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Groundbreaking Web Site Holds Answers to Life's Questions

Posted on: Friday, 22 February 2008, 09:00 CST

LINCOLN, Neb., Feb. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- A groundbreaking new Web site launched today, eXtension.org, promises to be a gateway to answering all of life's little questions -- from parenting, to saving and investing, entrepreneurship and vegetable gardens.

eXtension experts are the brains behind eXtension.org, a sort of "next-gen Google," where curious minds can find a range of information including how to calculate their retirement readiness score, tips to easing credit card debt, how to grow the best tomatoes on the block or ways to set a schedule for a new born baby. Even better, if the consumer can't find the information he or she is looking for, real live authorities in their area of interest monitor and answer questions through the Web site. And all of eXtension's resources are available to knowledge-seekers at no cost.

With 16 resource areas, called "Communities of Practice," consumers can easily navigate the site to find exactly the answers they need. A Community of Practice is typically multi-institutional, multi-state and multi-disciplinary bringing the "best of the best" educational resources to the public. In addition to providing credible eXtension experts to answer knowledge-seekers' questions, eXtension.org also offers opportunities for consumers to interact with each other to grow their knowledge in a particular field. Drawing on the popularity of online social networking, individuals interested in a specific topic or subject matter area can "gather" to form a Community of Interest. As that Community of Interest grows, professional educators with expertise in that topic or subject matter area join together and form a Community of Practice.

Not only does eXtension.org bring consumers the best knowledge from the sharpest minds in higher education, it also uses the most innovative and advanced features available on the Web to enhance the learning experience. Users can rate eXtension.org articles based on their usefulness, with the "most useful" articles ranking the highest on searches. If an article does not answer a user's question, he or she has the option to "Ask an Expert." eXtension users can also interact in Second Life to enhance the virtual learning aspect of the concept.

Further, articles receive tags showing what users are searching for most often. For example, as can be expected with the state of today's economy, the Personal Finance Community of Practice shows that most users are searching for topics relating to financial security. In the Consumer Horticulture Community of Practice, it appears most searchers are looking for the right way to groom their vegetable gardens. Users can also subscribe to RSS feeds, and eXtension will automatically send updates on topics of interest.

eXtension is part of Cooperative Extension, a nationwide, non-credit educational network. Each U.S. state and territory has a state office at its land-grant university and a network of local or regional offices. Due to its relationship with Cooperative Extension, eXtension.org is able to pull the best, most researched knowledge from the smartest land-grant university minds across America, connecting knowledge consumers with knowledge providers. eXtension offers:

-- Credible expertise -- Reliable answers based upon sound research -- Connections to the best minds in American universities -- Creative solutions to today's complex challenges -- Customized answers to your specific needs -- Trustworthy, field-tested data -- Dynamic, relevant and timely answers At a Glance: -- eXtension.org has 36,000 frequently asked questions in its knowledge base; 4,500 of those are "public," and more are going public every day. -- eXtension.org was viewed by people from all 50 states in January 2008 alone, along with users from 155 other countries and provinces. -- Part of Cooperative Extension, a land-grant university network -- eXtension.org boasts 16 Communities of Practice (more will be added regularly): -- Diversity in Higher Education -- Horses -- Entrepreneurs -- Imported Fire Ants -- Gardens, Lawns and Landscapes -- Livestock and Poultry -- Parenting -- Family Caregiving -- Wildlife Damage Management -- Disaster Education Network -- Personal Finance -- Geospatial Technologies -- Cotton -- Beef -- Dairy Cattle -- Youth Science, Engineering and Technology For more information, click on http://www.extension.org/. About eXtension

eXtension.org is unlike any other search engine or information-based Web site. It's a space where university content providers gather and produce new educational and information resources on wide-ranging topics. Because it's available to students, researchers, clinicians, professors, as well as the general public, at any time from any Internet connection, eXtension helps solve real-life problems in real time.

Cooperative Extension Service

CONTACT: Katie Gaultney, +1-214-665-1357, cell, +1-214-728-2837,katie.gaultney@fleishman.com, for Cooperative Extension Service

Web site: http://www.extension.org/

Source: PRNewswire

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