Internet Usage Survey

(I’m in the process of migrating from WordPress back to MovableType — and catching up from being out of town for nearly two weeks last month. Content’s imported, but cross-linking is so McBroken, it’s not even funny.)


Mitch found this interesting post from Business Pundit regarding
The Pew Internet and American Life Project:

  1. When were you introduced to the Internet? How did it happen?

    Early 1986. I started a job in the CS department doing system backups. As this was shortly after the university switching from the ARPA addressing to ICANN-managed (what we know today as .COM/.NET), the first day my boss said: “Here’s where the tape drive is, how to login, the command to run, and where the manuals exist. I’m going on vacation for two weeks.”

  2. What applications got you really excited the first time you tried them?
    Keeping in mind this was 1986… USENET and FTP. USENET was similar to the bulletin boards I had used throughout high school, but the participants were adults, living in other states and countries. FTP was also a novelty for similar reasons.
  3. Thinking back to the first time you bought something online, what product or service was your first purchase?

    I’d done several purchases of book collections from people on USENET, usually by claiming “dibs” then sending them a personal check. (Though it’s inconceivable now, there were virtually no spammers and very few cranial-rectal inverts on USENET. For example, back in 1990, I was planning a trip down the west coast. Several people on rec.bicycles offered to host me for the night.)

    The first real purchase was airline tickets. It’s the mathdorphins.

  4. What role did the Internet play in the most recent of these milestones:
    • Made a major investment or financial decision – The roof was the most recent.
    • Started a new hobby – Finding knitting help online was beneficial. I suppose blogging is a hobby, too.
    • Changed jobs – Almost none. The internet was useful for job searching in the mid-90s. In my recent job searches, I’ve found Monster.com is, at best, useless
    • Found a place to live – None. The MLS cabal had an iron grip on information back in 1997 and few properties were online. It would be very useful now, though.
    • Started a serious romantic relationship – None. I’ve met several friends online. However, hypothetically speaking, it would be useful as an ice-breaker if I were seeking a romantic relationship.
    • Became involved in a political campaign or organization – None. I eschew politic and non-profit organizations whose chief “business” is pestering donors for more money. (“Ooh, we have a live one!”)
  5. Has your internet usage increased or decreased with time? What is a key driver as to the amount of time you spend online?

    Email is the most efficient way I can keep in contact with dear friends. Web browsing is entertainment and information gathering – it replaces TV.
  6. Have you found the Internet easier or harder to use as time goes by?
    Much harder. Spammers jockeying for Google Placement suck.
  7. What is the most amazing thing that has ever happened to you while you were online? It could be a story about how something on the Web changed your life, something interesting you discovered on the Web, or something really important or even really amusing that happened during an email exchange.
    Discovering there are people who enjoy learning as much as I do makes me feel slightly less freakish about stuff like this.

4 thoughts on “Internet Usage Survey”

  1. I too have noticed that unless I’m using a laptop, that web browsing does replace TV watching. Right now my main computer is a desktop against the opposite wall of the TV. I’m a huge adult swim fan and now I basically turn that on and listen to it in the background because I’d rather be on the internet…only for sports and a few TV shows do I ignore the computer in favor of the TV.

  2. Thanks (and sorry) for being the guinea pig. But you saved me a potentially large amount of hassle switching from MT to WP. I guess the oft repeated “if it ain’t broken…” is fitting in this case.

  3. I found the online MLS listings very useful when I was house-hunting in 2004 — that’s how I found the house that I ended up buying, actually.

    As for people who enjoy learning, you’re certainly no freak. 😉

    P.S. Your preview mode is looking much nicer! Progress! Go Jim!

  4. As I am disabled the internet has become very entertaining for me. I belong to a couple of Nascar Card Trading Clubs that keeps me very busy at times. I also have a website that I have listed several cards I want and cards I have for trade. Also on my website I have many Nascar Die-Cast for sell. Keeping up my website is just about a full time job if I go into it every time I make a deal. So I stay pretty much busy each day on the internet. I also like to screw with all of these frauds from Africa and other places that this guy works at a bank and one of his customers died with all of his family and left millions of dollars and nobody knows about it but him as heis an accountant and they want me to come forward and be next of kin. Or these people overseas has millions and they want to share it with you and help to invest it and get a home here. So mch fraud like this goes on everyday. I can’t even give an accurate count on haw many of these types of rippoffs that I have received. I have a large envelope that the FBI was suppose to pick up but I have never seen them either. I have millions of checks drawn on Social Clube. WalMart Cashiers Checks that were already cashed for a lot smaller amount than what they were actually for in the beginning. I also have the BIG ONE, a $32,000,000 check that I am suppose to put in my bank and draw out what I can from it for now so they can have money to get here then we would deal with the rest once they arrive. They want you to Western Union the Money you can get from the bank. Then you just got burnrd. I sure didn’t fall for any of that. I one joined a Dating Club. Just about all of the returning emails I got were from Russia or somewhere overseas wanting you to send them money to purchase a ticket to come to you. Just for kicks once I offered one chick{VERY BEAUTIFUL} that I buy a one way ticket to get to me.{This way I could buy a ticket that was non-refundable. She wanted nothing to do with that. So yes I get a lot of use out of the internet besides just my email and browsing.
    Vern

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