Singapore, 7 June 2007 - STOMP is One, The One, and Number One, and we want to shout it out loud!

STOMP is One as the popular interactive portal celebrates its first birthday on 15 June and has been a year of phenomenal growth since it burst onto the media scene. Over 70 million page views have been recorded and it looks set to grow as STOMP continues to occupy an important space in the hearts and minds of those living in Singapore.

STOMP is The One that all turn to for citizen journalism in Singapore. User-generated material is embraced readily by STOMP and this has led to trail-blazer status for its parent newspaper The Straits Times, which features reports by citizen journalists. The community knows that their reports are closely followed by the authorities and that they have the power to effect change.

The Editor of The Straits Times, Han Fook Kwang, is upbeat that the 162-year-old English language flagship newspaper of the Singapore Press Holdings will continue to strengthen its relationship with readers and reach out to non-readers.

He said: "When we received over 800 photos and video clips from the public of the giant waterspout off the East Coast, it showed how much STOMP had become a part of the community. I think for most people when they see something they want to share with other Singaporeans, STOMP is their No 1 choice. That’s been the most satisfying achievement this past one year."

STOMP is Number One in social networking in Singapore, enabling thousands to come together to interact and bond.

The past year has seen interaction amongst the young in Singapore grow from chats with each other on the many discussion forums in Talkback, to meeting for offline activities like movie screenings and Ghost Tours, to participating in STOMP productions such as the Makeover Magic and Blind Date reality programmes.

There will now be another dimension to the social networking scene here with the launch of Club STOMP on 16 June 2007. Targeted at those 18 to 35, members will find out about the hottest happenings in town on the website. They will also be able to make new friends online by posting their profiles and photos and chat with each other.

The Community is ever-changing, and STOMP will continue to lead in the need to interact, says STOMP’s Supervising Editor, Felix Soh.

"I would like to thank all the contributors to STOMP who are responsible for the rich content we have in the website. They have bonded with one another and with us to create the STOMP community. They have unhesitatingly adopted the identity of "STOMPers" without any prompting or initiative from us. And that’s most heartening. The community grew out of its own volition and that’s the most enduring way for a community to take root.

"Our next step is to take STOMP to a new level of interactivity with our audience by expanding our user-generated content further so that the citizen journalism revolution we have started will have lots more room to blossom. We will also be taking interactivity and community-building to a new level by increasing our off-line activities so that, eventually, online and offline will be one seamless entity. We aim to be the ultimate social networking website."

How it all began for STOMP

STOMP (Straits Times Online Mobile Print) began operations 15 June 2006. Its aim was to enable The Straits Times to interact with its readers using the latest web technologies available. STOMP made an immediate impact and soon established itself as a site to discuss issues that mattered to those living in Singapore. Its citizen journalism feature, first called Snapshots and now called Singapore Seen, resonated with the community as they felt empowered and heard.

Video plays a big role in STOMP. While user-generated videos are highlighted in Singapore Seen and DIY Video, STOMP is also very proud of the videos produced in-house. Found mainly in STOMPcast, they reflect the high production values found in many cutting-edge productions.

STOMP also played on the average Singaporean’s love for contests and has hosted a wide range. The ’Hot Teacher’ Award and the very popular ’MMSing’ contest which sees participants use the cameraphone to record and submit their songs, are two anchor contests which STOMP intends to run yearly.

The Community is everything

Members of the STOMP community call themselves ’STOMPers’, a name a group of them came up with on their own. The community is the backbone of all the features on the website. Singapore Seen and Talkback are platforms for the community to express itself. DIY Video taps into the community’s desire to ’shoot and share’. Love-In blossoms as the community strives to connect online and offline.

STOMP’s week of celebrations

STOMP celebrates with a range of activities for the community. Your reporters and photographers are invited to cover the events.

Monday, 11 June
STOMP exhibition at National Library Orchard
Time: 3pm - 5pm
Venue: library@orchard

The best of STOMP in the past year is on show in an exhibition open to all. Check out the best photos, most memorable contests and events organised by STOMP. A major highlight is the inaugural STOMP Awards which recognises the most impactful and quirkiest contributions from the community.

