Let's go back to 1997 and 1998 to see where the Internet was in current users by the numbers and the adoption rate for what is now commonly used applications. Please note there is no reference to blogs, microsites of niche target marketing. The focus was on whether the Internet would continue to grow at the rapid pace it had seen and could it overcome the challenges like getting the less affluent online and getting people comfortable with ecommerce and giving out their credit card online.


Bus Week, June 22, 1998 Info Tech Annual Report
400,000 business with virtual domain web sites
On-line Commerce 1998 estimates US and Europe 5.1 Billion, double 1997 figure - Forrester Research Inc. 78% will be business-to-business
US Businesses will exchange 17 Billions in goods and services over the Net more than double 1997 - Forrester Research, Inc. By 2002, that’s expected to explode to $327 Billion. Combine that with cost savings to business and on-line consumer buying and the Internet could add an estimated $10 to $20 Billion to gross domestic products in four years, Business Week estimates.
5%-10% reduced cost from implementing E-commerce
80% of companies say security is the leading barrier to expanding electronic links with customers and partners


19% of purchasers say they are shopping less in stores, and 14% say they use catalogues less often because of the net, says Cyber Dialogue/FindSVP.
Offline sales of goods and services worth $4.2 billion were affected by online data in 1997, says Cyber Dialogue/FindSVP.
Companies may invest $23.6 billion by 2002 to upgrade their E-commerce systems, according to ActivMedia.
Almost 10 million people made Internet purchases - Study 12/12/97 New York, New York, USA, by Patrick McKenna, NewsBytes
The population of worldwide Internet users is expected to surge from 59 million in 1997 to 100 million users in 1998, according to a study released in December 1997 by International Data Corporation.
Business Week, March 9, 1998
Results form New York-based Media Metrix, The PC Meter Co., home-PC usage increases with age. The heaviest users in 1997 were people ages 55 and up. That group spent an average of 2,299 minutes each month on their PCs- nearly 67% more than 18- to 24-year-olds, who logged on an average of 1,377 minutes, and more than three times as much as teenagers, with 645 minutes. The 45- to 54-year-old crowd came in second, averaging 2,052 minutes on the PC each month…Study of 28,000 home PCs

Business Week, May 5, 1997, pg. 84
Adult Net users are more affluent and better educated than the population as a whole. More than 42% have household incomes greater than $50,000 compared with 33% of the overall population, and 73% of Net surfers have attended college, vs. 46% of the population.
Pg. 76 The Net in not just for the young. 45% of adults surfing the Net are age 40 or over. 32% are between 18 and 29.


When going back to see where we are at today, one will find the grate of growth from 1997 and 1998 to 2007 to be extraordinary. Stay tuned for the update on comparative stats for today vs. 1997.