As a professional businessman who has used the Internet the past 10 years, Fiol has turned the obtrusive and all too common “Page Not Found” error into opportunity with Error Buddy 2.0, a small, transparent browser plug-in that redirects users when they encounter unavailable web pages.

“I spend 12 to 16 hours a day surfing the Internet and by far the page I encounter the most is the Page Not Found error,” said Fiol. “It was so boring to come across over and over again. I just wanted to make it fresh and fun.”

Fiol certainly wasn’t the only one annoyed by the frustrating and bland error pages. According to estimates, more than 25 million Internet users encounter this page on a daily basis, and as many as 85 percent of all registered Web addresses are inactive. His solution? Turn that wayward Web browsing into “errortainment.”

Error Buddy’s cutting-edge technology turns the empty error page into a display filled with high quality content, including fun facts, quotes, trivia and jokes. But most importantly, Error Buddy is a revolutionary way of raising funds and awareness for worthy and established charities.

“With this device, you can have fun while helping people and it doesn’t cost a dime,” said Fiol. “That’s ‘errortainment.’ We think that’s a worthwhile, valuable proposition.”

The genesis for Error Buddy and ErrorBuddy.com began in 2002, but after years of investing, testing and determination, it was one of the nation’s worst natural disasters that put Fiol and his invention on a different course.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Fiol, along with dozens of other good Samaritans, was duped by a South Florida man who was eventually arrested for Internet-based fraud involving the disaster. The 50-year-old man, Gary S. Kraser, was charged with four counts of wire fraud, claiming to be a pilot flying relief missions into New Orleans after Katrina. Kraser, according to the FBI and the Department of Justice, sought donations through a website to pay for fuel. Authorities believe Kraser took in nearly $40,000 in donations.

“I donated money to help the victims and the guy turned out to be a fraud,” said Fiol, who is also the creator of HappyBirthday.com. “It was bitter. You try to help and instead you get ripped off. But instead of making me angry, it made me realize that with Error Buddy, I could turn all those errors into something good. Essentially, you can donate without having to give any money – so you can’t get ripped off like I did.”

The odd turn of events experienced by Fiol can result in big benefits for charities like The International Rescue Committee, Doctors Without Borders and Restore International. Error Buddy, which self-installs and won’t bog down personal computers with adware, spyware or spam, will donate half of the revenue produced by the site.

“It’s like recycling,” said Fiol. “We’re taking something that’s normally wasted and turning it into something positive.”

The worthy cause far exceeds what other companies have tried – and failed at – when taking on Web errors.

“The other error plug-ins had no value whatsoever,” said Fiol. “They were completely self-serving. They had to stuff it into people’s browsers without their knowledge. Nobody ever willingly downloaded them. That model will get you nowhere.”

But computer users will be more than willing to download Error Buddy, which is free and does not require registration. And best of all, the missteps you make while surfing the Internet can result in rewarding contributions to worthwhile charities. 

For further information contact Mike at 952.285.4384 or webmaster(-at-)errorbuddy.com

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