Media Contact: Sharon Whiteley (646) 512-5180 Sharonw@thirdage.com

ThirdAge (www.thirdage.com) today announced the launch of ThirdSemester, a new online learning resource dedicated to the needs and interests of baby boomers -- women and men in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond. With close to 1 million members, ThirdAge is the No. 1 online community for aging mid-lifers, assisting them in enriching their lives and managing life transitions. These new online learning modules are subscription-based, with content selected solely for its relevance to ThirdAgers.

"As a community, we baby boomers are particularly interested in continuing to learn new skills and expand our horizons," said Sharon Whiteley, CEO of ThirdAge. "At this stage in our lives, we often find we have the freedom to explore new topics and areas of interest. And certainly, medical research indicates that anything we can do to enhance our mental acuity will likely help us as we get older."

Demand for Education Growing Among Mid-Lifers
Renowned learning expert Ronald J. Manheimer, Ph.D., agrees. "Fueling the demand is a new generation of retirees that is more affluent, better educated, and healthier than any previous generation in American history. Thirty or 40 years ago, only a tiny fraction of the population -- the wealthy and healthy -- could really enjoy a robust Third Age."

Manheimer continued, "We have seen demand for education growing as demand for education in the later years is seen as valuable for everything from preparation for second or third careers, personal enrichment and psychological growth, prevention or delay in the onset of cognitive decline, and aiding in adjustment to life beyond or after work. In all likelihood, the demand for educational opportunities will overwhelm current providers in terms of both numbers and range of curricular diversity."

'America's Dream Coach' Develops Exclusive Content for ThirdSemester
The centerpiece of ThirdAge's new branded online content is the course developed with Marcia Wieder, known as "America's Dream Coach." Wieder, who has appeared on "Oprah" and "The Today Show," has had her own special on PBS, and was recently featured in a major article in Woman's Day. She was a natural fit for ThirdSemester, which is the exclusive source for her empowering program called "Making Your Dreams Come True."

"This new course is all about creating the life of your dreams, getting what you want, and deciding what you don't want," said Marcia Wieder. "We all know that those of us who have passion and dreams will live longer, healthier lives." She added, "This new course delivers a tried and true process -- very simple and potent. It is self-taught, self-paced and very action-oriented. It is about helping people regain control and achieve a goal-oriented, passionate life."

Other ThirdSemester Offerings
Other online offerings geared specifically to ThirdAgers and featured on its new campus include work-related classes, such as "Fast Track Your Career" and "Master Time Management." Some will focus on a broad range of personal and financial topics including, "Financing Your Child's Education," "Planning for Retirement," "The Costs of Separation and Divorce," and "Basic Estate Planning." Other courses will cover general growth and enrichment areas -- for instance, "Getting Started With Photoshop."

Additionally, a designated selection of ThirdSemester classes will be complimented by an online lecture series, webinars, podcasts and tele-classes. In fact, in the spring of 2006, ThirdAge will debut its first integrated online/off-line event, a two-day conference co-branded with Marcia Wieder called "Create your Own Future Now." This program contains an ongoing, online component for participants who want to extend their learning on this topic, share their progress and also build upon personal relationships made during their time together.

Whiteley, age 57 and herself a ThirdAger, says there are other good reasons -- "very practical ones" -- to learn online, as well. "Let's face it: The idea of learning at our own speed, on our own time, and in the comfort of our own place is very, very appealing -- not to mention the priceless time-saving benefit of not having to travel to a facility regularly and deal with traffic jams and the pressure of yet another schedule."

In addition to fee-based classes on ThirdSemester, ThirdAge will also be offering a series of lighter fare in the way of updated, free online workshops, with topics ranging from "Advanced Web Skills" to "Caring for an Aging Parent," "Finding Travel Bargains," "Get Ready to Invest," "How to Be an Online Community Host," "Living Well With Arthritis," "Planning Vacations Online," and "Weight Loss That Works." More than a half million ThirdAge members have participated in free learning programs since they were first promoted on ThirdAge three years ago. The successful history ThirdAge has in the learning arena gave the company insight into the mindset of ThirdAgers, which helped in the development of the course curriculum.

ThirdSemester is being powered by VCampus, a respected e-learning content provider. In addition to its catalog of courseware, VCampus is also supplying the technology platform and support for ThirdSemester. "We're excited to be providing both our technology and our e-learning expertise to ThirdSemester," said Laura Friedman, vice president of co-publishing for VCampus Corporation. "We fully appreciate the size of the ThirdAge community and its members' avid interest in learning, so we're delighted to be involved."

About ThirdAge
Based in Boston, Mass., and San Francisco, Calif., ThirdAge Inc. (www.thirdage.com) is an online media, research and marketing company serving today's dynamic population of leading-edge baby boomers and the marketers who want to build a genuine relationship with them. Generally in their mid-40s to mid-60s, ThirdAgers are clearly redefining what it means to get older and changing the face of aging. ThirdAge prides itself of being the voice of positive aging and focuses on issues and interests that matter most to its audience. Approximately 108 million people are now over the age of 45, and this powerful block of mid-lifers in transition -- ThirdAgers -- comprises 40 percent of the population and has the majority of the buying power in the United States. ThirdAge, Inc., focuses exclusively on this audience and is the leading Web destination for baby boomers.