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IDG's PCWorld.com and ePeople Partner On Co-Branded Online Tech Support

With access to thousands of qualified IT professionals "PC World Expert Advice" launches with PCWorld.com redesign

    (San Francisco, CA; October 3, 2000) – As part of its overall Web site redesign, PCWorld.com ( http://www.pcworld.com ) announced today the launch of PC World Expert Advice, (http://www.pcworld.com/partners/epeople/index.asp) an online tech support site powered by ePeople, the largest and most comprehensive online marketplace for IT services and support. The co-branded site offers PCWorld.com visitors around-the-clock hardware, software, and Internet expertise from thousands of qualified technical professionals in the ePeople marketplace. To use the service, visitors simply ask a question, view bids from prospective providers, and—after selecting a provider based on qualifications, ratings, or price—receive answers to their queries. Visitors also have the option of receiving an immediate answer through ePeople’s FastTrack system, which allows the user to specify a price for each question and have it answered by the next available, qualified provider.

“One of the goals of the Web site redesign was to add interactive services for visitors,” said Kevin McKean, PC World editorial director. “Both the print magazine and the Web site already excel at helping tech-savvy managers plan, buy, and use technology. Highlighting that mission, the new tag line for the site is ‘Technology Advice You Can Trust.’ So, when we decided to include tech support resources, it was imperative to team up with a high-quality technical support marketplace such as ePeople. In conjunction with the site’s new Tip Finder and the wealth of information in the Here’s How section, PC World Expert Advice will be an important tool for our audience.”

“This site allows ePeople to bring its service delivery tools and vast talent pool of IT experts to the PCWorld.com community, ” said Anthony Lye, president and CEO of ePeople. “Visitors to Expert Advice now have access to the new Marketplace Assistant diagnostics application, screensharing, and live chat—as well as the convenience of 24-hour online tech support. Joining forces with a trusted site like PCWorld.com furthers ePeople’s strategy to transform the way IT services and support are delivered to businesses.”

PCWorld.com Launches Expert Advice Service
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As a result of extensive research and feedback from both users and advertisers, the new PCWorld.com architecture is based on a dynamic, scalable model that will improve the user experience—and offer targeted advertising opportunities. In addition to PC World Expert Advice, the new site includes more interactivity, tools, and community features, as well as:

- Simpler navigation
- Revamped search engine
- Nimbler pages
- Content channels and product categories
- Tip Finder
- Branded price finder, and more


For more information, check out PC World Expert Advice at: http://www.pcworld.com/partners/epeople/index.asp.


About PC World Communications, Inc.
PC World Communications, Inc. is the publisher of PC World and PCWorld.com ( http://www.pcworld.com ) and is a subsidiary of IDG, the world’s leading IT media, research and exposition company. The winner of the 1999 and 2000 Grand Neal Award for editorial excellence, PC World is the world’s largest computer publication with a circulation rate base of 1.25 million. With more than 1.3 million unique visitors per month (Media Metrix, July 2000), PCWorld.com is a leading online resource for PC-product buyers and users. IDG publishes more than 300 computer magazines and newspapers and 4,000 book titles in 80 countries and offers online users the largest network of technology- specific sites around the world through IDG.net (http://www.idg.net), which comprises more than 270 targeted Web sites in 70 countries. IDG is also a leading producer of 168 computer-related expositions in 35 countries, and research arm International Data Corporation (IDC) provides computer industry research and analysis through 50 offices in 43 countries worldwide. Company information is available at http://www.idg.com.

About ePeople
ePeople is the largest and most comprehensive online marketplace for IT services and support.  The ePeople marketplace provides business users with a resource for fast, reliable and personalized technical assistance, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  ePeople empowers buyers of IT
support to choose the right provider at the price they are willing to pay and provides them with a robust infrastructure for service and support delivery, tracking and billing.  Customers and partners of ePeople include Adobe, CNET, Microsoft Corp., McAfee, PCWorld.com, Seagate Software, SITEL Corp., Support.com, Supportgate.com and Supportindustry.com.  More information on ePeople is available at http://www.epeople.com .

 
Editorial Contact:
Kara Hoffman
FitzGerald Communications
415-677-0216
khoffman@fitzgerald.com
 
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