Love Isn't Blind; It Just Lost Your e-mail, Says 5th Annual America Online/RoperASW Cyberstudy On Community.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

DULLES, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 21, 2002

AOL (NYSE:AOL)

   Online Medium Transforming Traditional Social Habits from Dating
                to Social Planning, Meeting New People

Online Consumers Say They "Google" Themselves, Friends in New Research
                    Ritual Called "Vanity Searches"

'Sorry, I lost your e-mail' may quickly replace more archaic dating brush-offs, say the findings of the fifth annual America Online/RoperASW Cyberstudy on Community. With one in three single online consumers aged 18-49 (33%) reporting that they have asked out someone or been asked out online, the online medium is rapidly becoming the preferred way to kindle new romance and meet people.

The Cyberstudy on Community, fielded by RoperASW, found the online medium is creating new social norms, with people relying on it to start relationships, send invitations and check out the backgrounds of friends.

The new social scene:

-- Dating for the timid -- Nearly forty percent (39%) of single male online consumers under the age of 50 say they have asked out someone or been asked out online

-- The electronic singles bar -- More than half of online consumers (53%) know someone who has started a friendship or relationship online, and three-fourths of 18-24 year old online consumers (74%) say they do.

-- Don't call us, I'll e-mail you -- A whopping seventy-eight percent (78%) of online consumers say they give their e-mail address or both their e-mail address and their phone number to people when they meet instead of just a phone number (16%).

-- Please e-RSVP -- Half of all online consumers (50%) say that they have sent or received an e-mail invitation to a party or social event.

-- News at Internet speed -- More than half of all online consumers (53%) have gotten an e-mail sharing major personal news like the birth of a baby, a wedding or new job.

Joe Redling, President, Marketing for America Online, Inc. said: "With more than half of online consumers saying they know someone who has started a friendship or relationship online, the study makes it clear that the communications and community-building powers of the online medium are having a profound impact on our existing social norms."

Brad Fay, Managing Director, Custom Division of RoperASW, commented: "This study is attention-grabbing because it highlights what a uniting force the Internet has become -- making a big world seem small and bringing people closer together."

You're So Vain, You Probably Think This Search Is About You

Not only is the online medium changing existing patterns of behavior, it has also created a raft of new habits that are rapidly becoming ingrained in users' daily lives, according to the Cyberstudy on Community.

-- More than one-fourth of online consumers say they have

searched for their own name (26%) or someone they know (36%)

in a search engine like Google -- an explodingly popular

practice becoming known as "vanity searching" or "ego

searching".

-- Roughly one-fourth of online consumers (24%) regularly or

occasionally take part in an online auction like eBay -- a

maturing business that was still in its infancy when the

survey was first conducted.

-- Two in five online consumers (40%) regularly or occasionally

listen to radio-style streaming music over the Internet.

-- Half of online consumers (47%) have shopped in their pajamas.

-- Two in five (40%) are looking for a job by checking out online

job resources like Monster or Hotjobs, and one-fourth (24%)

have sent out resumes via e-mail.

-- Eight in ten (80%) online consumers with access at work have

taken time out of their workday to do at least one personal

activity online, like checking the news (62%), online shopping

(43%), vacation planning (42%), online banking (33%), checking

portfolios or trading stocks (31%), or arranging social events

(26%).

-- Online consumers estimate that they save nearly a full work

day per week (5.6 hours) by doing things online that they used

to do another way.

Gathering 'Round the Virtual Hearth

The Internet has become the virtual hearth connecting people to new friends, helping them reach out to old ones, or keep in touch with their families -- trends that have been a constant standout over the five years of the study.

-- 90% use the online medium to regularly or occasionally

communicate with friends and family -- the #1 activity and

consistent over the past five years.

-- More than one in three online consumers (35%) say the online

medium helped them find or reconnect with someone they had

lost touch with.

-- 80% say that being online has helped them stay in touch with

the people in their lives.

-- More than 60% regularly or occasionally send and receive

pictures online from their family and friends

About the America Online/RoperASW Cyberstudy 2002

The AOL/RoperASW Cyberstudy was conducted via telephone, among a random sample of 1,001 home Internet/online subscribers. The interviews were conducted from September 15, 2002 to October 13, 2002. The margin of error is +/-3% for the total sample. The margin of sampling error for subgroups may be greater.

About America Online, Inc.

America Online, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of AOL Time Warner Inc. Based in Dulles, Virginia, America Online is the world's leader in interactive services, Web brands, Internet technologies and e-commerce services.

About RoperASW

RoperASW, an NOP World company, is the merger of two of the world's leading market research and consulting firms - Roper Starch Worldwide and Audits &Surveys Worldwide. For over 75 years RoperASW professionals have helped global marketers acquire new customers, build customer loyalty, and align their organizational goals with business and consumer needs.