Lycos Reports Search Interest in Tom Cruise Skyrockets Following Release of Andrew Morton's Unauthorized Biography; Hillary Clinton Jumps Ahead of All Other Presidential Hopefuls in Web Search Popularity

Lycos Reports Search Interest in Tom Cruise Skyrockets Following Release of Andrew Morton's Unauthorized Biography; Hillary Clinton Jumps Ahead of All Other Presidential Hopefuls in Web Search Popularity

New Hampshire Primary, Tom Hanks, Board Games, Big Search Gainers

The Lycos 50(TM) for Week Ending Jan. 12, 2008

WALTHAM, Mass., Jan. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Lycos, Inc. (www.lycos.com), a leading provider of social publishing, media and search services, today announced the following information from The Lycos 50(TM), the 50 most popular Internet search results for the week ending Jan. 12, 2008. For a complete list of The Lycos 50 and for in-depth text of The Lycos 50 Daily Report, go to http://50.lycos.com/ . Readers of The Lycos 50 can also share their thoughts on Internet trends and pop culture on The Lycos 50 Blog located at http://lycos50.tripod.com/blog/ and the all new Under the Red Carpet Gossip Blog at http://redcarpet.tripod.com/blog/.

Biggest Movers and Shakers for Week Ending Jan. 12, 2008:

1. New Hampshire Primary 500 %
2. Tom Hanks 400 %
3. Board Games 400 %
4. Tom Cruise 333 %
5. Katherine Heigl 317 %
6. Super Bowl 267 %
7. Katie Holmes 193 %
8. Kevin Federline 100 %
9. The Sims 35 %
10. Cloverfield 28 %

Notes of Interest:

Last week's New Hampshire Primary continues to stir online interest, jumping 500 percent over the past week, following Hillary Clinton's win over Barack Obama, contradicting pollsters' predictions of an Obama victory. Since the New Hampshire Primary, Senator Clinton has jumped ahead of Ron Paul and the pack of presidential hopefuls, up nine percent in search activity. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney are in a virtual dead heat in online search interest, behind Sen. John McCain.

The top five most-searched presidential nominees this week are:

1) Hillary Clinton
2) Ron Paul
3) Barack Obama
4) John McCain
5) Mike Huckabee/Mitt Romney

Search Gainers:

Search interest in actor Tom Cruise jumps 333 percent this week following news that an unauthorized biography by Andrew Morton, who previously profiled Madonna, Princess Diana, and Monica Lewinsky, was released on January 15. In the book, Morton claims Cruise is the number two leader in the Church of Scientology and even discusses the notion that Suri Cruise may have been conceived using the frozen sperm of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Tom Cruise's camp denies Morton's claim, stating Morton did not even try to speak to anyone close to Cruise. The New York Daily News also reports Cruise is considering a $100 million lawsuit over the publication of the book. Meanwhile, search activity in Board Games rises 400 percent, due in part to the recent winter weather resulting in millions of web users in search of ways to pass the time indoors.

The Lycos 50(TM) Top 10 Search Terms for the Week Ending Jan. 12, 2008:

1) Poker 6) Clay Aiken
2) Golf 7) Paris Hilton
3) Fashion 8) YouTube
4) Britney Spears 9) South Beach Diet
5) Disney 10) Naruto

About Lycos, Inc.

Lycos, Inc. (www.lycos.com) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Daum Communications Corp., a leading Internet portal and e-commerce destination in Korea with a growing presence throughout the Asian markets. Lycos, Inc. operates search and technology web sites that foster online communities, including the new Lycos Cinema and SparkCast video platforms, combining community with high-quality broadband video content. Other Lycos products and sites include Lycos.com, Hotbot.com, Tripod.com, Angelfire.com, Gamesville.com, Lycos Mail and The Lycos 50(TM). Lycos was acquired by Korean Daum Communications Corp. in October 2004 and has its U.S. headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts. Daum Communications Corp. is traded on the KOSDAQ: 035720, www.daum.net.

Lycos (R) is a registered trademark of Lycos, Inc. All other product or service marks mentioned herein are those of Daum Communications Corp., Lycos, Inc. or their respective owners. All rights reserved.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: Lycos, Inc.

CONTACT: Kathy O'Reilly of Lycos, Inc., +1-781-370-2853,
Kathy.O'Reilly@lycos-inc.com

Web site:

http://www.lycos.com/
http://lycos50.tripod.com/blog

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