Date: Tue, 12 Aug 1997 21:34:24 -0400 (EDT) From: Bob Rankin _________ ____________ ________ __________ _____________ ___ _ / | / | | / | \ | "Why | Surf When / You Can | Ride The | Bus?" / | \ |__________|__________/__________|__________|___________/ | \ / /______|----\ | Visit the TOURBUS website to see the Archives, |//////| | | FAQ, and Subscription Information! |//////| | | http://www.TOURBUS.com |//////| | \________________________________________________________|______|____| / \ / \ / \ \___/ \___/ T h e I n t e r n e t T o u r B u s \___/ TODAY'S TOURBUS TOPIC: Survey Results TODAY'S TOURBUS STOP: http://www.beachtech.com/tourbus Howdy all! I had planned to do a review of several e-mail programs for today's issue, but since the initial Tourbus Rider Survey results are in, I'm going to delay that e-mail roundup for a week. Thanks for your participation - we've had a whopping 6117 responses in just a week's time, and results are still coming in. If you didn't already respond to the survey it's not too late! Just take five minutes to fill it out and send it in. If you lost your copy, visit the Tourbus Archives at http://www.tourbus.com and grab a survey form there. (Some people had trouble filling out the survey, because they forgot to use the Reply or Forward option first. If you're trying to do the survey and you can't type in the little boxes, try that.) Our thanks to Beach Tech who processed the survey. Beach Tech provides EMAIL and WWW form based survey services, so if you ever need an online survey, visit them on the Web at http://www.beachtech.com/. The results to date in glorious tabular form are available on the Web at http://www.beachtech.com/tourbus for your viewing pleasure, but if you prefer an "executive summary" with a twist, read on. 1) In what country do you receive TOURBUS? USA: 66% Canada: 6% Great Britain: 5% Australia: 3% Germany: 2% The other 18% either didn't know where they lived or fell into the one percent or less categories. While we're on an international theme, allow me to introduce a new TOURBUS sponsor. If you're planning a vacation, stop here first: *------------------[ DISCOUNT AIRFARES & CRUISES ]------------------* No gimmicks, no club. Just REAL SAVINGS of 15-70% everyday below the LOWEST RATES available to the public - and FREE TRIPS! *----------------- ----------------* 2) How long have you been using the Internet? Even more so than a year ago, TOURBUS riders are a seasoned bunch. The results showed that 62% of TOURBUS riders have been surfing for two years or more. Just 14% qualify as newbies (less than a year online) and 25% have about a year's worth of cyber-mileage racked up on their modems. 3) When it comes to computers, I ... Only 4% classified themselves at a "total novice", while 67% said they felt "pretty proficient most of the time". In the "gotta have it" category, 17% confessed to getting "nervous and jerky after 15 minutes away from their computer", and the Geek Factor came out to 11% (those who program complex systems in their sleep). And surprisingly, only 1% admitted to the hobby of "hacking into government computers for sport". If this is representative of the Internet population on the whole, then there are ONLY about a half million hackers online. Feel better now? :-) 4) What type of Internet connection do you have? (Modem Speed) Technology marches on - just 2% reported having a 2400 or 9600 bps modem, and only 12% surf at 14.4k. About 50% of you report using a 28.8 or 33.6k model, and another 34% are surfing at high speed while the boss is not looking. 5) What type of Internet connection do you have? (Service Provider) Point & Click Rules. A whopping 92% use graphical browsers like Netscrape and Internet Exploder - up from 80% a year ago. Just 3% use a text-only Net interface and 5% have only e-mail access. I often hear from blind Internet users who offer their pleas for text-friendly websites. Webmasters, be nice - offer a text version of your site, or at least check it with Lynx to be sure it makes sense without the pretty pictures, so blind visitors can access your goodies with screen-reader programs. 