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Whenever I go to industry events and participate in message boards, I come accross a variety of synonyms for affiliates. They are sometimes publishers or partners or associates or whatever other name du jour.

This muddy semantic landscape can be confusing for outsiders and insiders alike. So I thought I’d ask a bunch of affiliates if they consider themselves to be affiliates or one of the other namesakes.

The results of my poll were that the majority, nearly 60%, of affiliates consider themselves to be affiliates.

A little less than 25% of affiliates refer to themselves as publishers. Only about 8% think of themselves as partners, and less than 3% as associates.

The remaining 5% of affiliates prefer to go by their own titles, such as “traffic driving and conversion specialist” or the hybrid, “affiliate partner.”

Back in early August, there were whispers that a significant entity in the affiliate and search space had plans to launch a message board. All the chatter was for real - eComXpo has rolled out their new forum at http://forum.ecomxpo.com/ in the lead up to their second online conference.

I would expect that this board will get a good deal of traction out of the gate, since eComXpo has a built-in audience with their conferences. And with the event running October 6-8, this looks to be an optimal time to cultivate a new community for them.

As they get off the ground, they’re making a call for moderators to help run things over there. Visit http://forum.ecomxpo.com/ for more information.

Affiliate Summit 2006 is going to have two tracks, one targeted to affiliates and the other to merchants, rather than going with the one size fits all agenda we’ve had in the past.

We are now accepting proposals for presentations and panels for Affiliate Summit 2006.

Based on overwhelming feedback in favor of Las Vegas, we are returning there next year (January 9-10, 2006).

Submit a proposal to speak at Affiliate Summit 2006 at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=317181307562

Subscribe to the Affiliate Summit Real Deal newsletter at http://www.affiliatesummit.com to keep up on the conference details as they are confirmed.

Ad:Tech is going to be in NYC this coming November 7-9. If you want to get an exhibit hall pass, they are free online, but you’ll have to pay if you wait to register until you are on site.

You can see the list of exhibitors at http://www.ad-tech.com/exhibitors1.asp?subevent=4

Register for ad:tech at http://www.xpressreg.net/register/adte115/start.asp

Pittsburgh, PA – August 30, 2005 – Direct Response Technologies, Inc., (DRT) a leading provider of online media and technology solutions, received a motion from PrimaryAds, a client utilizing DirectTrack® (DRT’s proprietary affiliate and ad serving technology) as the back bone for its network, on August 26, 2005 which will force both companies back into court. PrimaryAds is a wholly owned subsidiary of Think Partnership, Inc. (AMEX – THK), a direct competitor of DRT.

In the motion that Think Partnerships’ subsidiary, PrimaryAds, filed in the Court of Common Pleas in Pittsburgh, PA, it claims that Direct Response Technologies, Inc. is not providing a copy of the business information and data of PrimaryAds that have been captured on DirectTrack in accordance with the Consent Decree entered into by both parties on June 24, 2005. In particular, PrimaryAds asks the Court to compel DRT to provide three specific categories of information to PrimaryAds.

It is DRT’s position that the Consent Decree clearly requires DRT to provide only the business information and data belonging to PrimaryAds. However, the Consent Decree expressly states that DRT is not required to provide PrimaryAds with any of DRT’s proprietary or confidential information regarding the operation of DirectTrack®. The information that PrimaryAds, as well as Think Partnership, seek in their motion pertain to the fundamental structural compositions to the DirectTrack® tracking system. These fundamental structural items are not business data, which – as most all of DRT’s clients are well aware – can be retrieved easily from their copies of the DirectTrack® system. What PrimaryAds really wants is a road map on how to build out Kowabunga’s My Affiliate Program, which is clearly neither part of the Consent Decree nor reasonable.

Jason Wolfe, President/CEO of DRT states, “as mentioned in our prior press releases, as well as in the Consent Decree, our primary concern was the level of access THK had to the intellectual capital, embodied within our DirectTrack® system, and that this access would help it to develop its Kowabunga / MYAP subsidiary at our expense. We entered into the Consent Decree thinking that PrimaryAds would uphold the confidential nature of our technology and system – when in fact it was sharing our proprietary information with Kowabunga / MYAP in violation of the Consent Decree as well as its client agreement.”

