Wetpaint Launches Free Service Which Lets Anyone Start Their Own Click-and-Type Website

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WebKnowHow
Tuesday, June 20, 2006; 03:19 AM

Wetpaint.com (http://www.wetpaint.com ) launched a free service that lets anyone start their own click-and-type website in three easy steps. Wetpaint sites are different from other websites because they let people add or edit text, photos or links to other websites just by clicking on the "EasyEdit" button. With this click-and-type feature, Wetpaint site creators are not alone because anyone can help them add or edit content. This makes Wetpaint sites a great option for school clubs, sports teams, neighborhood groups or enthusiasts who want to share their personal knowledge and experiences about their interests or hobbies.

"Let's face it, until now, starting a website has been a science project for most people -- Wetpaint changes that," said Ben Elowitz, chief executive officer at Wetpaint. "Now, starting or editing a website can be done by anyone. You don't need a techie friend any longer to start a website for your parent-teacher group, the soccer league or the site on everything you need to know about fly-fishing."

The launch of Wetpaint comes at a time when people seem eager to collaborate online. According to Harris Interactive research commissioned by Wetpaint, 82% of US online adults feel that the Internet is a good way to bring people together who otherwise wouldn't meet -- an important statistic considering 60% of those online adults believe our general sense of "offline" community is weakening. Wetpaint sites' ease of use overcomes the difficulty many people cite in using existing tools to participate online.

Creating a free Wetpaint site is an easy three-step process. After going to http://www.wetpaint.com , you simply choose a site name, pick a design template and create a Wetpaint profile. With your site created, you can invite friends or anyone who shares your interest to start adding content.

"The key to Wetpaint's success is its ease of use," said Carla Thompson, associate analyst with Guidewire Group. "Their user interface is technologically sophisticated, yet doesn't appear so to the everyday user. If you can use Microsoft Word, you'll find contributing to Wetpaint sites a walk in the park."

During its three-month testing period, Wetpaint answered many requests from people around the world who wanted to start their own Wetpaint site. As a result, there are now more than 200 Wetpaint sites, the best of which are listed at http://www.wetpaint.com/more .

Since Wetpaint started its testing phase in early March, more than 50,000 contributions (including the addition or editing of text, photos, and links) have been made, resulting in a cumulative word count of nearly 1.5 million.