Top Sites Are Sweepstakes Sites
Sites giving away prizes to players just for entering their virtual doors are hot -- so hot that they're now
receiving visits from nearly two of every five Web surfers, PC Data reports. The top 100 most visited sites,
adds ZD Net, include Grab.com, which is giving away $1 billion and Freelotto.com, one of the many free
lottery sites taking over the Internet, and 15 similar sites. The popularity of these sites, maintain PC Data
analysts, make them a great example for other businesses who should be studying the free gaming sites'
business models for inspiration. Grab.com, for example, launched October 1 and garnered 120 hits per
second its first 15 days online. Freelotto, however, outpaced all of the gaming sites with 12.2 million unique visitors in September, followed by Luckysurf, with nearly 10 million unique visitors, and Webstakes, which boasted 8.78 million unique visitors.
Shady Stuff Lurks Behind Internet Executives
There's a study about everything, it seems, including the stuff many people would prefer not to be brought up anymore. A new study out by Kroll Associates, a global business investigations and intelligence firm, is
casting light on the often shady pasts many Internet executives are lugging. It seems that these executives are four times more likely to have some questionable experiences dogging them, such as criminal convictions or ties to organized crime. The investigative firm conducted 70 background checks on top executives, directors and consultants for Internet companies and found 27 of the people investigated had a spotty past. These executives were hiding allegations or convictions for a range of activities, including SEC violations, insurance fraud, embezzlement, bankruptcy and more. One of the most prominent cases, according to a CNET article about the Kroll study, involved Patrick J. McNaughton, a former Infoseek executive. Last year McNaughton was arrested after reportedly attempting to purchase child pornography over the Internet from an FBI agent. The CNET article lays some blame on the relatively young age many Internet executives acquired wealth. After all, many feel that with age comes wisdom. Nonetheless, nearly half of the executives Kroll investigated were older and supposedly more mature. "There is a huge difference between an entrepreneur and someone who climbs the corporate hierarchy at Bank of America or General Motors," pointed out Robert Hogan, a professor of psychology with the University of Tulsa. "In a corporation, it has to do with conscientiousness and rule following. And the name of the game in entrepreneurship is to break the rules."
Online Abuses Go Beyond Porn
While many studies cite the predilection many employees have of abusing their Internet connections at work for checking out online porn, a joint study by Websense Inc. and the Center for Internet Studies go further. They say that employees are shopping, investing and watching sports online in rising numbers. At the same time, the survey also shows that the lines between work and home on the Internet are less clearly defined, and that companies will need to allow for some personal surfing time on the Web. "Companies need to be aware that employee Web abuse goes beyond the obvious, such as online porn, gambling and hate sites," said spokesperson for Websense. "But, at the same time, companies don't need to take hard-line stances. Many of our customers have adopted a flexible filtering solution, allowing for some personal surfing during work hours." Key finding from the survey show:
- 3.24 hours a week is the average time spent by employees on non-work related sites.
- 30.3 percent of workers watch sports online at work.
- 68.4 percent of those surveyed feel that employees should be allowed to access non-work-related sites at break times, and before or after working hours.
- 56.6 percent favor filtering software that allocates time for personal online usage during work hours.
Report Shows Two-Thirds of Americans Have Been Online
While many feel the Internet has desensitized many of its users, a new study shows that there might not be
much credence to it. Nearly two-thirds of all Americans have ventured online, and the majority of them deny the Internet creates social isolation, according to a study released last week by the University of California in Los Angeles. For instance, more than 75 percent of respondents said they do not feel as if relatives and friends are ignoring them as a result of chat-room activity. Instead, the majority of Internet users said e-mail, Web sites and chat rooms have a "modestly positive impact" on their abilities to make new friends and communicate more with family. But the Internet has only been a popular communication tool for the past five years, cautions UCLA researcher Jeffrey Cole. Cole, the lead researcher of "Surveying the Digital Future," believes the Web will have profound long-term effects that most users can't yet detect. "The Internet changes everything from our values to communication patterns and consumer behavior," Cole said. Spending long hours surfing the Web "can even change how many neighbors we recognize by their faces," he added. The study focused on the opinions and online habits of 2,096 respondents--both Internet users and nonusers-who mirror the nation's ethnic, economic and geographic makeup. More than 70 percent said children's grades are neither helped nor hurt by Internet activity. Nearly two-thirds said they now buy less from traditional, as opposed to online, retailers. To check out the full report on the study, visit www.ccp.ucla.edu/newsite/pages/internet-report.asp
Web Developers Release Study to Public
The International Alliance of Web Developers (IAWD), a leading Web association, announced the public
release of the IAWD Online Marketing Report 2001. Now, in it's sixth year, the Report takes an in-depth look at current and upcoming Internet marketing mediums, and how to get the most out of your online ad dollars. Written by IAWD Founder, Wendy H. White, the ORM reveals timely information on Internet usage, effective Web site promotion, new and emerging markets, online marketing mediums to avoid, upcoming trends and survey results from the Internet's leading research firms. The IAWD Online Marketing Report 2001 may be purchased online at the IAWD website (www.iawd.org/report.html).
Growth of Web May Be Slowing
A recently released industry study showed that, while the launch of new websites may be slowing down, many existing sites continue growing. The study found 7.1 million websites in June, a 53 percent increase from 4.7 million a year earlier. The growth from 1998 to 1999 was 77 percent. The research was conducted by the Online Computer Library Center, a nonprofit research group for North American libraries. The study does not capture the extent of personal web pages because those are often part of a larger site such as America Online. Nor does the study measure the amount of content at each site. That is the study's main flaw, said Mike Bergman, whose BrightPlanet company estimates there are 550 billion documents stored on the Web.