May 12, 1998

(ORLANDO, FLORIDA) - The Slant (http://www.theslant.com) announced that it was named as Project Cool's Sighting ( http://www.projectcool.com/sightings) on Wednesday, May 8th, and the original Cool Site Of the Day (http://cool.infi.net) on Tuesday May 12. The first award, assigned by Project Cool's founder, Glen Davis, identifies "great examples" of website design as an aid to developers in improving their own work. The comment accompanying the sighting stated, "With city guides a dime a dozen it's refreshing when you find one, like Today's Sighting, that takes a new slant." Cool Site of the Day, also founded by Davis, is considered to be the industry indicator of what's new and happening on the Web.

"This recognition by two of the Web's most prestigious awards really tells us that we're on the right path," says publisher Dan Leeds. "Establishing this unique approach to local coverage on a new media like the Web has been an uphill battle - it's gratifying to see that Web experts recognize what we've accomplished so far, but more importantly, the potential for what The Slant could become in the future."

The award was given to The Slant's newly launched version 3.0, activated on April 20, 1998. According to Leeds, "This latest version of The Slant represents the continued development of our community publishing metaphor. As it has gone from being an imagined system to a growing reality, we have evolved to keep pace with what we have learned about this type of publishing." One of the largest conceptual changes made to the site includes the automatic listing of newest or most recently active discussion threads on the site's front page and section pages, empowering readers at the highest level.

The Slant 3.0 also highlights the latest technology from parent company GMD Studios (http://www.gmdstudios.com/). In the words of producer Brian Clark , "better technology doesn't mean more animations and gadgets - in fact it should mean the opposite. In the new Slant, the technology has gone underground, making it nearly invisible to the readers and still with them at every moment as it automatically customizes around their choices."

The Slant is a new media hybrid combining the tradition of the alternative media with the interactive capability of the Internet and the community metaphor that has driven it since its earliest days. The Slant publishes articles submitted by a broad pool of community members ranging in background from students to artists to lawyers. To emphasize this diversity of background and opinion, Slant 3.0 includes author bios on every article page, with links to all other stories submitted by that writer.

Says Leeds, "A community publication is as much about its members and what they want to talk about as it is about our editorial views and goals - that's what we want to drive home. For that same reason, we encourage our writers to really include themselves in the stories they write. For that reason, whichever articles you read at The Slant will tell you something more about Orlando and the people who live here."