BlueLight.com Totally Free Internet Service Hits Three Million Subscribers; Free ISP Drives Traffic to Recently Launched Preview Shopping Site.Business Editors/High-Tech Writers SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 20, 2000 BlueLight.com's Totally Free Internet Service An ISP that provides access to the Internet without charge to the user. The service is supported by advertising which appears on a special version of the user's browser and cannot be eliminated. NetZero (www.netzero. has broken yet another record. Hot on the tail of the launch of its preview e-Commerce site, BlueLight.com(TM) (www.bluelight.com) announced it has signed up the three-millionth registered user for its Totally Free Internet Service. The announcement comes after just seven months, solidifying the company's position as the fastest-growing Internet service in U.S. history. With subscriber sign-up rates often reaching highs of 25,000 a day, BlueLight reached the three million mark faster than any other paid or no-cost ISP (1) See in-system programmable. (2) (Internet Service Provider) An organization that provides access to the Internet. Connection to the user is provided via dial-up, ISDN, cable, DSL and T1/T3 lines. . The company achieved this important milestone four months faster than free-ISP competitor Alta Vista See AltaVista. (World-Wide Web) Alta Vista - A World-Wide Web site provided by Digital which features a very fast Web and Usenet search engine. As of April 1996 its word index is 33GB in size. , which also announced its three-millionth subscriber this week.(1) By leveraging the distribution and marketing strength of Kmart Corporation, the second largest mass-merchant retailer in the country, BlueLight's free ISP See free Internet service. sign-ups continue to accelerate at unprecedented speeds. BlueLight hit one million subscribers in 14 weeks, then two million just nine weeks after that, and three million subscribers six weeks later, with sign-up levels often reaching more than 150,000 per week. At this rate, the company predicts it will be the second-largest branded ISP by the end of the year. "BlueLight's free ISP and integrated on and offline promotional efforts drove more than 1.7 million unique viewers (MediaMetrix) to our site the month before we even launched our preview store," said Mark H. Goldstein, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of BlueLight.com. "These figures are a clear indication that BlueLight is uniquely positioned to be a success in converting web browsers The following is a list of web browsers. Historical Historically important browsers In order of release:
BlueLight's continued marketing efforts represent investment and promotional power that no other ISP, or company considering an ISP for its customers, can match. These include: -- Distribution of almost 15 million free ISP CD-ROMs over the past few months -- Marketing throughout the majority of Kmart's over 2,100 retail locations where CD-ROMs or BlueLight signage can be found in more than 21 places in each store -- Extensive direct-to-consumer marketing efforts to Kmart's 30 million weekly customers -- In-store and event promotion of the ISP by Kmart's 275,000 employees -- Promotion in Kmart's advertising circular that reaches over 72 million households a week -- Aggressive promotion to the Yahoo! visitor base where BlueLight banners were the number one-viewed ads at work and home for several months (Net Ratings) -- Preferred ISP for marthastewart.com -- Hundreds of thousands of BlueLight CD-ROMs delivered at no charge by mail to consumers via toll-free customer request line Kicking off next month and continuing through the back-to-school shopping season, BlueLight greeters will personally hand out free ISP CD-ROMs at high-traffic Kmart retail locations. The BlueLight ISP is the perfect back-to-school gift that provides parents and students with free Internet access See how to access the Internet. , email and instant messenger AOL's instant messaging service. See AIM and instant messaging. to easily keep in touch at all times. BlueLight.com's free ISP software is available in Kmart stores, for download at www.bluelight.com or by calling 888/945-9255. BlueLight's free ISP is driving traffic to its recently launched "preview" online shopping destination which features a full range of items such as home electronics, housewares house·wares pl.n. Cooking utensils, dishes, and other small articles used in a household, especially in the kitchen. , toys, sporting goods Noun 1. sporting goods - sports equipment sold as a commodity commodity, trade good, good - articles of commerce sports equipment - equipment needed to participate in a particular sport and Kmart's popular Martha Stewart <noinclude></noinclude> Martha Stewart (born Martha Helen Kostyra on August 3, 1941) is an American business magnate, author, editor and homemaking advocate. She is also a former stockbroker and fashion model. Everyday(R) line of home and garden products. The company will be rolling out new products and categories on the site throughout the summer. When the BlueLight shopping site is fully launched this fall, consumers will be able to browse through hundreds of thousands of products. Based in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , BlueLight.com is an independent company formed to leverage the substantial assets of Kmart Corporation, the nation's second-largest discount retailer. As Kmart's sole e-commerce proposition, BlueLight's goal is to meet the online shopping needs of the more than 30 million Americans who visit a Kmart retail location each week, turning those consumers into BlueLight customers as well by offering "Great Brands at BlueLight Prices." BlueLight's shopping site (www.bluelight.com) features thousands of products across multiple categories, including Martha Stewart Everyday(R) and other nationally recognized brands. BlueLight is supported by the BlueLight Totally Free Internet Service, which is the fastest growing Internet service in U.S. history with three million subscribers after just seven months. BlueLight was formed in 1999 by Kmart Corporation and SOFTBANK Venture Capital with investments by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. (MSLO, NYSE: MSO) is publishing and content provider founded by Martha Stewart. The Company's business activities center around the domestic arts. In 2005 MSLO reported revenues of US$209.5 million compared to US$187. , Inc. For more information visit www.bluelight.com. (1) Alta Vista press release July 18, 2000 |
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