Geo-social Networking Start-up ZoomAtlas Reaches 50,000 Notes Posted
Boomer generation is early adapter of ZoomAtlas with the majority of users over age 50

BOSTON - June 2, 2010 - Boston-based ZoomAtlas today announced that it has logged 50,000 user notes posted as of May 31, 2010. Uniquely different from other geo-social networking sites focused on gaming or adding incremental information to existing mapping sites, ZoomAtlas is the geo-social networking site that combines the best of social networking with advanced mapping technology to reconnect users with friends and family by posting notes at important places in their past or present.

Since its launch in November 2009, ZoomAtlas has experienced more than 570,000 unique visitors. The majority of ZoomAtlas users are boomers over the age of 50, and the average year referenced in posted notes is 1968.

We recognized early on that users from the baby boomer generation were the early adopters of ZoomAtlas,. said Mark Sherman, CEO and founder of ZoomAtlas. .As a result, we shifted 95 percent of our marketing budget to target users over the age of 47, and they have responded. Boomers are not only reconnecting with friends and family from their past on ZoomAtlas, they are also documenting in posted notes the special times and moments from their past for generations to come.

I posted several notes about the old neighborhood in Hyde Park, Chicago (5456 South Ridgewood Court),. said Joe Neubarth of San Diego. .The Great Sci Fi author Fritz Leiber lived across the street. I was a frequent guest in his house and used to just sit and watch him write. I was fascinated with seeing how a book was written. Now, half a century later I am writing. My best friend Sean was the son of the newspaper Political Cartoonist Bill O'Reilly. Lots of artists and weird people lived in Hyde Park. I loved it in the 1950's.

Boomers are sharing their ZoomAtlas notes on their Facebook walls and, like Neubarth, are also sharing their experiences on the ZoomAtlas Facebook fan page. The majority of ZoomAtlas users have a Facebook account, and more than 50 percent of ZoomAtlas users registered through Facebook Connect.

This is more fun than I even imagined,. said Christine Clarke of Chicago. .This may be the way to pick up and find old friends, school pals and work mates where Facebook leaves off!.

Its focus on the past is not the only thing that sets ZoomAtlas apart from other geo-social networking sites. The ZoomAtlas social map is the largest, most detailed, lifelike wiki-map of the United States that blends satellite imagery with computer-generated and user-drawn properties. Its interactive abilities are unique from other maps as ZoomAtlas is one of the few mapping services not built on Google, Yahoo, MSN, NAVTEQ or TeleAtlas.

We own and control our map layer, giving us complete flexibility in enhancing the ZoomAtlas map on an on-going basis,. said Sherman. .Geo-social networking start-ups that rely on mashups with Google Maps or Microsoft.s Bing Maps are challenged by a business model that is based on incremental improvements of another company.s base maps. As these Internet powerhouses add new features for users to interact with their maps, users have little reason to visit those smaller mapping sites. Furthermore, since we own the base layer, users are free to edit every feature on the map, to correct errors or add exquisite detail, using our unique map editor or pre-built objects like houses and sports fields. We strongly believe that this is the next-level of geo-social networking.

The ZoomAtlas database currently contains 140 million places in the U.S. Users can search for any business or residence by address or business name, as well as search for a street, block, neighborhood, city, town, zip code, county, state, airport, park, mall, sports complex, cemetery, house of worship, school, hospital, military installation, or geographic feature. The database will continue to expand over time as users add places and map their lives.

The ZoomAtlas map enables users to post information and notes for people at places and locations where they spent time in their past, including residences, restaurants, schools, parks, workplaces, churches, summer camps and more, to find and reconnect with family and friends. Individuals can also use the detailed editing tools to edit map features, including roads, railroads, runways, waterways, parking lots, sidewalks, sports fields, property lines, and even landscape details like grass, flowers or bricks.

Anyone can use the site anonymously, including searching, editing articles, and uploading pictures. Users who post notes, register on the site or use Facebook Connect, so that ZoomAtlas can contact users when a friend locates them or there is a reply to their note.

About ZoomAtlas

ZoomAtlas, founded by Mark Sherman in 2007, is a free, photo-realistic map that enables individuals to reconnect with friends, family and places from their past while leaving tips, stories and recommendations. Sherman is responsible for the strategic and technical direction of the company. In his 25 years of technology experience, Sherman has designed applications ranging from computer graphics systems to trading systems for financial firms. In 1996, he co-founded Microsurf, Inc., a comprehensive network of consumer Web sites including MortgageQuotes.com and MoverQuotes.com that focused on relocation and other home services, which later was sold to TMP Worldwide/Monster.com. The technical advisory board is headed by Ward Cunningham, the Chief Technology Officer of AboutUs.org. Cunningham is well known for his contributions to the developing practice of object-oriented programming; the variation called Extreme Programming, and is the creator of the world's first wiki.