SOURCE: Church & Crawford
July 02, 2007 10:11 ET
Mannea Develops New Virtual World Technology
WEST PALM BEACH, FL--(Marketwire - July 2, 2007) - Mannea, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary
of Church & Crawford (PINKSHEETS: CCWD), announced today that it has
developed and will soon deploy unique technology that will allow users in
virtual worlds to find locations as easy as using a traditional 2D website;
using existing web URLs.
Mannea founder Charles Lawrence said, "As virtual worlds continue to grow
over the next few years, hundreds of millions of people who have grown up
on the Web will be using virtual worlds -- new 3D social network platforms
-- for the first time. But over a billion users around the world already
experience the traditional web as places and destinations defined by URLs,
such as http://www.mannea.com."
Lawrence continued, "As the spread of virtual worlds expands in the coming
years, with more people migrating to the emerging 3D web for everyday use,
it will be vital that businesses migrate as well. Companies have already
invested millions of dollars in advertising and marketing on 2D websites
since the Internet first exploded in the mid-1990s. For many businesses,
their customers now interact with them in large part, or exclusively,
through their web presences. At Mannea, we will continue to offer products
that refine the 3D web, or virtual world, experiences in the same way."
According to the Company, current virtual world users are unable to easily
find preferred locations unless the site appears in the built-in search
function, or unless the user has created a "landmark" for the site; a
virtual card that contains in-world location information. With Mannea's new
technology, any user who knows a particular website name can easily find
that name in Second Life, simply by typing in the URL.
Lawrence continued. "We believe that this new technology will be an
important bridge in helping transition people from traditional 2D web
experiences to the much more immersive and versatile 3D environments, by
letting them continue to find their familiar businesses and favorite
destinations just as they always have, by the website name."
Mannea's new system allows any person or company that wants to tie their
web-based URL to a location in virtual worlds to do so. Companies that have
spent millions on their marketing will not have to spend millions more to
make the public aware of their new virtual locations, ensuring their
existing brands will continue to be important and recognizable in virtual
world communities.
About Church & Crawford
Church & Crawford, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: CCWD) operates through its wholly
owned subsidiary Mannea, LLC (http://www.mannea.com/), an online media and
advertising company that integrates real life products and services with
the particular culture and community of Internet-based virtual worlds. Its
primary target operating market is Second Life, an active, online virtual
community and marketplace developed by Linden Labs, with more than 5.6
million active residents.
In conjunction with Mannea, Church & Crawford is implementing an aggressive
roll-up strategy to pursue unique opportunities that include both Internet-
and brick and mortar-based acquisition candidates with extraordinary
potential for long-term growth under its public umbrella.
SAFE HARBOR ACT: This press release contains statements which may
constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the
Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended
by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Prospective
investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not
guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and
that actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by such
forward-looking statements. Important factors, currently known to
management that could cause actual results to differ materially from those
in forward-looking statements include fluctuation of operating results, the
ability to compete successfully and the ability to complete
before-mentioned transactions. The company undertakes no obligation to
update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect changed assumptions,
the occurrence of unanticipated events or changes to future operating
results.