Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : America On-Line: will it survive ...? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: ChinuSFO who wrote (12368)	12/6/1998 10:25:00 AM
From: Diana	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13594

To Thread: A friend just emailed me this article. pbs.org

To: ChinuSFO who wrote (12368)	12/6/1998 2:02:00 PM
From: Sonki	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 13594

Internet is necessity for nearly half of users-study lets just focous on progress of aol, i think sunw, aol, msft will all make great earnings and continue to grow. it does not have to be one or the other....aol and sunw has made great progess taken the streeet by surprise and i belive w. small pauses here and there it will continue... By Nicole Volpe NEW YORK, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Nearly half of online users say the Internet has become something of a necessity in their lives and, if stranded on an island, two-thirds would rather have an Internet connection than a phone or television, according to a study released by America Online Inc. on Thursday. About half, or 51 percent, prefer using e-mail to communicate with business associates than using the telephone (35 percent) or regular mail (5 percent), the survey said. It was conducted by Roper Starch, which polled a random sample of 1,001 online and Internet users, both customers of AOL and other services. "It is stunning the amount of people who prefer e-mail," AOL President Bob Pittman. "What AOL is looking for is, we are trying to make this medium as central to people's lives as the telephone or television," Pittman said. "This says this is happening faster than we expected it." Forty-four percent said the interactive medium is just about a necessity to them, and 77 percent believe it has made their lives better. In addition, 71 percent of online consumers say they regularly or occasionally turn to the Internet for information about products to buy, both online and in brick-and-mortar stores. In a measure of how much people like to stay connected, half of those with laptops take them along on vacation to go online, and 26 percent of users check their e-mail on vacation. Almost three-quarters of the online population characterize themselves as "novices" or at an "intermediate" level of expertise in navigating the Web, the study said. In another indication of how the online audience is coming to reflect the population as a whole, the study found women account for 57 percent of new home online subscribers in the past year, boosting the women's share of the medium to 47 percent overall. Three years ago women made up 38 percent. The research, conducted in July and August, was the first in an annual series planned to track such trends and habits as users become more sophisticated, the company said. The study, taken from a random sampling of online households, had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent. ((--Nicole Volpe, New York Newsdesk (212) 859-1897))