What THK wants is for DRT to provide Kowabunga / MYAP with a road map of how the DirectTrack® databases and systems fit together. THK also wants to provide its PrimaryAds affiliates and advertisers with the same DirectTrack® tracking codes and logins, thereby confusing PrimaryAds’ affiliates and advertisers into thinking that they are on the DirectTrack® system when in reality they are on an inferior Kowabunga / MYAP platform.

Wolfe continues, “it’s like owning a KFC franchise, and then discontinuing your franchise license while at the same time keeping a confusingly similar KFC store signs up on the outside of the restaurant and changing the name by one letter to fool users into thinking that they are eating the same chicken when they entered the store. We simply will not allow DirectTrack® to be compromised in that fashion, and we will not allow affiliates and advertisers to be fooled.”

“Mr. Jacobs, the CEO of THK, believed that he could enter this market space, acquire a number of companies by setting unrealistic expectations, and become a dominant player. When he received resistance from DRT, instead of signing a long term agreement to protect THK’s investment in PrimaryAds, he decided to abuse the court system to intimidate DRT and to force DRT to assist their direct competitor in building out the Kowabunga / MYAP product. The public markets are keen on THK; it is reflective in its poorly performing stock. These latest legal maneuverings will be played out in the courts, again. DRT intends on proving to the Court that the requested data regarding the manner in which DRT operates DirectTrack® is not the property of PrimaryAds, but instead belongs to DRT.

George Bordo, the COO of DRT has been working with PrimaryAds during this transaction, “The comments in the press release reflect how unfamiliar the THK teams are for a transition of this magnitude. Considering the interaction to date, there appears to be no defined process or structure to their transition plan, which is usually reflective of an immature product.” Bordo continued, “Ken’s comments in the press release actually support our position. The information they are demanding is not collected by DirectTrack, but rather they are generated using proprietary DRT algorithms”

DirectTrack® currently powers 120 networks including affiliate networks, ad serving networks, and co-registration networks. The DirectTrack® ‘network of networks’ delivers roughly 12 billion ads per month, and over 65,000,000 clicks through its patent pending CrossPublicationâ„¢ technology. DirectTrack® was launched as a low cost network platform for advertising and affiliate networks to get setup and launched quickly, and has proven that a company can grow rapidly utilizing the power of DirectTrack® and the network of networks.

About Direct Response Technologies, Inc.

Direct Response Technologies, Inc. founded in 1994, is a media and technology firm dedicated to delivering performance-based results and technology solutions to clients. Direct Response Technologies is a privately held company with offices in Pittsburgh, PA, and New York NY, owned in part by Jupiter Media (NASDAQ: JUPM). The company also operates an office in North Dakota in conjunction with the Department of Commerce of North Dakota.
Direct Response Technologies (http://www.directresponse.com) provides technology for (1) secure coupon delivery and tracking solutions through www.mycoupons.com ; (2) keyword tracking through www.keywordmax.com; (3) affiliate tracking through www.directtrack.com; and (4) gift certificates and gift card solutions through www.giftcards.com.

CONTACT:
Public Relations
Direct Response Technologies, Inc.
412-921-6881
pr@directresponse.com

The introductory prices for advertising ($500 for a display ad and $125 for a text ad) in the Affiliate Summit Real Deal newsletter are ending.

The August 31 issue will be the last one with these prices. After that, the display ads will run $1,000 and text ads will be $250.

However, if you wish to book a long-term placement in the newsletter, you can do so through August 31 at the current rates.

Book your ads at http://www.affiliatesummit.com/advertise.shtml

NORTHBROOK, Ill.–Aug. 29, 2005–CGI Holding Corporation d/b/a Think Partnership Inc. (”THK” or the “Company”) (AMEX:THK - News) announced that its PrimaryAds Inc. subsidiary has filed a motion in the Court of Common Pleas in Pittsburgh, PA, seeking immediate enforcement of a Consent Decree issued June 24, 2005 in connection with PrimaryAds’ prior litigation against Direct Response Technologies, Inc. (”DRT”).

The Consent Decree specifically requires that DRT return PrimaryAds’ Business Information and Data in a mutually-agreeable format. In its motion, PrimaryAds claims that DRT has violated the Consent Decree by refusing to return three items specifically delineated in the Consent Decree — PrimaryAds’ customers’ IDs, Codes, and URL Tracking information — and states that there is absolutely no basis for DRT’s belated claim that the above information is “confidential and proprietary”. To the contrary, this information - which relates solely to PrimaryAds’ clients - is publicly available and is no way proprietary. PrimaryAds’ motion requests the Court to enter an immediate Order against DRT enforcing the Consent Decree.

