Beverly Hills Internet, Builder of Web Communities, Changes Name to GeoCities; Monthly Page Views Top 6 Million.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 14, 1995--Beverly Hills Internet, citing the continuing growth of its 14 interactive communities on the World Wide Web at www.geopages.com, today changed its name to GeoCities(R)

"GeoCities much more reflects our vision to build online communities with themes based on real-world landmark locations, where a homesteading program lets netters create their own free Personal Home Pages and their own special-interest content," said president and founder David Bohnett.

Access to www.geopages.com has risen over twenty-fold since the first GeoCities opened in June, with monthly page views exceeding six million, Mr. Bohnett estimated.

In the past six months, more than 20,000 web users have applied for citizenship in GeoCities and their self-generated content has expanded to more than 25,000 pages, he said.

"The quality, diversity and freshness of GeoCities content have made www.geopages.com one of the most visited sites on the Web," he said. "We are attracting not only visitors in growing numbers but GeoCity residents, or 'homesteaders,' who have interests related to the resonant layers of meaning imbedded in each site."

In the Athens GeoCity, he said, content typically relates to teaching, writing, reading, philosophy, classicism. For Broadway: live theater and show business. TheTropics: vacations, resorts, travel and leisure. WallStreet: finance and investments.

Other GeoCities include SiliconValley(R), CapitolHill(R), Paris(R), The Ginza(R), Hollywood(R), RodeoDrive(R), SunsetStrip(R), WestHollywood(R), TimesSquare(R) and the Colosseum(R).

GeoCities' Personal Home Page Generator gives homesteaders the ability to create their own home pages in minutes, complete with color graphics, links to favorite web sites and any personal information they want to share with the virtual world, Mr. Bohnett said.

Residents in GeoCities receive authentic street numbers, giving each a unique reality-based address on the web. To further amplify the sense of place, GeoCities displays realtime video-cammed images of actual landmark streets, such as Hollywood and Vine in Hollywood and Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.

Mr. Bohnett said that GeoCities was in the process of solidifying a series of alliances that would promote advertising in its communities. Grey Interactive West was last month named interactive agency of record and a national advertising-sales firm is expected to be announced in a few weeks, he said.

GeoCities has its headquarters at 9401 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

CONTACT: Dick Altman, 2l2-697-2620

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David Bohnett, 310-273-0400

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