From: Nua Internet Surveys [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, November 06, 2000 6:45 PM
To: Recipients of surveys mailing list
Subject: Nua Internet Surveys: November 06, 2000
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NUA INTERNET SURVEYS - The Number One Resource for Statistics
Free Weekly Email For Latest Information & Trends on the Internet.
Email: [log in to unmask] Web: http://www.nua.ie/surveys/
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November 6th 2000 Published By: Nua Limited Volume 5 No. 43
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EDITORIAL:
"Perhaps British politicians should take
the example of their counterparts in the
US, who have wholeheartedly embraced the
Internet in recent months in the hope of
scoring votes in this week's elections."
Kathy Foley in 'Mouse-to-mouse canvassing'
ACCESS DEVICES
:'Everyday Internet' on the horizon
BUSINESS USE
:Asian business sites bring women to the Web
ECOMMERCE
:Broadband to revolutionize online porn
:Lean times ahead for Latin American ecommerce
FINANCIAL SERVICES
:Wired youth to drive online finance
GENERAL DEMOGRAPHICS
:Women driving Italian Internet boom
:Average US Internet user over 40
GOV/LEG
:Laos tightens control of Net use
:UK politicians' websites fail dismally
INFRASTRUCTURES
:New forum to help bridge digital divide
:US high-speed subscriptions soar
RECRUITMENT
:Dotcom layoffs continue to increase
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EDITORIAL: 'Mouse-to-mouse canvassing' by Kathy Foley
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/analysis/weekly_editorial/archives/issue1no151.htm
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"Flaccid" and "inept" were two of the kinder words employed last week
by the UK-based Institute of Economic Affairs in its analysis of
British politicians' websites. The Institute examined the websites of
97 Members of Parliament and slated most of them.
"The list of design errors, sloppy work, and criminal blandness from
the sites examined for this article is long and shameful," commented
the report's author.
As the report says, it is certainly strange that UK politicians are
not grabbing every possible opportunity to communicate with voters.
Skeptics may say that Internet sites will never sway the electorate
but the IEA says that websites prove valuable over the long term.
A politician with a website can to build up a two-way relationship
with his or her constituents and can use their site to help grassroots
activists plan and manage local electoral campaigns. Furthermore, and
perhaps most importantly, having a bad website, or no website at all,
can be very damaging to a politician.
Perhaps British politicians should take the example of their counterparts
in the US, who have wholeheartedly embraced the Internet in recent months
in the hope of scoring votes in this week's elections.
For the full story, go to:
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/analysis/weekly_editorial/archives/issue1no151.htm
l
For archives of editorials, go to:
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/analysis/weekly_editorial/archives/index.html
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ACCESS DEVICES
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=26
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Jupiter Media Metrix: 'Everyday Internet' on the horizon
With more people online, more platforms for online access, and
increased use, the Internet in Europe is fast becoming an integral
part of everyday life.
According to the latest findings from Jupiter Research, companies
will need to integrate the Web in their day-to-day business in order
to survive in the 'everyday Internet' era.
The online behavior of European consumers is changing, with many now
spending more time on sites that fulfill their daily needs.
Along with an increase in Web use, figures from Germany show a shift
from ISP portals to utility-focused sites in specialized categories.
In France, content-oriented sites are increasing in popularity, with
web users spending more time in categories such as hobbies,
community, and entertainment.
Jupiter predicts that the everyday Internet will see the demise of
Internet-only ecommerce sites. Traditional businesses that can sell
their products and services on all platforms will dominate the
ecommerce market, while most dotcoms will combine their online trade
with offline businesses.
<http://www.jup.com/company/pressrelease.jsp?doc=pr001030>
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BUSINESS USE
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=6
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LA Times: Asian business sites bring women to the Web
In a region of the world where commerce is traditionally male-
dominated, several new websites are helping Asian women to bring
their businesses online.
Online communities such as WomenAsia.com, Womenjapan.com, and
Webgrrls.com offer advice, training, case histories, and job listings
to female business owners and entrepreneurs in Asia. The market for
female-driven business information is large in the country, with
women running 35 percent of small and medium-sized businesses.
Dotcom investors have been quick to spot the gap in the market-in the
past year, over 50 new women-oriented sites have been launched in
Japan alone.
However, the gender gap in Asia's online population is large, with
only 22 percent of the continent's females accessing the Internet. Of
the 15,000 members in Indonesia's largest businesswomen's
organization, just 12 percent have email accounts. WomenAsia.com is
hoping to increase Net use among women in Asia by conducting Internet
training programs.
While female-oriented business sites are bringing more women into
Asia's digital workforce, their future looks uncertain. Analysts are
doubtful whether these sites, most of which rely heavily on
advertising, will show profits. WomenConnect.com, a global website
for businesswomen, was a recent casualty of the dotcom fallout.
<http://www.latimes.com/business/cutting/20001030/t000103694.html>
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ECOMMERCE
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=14
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The Industry Standard: Broadband to revolutionize online porn
The advent of broadband is forcing porn companies like Vivid
Entertainment to re-evaluate their business strategies.
