Direct Access Via Handsets to AsianAve, BlackPlanet, GLEE, Xanga and More
WARREN, N.J., Aug. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin Mobile USA's over 4.8
million customers can now access a variety of social networking
opportunities including a group of niche-targeted mobile-optimized sites.
The leading youth wireless provider is partnered with Intercasting
Corporation (http://www.intercasting.com) on its ANTHEM platform to bring a
selection of diverse Web-based social networking and community sites to
customers' fingertips through a single and intuitive mobile solution.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070613/VIRGINMOBILE)
Social networking sites now available to Virgin Mobile USA's customers
include:
* AsianAve (http://www.asianave.com) -- set to be the premier online
destination for Asian Americans 18+ to network socially, professionally
and culturally, offering opportunities for all generations of Asian
Americans to meet new people in their area
* BlackPlanet (http://www.blackplanet.com) -- the leader in African-
American social networking and the fifth largest U.S. social networking
property/publisher measured in page views [ComScore Media Metrix June
2007], with more than 16.5 million members
* GLEE (Gay, Lesbian and Everyone Else) (http://www.glee.com) -- has
become one of the top-20 gay sites on the Web within just five months
and is the only social and professional networking site for the GLBT
community
* MiGente (http://www.migente.com) -- the fastest growing English language
site for the Hispanic community with more than 2.8 million members
* LiveJournal (http://www.livejournal.com) -- lets users express
themselves, share and connect with friends online in a number of
different ways including as a private journal, a blog, a discussion
forum, a social network, and more. LiveJournal has communities for
everyone.
* Rabble (http://www.rabble.com) -- connects users who share similar
interests, experiences and even geographical proximity
* Vox (http://www.vox.com) -- connects users who want to meet new people
or keep in touch with friends, start a blog, post photos, watch videos,
create a group, or just discover interesting things. Vox is easy to use
and has a powerful set of privacy features. Vox has partnered with top
content providers to create a seamless user experience.
* Xanga (http://www.xanga.com) -- a community of online diaries and
journals
"We've built our success around empowering our customers and giving
them maximum flexibility and control," said Dominick Tolli, vice president
for Virgin Mobile USA's Mobile Data Services division. "There is a growing
number of social networking sites that reflect different lifestyles and
interests, and we're committed to putting our customers in the driver's
seat: that is, enabling them to create their own individual experiences,
determining how and with whom they want to communicate, whenever they
like."
"We are dedicated to providing carriers the tools to offer a
comprehensive mobile social networking strategy," said Shawn Conahan,
chairman and CEO, Intercasting Corp. "Serving Virgin Mobile USA is an
opportunity to connect their subscriber base, the target demographic for
social networking, with the community sites they want most."
The ANTHEM platform provides a web-like, media-rich interface to give
Virgin Mobile customers a fully branded and customized mobile version of
their favorite social networking services that is surprisingly functional
and easy to use. No matter which social networking provider one visits, the
consistently simple user interface makes it easy to view photos, send and
receive messages, post comments, search profiles and more.
For Virgin Mobile's engaged and youthful customer base, social
networking is an area of strong and growing interest. In a proprietary
survey among Virgin Mobile customers under the age of 35, 63% said they
have a profile posted on one or more social networking sites. In querying
the customers who use these sites, Virgin Mobile found that, while Facebook
and MySpace are the most populated, 43% of respondents identify other sites
as their favorites to visit -- with 16% naming Xanga and 5% specifically
listing Blackplanet.com. Most, 92%, said they visit their favorite social
networking sites at least once a day with one-third, 32%, spending between
15-30 minutes, and 14% on more than 90 minutes a day.
Pricing to access this broad social networking platform and multiple
sites is constructed to create maximum flexibility. Customers can choose to
pay by the day or by the month: $1.00 provides use for 24 hours with a cap
of half a megabyte of data, and $3.99 provides access for one month with a
cap of five megabytes of data. The Java application is available to Virgin
Mobile owners of the Cyclops, the Slider Sonic and the Switch_Back handsets
at this time, with plans to extend the platform to a wider variety of
phones in the future.
About Virgin Mobile USA, LLC
The nation's leading youth wireless provider, Virgin Mobile USA
provides more than 4.8 million customers with control, flexibility and
choice in wireless service, rich data content and innovative products
without annual contracts. Voice pricing plans range from monthly options
with unlimited nights and weekends to by-the-minute offers, allowing
consumers to adjust how and what they pay according to their needs. Virgin
Mobile's full slate of smart, stylish and affordable handsets, including
the popular MarbL, Slice and Cyclops, are available at top retailers in
more than 35,000 locations nationwide and online at
http://www.virginmobileusa.com, with Top-Up cards available at more than 130,000
locations.
Virgin Mobile USA's national coverage is powered by the Nationwide
Sprint PCS(R) Network and the company, which launched in 2002, is a joint
venture between Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group and Sprint Nextel.
Virgin Mobile provides some of the highest customer satisfaction levels in
the industry with its own customers reporting a 94% satisfaction rate.
Virgin Mobile contributes 5% of profits from downloadable content to The
RE*Generation and provides postage-paid return envelopes in every new
package for customers to recycle old phones.
About Intercasting Corporation
Founded in June 2004, Intercasting Corporation, based in San Diego, is
one of the leading mobile media companies providing applications for
personal mobile devices. Intercasting Corp. is partnering with global
wireless carriers to bring to market applications that leverage the growth
of mobile media devices, allowing people to communicate with each other and
capture news and information as it occurs. Through Intercasting Corp.'s
debut offering, Rabble, consumers can create and consume media through
their personal, portable media devices, connecting with others who share
similar interests, experiences or proximity.
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SOURCE Virgin Mobile USA
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Related links:
http://www.virginmobileusa.com/
Photo Notes:http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070613/VIRGINMOBILE
CONTACT:
Corinne Nosal, Virgin Mobile USA,
+1-908-607-4235, Corinne.nosal@virginmobileusa.com; Debra Benson,
dbenson@mprm.com, or Laura Lazear, llazear@mprm.com, both of mPRm
Public Relations, for Intercasting Corporation, +1-323-933-3399;
Melissa Connerton of Cooper Katz, +1-212-455-8001,
mconnerton@cooperkatz.com, for Virgin Mobile USA
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