InfoWorld's IT Exec-Connect Online Community Celebrates Anniversary And Surpasses 12,000 Members

Leverage Software's enterprise IT online media customer uses CustomerConnect to build engagement and facilitate user-generated content.

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) June 12, 2007 -- Leverage Software (http://leveragesoftware.com/index.html), the leading provider of enterprise social networking and online community solutions, has celebrated its first anniversary with IDG's (http://www.idg.com/www/homenew.nsf/home?readform) InfoWorld.com (http://www.infoworld.com/), the leading media brand for IT solutions management, as the web destination surpasses 12,000 online community members. Leverage Software's CustomerConnect (http://leveragesoftware.com/platform/solutions.html) solution is the platform used to host, design, and manage InfoWorld.com's private-labeled IT Exec-Connect (http://infoworlditexecconnect.leveragesoftware.com/) online community. With CustomerConnect, IT Exec-Connect provides its members a rich community experience offering them the opportunity to create personal profile pages, answer polling questions, participate in live online chat sessions, create their own blogs, contribute to targeted discussion groups, network with their peers, and other social and professional networking activities.

Since launching IT Exec-Connect to the public in May 2006, InfoWorld.com has transformed the way it engages its audience by empowering members to create and publish their own content through the use of Leverage Software's CustomerConnect hosted service. In a recent member survey, 85% of the community rated its user-generated content somewhere between "valuable" and "very valuable". Virginia Hines, VP and GM of InfoWorld.com, commented, "Our readers are experts in some very niche fields. The IT Exec-Connect online community provides them a voice within our online media environment. The community activity makes for a much more vibrant and meaningful experience for our InfoWorld.com audience."

IT Exec-Connect has over 30 different community-based blogs, over 100 discussion groups, and frequent live chats that are subsequently archived and made available across InfoWorld.com. "The community is still in its infancy. For the past 12 months, we tested the social networking waters. We wanted to see how an online community could increase pageviews, brand loyalty, engagement and advertiser interest. We are happy with the results and next month will be adding a hands-on community manager to our team so we can foster more interaction within the community and engage members in the full spectrum of social networking activities and events," said Ms. Hines.

"We're pleased to partner with an online media leader such as InfoWorld.com. This collaboration validates the increasingly important role social networking tools and techniques are providing to corporate enterprises and Leverage Software's continued success in the publishing and media industry," said Mike Walsh (http://leveragesoftware.com/company/management.html), CEO and Founder of Leverage Software. "With CustomerConnect, we focus on improving the social networking platform so that InfoWorld can focus on their readership and advertisers."

About InfoWorld.com

InfoWorld.com is a premiere online media destination focused on enterprise IT news, analysis, products, technology and business information. The site is dedicated to serving its audience of over 1.2 million unique visitors per month with leading-edge Web 2.0 technology, philosophy, and content presentation and sourcing, including the IT Exec-Connect community of enterprise IT professionals. Based in San Francisco, InfoWorld.com is a property of InfoWorld Media Group, a division of International Data Group (IDG), the world's leading technology media, research and event company.

About Leverage Software

With innovative enterprise 2.0 and knowledge management solutions, Leverage Software provides companies and organizations with scalable services to host and foster employee, customer and partner communities where members can meet, build relationships, contribute content, and share ideas while giving companies a way to boost revenue and glean valuable insight to increase customer and employee satisfaction.

Leverage Software can be found powering the online communities and social networks for over 150 companies including Microsoft, Sun, HP, Salesforce.com, Charles Schwab, McKesson, Nielsen, InfoWorld and The New York Times. For more information, visit www.leveragesoftware.com

Media Contacts

Anna Johnson

Leverage Software    

Phone: (510) 387-2646    

Pam Preston

Breakaway Communications

Phone: (212) 616-6001

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