Falling Computer Prices Draw People Onto Web
More than half of U.S. residents can now surf the World Wide Web from home, underscoring the increasingly important role that the Internet plays in the daily lives of Americans.
Fifty-two percent of the population had home Internet access in July, according to Nielsen NetRankings, which collects data from 65,000 Internet users via random telephone surveys.
The number of people with home access rose 35 percent during the past year, reaching 144 million in July, according to the study. Still, only 88.2 million Americans with access — about 61 percent — actually surfed the Web.
NetRankings officials attribute the surge in home Internet access to falling computer prices and improved rates for high-speed Internet access.
Other findings:
* Americans are spending more time online. The average user spent 9 hours 41 minutes online in July 2000, a 26 percent increase from July 1999, when users spent an average of 7 hours 39 minutes online.
* Internet surfers are spending more time looking at fewer Web sites. While average page views per month doubled during the past year, from 353 to 709, the average number of sites that users visited declined from 12 to 10 in the same period.
If you’re among the majority with home Internet access, here are a few new, entertaining or helpful Web sites to explore:
* Mirror, mirror … Perhaps you’re considering a nip here or a tuck there to achieve the look you want but Mother Nature didn’t provide.
A Web site enables those weighing changes in their appearance to “test drive” a new nose, for example, before going under the surgeon’s knife.
Just download the software found at thatlook.com, upload your photo and go from there. The site also offers details on various cosmetic procedures and a physician locator.
http://www.thatlook.com
* Dialing for dollars: Internet telephony — making phone calls over the Net — is being touted as an inexpensive way to stay in touch.
One firm, Probe Research Inc., predicts that total traffic for Internet telephony will reach 250 billion conversation minutes by 2005.
Freetelephone.com can point you in the direction of vendors offering free PC-to-telephone calling, free PC- to-PC with video, free phone cards, even free worldwide calling without using an Internet connection.
http://www.freetelephone.com