach will occupy approximately 35,000 square feet at Two Columbus Center, 4500 Main Street in the heart of Virginia Beach.  The school will begin enrolling students immediately.

“The Art Institutes schools have earned a strong, national reputation for excellence in creative arts education, and we look forward to bringing our signature culinary, fashion, design, and media arts programs to Virginia Beach,” says John Mazzoni, president of The Art Institutes.  “We see our expansion in the Virginia Beach community as a great opportunity to provide an inspiring environment to a new, creative class of students, while preparing them well to enter the workforce.”

Initially, The Art Institute of Virginia Beach will offer bachelor’s degree programs in Advertising, Culinary Arts Management, Fashion & Retail Management, Graphic Design, Interior Design, Media Arts & Animation, Photographic Imaging, and Web Design & Interactive Media; and associate’s degree programs in Culinary Arts, Graphic Design, and Web Design & Interactive Media.

“I am excited about the opportunity for The Art Institute of Virginia Beach to provide a career focused, market driven education to the residents of the Hampton Roads communities,” said Marilyn Burstein, newly appointed president of The Art Institute of Virginia Beach.  “Our team is looking forward to educating students, enhancing their professional development, and connecting them with the many fine business and professional organizations in the region.”

The Art Institute of Virginia Beach will join two existing Art Institute schools in the Commonwealth, with locations in Arlington, Va. and Sterling, Va.

For more information about The Art Institute of Virginia Beach, call (877) 437-4428 or visit the school’s website at www.artinstitutes.edu/pr.aspx?ID=ai1001

The Art Institute of Virginia Beach is a branch campus of The Art Institute of Atlanta.  The Art Institute of Atlanta is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award associate and baccalaureate degrees.   Contact the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097 or call 404.679.4500 for questions about the accreditation of The Art Institute of Atlanta.

The Art Institute of Virginia Beach is certified by The State Council of Higher Education to operate in Virginia.

The Art Institute of Virginia Beach is one of The Art Institutes (www.artinstitutes.edu), a system of over 40 education institutions located throughout North America, providing an important source of design, media arts, fashion and culinary arts professionals.

CORPORATE MEDIA CONTACT:  Jacquelyn P. Muller, Vice President – Public Relations of Education Management LLC, +1-412-995-7262, Mobile, +1-412-606-9244, jpmuller@edmc.edu; or VIRGINIA BEACH MEDIA CONTACT:  Leila Rice of Seventh Point Public Relations, +1-757-473-8152, Mobile, +1-757-303-6963, lrice@seventhpoint.com

Students Filmmakers Compete to be Named Country’s Funniest College Student & Have their Film Featured in a Microsoft “Share Your Stuff” Promotion
Online Voting and Expert Judging Determines Winner

San Francisco, CA (October 8, 2009) – Rooftop Comedy
(www.RooftopComedy.com), the leading interactive media producer of original comedy content and comedic branded entertainment is accepting submissions for the 3rd annual Rooftop Comedy National College Comedy Competition: Funny Filmmaker Contest and the Microsoft “Share Your Stuff” competition until to October 19th, 2009.

• The 3rd Annual National College Comedy Competition: Funny Film is an effort to identify the nation’s most original and compelling student funny filmmaker. Entries must be five minutes long and submitted at www.RooftopComedy.com/college. Five rounds of expert judging and online voting will narrow the field to the final four contestants who will have their films screened at the 2010 Aspen Rooftop Comedy
Festival where a combination of live and online voting will determine the winner.

• The Microsoft “Share Your Stuff” Competition challenges college filmmakers from across the U.S. to create a funny film that illustrates just how easy it is to manage and share documents with the Microsoft Office Live Workspace. Entries must be no more than 2 minutes long and submitted at www.rooftopcomedy.com/college/shareyourstuff. Along with the chance at having their video used in a new promotional campaign for Microsoft Office Live Workspace, the winner will receive $1,000 cash and have their film screened at the preeminent 2010 Aspen Rooftop Comedy
Festival.

“We are thrilled to be hosting 2 amazing funny film competitions that present such tremendous opportunities for student filmmakers,” said Will C. Rogers, CEO and founder of Rooftop Comedy. “Both of these competitions allow us to fulfill the Rooftop Comedy mission of supporting up-and-coming comedy talent and introducing them to new fans all over the world.”

