Millions of Web Surfers Flocking for Thumbshot Previews 

MONTREAL, QC, Feb. 11, 2004. It appears that part of the Internet experience requires clicking on links that lead you to some unexpected surprises such as adult or sleazy sale sites. Recently, millions of users are taking back control by using search engines that employ thumbshots to visually filter undesired sites.

Thumbshots are thumbnail snapshots of web pages providing preview functionality for search engines and directories. Thumbshots help users gain control because users are able to see where they are going before clicking. Hundreds of sites have already integrated thumbshots provided free from Thumbshots.org.

Thumbshots.org (http://www.thumbshots.org) is an open and non-profit initiative by Thumbshots.com (http://www.thumbshots.com). Since the official launch in Dec. 2003, Thumbshots.org is now serving 150 million thumbshots to over 4 million unique users worldwide every month.

Stephen Lim from Thumbshots.org explains why users couldn't get enough of thumbshots. "We provide a useful service that gives users more control and takes away the fear from nasty surprises. It’s more than just a preview, it’s the entire thumbshot experience they enjoy," said Stephen. Thumbshots help locate information faster and accurately resulting in an increase in productivity. Web surfers around the world have been sending in their enthusiastic comments about thumbshots. One user calls thumbshots "a fantastic idea. It has given searching a new dimension." An ooBdoo.com user commented on how "searching is now so much easier."

Users benefit from thumbshots because it provides visual information not available in traditional search engines. Most sites have a distinctive look and feel. A shopping site that is professional looking will attract more buyers because the site projects an image of trust and credibility. Thumbshots can highlight these subtle but important qualities that are not available in search results. These powerful visual cues help users to accurately determine the relevancy of a site and the quality of its content.

The visual aspect of thumbshots adds an emotional component to search engines that never really existed. "Colors and images can bring out a lot of emotions. People feel happy when they see a thumbshot of a puppy or love when they see a thumbshot of heart-shaped chocolates. Similarly, a thumbshot of war casualties can draw strong emotions of anger and sadness. A thumbshot is worth a thousand words," said Stephen. Thumbshots add a human touch to search engines.

Many search engines and directories, after adding thumbshots, have seen a tremendous improvement in popularity. Site traffic at reacteur.com and ooBdoo.com skyrocketed by 60% and 40% respectively shortly after integrating Thumbshots. "We implemented thumbshots on a new domain within a few minutes and by the end of the same day, we already had emails from visitors commenting what a great additional feature it was," said Conor O'Connor from domainsofspain.com.

Thumbshots play an important role in the next generation of visual search. With the growing popularity of thumbshots, users may end up seeing more of thumbshots in their favorite search engines like Yahoo!, Google, Altavista, Vivisimo and Grokker.

About Thumbshots.org

The Open Thumbshots Project (http://www.thumbshots.org) is an open and non-profit initiative by Smartdevil.com that contributes back to the Internet community. Thumbshots.org provides free thumbshot preview images available for download and by direct request. Thumbshots.org is made possible through community efforts and donations.

About Thumbshots.com

Thumbshots.com (http://www.thumbshots.com) is the leading provider of thumbshots™ for Internet search and directories. We provide and manage some of the world's largest document and imaging repositories. Our primary focus is on e-commerce opportunities where an increasing number of people embrace this viable new method of communication for doing business.