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BellSouth and LookSmart Join Forces to Promote Yellow Pages Advertisers Through Internet Search

Posted on: Thursday, 20 November 2003, 06:00 CST

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- LookSmart , a global leader in search, and BellSouth , a leader in print and Internet Yellow Pages in the Southeast, today announced an agreement designed to help BellSouth advertisers achieve exposure for their businesses in search results across the Web.

BellSouth will offer Real Search Engine Solutions(SM), a bundled solution to help Yellow Pages advertisers get listed across LookSmart's partner distribution network via paid search inclusion. In addition, BellSouth will promote RealPages.com(SM), its online destination for Yellow Page services, via LookSmart LookListings.

"This is the first major U.S. agreement between providers of traditional Yellow Pages and Internet search," said Tony Mamone, vice president of sales and marketing for LookSmart. "We've always believed that paid search inclusion was the right vehicle to bridge the gap between offline and online lead generation, and we're pleased that BellSouth shares our belief. RealPages.com is an ideal match for us, because they're known as the leader in providing media solutions for local businesses in the Southeast."

By using paid inclusion, an advertiser agrees to compensate LookSmart for driving traffic to their website when their business or products are relevant to the search user. Because advertiser listings show up automatically according to relevancy, there's no need to bid for individual keywords or monitor auctions.

"This is a groundbreaking deal for our industry," said Charles Stubbs, president of BellSouth IntelliVentures, the BellSouth Advertising & Publishing Corporation subsidiary that operates RealPages.com. "We're pleased to offer businesses in the Southeast another way to reach their target audience with a new and highly effective vehicle that's a natural complement to traditional Yellow Pages advertising."

About LookSmart

LookSmart is a leading provider of Internet search solutions and is the global leader in paid search inclusion. Combining award-winning technology, editorial expertise, and community-based initiatives, LookSmart provides users worldwide with highly relevant search results, while delivering targeted sales leads to online businesses. LookSmart paid inclusion and auction-based keyword search results are distributed through top portals and ISPs including Lycos, Road Runner, InfoSpace, CNET, Cox Interactive Media and search services such as Inktomi. LookSmart is based in San Francisco, California, with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Detroit, Montreal, London, Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney. For more information, visit http://www.looksmart.com/

About BellSouth

BellSouth Corporation is a Fortune 100 communications services company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. BellSouth serves more than 45 million local, long distance, Internet and wireless customers in the United States and 14 other countries.

Consistently recognized for customer satisfaction, BellSouth provides a full array of broadband data solutions to large, medium and small businesses. In the residential market, BellSouth offers DSL high-speed Internet access, advanced voice features and other services. BellSouth also offers long distance service throughout its markets, serving both business and residential customers. The company's BellSouth Answers(SM) package combines local and long distance service with an array of calling features; wireless data, voice and e-mail services; and high-speed DSL or dial-up Internet service. BellSouth also provides online and directory advertising services through BellSouth(R) RealPages.com(SM) and The Real Yellow Pages(R).

BellSouth owns 40 percent of Cingular Wireless, the nation's second largest wireless company, which provides innovative data and voice services.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements based on our current expectations and projections about our industry and our management's beliefs and assumptions, including statements about our future partnerships, paid inclusion advertising and other aspects of our business and industry. Any assumptions underlying such statements are also forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ from those expressed in these forward-looking statements for various reasons, such as the possibility that businesses, Web site owners and webmasters will not utilize our paid inclusion services; our potential failure to establish an effective working relationship with our partners; our potential inability to generate sufficient revenues to cover the costs associated with these services; the risks involved with specific geographic markets in the U.S. and abroad; and other risks outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K and quarterly reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

CONTACT: Michael Prichinello of RLM Public Relations, Inc., +1-212-741-5106, ext. 14, or michael@rlmPR.com, for LookSmart.

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