6) Describe your primary Internet usage. E-mail is still in the top spot! 39% say e-mail is their primary online activity, and just 23% described Web surfing as their cyberspace raison d'etre. Maybe that's because people have discovered that "Surfing the Net" is more like waiting in line at the Post Office most of the time. Wanna do some cool things with your e-mail? Check this out.. *----------------[ E-MAIL IS THE TRUE KILLER APP ]----------------* ...and WEB INK knocks 'em dead! Try this awesome e-mail software with built in web browser, spell check, spam filters, mail merge and more. WEB INK is award-winning and easy to use. Click on the link below to download a free trial copy. (Mention TOURBUS to get $5 off Shipping & Handling when you order) *------------------- -------------------* 7) Are you male or female? The answer here was a resounding "YES", which is comforting. But 3% of respondents were not sure. Worldwide, it looks like we have 66% Biff and 34% Buffy. The female tally gained 2% from last year's numbers, which by my calculations means that women will completely overrun cyberspace by the year 2030. 8) What is your age? According to the survey results, you are all 45.38 years old. Even more interesting, you've all aged TWO YEARS since last year, when the average age was 43.33. Sounds like a great time to introduce one of today's sponsors. ThirdAge is a quality site with lots of good stuff for the more mature in our audience... *----------------[ FREE Site For People Over 50 ]-------------------* Announcing ThirdAge.com -- The Web...for GrownUps. Chat * Discussion forums * FREE Resources * Feature Articles Experts * Daily News * Web Reviews * Discounts * Polls * More! *----- Join FREE today: ----* 9) Level of education? We're lugging quite a bit of sheepskin on the Bus. 45% have a college education, and 44% claim advanced degrees. Must be you're all furthering your education with online courses... 10) Your Occupation A very diverse crew! Educators top the charts at 16%, followed closely by Geeks (software developers) at 13%. Engineers take up 7% of the seats on the Bus, while Librarians and Managers account for 6% each. Some 3% couldn't figure out what they do, which perhaps means the Manager total should be somewhat higher. I got rightfully chastised by several Homemakers (both Moms and Dads) for not including that category on the survey. Sorry! Among the write-ins, I also found an Arborist, Missionaries, Homeschooling Moms, a Karate Instructor, Psychotherapists, many Clergy, one Hunter/Gatherer, and a Funeral Director. 11) Household Income Average household income is about $48,300, up from $44,600 in last year's survey. Some people wrote with objections to this question, but remember that the survey only collects data on the group - not on individuals. All survey responses are completely confidential and anonymous. 12) Have you ever visited the web site of a TOURBUS sponsor? 13) Have you ever made a purchase from an online merchant? 72% say "YES" - they've checked out the wares offered by the sponsors who keep TOURBUS rolling. (It's especially nice to hear from readers who thank us for connecting them with a TOURBUS sponsor.) And 50% of you have taken the plunge into online purchasing. Just remember, it's safe to use your credit card online - as long as you order from a secure site. Netscape users, look for the unbroken key at the bottom of the screen to verify you're ordering securely. For Internet Explorer, make sure the little padlock is in the locked position. When you order from a secure site, your credit card info is encrypted before it ever leaves your computer, keeping it safe from prying eyes. This is actually more secure than handing your card to a waiter or a mail order clerk, because online ordering often eliminates the human element from the transaction. This survey is particularly interesting to me. Because we have TOURBUS riders from 120 countries, I believe the large response is in many ways representative of the Internet population as a whole. Feel free to share this data with anyone who might be interested. See you next time! -- Bob P.S. - I'm having an August Special on my "No B.S. Guide To Linux" book. If you order before the end of this month, you'll save $5 on your purchase. Order 5 or more copies and save $10 on each! Visit my home page at for details. =====================[ Tourbus Rider Information ]=================== The Internet Tourbus - U.S. Library of Congress ISSN #1094-2238 Copyright 1995-97, Rankin & Crispen - All rights reserved Archives on the Web at http://www.TOURBUS.com Join: Send SUBSCRIBE TOURBUS Your Name to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM Leave: Send SIGNOFF TOURBUS to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM =====================================================================