The Free Site Hosting | Reviews & Top Hosts

People who spend large amounts of time on the Internet are more likely to show signs of depression, according to a new study by psychologists from the University of Leeds.

The study found "striking" evidence that some users have developed a compulsive Internet habit in which they replace real-life social interaction with online chat rooms and social networking sites.

"The Internet now plays a huge part in modern life, but its benefits are accompanied by a darker side," said lead author Dr. Catriona Morrison, from the University of Leeds.

"While many of us use the Internet to pay bills, shop and send emails, there is a small subset of the population who find it hard to control how much time they spend online, to the point where it interferes with their daily activities."

These "Internet addicts" spent proportionately more time browsing sexually gratifying websites, online gaming sites and online communities. They also had a higher incidence of moderate to sever depression than typical users.

"Our research indicates that excessive Internet use is associated with depression, but what we don’t know is which comes first – are depressed people drawn to the internet or does the internet cause depression?" said Dr. Morrison.

"What is clear, is that for a small subset of people, excessive use of the Internet could be a warning signal for depressive tendencies."

The study included the Internet use and depression levels of 1,319 people aged 16-51, and among them, 1.2 percent were classified as being addicted to the Internet.

Related Articles:

> U.S. Gets First Internet Addiction Center

>Internet Addiction In The UK Leads To "Discomgooglation"

> Internet Addiction:Fact Or Fiction?

The available number of unallocated Internet addresses using the older IPv4 protocol has dropped below 10 percent, according to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN).

ICANN says there are just 24 address blocks (each block is about 16-million IP addresses) that it has not yet allocated to the Regional Internet Registries around the globe.

"This is the time for the Internet community to act," said Rod Beckstrom, ICANN’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

"For the global Internet to grow and prosper without limitation, we need to encourage the rapid widespread adoption of the IPv6 protocol."

IPv6 is the new protocol the Internet engineering community designed to deal with the increased demand for IP addresses, which are the unique identifiers that allow computers to communicate with one another over the Internet and to which DNS servers translate domain names. IPv4 addresses contain only 32 bits of data, while IPv6 addresses contain 128 bits.

"Quite simply it comes down to the fact that IPv6 is the future of the Internet," said Beckstrom.

"The Internet now defines communication and commerce and to accommodate its explosive worldwide growth we need to act now to guarantee an online future that accommodates growth with few limitations."

Beckstrom also said it is important for people to understand that many blocks of IPv4 addresses that have been allocated to registries have not yet been distributed to the public, so there will be no immediate global shortage of IPv4 addresses at the consumer level.
 

Related Articles:

>ICANN Approves International Domains

>Respected Security Expert Becomes ICANN CEO

>ICANN Becomes More Independent

comScore released findings this week from a study of the online habits of Portuguese Internet users. Interestingly, they found that the Portuguese Internet audience grew to nearly 4 Million users in September.

Over 3.8 million people age 15 and older accessed the Internet from a home or work location in Portugal in September, viewing an average 1,843 pages and spending an average 1.9 hours online per person during the month.

"Portugal represents a dynamic and growing Internet market in Europe with users continuing to be more active and engaged online," said Mike Read, comScore managing director for Europe and Ibero America. "The average Internet user in Portugal is spending more time online engaging in different behaviors such as reading news and articles, search, conducting personal financial transactions and social networking. As these behaviors continue to take hold in the Portuguese market there will be an increasing number of opportunities to leverage the Internet for marketing and advertising purposes."

Google sites are the most popular in Portugal, according to comScore’s data. Here’s a look at the top 15 online properties for Portugal:

Naturally, social media plays a big role in Internet use in Portugal, but it is not Facebook that dominates there, according to comScore’s numbers. Here are the top ten social networking sites:

The figures for both charts exclude traffic from public computers, such as those from Internet cafes. They also exclude access from mobile phones and PDA’s. I’m willing to bet that social networks and Google sites are pretty popular among mobile users in Portugal though.

Related Articles:

> Study: Most People Go Online to Socialize

> Google, Bing Perform Well In Latest comScore Report

> "Time Spent Online" Report Puts Microsoft Way Ahead

While TV is the most common way for people to watch sports, the Internet is the most popular way for both men and women (36.1% and 32.7% respectively) to get sports news and information, according to a new report by Burst Media.

The Internet is trailed by local TV programming (23.7%), national TV networks (15.1%), local newspaper (6.7%), national newspaper (3.6%), and sports radio (2.9%).

Among the key age segments, 18-24 years and 25-34 years, the Internet far outweighs both local and national TV coverage as the main source of sports and news information. Adults 55 years and over still turn to local TV news over the Internet.

Among all respondents sports content is in demand regardless of which media is cited as their primary source. Nearly one-half (49.2%) of respondents use the Internet to check sports scores and 41.3 percent read sports-related news stories online.

