YouthNoise to Launch MyCause, a Direct Means for Young People to Activate Their Passions for Social Change Online

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- YouthNoise (http://www.youthnoise.com/), the Internet's first social network for social change, and Alloy Media + Marketing, a widely recognized pioneer in nontraditional marketing with focus on the youth market, today announced the launch of MyCause, an online means for young people to activate their passions for social change. MyCause will be introduced and integrated into Sconex (http://www.sconex.com/), Alloy Media + Marketing's fast growing social networking property connecting high school students nationwide. The partnership marks the first initiative to provide the tools and access for teens to pursue interests across social and political issues in the online community forum.

MyCause will give Sconex users the ability to access YouthNoise's content by way of six easily navigated groups -- Animal Rights, Government, Poverty, Violence, War, Peace & Terrorism, and Life. Each cause on this network includes forums for teens to voice their opinions, create blogs and allow users to upload photos and text to post along with their entries. With the ability to expand into these social issues, Sconex users will be able to easily search and navigate the YouthNoise network for other users with similar interests and cause-related initiatives.

"Most young people want to take an active role in making their world a better place but have do not have an outlet to make a difference," said YouthNoise CEO Ginger Thomson. "YouthNoise provides an important forum for young people to convert their idealism into action, and now with the addition of MyCause to the YouthNoise and Sconex network, we will be able to further encourage young people that are part of the Sconex community to share events, culture and ideas with each other directly."

The addition of MyCause to the Sconex community allows for YouthNoise's first-of-its-kind tools and resources to be available to young people who want to get more involved and take immediate action on causes and issues that matter most to them. Leveraging data found in a recent Teen Mark study conducted by MRI, that 53% of teens currently volunteer, MyCause will also allow teens to connect with others fighting for the same causes and provide a platform for them to speak out and discuss those issues.

"We look to our community to decide what they'd like to do and how they would like to engage online," says Josh Schanker, founder and CEO of Sconex. "We also endeavor to provide our users with the best resources and tools to get involved with issues that are important to them."

The 2006 Alloy College Explorer study, powered by Harris Interactive, provides strong data on young adults and social responsibility. The report reveals that young adults are tuned into social responsibility and are dedicating their time to important causes. Close to 45% of students report volunteering and one in four are taking action by purchasing products they feel are socially conscious.

Currently, YouthNoise creates an authentic experience for over 113,000 16- 22 year olds from across the globe by featuring 100% youth-generated content. Moreover, YouthNoise has effectively created a non-partisan media outlet for youth to discuss social issues and receive news, opinions and events through a familiar channel and voice that is devoid of gatekeepers and agendas.

YouthNoise averages approximately two million page views per month. A recent study demonstrated that participation in YouthNoise yields a 25% increase in volunteering and a 90% increase in the global awareness of users from "modestly aware" to "highly aware." MyCause will further create an environment for youths across the country and globe to make a difference together.

ABOUT YOUTHNOISE:

YouthNoise is the first youth-based social network for social change. YouthNoise is a nonpartisan, nonsectarian, nonprofit organization that brings young people ages 16-22 together to form a global network for sharing and converting their ideas into action to improve the world around them. Featuring 100% youth-generated content, http://www.youthnoise.com/ has registered more than 113,000 youth from all fifty states and more than 170 countries, and welcomes an average of 200,000 unique visitors per month. Originally founded in 2001 by Save the Children, YouthNoise later spun off in 2004 and is now based in San Francisco, CA.

ABOUT ALLOY MEDIA + MARKETING:

Alloy Media + Marketing is one of the country's largest providers of non- traditional targeted media and promotional marketing programs reaching over 85% of the Millennial audience (ages 5-29) daily. With large-scale networks, unique and exclusive media and promotional partnerships, and offices located in major markets across the country, Alloy Media + Marketing services over 1500 companies including half of the Fortune 200. Alloy Media + Marketing ranks fifth on the Advertising Age list of Top 100 Marketing Services Agencies and ranks among the World's Top 25 Ad Organizations. Alloy Media + Marketing is part of Alloy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALOY) . For further information regarding Alloy Media + Marketing, please visit our web site at http://www.alloymarketing.com/.

ABOUT SCONEX:

Sconex is a vibrant social networking site focused on providing a platform for teens to interact with peers via their high school profiles.

  Press Contacts:
  David Barkoe                   Jodi Smith
  RLM PR for YouthNoise          Alloy Media + Marketing
  212/741-5106 x.235             212-329-8359
  david@rlmpr.com                jsmith@alloymarketing.com