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NEW YORK and ANDOVER, MA – February 20, 2009 – Helium.com, the world’s largest writing community, today announced a partnership with Hearst Newspapers, a division of Hearst Corporation. Under the partnership, Hearst Newspapers will leverage Helium’s social publishing platform to cost-effectively access premium local and lifestyle editorial content. Additionally, Hearst will employ Helium’s community debate feature to facilitate reader comments and better engage readers around the issues they are most passionate about. Hearst plans to go live with the Helium platform at two of its Connecticut newspapers, including the Connecticut Post, in the next few weeks.

“Hearst Newspapers includes some of the most respected and widely read publications in the news business today,” says Peter Newton, a former advertising executive of the Boston Globe and now vice president of business development for Helium. “We are excited to help this prestigious media company to easily and cost-effectively produce quality, custom, local and lifestyle content while also increasing their ability to engage readers and serve as a ‘virtual’ town meeting place.”

Utilizing Helium’s freelance Marketplace, Hearst Newspapers will be able to identify a stable of community stringers, who are compensated for contributing articles on a variety of topics ranging from wedding planning tips and great day trips with your kids, to seasonal gardening advice and concert reviews.

“Hearst is proud to be a pioneer in leveraging new models that will transform the newspaper industry,” said Lincoln Millstein, senior vice president for digital media, Hearst Newspapers. “Sourcing Helium’s top-notch writers will allow us to continue to deliver superior local and lifestyle content to our readers while also taking the necessary steps to get our costs in line with today’s economic realities.”

About Helium

Helium is the world’s largest community of writers. Since its inception in 2006, Helium’s writers have published over 1.25 million articles on 125,000 unique topics. Each month more than 3 million people visit Helium.com to read articles on a range of subjects from careers to home & garden, parenting, politics and more. Helium writers earn money and establish digital credibility by publishing articles on Helium, securing writing assignments with publishers through Helium’s freelance Marketplace, competing in writing contests, and engaging in civilized debate around the issues and causes that are most important to them. Helium is a privately held, privately funded company headquartered in Andover, MA. For more information please visit www.Helium.com.

Press Contacts:

• Liz Bradley
• Kel & Partners
• P: 857.891.5531
• E: liz@kelandpartners.com

Hearst Media Contact:

Paul Luthringer

P: 212-649-2540

E: pluthringer@hearst.com