GuruNet Corporation creators of Answers.com, the answer-based search engine, has announced a concerted, multi-pronged marketing effort aimed at sharing the numerous benefits of its free service with students, educators and parents. For homework, term papers, research, or class discussion, Answers.com provides clear, reliable information instead of the alternative: search engine links that students follow one by one, to unfiltered, unverified sources.

    Promotional elements planned for this effort include:

    - The release of a Teacher's Toolkit (found at http://www.teachers.answers.com or from the Answers.com home page), which provides tips, tools and materials for educators to use in the classrooms, libraries and writing/media centers.

    - The distribution of tens of thousands of the company's well-received "Citation Poster", directly to classrooms representing high schools with a total enrollment of over 6.6 million students. The 2 by 3-foot poster teaches students how to properly cite various types of internet sources, provides information about Answers.com, and is accompanied by a letter to teachers, introducing them to the benefits of the site. Thousands of these posters have already been distributed to teachers and librarians attending the recent

National Educational Computer Conference (NECC), and can be requested through the Teacher's Toolkit site.

    - Targeting college campuses, advertising in student newspapers and the visual sponsorship of racks from which the students take their daily papers.

    - Posting of 5,000 3 by 6-foot informational boards in elementary schools across the country.

    - Promotion of Answers.com to a list of educators garnered from NECC, most of whom are responsible for introducing technologies and resources to their schools and districts. Many have reported presenting Answers.com in teacher training sessions over the summer. In addition, the company has sent mailings out to substantial lists of recipients signed up through partners to receive Education-oriented e-mail.

    - Sponsorship and exhibitor's booth at the National College Media Convention (New Orleans, Oct. 26-30), the largest meeting of college journalists and advisors in the world.

    - Ads and advertorials in major education magazines.

    - Public Relations efforts aimed at seeking coverage in back-to-school issues of educational publications, as well as the general press.

    - Targeted on-line advertising in both educational and general sectors.

    - Exhibiting at the Florida Educational Technology Conference (FETC) in

Orlando, March 22-24.

    "A recent New York Times article discussed the decline in educational software products, as students use free on-line resources like ours," commented Jay Bailey, Director of Marketing. "We're looking forward to seeing the results of the considerable resources that we've dedicated to this effort, and are hoping for a notable increase of usage already in September - our first back-to-school season since our launch in January 2005."