SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 9, 2006--TechRepublic (http://techrepublic.com.com), the leading online community for IT professionals and a property of CNET Networks, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNET), today unveiled a new look, features and functionality that enable IT professionals to take control of their information and networking needs. New tagging and personalization tools, tag-driven vertical search, in-depth forums, as well as a streamlined look and feel, make it easier than ever for IT professionals to interact with their peers, find the right information, and ultimately stay on the cutting edge of IT, on their terms.

The new TechRepublic also creates a neutral meeting ground for IT professionals and vendors, bringing vendor content and vendor-driven discussions to center stage in the right context, inspiring a natural dialogue and information-gathering process among people who are interested in a particular topic. For example, IT vendors are now able to work with TechRepublic to have their experts participate in forums and answer questions one-on-one with IT professionals.

Since it launched in 1999, TechRepublic has always focused on leveraging interactive media to bring community and peer discussions to the information gathering process. Its dynamic approach enabled it to quickly gain status as a premier content provider for IT professionals, and currently, the site has the highest concentration of IT professional business technology purchase influencers of any web site measured within the IntelliQuest CIMS Business Online Behavior Study (Spring 2006(1)). The site's discussion groups and forums, plus a library of more than 75,000 technical articles, and tips and downloads from editorial experts, peers and IT vendors, has consistently provided users the information they need to make critical business decisions and get their jobs done.

"At TechRepublic, we've taken the principles of Web 2.0, which have typically been associated with consumer sites, and applied them to a business environment to give our members more control than ever over their access to content and their experience with the site," said Stephen Howard-Sarin, vice president of CNET Networks Business. "By taking our winning formula to a whole new level, we're creating an even richer and more personalized experience for IT professionals."

The new features and functionality include:

Tagging: Widely recognized as a contributor to the success of popular social media web sites, TechRepublic's use of tagging in a business environment lets its community categorize content on their own terms. Using Business Trax, its own proprietary behavioral analysis system, and tagging technology, TechRepublic classifies all content across the site from all sources -- editorial, user-generated, or vendor -- and surfaces those categories everywhere on the site so the members are always presented with information that is most relevant to what they are doing.

Personalization: TechRepublic gains insight into users' interests based on the content they tag and can use that information to offer content suggestions, enhancing their overall experience. In addition, users are able to save, link and share valuable content, including vendor content, in their own dedicated personal "Workspace."

Vertical tag-driven search: To ensure that members are provided the information they are looking for, new search technology matches search queries to relevant tags and a dictionary of IT concepts, companies, and product names. Content from all sources -- editors, users or vendors -- are presented in one search result, which can be sorted by relevance, date and popularity, giving users more flexibility in how they view the content.

Forums: A staple of TechRepublic's community, the Forums are now enhanced with technical debates and Q&A, both navigable by tags. In addition, vendor voices are welcome in forums, bringing another valuable voice to the community.

About TechRepublic

TechRepublic (www.techrepublic.com), a property of CNET Networks, Inc, is a leading community for IT professionals that offers the ultimate peer-to-peer experience. TechRepublic provides information, tools, and services created by IT Professionals for IT Professions that help members get their jobs done. TechRepublic's members, representing all segments of the IT industry, turn to the site for IT decision support and professional advice.

About CNET Networks

CNET Networks (Nasdaq:CNET)(www.cnetnetworks.com) is a global media company with some of the most important and valuable brands on the Web targeting passionate audiences. The company's brands -- such as CNET, GameSpot, CHOW, TV.com, MP3.com, Webshots, BNET and ZDNet -- serve the technology, games and entertainment, business, and community categories. CNET Networks was founded in 1993 and has always been "a different kind of media company" creating engaging media experiences through a combination of world-class content and technology infrastructure.

(1) IT professional business technology purchase influencers are defined as business technology purchase influencers with a CIO/CTO/VP of MIS/IS/IT job title or a MIS primary job function; results based on average monthly visitation

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SOURCE: CNET Networks, Inc.