Vivid is the leading producer and distributor of pornographic videos
in the US, with expected revenues this year of USD80 million. Video
and DVD sales account for less than half of this amount, 35 percent
comes from pay-per-view TV, and the rest is from the company's year-
old web business.
Vivid believes that broadband will have the same effect on the porn
industry as the VCR did in the late 70s.
High-bandwidth connections will allow companies such as Vivid to
deliver interactive porn, where customers can talk to and interact
with live onscreen lovers. Once interactive porn gains a foothold,
customers will no longer be content with simply watching videos and
pay-per-view TV.
Setting up the infrastructure to deliver interactive broadband
content will be costly, so Vivid plans to fund the move by bringing
their company to the public markets. If the planned IPO goes ahead,
Vivid will be one of only a handful of porn companies to have gone
public.
<http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,19696,00.html?mail>
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eMarketer: Lean times ahead for Latin American ecommerce
Due to the unequal distribution of wealth in Latin America, only the
top 15 percent of people in the region can be considered a target
market for online business, according to a new report by eMarketer.
However, these potential customers are young, educated, cosmopolitan,
and knowledgeable about the latest technologies.
The report also shows that the gender divide between Internet users
in Latin America is rapidly decreasing. Currently, male web users
account for 60 percent of the total online population in the region,
down from 76 percent in 1997. The proportion of male users has fallen
to 58 percent in Mexico and 57 percent in Argentina.
While it should be noted that the majority of the population in
Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico is female, the move towards online
gender parity may be related to the fact that more women are entering
higher education in Latin America.
Although Internet use in the region is increasing, it looks like the
good times may be over for many Latin American dotcoms. The Financial
Times reported this week that many of Latin America's new economy
ventures have started to run into difficulties.
LatinAdvisor, a b2b portal, and Brazilian dotcom Super11 have shut
down operations, while one of Latin America's largest portals,
StarMedia, has seen its share prices slide in recent weeks.
<http://www.emarketer.com/etopics/articles/20001102_latam.html?ref=dn>
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FINANCIAL SERVICES
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=4
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Forrester Research: Wired youth to drive online finance
Today's young web users will fuel the online financial industry in
the coming years, according to a recent report by Forrester Research.
Web-savvy 16-to-22 year olds have already triggered a revolution in
the music industry through the use of file-sharing programs such as
Napster. Forrester predicts that as this generation matures, its
focus will shift to financial services, including loans, insurance,
and investments.
Because they have grown up with the Internet, young web users are
more likely to engage in sophisticated online activities than
adults.
The report shows that 16-to-22 year olds are four times more likely
than adults to trade with an Internet-only investment firm, and four
times more likely to apply for financial products online. Young
online consumers would also tend to research financial services on
the Web.
Currently, one-third of young web users with bank accounts make
online account transfers, while a quarter pay bills through the
Internet.
<http://www.forrester.com/ER/Press/Release/0,1769,424,FF.html>
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GENERAL DEMOGRAPHICS
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=18
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Between: Women driving Italian Internet boom
There are now 12 million Internet users in Italy, up from 8.6 million
a year ago, and Between ICT Brokers predicts there will be 16 million
by September 2001.
The majority of new users in 2000 were women, although there are
still 2.6 Italian men online for every woman user.
Similarly, Internet penetration in the disadvantaged south of Italy
is growing twice as quickly as in the wealthy north, though
penetration remains noticeably higher in the north.
Young people are more likely to have Internet access than the rest of
the population. About half of Italians aged between 18 and 34 have
used the Internet at least once. Over 70 percent of students have
gone online, while 38 percent of workers and only 9 percent of
unemployed people have done so.
<http://www.quadrante.net/between/wow22.asp>
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Gartner Group: Average US Internet user over 40
Internet users are often portrayed as being young and tech-savvy, but
according to new research from the Gartner Group, the average US
Internet user is 41 years old.
The research shows that the average user is gender neutral, has 2.81
children, earns USD65,000 a year, and uses a PC at work.
Gartner claims that online retailers should have a good understanding
of their potential customers in order to maximize sales in the
upcoming holiday shopping spree.
In addition to demographics such as age, etailers should consider the
Internet expertise of online consumers. Web users with more than
three years' experience are twice as likely to purchase online than
users with a year's experience.
Gartner's research also shows that the main incentives for users to
buy online are convenience and the amount of time saved. Two-thirds
of web shoppers do not regard online prices as cheaper than catalog
or store prices.
Gartner advised online retailers to offer their services on three
platforms-PCs, mobile phones, and TV.
<http://gartner5.gartnerweb.com/public/static/aboutgg/pressrel/pr20001
030a.html>
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GOV/LEG
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=19
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Newsbytes Asia: Laos tightens control of Net use
The government of Laos has issued a warning to its people about what
it considers to be illegitimate use of the Internet.
The list of banned Internet activities includes incitement to protest
against the government, data and/or copyright theft, the import and
export of pornographic images, and publishing national secrets.
