Surfers Keep It Close To Home
After testing the Internet’s global reach, more surfers are discovering the Web’s potential for supplying local news and information.
That’s the conclusion of a new survey conducted by SWR Worldwide for uswestdex.com.
Here’s what the survey found:
* More than nine in 10 Washington residents surveyed have used the Internet to access local information.
* Of these Washington residents surveyed, more than one-quarter go online for local information an average of once a day or more.
* Many surfers gravitate to local sites only after being online for three years or longer. For example, 39 percent of people online for one year or less have accessed local government sites, compared with 63 percent of people online for more than three years.
* The top reasons given for using the Internet to access local information were (in order): speed, accuracy and current information.
Conducted in April, the survey polled 2,469 online consumers in 10 states served by U S West, including 339 in Washington.
Here are some Web sites worth a look:
* Internet 101: Most kids take to the Internet like ducks to water. But older folks and those intimidated by technology have a harder time, which is the reason for Livineasy.com.
Site developers call it “an easy gateway to the Internet for mature adults who are inexperienced with computers and the Internet.”
Designed for “newbies” and the 50+ community of computer users, the site offers tips, free stuff and helpful articles in language palatable to non-techies.
http://www.livineasy.com
* Leaving the nest: By the time September rolls around, legions of freshly minted high school grads will head off to college.
The Fledgling, which bills itself as “the Internet’s essential online community and marketplace for graduating high school seniors and college students,” aims to make the student’s transition from home to school as stress free as possible.
A newsletter available online offers some basic common sense advice on everything from choosing the right school to alcohol awareness and personal safety to an essential dorm room checklist.
http://www.thefledgling.com