The IGN Data Hub - Dec 27, 2000

• Yes, a combination of site blocking and prosecutions will be effective: 13 percent.
• No, the sites will change addresses when blocked and operators will stay out of the United States: 87 percent.

Bricks-and-Mortar Firms Make Impact on Web in 2000
Although numbers for the holiday season won't be known for another couple of weeks for the retail industry, some traditional retailers whose names alone helped bring their sites validity came out winners this holiday season. Some of the fastest growing retail Internet sites were those which had ties to tradition brick-and-mortar companies. Media Metrix underscored the trend in its most recent Online Shopping Index, which revealed that for the week ending Dec. 10, eight of the 10 fastest-growing sites in terms of site traffic were offline brands, including Barnes&Noble.com, BlueLight.com, Walmart.com and Nordstroms.com. An online shopping survey from Andersen Consulting also indicated that the offline retailers got their online acts together this holiday season. Andersen conducted 560 transactions at 97 different sites from Nov. 27 to Dec. 4. Problems arose that prevented the placing of orders only 8 percent of the time, compared to 25 percent of the time last year.

Do Mobile Phones Cause Harmful Biological Effects?
Now that mobile telephones have practically become a new appendage on their users' bodies, some scientists are worried that using mobile telephones could actually be classified as a health risk. The U.K. government and the U.K. telecommunications department have initiated a £7 million study to look into potential "subtle biological effects" caused by radiation emitted from mobile telephones, following recommendations by Sir William Stewart, who released a study into mobile telephone risks earlier this year. Stewart's study also advised that children's mobile telephone usage be limited. In the meantime, reported Financial Times, government officials began handing out leaflets to the public that read: "The widespread use of mobile phones by children should be discouraged for non-essential calls. If parents want to avoid their children being subject to any possible risk that might be identified in the future, the way to do so is to exercise their choice not to let their children use mobile phones."

Mergers Affect Top Sites Rankings
Several high-profile mergers among Web companies have created shifts in the appearance of the top 50 U.S. Properties on the Web, reports NetValue. CNet, InfoSpace and Uproar completed acquisitions in October that vaulted their standings in the rankings. Uproar, for example, added online lottery site Iwin.com to its network, shooting it up from 41st place in September to the 12th spot on the most recent top 50 list. Uproar's number of unique visitors climbed from 6.4 million in September to 14.5 million on the latest report. InfoSpace acquired Go2Net, which made the company the the 13th most visited e-property in the U.S. NetValue reported 14.2 million unique visitors on InfoSpace. Grab.com, the $1 billion lottery site came out of nowhere to land the 40th spot on NetValue's Top Properties list and the 42nd spot on the Top Domains list.

Search Engines Refer Little Web Traffic
A study of global Internet user trends by WebSideStory shows that search engine sites refer only a small percentage of traffic to websites worldwide. In mid-December, search engines accounted for only 6.86 percent of all global referrals, compared to direct navigation and bookmarks, which accounted for 47.01 of referrals. Internet links accounted for 46.13 percent. "This data shows two things," explained a company spokesperson. ". . . that most people already know where they want to go on the Web, and that Internet links, such as banner advertising and affiliates, still remain a very viable way to attract customers. This information may cause businesses to rethink the ways in which they acquire new visitors."