'Techie Team of the Year' Competition Announced by National Techies Day Organizers.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--August 18, 1999--

Marc Andreessen Named Honorary Chairman for Inaugural

National Techies Day Celebration; Compaq, Federal Express

and Information Week Named Premier Sponsors

Organizers of National Techies Day, the October 5, 1999 national celebration designed to focus public attention on the nation's shortage of technology professionals, have announced that Marc Andreessen, chief technology officer of America Online, has been named the Honorary Chairman of National Techies Day 1999. The National Techies Day consortium also announced plans for the inaugural "Techie Team of the Year" competition. The group established the Techie Team of the Year program to celebrate and recognize a team of technologists that has made an outstanding contribution to the technological advancement of its organization or community in 1999.

Technology teams of no more than six individuals -- which worked together as a technology team in 1999 -- from corporations, non-profit organizations, independent groups and the education sector are eligible to apply online at www.techiesday.org for the Techie Team of the Year program.

Online entries will be accepted through September 15, 1999. The winning team will be announced and honored on National Techies Day, October 5, 1999.

The 1999 Techie Team of the Year will be selected by a panel of judges composed of representatives from the education community and technology industry. All entries will be judged based on the following criteria:

- Scope and nature of the technology challenge, as measured by

accomplishments such as time spent on the project, the duration

of these activities and the kinds of services performed

- Creative team work, innovation, crisis management and/or approach

to problem-solving

- Project results, the impact of the project and its benefits to

the team's organization

- Appropriate and creative use of computer, digital or Internet

technology

Complete details on the Techie Team of the Year competition, including eligibility requirements, application details and judging procedures, can be found online at www.techiesday.org.

"As the growth of the Internet continues to fuel the importance of technology in everyone's lives, the increasing shortage of trained technology professionals presents a major challenge to both the industry and American business in general," noted America Online's Andreessen. "National Techies Day is a winning solution for both kids and the industry, exposing kids to rewarding career opportunities, while helping us ensure the necessary talent will be there to keep the medium growing in future years."

Official National Techies Day Sponsors Named

The National Techies Day consortium also announced official National Techies Day sponsors. Premier Sponsors include: Compaq, Federal Express and Information Week. Media Sponsors are Red Herring, Forbes, Inc., Targeted Media Worldwide, Contract Professional and PC Computing. Contributing Sponsors include: Tech Corps, Girl Geeks, Net Podium, Greeting-Cards.com, Blue Mountain Arts and Association of Competitive Technology.

Complete National Techies Day event-planning kits are now available online at www.techiesday.org, event organizers also announced. Two kinds of soup-to-nuts event-planning kits can be found: one for corporations and organizations interested in staging National Techies Day events in the workplace; and another for schools desiring to stage Techies Day at School events at schools in their communities. The comprehensive kits include a menu of celebration ideas and event organization materials, including step-by-step preparation how to's, template promotional and media materials and National Techies Day logos and artwork to customize event collateral materials.

Andreessen, Father of Mosaic Browser, Founder of Netscape

National Techies Day Honorary Chairman Marc Andreessen is best known for his work in creating the two graphical browsers that made the Internet user-friendly, thus launching its explosive growth as a popular mass medium. While an undergraduate at University of Illinois in Champaign, Andreessen created the first prototype of the Mosaic browser with a team of students and staff at the university's National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). With a friendly, point-and-click method for navigating the Internet and free distribution to network users, NCSA Mosaic gained an estimated two million users worldwide in just over one year.

In 1994, Andreessen joined with former Silicon Graphics CEO Jim Clark to found Netscape Communications. At Netscape, Andreessen led the team that developed the Netscape Navigator browser, which quickly became the world's most popular PC application. In March 1999, after Netscape merged with America Online, Andreessen joined America Online as chief technology officer, reporting to CEO Steve Case. In this role, Andreessen provides top-level guidance in setting the technological direction for the world's leading interactive services and Internet company.

National Techies Day was founded by techies.com, the top technology career information and recruiting Web site, and CNET, the source for computers and technology. The theme of National Techies Day 1999, which will be an annual event, is "Technology Achievement." The national celebration will focus public attention on technology professionals, their contributions to all parts of life and the nation's critical shortage of technology professionals. The program includes public recognition events and private corporate celebrations, grass-roots activities and a K-12 Techies Day at School program to encourage children to study science and math and pursue technology careers.

Vice President Al Gore has publicly supported National Techies Day, saying, "I want to commend all of the information technology professionals who are encouraging technology and science learning in schools. I applaud your efforts to bring attention to the need for technology education through the establishment of Techies Day."

About techies.com

Techies.com is a full service career source for technology professionals in local markets throughout the United States. As the ultimate online resource for technology professionals, techies.com offers a range of career planning information, job opportunities and an in depth background on top local companies that are looking to hire technology professionals. The company currently offers localized online technology career communities in more than ten major tech markets including Austin, San Francisco/Bay Area and Seattle with plans to increase the number of communities to 23 by year end 1999. Expansion cities include: San Jose, Houston, Atlanta, Raleigh/Durham, New York/New Jersey, Washington DC/Virginia and Los Angeles. Techies.com is also a co-founder of Techies Day, the first-ever national celebration designed to focus public attention on technology professionals and their contributions to our "wired" world, and to encourage students to study science, math and technology. Techies.com can be found online at http://www.techies.com.

About CNET, Inc.

CNET, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNET) is at the leading edge of media companies, producing a branded Internet network and television programming for both targeted and general audiences. Online and on television, CNET is the leading authority on computers, the Internet and digital technologies. CNET's network serves millions of users each day. CNET television programming airs on USA Network, the Sci-Fi Channel and in national syndication, as well in 40 foreign countries. CNET effectively owns 40 percent of Snap.com, a search and navigation service for all Internet users, co-owned by NBC. CNET also owns stakes in Vignette Corporation, a manufacturer of premier Web publishing software, and Beyond.com, the world's leading online software reseller.