Both competitions are open to students from every College and University in the United States and scoring will be based on quality of production, originality and comedic wit.

About Rooftop Media, Inc.:
Rooftop Media, Inc. the parent company of Rooftop Comedy, Rooftop Comedy Productions, The Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival and the RooftopComedy.com National College Comedy Competition, is the largest producer of interactive comedy programming and original comedy productions.

Rooftop Media records live comedy performances 365 nights a year from its network of comedy clubs throughout North America, Europe and Australia, distributing original comedy programming to mobile, web, broadcast, and print outlets that include Current TV, Apple iTunes, Yahoo!, Nokia, Hulu, FastCompany Magazine, YouTube, and TiVO. Working with more than 3,500 professional comedians, Rooftop Media maintains a growing video library of tens of thousands of hours of original comedy content. Rooftop Media produces a range of local and national events highlighting its talent discoveries.

# # #
Media Contact:
Loren Pomerantz
212-583-0338 / 917-902-0219
loren@combined-forces.com

Users can share interactive information on HPV anonymously

WASHINGTON, Oct. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A new Facebook application has been launched to help educate, motivate and mobilize people to prevent the spread of Humanpapilloma Virus (HPV). “Fact Check: HPV” (www.hpvfactcheck.org) allows users to take an interactive, educational quiz about HPV, find additional resources, and commit to take action, while even allowing concerned friends to anonymously share the application with peers.

The application was developed by Partnership for Prevention and the University of Maryland’s College of Information Studies with input from the School of Public Health. The project was funded by the Fund to Prevent Cervical Cancer.

“Use of social networking sites has skyrocketed in the last few years, becoming an excellent channel to promote healthy behaviors,” said Robert J. Gould PhD, president of Partnership for Prevention. “Fact Check: HPV will harness the power of social media to increase awareness of this common sexually transmitted disease (STD).”

Use of social networking sites has quadrupled over the last four years from 8 percent in 2005 to over 35 percent in 2008. Over 75% of young adults, age 18-24, have a profile page, the vast majority of whom check it at least weekly.

“Young adults trust information recommended by friends, however, friends are often reticent to share information about stigmatized illnesses such as STDs, mental illnesses, or substance abuse. This project tests a novel strategy that spreads sensitive information through friendship networks, while still retaining anonymity.” said Derek L. Hansen, PhD, Assistant Professor at University of Maryland’s College of Information Studies. “It also helps us learn how the application spreads through the network and identify misperceptions about HPV based on quiz results.”

A recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that one in four adolescent girls between the ages of 14-19, or 3.2 million teen girls, is infected with at least one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases — (HPV, Chlamydia, Herpes, and Trichomoniasis). This study sheds new light on a chronic problem among adolescents in the United States — one that often receives little attention, in part, due to the sensitive nature of the topic.

STDs can result in serious health consequences when left untreated, including cervical cancer and infertility, and cost the U.S. health care system millions of dollars in medical expenses.

Partnership for Prevention is a membership organization of business, nonprofit and government leaders working to make evidence-based disease prevention and health promotion a national priority. More information is available at www.prevent.org.

CONTACT:  Damon Thompson of Partnership for Prevention, +1-202-833-2009, dthompson@prevent.org

From lobster bakes at Bowdoin to “spa” water at Stanford, The Daily Beast uncovers the best in university eating.

NEW YORK, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ –Live now on The Daily Beast- Kathleen Kingsbury On the Best College Food: www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-10-07/the-best-college-food/?cid=topic:featured1#

The Daily Beast recognizes 15 of the country’s award-winning college dining services at:

• Oregon State University
• Virginia Tech
• St. Olaf College
• University of Massachusetts at Amherst
• Bowdoin College
• Washington University in St. Louis
• Grinnell College
• Mills College
• Stanford University
• Boston College
• Colorado College
• Wheaton College
• The College of William and Mary
• University of California- Berkeley
• Illinois Institute of Technology

On developments in campus dining Kathleen Kingsbury writes: “Here’s just a taste of what college students across the country are having for dinner tonight: fresh-caught lobster, Brazilian churrascaria, summer squash apple bisque, and for dessert, handmade Belgian chocolates.

Once upon a time, colleges served boiled veggies and mystery meat, assembly-line style. Then, in the ’90s, campus food courts began upgrading to brand-name fast food and fancy salad bars. But to impress today’s prospective students, who were weaned on organic produce, Michael Pollan, and the Food Network, schools are rolling out dining options fit for a visiting head of state.”

