Dilbert 2.0: Beyond the Strip

Dilbert, the popular working people's comic strip, will soon be written with the people for the people. Forward thinking cartoonist and creator, Scott Adams, is launching a new way to interact with, empower and entertain the Dilbert audience: Cartoon Mashups. Dilbert readers who have laughed and pinned-up the cartoon in their office spaces are now able to create their own punch-line to the strips. Soon they'll even be able to re-write entire Dilbert strips by themselves - or as a group effort with their friends. This co-authorship is the latest expansion of Adams' interaction and collaboration with an audience who already have access to his personal email, read his daily blog and subscribe to his newsletter, Dogbert's New Ruling Class (DNRC).

Mashups are just part of the Dilbert 2.0 evolution, which also includes other interactive offerings such as widgets, strip rankings, comments, sharable favorite lists, RSS feeds and more. These 2.0 initiatives (and others launching soon) are natural extensions for Dilbert into the collaborative realms of social media and social networking, giving users the capability to provide their personal commentary via the Dilbert strip and instantly send it to friends, share favorites, personalize social networking pages (i.e. Facebook, MySpace) with the Dilbert widget, and more.

Another significant component of Dilbert 2.0 will be the offering of animated Dilbert strips every weekday. Launching initially on Dilbert.com, the animation will soon be available on iTunes Podcast, YouTube, Comcast and more. These animated shorts bring the comic strip to life and give fans another way to enjoy Dilbert on the internet.

New interactive features that Dilbert fans can enjoy now or anticipate in the next several months include:

-- Mashups - Three different versions:

Punch line: fans can rewrite the final frame of a daily strip. Adams creates the setup, the audience provides the punch lines.

My Dilbert (coming in May): fans will be able to rewrite the entire strip.

Group Mash (coming in May): fans will be able to rewrite one panel, with the ability to share with other users and have them write the rest. Scott Adams will participate by authoring random frames with his audience and looking to see whether strips can be developed successfully by groups.

-- Animated Strips - Short-form animated versions of existing strips released every weekday via Dilbert.com and widgets with a future rollout to iTunes Podcast, YouTube, Comcast, and more. The animation is produced and distributed by RingTales - producers of The New Yorker Animated Cartoons.

-- Completely New Website - Free access to the entire Dilbert strip library since 2001. (Coming this summer- access to the entire library since inception.) All strips are in color, and fans have the ability to search, rank, comment upon, print, save and email strips, as well as create and share multiple favorites lists. RSS feeds are also available.

-- Widgets - Multiple versions enabling Dilbert to reach personal pages (iGoogle, Netvibes), Social Networks (Facebook, MySpace), Desktops (Vista, Yahoo!), and Blogs (Blogger, TypePad) including strip and punch-line varieties, most popular (strips, animation, mashups), animation, and more.

"Millions of people will be writing Dilbert comics and instantly sharing them. It just got a lot more dangerous to be a boss," Adams commented.

United Media, the licensing and syndication company behind the successful comic strip, developed the technology and partnerships enabling Dilbert to be the first globally recognized comic strip to offer Mashups, daily animation and interactive widgets, making Scott Adams the leading interactive cartoonist both off and online.

"Scott Adams has always encouraged interaction with his audience, initiating quick and daily exchange via his personal email address and most recently through his blog," said Rob Fassino, VP/General Manager Interactive at United Media. "Dilbert Mashups and widgets are the logical next steps in powering Scott's interactive vision and the overall enjoyment of Dilbert."

To learn more about Dilbert Mashups and to view and participate in all the new Dilbert website offerings, visit www.dilbert.com.

ABOUT DILBERT

Dilbert, the United Feature Syndicate comic strip, is the most photocopied, pinned-up, downloaded, faxed and e-mailed comic strip in the world. Many readers, particularly those employed at large corporations, are convinced that Adams works at their companies since he conveys corporate inanities so perfectly in his comic strip.

ABOUT UNITED MEDIA

Dilbert is licensed and syndicated by United Media. United Media (UM) is a worldwide licensing and syndication company that focuses on building brand equity around a wide range of creative content. United Media is an E.W. Scripps Company (NYSE: SSP).

SOURCE: United Media

United Media
Ilona Zaks, 212-293-8788
izaks@unitedmedia.com
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Peter Evers, 415-383-8181
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