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Coolmaps.com, Inc. Changes Name to Edhat, Inc.
updated: Dec 16, 2010, 9:14 AM

By the dedicated staff

Santa Barbara-based company coolmaps.com, Inc. announced today that it has formally changed its name to Edhat, Inc. The name change reflects the company's total dedication to the Online Community market. Coolmaps launched Edhat Online Magazine in November, 2003. At that time, Coolmaps also provided online mapping solutions to regional banks, and received residual income from providing components and services to users of NetObjects Fusion, a web design tool.

Over the last seven years, the Edhat website has become Coolmaps.com's exclusive offering, and the dominant source of its revenue. Edhat is the top local website in Santa Barbara, and one of the most successful local websites in the world. Its citizen engagement model enables everyday people to decide for themselves what news and items of interest are important in their communities.

This year Edhat launched new websites that serve Ventura and San Luis Obispo communities. Additional websites are planned for 2011.

"It's sad to let go of the coolmaps.com name after all these years," said Peter Sklar, president of Edhat Inc., "but Edhat is the name of the game today, and we need our corporate identification to reflect that."

Coolmaps, founded in 1996 in Santa Barbara, California, was one of the first (and one of the last) companies to be named with the "dot com" moniker, a badge of distinction for an era of boom and bust that changed the way people communicate and do business.

"When we started in 1996, the only other Dot-Com I knew about anywhere was the local company Software.com. It seemed like a pretty cool idea to use it," Sklar said, "But back then it caused problems. I remember having trouble getting checks because the Dot-Com in our name confused the printer."

Aside from developing and hosting an innovative map locator service, Coolmaps.com also lent its name to the Coolmaps Components Club, an online community for web developers. The Club, founded in 1999, had nothing to do with maps. Its mission, to connect people who shared a similar interest, was a precursor to Edhat.

"The Club had a weekly newsletter, contests, fun tutorials, commentary, with lots of member participation. It was one of the earliest and most successful online communities that engaged its readers and got them to participate."

"Back then, the mapping name confused many people who were buying our components. They would ask us, why is it named Coolmaps?" Sklar added with a smirk, "Now that we've officially changed our name to Edhat, people will be able to fully understand what we are doing."

About Edhat, Inc. - Edhat is a Santa Barbara-based company that provides an online platform for local communities to engage local citizens with relevant news and items of interest through participation, discussion, and sharing.

MTNDRIVER	2010-12-17 10:28 AM
Hey, congrats, Edhat!

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