For more stories by Kathleen Kingsbury, visit: www.thedailybeast.com/author/kathleen-kingsbury

The Daily Beast is a website dedicated to news and commentary, culture and entertainment. Created by Tina Brown and IAC, The Daily Beast curates the web’s best content and offers fresh works from its own talented roster of contributors. The Daily Beast aims to cover the news with poly-partisan viewpoints (left, right, and all persuasions in between), providing a wide ranging mix of content, arresting headlines, intelligently and entertainingly curated video, and iconic imagery and photography. The Daily Beast is an operating business of IAC (Nasdaq: IACI). For more information, visit www.thedailybeast.com

CONTACT:  Chelsie Gosk of The Daily Beast, chelsie.gosk@thedailybeast.com, +1-212-524-8854

Live Now: www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-10-04/americas-smartest-cities—from-first-to-worst/?cid=hp:beastoriginalsC4

NEW YORK, Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ — The Daily Beast has released data ranking America’s 55 largest cities, from first-to-worst. In a study examining statistics on both educational performance and intellectual environment, the website revealed that Raleigh-Durham in North Carolina polled on top as the smartest, while residents of Northern California’s Fresno had the lowest accumulative IQ.

The Daily Beast’s research team ranked educational performance based on how many residents had attained bachelor’s degrees and graduate degrees. The intellectual environment half of the study comprised of three parts: reviewing nonfiction book sales, measuring the ratio of institutions of higher education and weighing the link between intelligence and political engagement as measured by the percentage of eligible voters who cast ballots in the last presidential election.

Full methodology: www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-10-04/americas-smartest-cities—from-first-to-worst/?cid=hp:beastoriginalsC4

Metropolitan areas from smartest to least smart:

Raleigh-Durham, NC    170

SF-Oakland-San Jose, CA    165

Boston, MA    162

Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN    159

Denver, CO    158

Hartford-New Haven, CT    156

Seattle-Tacoma, WA    151

Washington, DC    151

Portland, OR    143

Baltimore, MD    135

Philadelphia, PA    130

Austin, TX    129

New York, NY    128

Salt Lake City, UT    127

Milwaukee, WI    120

Charlotte, NC    119

Columbus, OH    116

Kansas City, KS-MO    116

Nashville, TN    113

San Diego, CA    112

Indianapolis, IN    112

Providence-New Bedford, RI    110

Atlanta, GA    109

Chicago, IL    108

St. Louis, MO    108

Rochester, NY    106

Los Angeles, CA    100

Richmond, VA    100

Pittsburgh, PA    100

Grnd Rpds-Klmzo-Bttle Crk, MI    99

Cleveland, OH    97

WstPlmBch-FrtPerc-VeroBch, FL    97

Tampa-St. Petersburg, FL    87

Tucson, AZ    86

Sacramento-Stockton, CA    84

Oklahoma City, OK    84

Jacksonville, FL    83

Greensbro-WnstnSalm-HiPnt, NC    83

Miami, FL    78

Detroit, MI    77

Nrflk-Prtsmth-NwptNws-Hmp, VA    76

Birmingham, AL    75

Cincinnati, OH    72

Buffalo, NY    70

New Orleans, LA    68

Houston, TX    66

Orlndo-Daytona Bch-Mlbrne, FL    66

Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX    64

Phoenix, AZ    63

Harrsbrg-Yrk-Lncstr-Lbnon, PA    57

Memphis, TN    48

Louisville, KY    47

San Antonio, TX    26

Las Vegas, NV    11

Fresno-Visalia, CA    3

The Daily Beast is a website dedicated to news and commentary, culture and entertainment. Created by Tina Brown and IAC, The Daily Beast curates the web’s best content and offers fresh works from its own talented roster of contributors. The Daily Beast aims to cover the news with poly-partisan viewpoints (left, right, and all persuasions in between), providing a wide ranging mix of content, arresting headlines, intelligently and entertainingly curated video, and iconic imagery and photography. The Daily Beast is an operating business of IAC (Nasdaq: IACI). For more information, visit www.thedailybeast.com.

