Draws 500 Affiliates

500,000 New Visitors Each Lunar Swing Most Popular Astrology Site Yields Profits for Business Partners as Well San Francisco, CA (November 11, 1998) - It was a match made in the stars. Kelli, a software marketer, had a lifelong passion for astrology, when she met David Fox, founder of a successful software distribution company in Sydney, Australia. Their seemingly disparate interests - his for digital commerce and hers for astrology - turned out to be just the right pairing for an Internet success story. Together, they have created Astrology.Net, the premiere site delivering personalized astrological profiles in real time. The company's offering combines a vast database of proprietary astrology content in such areas as love, money, career, family, women and travel; a sophisticated commerce engine that delivers personalized profile reports in real-time; and broad market reach through distribution relationships with 500 affiliated sites. Realizing that great content and neat technology alone will not sustain a business, Astrology.Net reached out to create business partners. So far it has signed on more than 500 distribution affiliates. The audience reach gained from these partnerships makes Astrology.Net the most popular source for personalized astrology on the Internet. The company has also received its first significant outside investment since its beginnings in 1994. And, not only has Astrology.Net been earning profits for the past year, so have its distribution affiliates, who receive a percentage of all earnings from users they refer to the site. Astrology.Net derives most of its revenue from online sales of its personalized astrology reports, created on-the-fly by an automated expert system, and the majority ofthese revenues are generated by affiliated sites. In addition to revenue sharing, to better cement its long-term distribution relationships, Astrology.Net provides its 500 affiliate partners with daily horoscopes and related astrological content. Under the direction of company cofounder Kelli Fox - an accredited astrologer with many professional affiliations - a team of writers prepare daily horoscopes and related content for all twelve signs of the Zodiac. According to Astrology.Net Cofounder and Editor Kelli Fox, "We've combined three distinct offerings - content, commerce, and distribution - into a single, innovative business model. Direct links to Astrology.Net's commerce services are incorporated within the kind of popular content that consumers read every day, and our many distribution partnerships deliver buyers from leading sites across the Web. " To attract new customers, Astrology.Net offers visitors a free trial run: an introductory profile report, custom designed not only for date of birth, but also for the time and place of birth. With a minimum of mystical jargon, the horoscope report provides straightforward information on the user's personality: likes, dislikes, strengths, and weaknesses. To convert its half-million monthly visitors into paying customers, Astrology.Net offers over a dozen full-length profile reports. Most cost less than $10, and all are priced at a fraction of traditional printed reports. The 10-to-20 page profile covers areas such as love, career, family, forecast, and more, depending on the user's interests. An inviting interface simplifies the ordering process, so most visitors choose to pay for, and receive their order, online in real-time. Pioneers in affiliate marketing, the company has deals with the likes of Bigfoot, Excite, LookSmart, and Women.com. Astrology.Net's proprietary commerce system tracks links from affiliates to its site, then calculates and continues to pay the appropriate revenue share for six months after each referral. In addition, Astrology.Net's content has become a leading attraction on many of its affiliate sites, drawing people of all ages, although there's a strong skew toward women in the 20-to-40 year range. "We are very pleased with our relationship with Astrology.Net. Not only is their high-quality content a popular destination on our site, but the personalized report system provides a unique service for our users and is a nice additional revenue stream for us," says Women.com SVP of Marketing and Business Development, Fran Maier. In the coming months, the company will expand its "constellation" with new sites and will make a foray into more traditional product marketing and publishing. For the shorter term, however, Astrology.Net continues to consolidate its stellar position as the Net's premiere astrology site the leading provider of astrology services on the Web, today announced the delivery of personalized astrology readings to a quarter of a million people. ChartMaster, Astrology.net's proprietary reading system, delivers real-time, personalized, and professional-quality astrology readings on the Web. With over 16 birth-time-based readings and 15 no birth-time-based readings, Astrology.net has the largest selection of astrology readings available online. The product line-up includes Natal Horoscope, Compatibility, Vocational Guidance, Forecast, Flower Essence and Gem, Karmic Insight, Child readings, and more. Through Astrology.net's ChartMaster, consumers can instantly access personalized readings for prices that are between 50 and 70 percent less than traditional methods, and try out a free sample before they buy. Astrology.net bridges the gap between daily horoscopes found in newspapers and in-person readings, providing a fast, affordable and convenient way to access the guidance and entertainment astrology provides. Astrology.net is published by Kelli Fox, the Internet's foremost astrologer. "My goal is to provide an interactive astrology experience that goes beyond basic daily horoscopes and Sun Sign information. The Web enables me to lower the barrier between the general public and astrology, and instantly deliver a focused, personalized experience. At Astrology.net, people can come back again and again to get affordable insight on themselves, their loved ones and their career." - Kelli Fox, astrologer, publisher and co-founder of Astrology.net The Astrology.net website is a one-stop adventure into the world of astrology, offering daily horoscopes, in-depth information, interactive fun-and-love astrology content, and a diverse range of personalized readings. With over 2.5 Million page-views a month, and over 50 publishing affiliates, including Starwave, CMP, Hearst Home Arts, and Match.Com, Astrology.net is fast becoming the leading provider of astrology content and services on the Web. The most popular part of the site is the ChartMaster, where consumers can sample or purchase in-depth and personalized astrology readings. With readings based on time, date and place of birth, Astrology.net delivers the most accurate readings possible. In addition, ChartMaster uses a 220,000 city atlas with location and daylight saving time information to accurately cast a chart and provide an insightful reading. Astrology.net readings are written in accessible and down-to-earth language, enabling the general public to easily understand the complexities of their birth chart, forecast or other reading. Consumer feedback for the accuracy of the readings has been strong. "I would just like to say that your horoscope for me is spot on. I have never really made my mind up as to whether or not to be a skeptic or a believer in personalized horoscopes but you have convinced me. " - Mark R., England, Astrology.net Visitor