Women Are Taking Over The Internet
Once viewed as a largely masculine domain, the World Wide Web now attracts more American women than men.
New research by Media Metrix, which monitors Internet trends, showed that 50.4 percent of U.S. Internet users in May were women. That’s a 35 percent increase from May 1999. As recently as 1996, men held a 62 percent to 38 percent edge.
Here are other key findings from the study, which was based on information gathered from more than 55,000 home and business users:
* Teenage girls represent the fastest-growing age group. There were more than 4.4 million girls ages 12-17 online in May, a 126 percent increase from about 2 million a year earlier.
* The number of women ages 18-24 online decreased 4.5 percent, possibly indicating more interest in college and early career development, researchers said.
* The number of female Internet users ages 55 and over grew by 110 percent, though they represent only 4.4 percent of the overall online population.
Here are a few new, entertaining or informational Web sites that might appeal to either gender:
* Have pet, will travel: Travelers who hit the road with their pets face special challenges, not the least of which is the unwillingness of many lodging chains to accommodate Fido.
TravelDog.com aims to take some of the bite out of the experience. The site covers topics ranging from where to stay and how to get there to transportation services and doggie day care.
You can click on a specific destination, which will generate an instant listing of dog-friendly accommodations by state and Canadian province. Details on parks and beaches that welcome dogs are also available, as well as special events designed with pets in mind.
http://www.traveldog.com
* Sour notes: If popular music seems to you to be a vast cultural wasteland, maybe it’s just because you’ve never developed an understanding of the individual styles.
Here’s your chance.
Epitonic.com, which bills itself as “the epicenter of downloadable music for the aurally fixated,” is offering an online collection of audio genre walkthroughs.
Users can listen as Epitonic’s editors discuss the history and evolution of 13 musical genres, while listening to tracks by artists that define the category.
The 13 genres are punk, indie rock, math rock, folk/acoustic, house, techno, breakbeat, drum and bass, abstract, downtempo, hip hop, experimental, and 20th century composers.
http://www.epitonic.com