CONTACT:  Andrew Kirk, +1-212-524-8856, Andrew.kirk@thedailybeast.com

Two bloggers will win a trip to cover the Vancouver Games using Microsoft Office 2010

REDMOND, Wash., Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ — One female blogger and one student blogger will be sent to the  2010 Olympic Winter Games as winners of an online contest announced today by Microsoft Corp. and the U.S. Olympic Committee (USOC).  The winning bloggers will use the latest Microsoft technologies to report daily from the Games alongside members of the credentialed press corps. Starting today, qualified bloggers may enter the contest at www.officewintergames.com.

The Microsoft Office team will award the winners a seven-day trip to Vancouver, British Columbia, and the technology and press access needed to report from the Games.  The top-of-the-line technology includes Microsoft Office 2010 Professional and the Acer Aspire 4810 laptop that, thanks to its high performance and more than eight hours of battery life, is the winners’ ideal hardware companion.

“Microsoft Office will give bloggers the reporting, editing and communication tools they’ll require across the PC, mobile phone and browser,” said Janice V. Kapner, senior director of Information Worker Group Communications at Microsoft. “Because blogs and online reporting are an increasingly popular way for sports fans to consume news about their favorite events, Microsoft will equip the two talented bloggers with Microsoft Office 2010 Professional to help them report with ease right from the sidelines.”

Ten contest semifinalists will be chosen by a panel of celebrity judges, including five-time Olympic gold medalist Bonnie Blair and online video stars Jake Hurwitz and Amir Blumenfeld from CollegeHumor.com. The public will then vote for their favorite semifinalists online, and the winners will be selected based on the number of votes they receive.

“As an Olympic gold medalist, I know the passion and excitement of being behind the scenes at the Winter Games,” Blair said. “We’re excited to give these two bloggers the chance to experience the thrill of this time-honored event as well.”

Microsoft Office is the premier productivity solution across PCs, mobile phones and browsers. From broadcast and video editing in Microsoft Office PowerPoint to co-authoring and the ability to post directly to blogs in Microsoft Office Word, Microsoft is delivering technology to help people work smarter and faster from virtually any location using almost any device. Microsoft Office 2010 will deliver innovative capabilities and provide new levels of flexibility and choice that will help people do the following:

• Work anywhere with Office Web applications — the online companions to Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote — that help provide access to documents from virtually anywhere and that help preserve the look and feel of a document regardless of device
• Collaborate better with co-authoring in Microsoft Word 2010, Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 and Microsoft OneNote 2010, as well as advanced e-mail management and calendaring capabilities in Microsoft Outlook 2010, including the option to “ignore” unwanted e-mail threads
• Bring ideas to life with video and picture editing, broadcast capability in Microsoft PowerPoint 2010, easy document preparation through the new Microsoft Office Backstage view, and new Sparklines in Microsoft Excel 2010 to visualize data and spot trends faster

Contest Eligibility and Rules

Contestants must be at least 18 years of age and have written a blog for at least three months at time of entry. Contestants must be United States residents and either a female blogger or a currently enrolled full-time undergraduate or graduate student in good standing at a U.S. college or university. Winners will be announced at the International CES (Consumer Electronics Show) in Las Vegas Jan. 7–10. Complete contest details can be found at www.officewintergames.com. Microsoft Office 2010 will be available in the first half of 2010; for more information visit www.microsoft.com/office.

About USOC

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) is recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the sole entity in the United States whose mission involves training, entering and underwriting the full expenses for the U.S. teams in the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games. In addition to being the steward of the U.S. Olympic Movement, the USOC is the moving force for support of sports in the United States that are on the program of the Olympic, Paralympic, Pan American and Parapan American Games.  Learn more about the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams and the USOC at www.teamusa.org.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

This information is about pre-release software and therefore is subject to change. It is provided without warranty of any kind, express or implied.

NOTE TO EDITORS: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass on Microsoft’s corporate information pages. Web links, telephone numbers and titles were correct at time of publication, but may since have changed. For additional assistance, journalists and analysts may contact Microsoft’s Rapid Response Team or other appropriate contacts listed at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/contactpr.mspx.

CONTACT:  Rapid Response Team of Waggener Edstrom Worldwide, +1-503-443-7070, rrt@waggeneredstrom.com, for Microsoft Corp.

25% of Researchers Say Accessing Material on a Handheld Device Important

HOUSTON, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ — Questia Media, Inc. has added an additional 1,900 copyrighted books to its digital collection, which is available online and through its recently launched application for the iPhone and iPod Touch that in just two weeks has become one of the top paid book applications on those devices.

