E-Shoppers Express Fears
Consumers are eager for new ways to shop online, but cybermerchants haven’t made much headway in dispelling widespread privacy and security concerns.
Those are among the findings of a new survey of Internet shoppers by eMail Catalogs Inc. The survey was conducted both online and offline.
Key findings include:
* Sixty-four percent of respondents either strongly agreed or agreed that they “would like to see more ways to shop using their computer and the Internet than is available today.”
* Nearly half - 48 percent - “worry about the security of their credit card information on the Internet.”
* Sixty-seven percent were willing to receive product catalogs via e-mail so they could shop offline and be in more control of their experience.
Take a break from surfing for deals on the Net and check out these new, informative or entertaining Web sites.
* Dino-mite: Dinosaurs are hot this summer. A Disney movie featuring the prehistoric beasts is showing in theaters nationwide, and an exhibit of “Sue’s” skeletal remains is drawing crowds to a Chicago museum.
Not to be outdone, Family.com is touting an online dinosaur trivia sweepstakes that tests your knowledge of dinosaur facts. You don’t need to be a paleontologist to participate.
Prizes range from an iMac computer to dinosaur action figures.
http://www.family.com
* Junior role models: Young punks tend to attract more attention than bright kids who have made a mark at an early age.
This Web site aims to emphasize the positive by featuring extraordinary kids who are inventors, volunteers, sports stars and musicians.
Examples include a pair of 12-year-olds, one from Santa Cruz, Calif., the other from near Toronto, Ontario. The California youth invented a currency “decrinkler” to reduce the percentage of bills rejected by bill-changing machines at video arcades. The Canadian boy helped start a nonprofit group - Free the Children - that encourages world leaders to pass laws to protect kids from exploitative employers.
http://www.greatkids.com