Tuesday, 12 June
STOMPers-only Movie Nite
Time: 6.30pm (Movie starts at 7pm)
Venue: Golden Village at VivoCity

The Golden Village cinema hall at VicoCity is booked exclusively for a STOMPers-only screening of Oceans 13. Join 50 pairs of STOMPers who’ll be treated to drinks, popcorn and a goodie bag.

Wednesday, 13 June
STOMP Pak Tor
Time: 7pm - 9.30pm
Venue: Bellini Room, St James Powerstation

Explore a whole new world at STOMP’s party for singles. STOMP plays Stupid Cupid for 50 pairs of "single and available". Come dressed in ’anything with a touch of red’ and join STOMPers at the intimate and romantic Bellini Room of St James’ Powerstation.

Thursday,14 June
Spot the STOMP car
Time: 5pm
Venue: Mini Cooper showroom, Leng Kee Road

STOMP unveils the MINI Cooper S as its official car. The car can be spotted at some of Singapore’s coolest and trendiest nightspots. STOMPers who spot the car can send a picture of it to STOMP and stand to win prizes in an MMS Spot-The-Car contest. Ten prizes will be given away over two weeks. STOMP will let readers know the location the car will be the day before.

Friday, 15 June
STOMP Makan Special
Time: 7pm to 10pm
Venue: Princess Cafe Terrace, Copthorne King’s Hotel

Peranakan Buffet Feast for 100 STOMPers and family. The chefs will also show you how to make the perfect laksa and create the best popiah. There’s also an ice-kachang making competition. Dinner is for a family of 4 (2 adults and 2 children).

Saturday, 16 June
STOMP OUT LOUD
Time: 7pm to 10.30pm
Venue: St James Powerhouse

A party for up to 300 STOMPers at the hip and happening St James Powerhouse rounds off the birthday week, with the theme "STOMP Out Loud". Jive to the music of Singapore Idol heartthrob Sly, Samba Masala, So Kool Band and Juz-Ba. Emcees Najib Ali and Annabelle Francis spin the music. Witness the launch of Club STOMP, a membership loyalty programme for our frequent visitors and supporters that comes with a wide range of consumer privileges and benefits. The party starts at 7pm.

Issued by Singapore Press Holdings Limited
Co. Regn. No: 198402868E

For more information, please contact:

Jennifer Lewis
Editor
STOMP
Tel: 6319 2769
Email: jlewis@sph.com.sg

Eric Ching
Manager
Corporate Communications
Tel: 6319 1280 / 9760 1150
Email: chingsm@sph.com.sg


About Singapore Press Holdings Ltd

Newspapers and Magazines
Main board-listed Singapore Press Holdings Ltd (SPH) is the leading media company in Singapore, delivering news and information through print, Internet and broadcasting platforms. In Singapore, it publishes 14 newspapers in four languages. Every day, 2.7 million individuals or 83 percent of people above 15 years old, read one of SPH’s news publications. SPH also publishes over 90 magazine titles in Singapore and the region, covering a broad range of interests from lifestyle to information technology.

Internet and Mobile
Beyond print, the Internet editions of SPH newspapers enjoy over 100 million pageviews with 6 million unique visitors every month. SPH’s online and new media initiatives include a revolutionary mobile advertising and information service, ZapCode; recruitment and job search service, ST701; and STOMP (Straits Times Online Mobile Print), a portal that connects, engages and interacts with readers on the Web and via mobile phone messaging.

Broadcasting
SPH has a 20 percent stake in MediaCorp TV Holdings Pte Ltd, which operates free-to-air channels 5, 8, U and TV Mobile, and a 40 percent stake in MediaCorp Press Pte Ltd, which publishes the free newspaper, Today. In the radio business, SPH has a 80 percent stake in SPH UnionWorks Pte Ltd, which operates entertainment stations Radio 100.3 in Mandarin and Radio 91.3 in English.

Outdoor Advertising
In addition, SPH has ventured into outdoor advertising through its wholly-owned subsidiary, SPH MediaBoxOffice Pte Ltd, Singapore´s largest outdoor motion display advertising network media company, and a 35 percent stake in TOM Outdoor Media Group, a leading outdoor advertising company in China.

Properties
SPH owns and manages Paragon, the prime retail and office complex in the heart of Orchard Road, Singapore’s main shopping belt. SPH’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Times Development Pte Ltd, is also developing a 43-storey upmarket residential condominium, Sky@eleven, at Thomson Road.