Promoting activities that might disturb the peace and happiness of
the Lao People's Democratic Republic are also outlawed. This includes
distribution of news stories that the government considers harmful or
misleading.
The list of banned activities, which was published in the Lao
newspaper the Vientiane Times, apply to all individuals and
organizations residing in the country.
The Lao Government also gave details of the penalties facing Internet
users who violate the new regulations.
<http://www.newsbytes.com/pubNews/00/157293.html>
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Institute of Economic Affairs: UK politicians' websites fail dismally
The websites of many UK MPs (Members of Parliament) are littered with
spelling mistakes, broken links, and basic design blunders, according
to new research by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA).
An informal survey of 97 MPs' websites found that the UK's political
representatives are not using the Web effectively to communicate with
their constituents.
The website of Patricia Hewitt, government minister for ebusiness,
contains an obvious spelling mistake on its home page, and asks
visitors to contact the minister by snail mail rather than email.
Constituents who write to the minister should not expect an immediate
reply-the website states that Miss Hewitt aims to reply to
correspondence 'within seven working days.'
Gwyneth Dunwoody's site came under fire for its poor design, broken
links, and lack of character, while John Whittingdale and Peter Luff
were lambasted for their '1994-style efforts.'
In addition to design issues, the content of MP's sites left a lot to
be desired. Many of the sites surveyed failed to convey the
personality of the MPs, often simply rehashing party press releases.
There were a few notable exceptions in the IEA survey. Paul Flynn's
site was praised for its simple design and up-to-date content, while
the website of Shadow Home Secretary Ann Widdecombe was noted for its
analysis of government law and order policy.
<http://www.iea.org.uk/wpapers/mpsites.htm>
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INFRASTRUCTURES
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=20
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CNET: New forum to help bridge digital divide
With the digital divide between Africa and the developed world
increasing, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF),
and executives from several high-tech multinationals have formed the
Africa Technology Forum to increase access to new technology in the
continent.
The new forum will serve as a platform for African business people
and companies interested in Africa to exchange ideas and information
about high-tech industries.
The establishment of the forum comes just one month after the US
passed the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, which established a
free-trade area between the US and sub-Saharan Africa, allowing
African countries duty and quota access to the US market. The new law
also encourages multinationals to invest in the continent. So far, 34
African countries are eligible for the program.
Meanwhile, the UN and private company Global Technology Organization
are expanding a pilot scheme in Mali to provide Internet training to
other countries in Africa.
In anticipation of a rise in high-tech investment, several African
countries are privatizing their telecommunications sectors. A number
of cellular phone operators have entered the Ghanaian market, while
ISPs in the country are trying to increase web connections in the
country.
Africa may need a considerable amount of help to kickstart its high-
tech industry. According to the US Internet Council, African web
users represent less than 1 percent of the world's online population.
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-3343475.html?
tag=st.ne.1002.bgif.ni>
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Federal Communications Commission: US high-speed subscriptions soar
The number of high-speed Internet connections in the US rose by 57
percent in the past year, according to the latest report from the
Federal Communications Commission.
The figures also show that uptake of broadband and cable in rural
areas is on the increase.
By June of this year, over 4.3 million households and small
businesses had a high-bandwidth connection to the Internet, up from
2.8 million at the end of 1999.
Subscribers to high-speed services were present in 70 percent of all
zip code areas in June 2000, compared to 59 percent in 1999. The
number of sparsely-populated zip code areas with high-speed
subscribers increased by 69 percent over the six-month period.
Asymetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) seems to be gaining ground
on cable in the high-speed connection stakes. The number of ADSL
connections in the US rose from 370,000 to one million, while cable
connections increased from 1.4 million to 2.2 million.
Forrester Research, in its October report 'Broadband Content Splits,'
warned US content providers that most of broadband's impact will be
directed to other devices besides the PC.
To reap the full rewards of the broadband revolution, content
providers will need to deliver media-rich content to all types of
broadband-enabled devices, such as interactive set-top boxes, gaming
consoles, and Internet-ready stereo systems.
<http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Common_Carrier/News_Releases/2000/nrcc0054
.html>
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RECRUITMENT
http://www.nua.ie/surveys/index.cgi?f=FS&cat_id=8
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Challenger, Gray & Christmas: Dotcom layoffs continue to increase
Job losses in the US Internet sector reached record levels in
October, when almost 5,700 workers were made redundant.
According to a new report from recruitment firm Challenger, Gray &
Christmas, the number of dotcom layoffs has increased every month for
the past five months.
US Internet companies have laid off over 22,000 employees since last
December, as young Internet companies struggle under pressure to show
profitability. The dramatic drop in the value of technology stocks
has also affected the level of redundancies.
Most layoffs have occurred in companies focusing on consulting,
financial, and information services, while the retail sector saw the
second highest number of job losses.
The report predicts that the holiday season will provoke a shakeout
in the B2C sector, leaving many dotcoms, and their employees, by the
wayside.
<http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-3271699.html?
tag=st.ne.1007.saslnk.saseml>
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