Commack, NY, May 6 1997 — Web chat market leader eShare Technologies Inc. today announced breakthrough technology that links the next-generation eShare Expressions to user databases, lets intranet and web-based users find their "buddies" in cyberspace and now offers a HTML client in addition to their widely adopted firewall compliant Java version.

The new software, eShare Expressions 1.1, enables corporations and Web sites to create user profiles by linking their names and passwords to information contained in existing databases or build their own databases of cyber habit information. This database enables corporations to boost their level of control over who can enter a given chat environment by automatically tying access rights to an individuals user profile and permissions status. The database capability also allows a Web site to track chatters movements — what they say, how long they've been on the site, where they go in chat rooms, and how many times they come back. All that can be relayed to information-hungry advertisers seeking to develop targeted campaigns for cyber surfers.

Used in conjunction with eShare's forthcoming Midway server, a master chat server that connects Expression servers, Expressions 1.1 lets users create a "buddy list" of chat pals that spans corporate intranets, extranets and the Internet, enabling direct messaging even behind firewalls. eShare will begin shipping both Expressions 1.1 and the Midway server by the end of this quarter.

Expressions 1.1 presents users of non-Java enabled browsers — those that predate Navigator 3.0 or Internet Explorer 3.0 -- with the option of a HTML client interface without any sacrifice in functionality. The HTML version, like the Java client, can operate behind corporate firewalls which protect almost 50% of corporate users.

"Chat is a powerful force on the Internet for both businesses and individuals — it's what creates the inclusive worlds that keep people coming back to Web sites and that keep businesses tied to their customers and trading partners", said James Tito, CEO of Commack, NY-based eShare. "With Expressions 1.1, chat for the first time becomes a more valuable business tool, that can facilitate communication and help create business communities."

Expressions 1.1 builds on the initial success of the original Expressions 1.0 release, which set industry benchmarks for ease of use and simplicity of installation. In just the past few months, eShare's original Expressions chat software has been adopted by leading corporations and Web sites that include: Lotus Development Corp. for its Lotusphere site; GeoCities, the eleventh most trafficked site on the Web and a leader in cyber community building; and OnLive! Technologies, as a complement to its voice chat. More than 250,000 people chat using eShare's innovative technology.

The breakthrough new product, Expressions 1.1 is expected to dramatically increase the adoption rate of Internet chat as a tool for business communities that strengthen the bonds between employers, employees, and customers. The new software holds the potential to boost the adoption and deployment of chat on Web sites, where it has proved to be an effective builder of cyber communications, and improve the Web's suitability as an advertising vehicle.

A corporation using intranets gets the ability to automatically shut out all but authorized users from senior executive chat sessions. Unauthorized users are automatically recognized the second they attempt to log on because their rights and privileges are tied to their passwords.

The list of new features of Expressions 1.1 does not stop there. The easy-to-use Expressions also gives users the opportunity to create a widespread, "Buddy System" which broadens the reach of online community by notifying users when their colleagues or close friends go online. Users can create their own personal list of close friends or business colleagues. When members of this list go online with Expressions, the list owner will automatically be alerted to their presence and he can go and chat.

"With the Midway server, you are not only alerted to a buddy's logging on, but you can send a direct message to anywhere on the Internet, even behind a firewall," Tito explained.

Industry analysts and other experts believe that Web chat is the mechanism through which ad dollars will flow. Jupiter Communications estimate that chatters spend more than almost 30 minutes online than the average web user. The topic driven nature of chat makes online conversation unquestionable fodder for advertisers.

The link to a user profile also enables tracking of reaction to ads. For example, a database can record the number of times a banner appears and stimulates a Web user to click through, when that click through happens, how long did they stay on the site. That becomes a powerful source of information to advertisers constantly seeking detailed information on their audience to create more targeted campaigns.

The database connection enables Web sites to build a user profile that is tied to a name and password. The database may contain information on their hobbies and favorite sports and include information on where they go online and for how long.

"We're making chat a highly attractive business proposition to online advertisers who understand the revenue implications of chat and community building," said Tito of eShare. "Now for the first time, Web site managers can go to advertisers and tell them who does what, when, how, where and for how long online."

Expressions 1.1 was engineered under the same principles of functional richness and ease of use that marked the previous Expressions software:

• 32-bit, multi-threaded turnkey application with web server
• Hassle-free, out-of-the-box point and click installation
• Readily customizable with remote administration
• Requires no browser plug-ins or downloads
• Multihoming feature allows up to 254 instances of server to run on a single machine
• All clients including Java work behind firewalls and proxies
• Real-time and Bulletin Board Service communications built in
• Multiplatform operation (both UNIX and Windows NT)
• Priced at $795 for 50 simultaneous user license -- free upgrades for existing customers
• Expandable to unlimited simultaneous users with upgrade
• Uniform, graphical remote administrator
• Automatic in-line images within messages
• Compatible with any browser
• Includes obscenity filter

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