Wetpaint Unveils Next-generation Wiki Platform

Seattle Company Begins Beta Testing Wiki Websites Featuring Innovative

Technology That Makes It Easy for Anyone to Contribute What They Know

SEATTLE, March 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Wetpaint (www.wetpaint.com) today
launched 8 websites built on their next-generation wiki platform for
collaborative publishing. Aimed at significantly improving the ease of
use compared to exiting wiki platforms, Wetpaint makes it possible for
anyone, regardless of their technical abilities, to add content, make
edits, add links and images, and leave comments directly on the sites
they visit.

"By making it as easy to contribute to websites as it is to use
Microsoft Word, we think Wetpaint will open the floodgates to true
collaborative thinking," say Ben Elowitz, CEO of Wetpaint. "When real
people with real experiences share their wealth of knowledge, then the
sites they create can offer insight and information not available
anywhere else. It's simply the case of 10,000 heads being better than
one."

A wiki, as defined by Wikipedia (which is itself the world's largest
wiki website), is "a type of website that allows users to easily add
and edit content and which is especially suited for collaborative
writing." While use of wikis has been growing, mainstream acceptance
has been hampered by ease of use issues which impact the quality of
wiki site content.

"Wetpaint makes it much easier for people to contribute to a wiki, and
that leads to two healthy results," Elowitz proposes. "First, the
number of potential contributors increases significantly. And second,
when there are more actual contributors, the value and quality of the
information improves through breadth, depth, and even accuracy."

"Ironically, it's very hard work to make things as easy as Wetpaint
has made it with their new platform," said Chris Shipley, co-founder
and Global Research Director at Guidewire Group. "With a combination
of the latest Web 2.0 technologies, they have built a platform which
is truly conducive to helping offline communities find a place to
express their collective wisdom on the Web."

The Wetpaint platform includes a number of key features such as the
EasyEdit toolbar which can be used to edit and format text and see the
changes in real time. Wetpaint also improves the wiki experience by
making it easy to add whole new pages, photos, and links. Finally,
because community is key to collaboration, Wetpaint users can easily
track pages and posts of interest and interact with others on the site
that share their passions, interests or knowledge through discussion
boards.

The sites launched today were each pre-populated with information that
visitors will be able to augment with their own knowledge and
experiences. Wetpaint will be monitoring the sites to gather user
feedback and optimize the user experience for a more formal launch
later this year. At that point, anyone will be able to set up their
own wiki website on any topic free of charge using Wetpaint
technology. With templates and step-by-step instructions, Wetpaint
will enable users to focus on the things that drive their passion --
whether pomeranians, Porsches, or pandemics - no coding required.

The sites launched today using Wetpaint include:

-- wikiFido.com - A site for dog lovers who want to share their love,

knowledge, photos, and experiences raising the perfect pet.

-- wikiXbox360.com - Game reviews and tips about the hottest Xbox 360

games.

-- wikiCancer.org - Support for those in the community of cancer

(diagnosed, survivors, and supporters) who want to find more from

others who've dealt with the disease.

-- wikiBirdFlu.org - News and opinions about the latest developments and

science on this potential pandemic.

-- wikiDemocrats.com and wikiGOP.com - Two sites where political junkies

can track the chances of potential 2008 presidential candidates.

-- wikiSandbox.com - A sample wiki made to be played in, where users can

try out Wetpaint before moving on to the other Wetpaint sites.

-- wikiFeedback.com - A forum where visitors can share their feedback

about Wetpaint and the demonstration sites.

About Wetpaint

Wetpaint (www.wetpaint.com) is the creator of web publishing platforms
that maximize the power of collective thinking. The heart of the
Wetpaint advantage is its ability to allow people -- especially those
without technical skill -- to create, contribute, and connect with
websites written for and by those who share a passion or interest.
Founded in 2005, the company is headquartered in Seattle's historic
Pioneer Square. Wetpaint is backed by Trinity Ventures and Frazier
Technology Ventures. SOURCE Wetpaint