The Questia collection, consisting mostly of copyrighted works, now totals 76,213 full-text books and over 2.7 million journal, magazine, and newspaper articles.

“This important addition to our library is part of our continuing strategy to provide college students and other researchers access to the only high-quality, online collection of full-text books and articles,” said Tim Harris, President and CEO of Questia, adding that in addition to accessing these materials online users increasingly want to do so from mobile devices

In a recent survey of over 3,400 Questia subscribers, 25% said that accessing research material from a handheld mobile device was important.

Availability

Questia Library for the iPhone/iPod Touch is available today from the App Store in iTunes for 99 cents, giving users permanent access to 5,000 public domain books and 1 week of access to every publication in Questia Library. After one week, users may purchase additional access to the full library through iTunes on a non-recurring basis. For more information, visit: http://www.questia.com/questialibraryplus

About Questia

Questia Media, Inc. partners with over 325 leading publishers to provide the world’s largest online academic library and research resource to end consumers on a subscription basis. Students, instructors, and lifelong learners in more than 200 countries use Questia’s collection of full-text books and articles for scholarly research in the humanities and social sciences. The collection includes valuable, copyrighted works and is selected and organized by Questia’s own professional librarians.

Questia’s unlimited, 24/7 access allows researchers to simultaneously use every item in its library from any connected corner of the world.

Questia Media, Inc. also provides Questia School, a teacher/student resource center that incorporates the digital library content with K12 class instruction and is designed for use by educators and students to enhance curricula.

Founded in 1998, Questia Media is based in Houston. For more information, visit http://www.questia.com/ and http://www.questiamedia.com.

CONTACT:  Sean Sullivan, Director, Consumer Sales & Marketing of Questia Media, Inc., +1-713-358-2658, ssullivan@questia.com

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire/ — StumbleUpon, the best way to discover new content on the Internet, today launches a completely updated and redesigned version.  With this update, come many new features and functions designed to make StumbleUpon simpler, searchable, and more social—improving the quality of results and the overall user experience.  StumbleUpon is the world’s largest web discovery engine, delivering over 450 million user recommendations each month.

Highlights of the new version include:

Simpler

• Anyone can receive personalized recommendations directly from the StumbleUpon homepage– from any computer, no install or registration required
• Simple, sleek site design and enhancements to the StumbleUpon add-on, make it more user friendly and make it easier for new users to begin discovering great websites

Searchable

• The same intelligence used to power “Stumbles” now applied to search—personal preferences along with collaborative human opinions help deliver the most personalized and relevant search results
• Search is now available on every StumbleUpon page, allowing users to search through their own favorites, others’ favorites, or exclusively through friends’ favorites

More Social

• Improved Friend search makes it easier to find the people you know on StumbleUpon and meet others with similar interests
• See recommendations from people you know highlighted in search results and easily Stumble or search within their favorite sites

“Our vision for StumbleUpon was simple—create a site where you could click a button and discover interesting, personalized and highly relevant websites,” said Garrett Camp, StumbleUpon CEO.  “We are now combining the power of discovery with search—and offering another way for people to access over 35 million user-endorsed websites.”

“It’s great to see the original founders’ vision reflected in this release, StumbleUpon’s first major product release since its independence from eBay,” said Ram Shriram, StumbleUpon investor and board member.

StumbleUpon is the Internet’s largest social discovery site, with 8.5M users, 11B ‘Stumbles,’ and an index of over 35M of the best sites on the web.  StumbleUpon is backed by company founders, Garrett Camp and Geoff Smith, as well as a number of well-known investors including Ram Shriram of Sherpalo Ventures, Accel Partners, and August Capital.

About StumbleUpon

StumbleUpon discovers Web sites based on your interests, learns what you like, and brings you more.  With over 8.5 million users and 450 million recommendations per month, StumbleUpon is the leading way to discover great content on the Internet.  More than 30,000 advertisers are using StumbleUpon to promote products and services.  Founded in 2001, StumbleUpon is based in San Francisco and backed by the same investors as Google and Facebook.  For more information, visit www.StumbleUpon.com.

CONTACT:

Rachel Petersen

rachel@nectarpr.com

+1-415-868-5595

of Nectar Communications for StumbleUpon