Gerard M. Jacobs, the Chief Executive Officer of Think Partnership, stated, “The Consent Decree is crystal clear and the evidence that Direct Response Technologies has refused to comply with the Consent Decree is equally clear. We expect the court to recognize DRT’s behavior for what it is: a futile effort by DRT to try to stall and impede PrimaryAds’ transition to our KowaBunga! subsidiary’s competing affiliate network software. Jason Wolfe and DRT should have thought all this through before they launched their ill-conceived scheme to try to force Think Partnership to shackle KowaBunga! from competing against DRT. America is all about competition, but some people just have to learn that the hard way.”

Kenneth Harlan, the Chief Executive Officer of Think Partnership’s PrimaryAds Inc. subsidiary, stated, “This information is not only vitally important to PrimaryAds’ business and our customers, it is also our business information, as acknowledged on numerous occasions by DRT. For example, DRT’s own website expressly admits that ALL data collected by the DRT system belongs to PrimaryAds. Rather than simply comply with the Court’s directive, DRT has proposed to “scramble the data” of our business information to the point where it would no longer be helpful or useful to anyone — including our company. DRT was previously ordered to preserve this precise information — in the precise format — which PrimaryAds now seeks. We will not allow DRT or anyone else to affect the superior level of service we provide our customers.”

The Company has begun doing business under the name “Think Partnership Inc.” and will seek formal shareholder approval to change its legal name to Think Partnership Inc. The Company is based in Northbrook, Ill. (see www.thinkpartnership.com) and currently has nine subsidiaries: WebSourced, Inc., Morrisville, N.C., a leader in search engine optimization and pay-per-click campaign management (see www.websourced.com and www.keywordranking.com); MarketSmart Advertising, Inc., Rightstuff, Inc. d/b/a Bright Idea Studios, and Checkup Marketing, Inc., Raleigh, N.C., providing world-class off-line advertising, public relations, marketing, branding and shopping evaluation services (see www.marketsmart.net, www.brightideastudios.com and www.checkupmarketing.com); Cherish, Inc., Clearwater, Fla., a leading online dating company (see www.cherish.com); Ozona Online Network, Inc., Clearwater, Fla., providing a comprehensive scope of online services including start-to-finish web design, custom web based applications, database systems, managed and shared hosting solutions, e-commerce and high-speed business Internet access (see www.ozline.net); KowaBunga! Marketing, Inc., Westland, Mich., providing Internet marketing software technologies, including software for affiliate marketing, search engine marketing and opt-in email marketing (see www.kowabunga.com); PrimaryAds Inc., North Plainfield, N.J., a leading provider of affiliate marketing services that connects Web site publishers with online advertisers (see www.PrimaryAds.com); and Real Estate School Online Inc., Miami, Fla., a leader in online education (see www.RealEstateSchoolOnline.com). The Company has also entered into an agreement to merge with privately-held Meandaur, Inc. d/b/a Proceed Interactive, a full service marketing and communications agency with a core competency in search marketing, which has offices in Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles (see www.proceedinteractive.com); and has signed letters of intent to acquire Vintacom Media Group, Inc., Edmonton, Alberta Canada, a leading online dating company (see www.Vintacom.com); Morex Marketing, LLC, a major marketer to expectant parents (see www.babytobee.com); and Member’s Edge, LLC, a provider of value-added consumer services, (see www.membersedgellc.com)..

Statements made in this press release that express the Company’s or management’s intentions, plans, beliefs, expectations or predictions of future events, are forward-looking statements. The words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” estimate,” “anticipate,” “will” and similar expressions are intended to further identify such forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Those statements are based on many assumptions and are subject to many known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause the Company’s actual activities, results or performance to differ materially from those anticipated or projected in such forward-looking statements. For a discussion of these risks, see the Company’s report on Form 10-QSB for the quarter ended March 31, 2005 under the section headed “Management Discussion and Analysis or Plan of Operation - Risk Factors.” The Company cannot guarantee future financial results, levels of activity, performance or achievements; and investors should not place undue reliance on the Company’s forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.

Contact:
Wordsmith Communications (for Think Partnership)
Glenna Musante, 800-849-2118, ext. 126;
gmusante@marketsmart.net