Interestingly, nearly as many women as men use the Internet to check sports scores (47.3% vs.50.5%), read sports stories (39% vs. 42.8%) and visit professional team sports sites (25.2% vs. 26.2%). The Burst survey also found over half (55%) of all respondents indicated they have never watched live streaming game coverage on the Internet.

"It’s abundantly clear that men and women of all ages are active consumers of sports content online," said Chuck Moran, Chief Marketing Officer for Burst Media. "This provides marketers an opportunity to expand the reach of their campaigns targeted to sports enthusiasts by adding an online component".

"Also, by utilizing a multichannel strategy of combining Internet and TV, advertisers can surround their target audience with coordinated messaging for greater impact."

The survey also found that although the Internet is the most popular media source for sports content, it is not seen as the best source. Overall, national TV sports networks, such as ESPN, are viewed by respondents as the best place to get sports and information news. However, men believe national TV sports networks and Internet sports content sites offer equivalent sports content (30.1% and 28.7% of men, respectively).

Related Articles:

>NFL Players Get Official YouTube Channel

>UFL Debuts Tonight, Partners With AOL

>Social Media: A Day In The Life Of An NFL Player

The Open Internet Coalition , which is a group of consumers, grassroots organizations, and businesses "promoting consumer choice and economic growth through an open Internet," has sent an open letter to FCC chairman Julius Genachowski, supporting open Internet rules.

The coalition itself includes a large list of well-known web companies and sites. Companies with founders and CEOs signing the letter include:

- Amazon
- Digg
- Facebook
- LinkedIn
- Twitter
- eBay
- Flickr
- Skype
- Craigslist
- Google
- Mozilla
- Sony
- Expedia
- YouTube
- OpenDNS
- Zynga
- Cbeyond
- Meetup
- Vuze
- EchoStar
- XO Communications
- IAC
- One Communications
- Tivo

The letter reads, "We write to express our support for your announcement that the Federal Communications Commission will begin a process to adopt rules that preserve an open Internet. We believe a process that results in common sense baseline rules is critical to ensuring that the Internet remains a key engine of economic growth, innovation, and global competitiveness." The full text of the letter can be found here.

The announcement, discussed here, was released complimentary to a new FCC site called OpenInternet.gov. Last week, the site began publishing a blog to keep visitors updates on happenings involving net neutrality.

The FCC is supposed to be releasing details of its proposed net neutrality rules this Thursday.

A new Internet addiction center has opened in Fall City, Washington, that claims it is the first of its kind in the U.S.

The center called reStart is a 45-day program costing $14,500 and is located near Microsoft’s Redmond headquarters. reStart says its program is specifically designed to help Internet and video game addicts overcome their dependence on gaming, gambling, chatting, texting and other aspects of Internet addiction.

The center was co-founded by Cosette Rae, MSW, and Hilarie Cash, PhD.

According to reStart, current research indicates that anywhere from 6-10 percent of the online population is dependent on the Internet. Among gamers, those playing MMOGs (like World of Warcraft) appear to be addicted at much higher levels.

reStart argues that the United States has been slow to recognize the problem of Internet addiction and its program is part of the process of drawing attention to the issue.

The mission of the program is helping people, addicted to video games and the Internet, find balance, and reconnect to the real world. The program includes individual and group therapy, life-skills coaching, cooperative living, physical and nutritional education, mindfulness training, skill building and 12-step meetings. 

The American Psychiatric Association currently does not have a listing for Internet addiction in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The possibility of Internet addiction making it into the manual will not happen until its next update in 2012.
 

More than half (56%) of Europeans are now regular Internet users compared to one third in 2004, according to a new report from the European Commission.

Half of households and more than 80 percent of businesses now have a broadband connection.

The most active Internet users are those between the ages of 16 to 24 with 73 percent of them regularly using advanced services to create and share online content, twice the EU population average (35%).

Viviane Reding
European Commission

The majority (66%) of all Europeans under 24 use the Internet every day, compared to the EU average of 43 percent. They also have more advanced Internet skill than the rest of the population.

"Europe’s digital economy has tremendous potential to generate huge revenues across all sectors, but to turn this advantage into sustainable growth and new jobs, governments must show leadership by adopting coordinated policies that dismantle existing barriers to new services," said Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Information Society and Media.

"We should seize the opportunity of a new generation of Europeans who will soon be calling the shots in the European market place. These young people are intensive Internet users and are also highly demanding consumers. To release the economic potential of these ‘digital natives’, we must make access to digital content an easy and fair game."

The report found younger Internet users were reluctant to pay to download or view content online like videos or music (33% say they are not willing to pay anything at all, which is twice the EU average).

Despite progress, a third of EU citizens have never used the Internet. Only 7 percent have shopped online in another member state.

"Pro-active policy making across the EU must ensure that everyone has a high-speed internet connection and that there is an online single market, where people can easily use online services across borders," the report concluded.

Americans who watch online video continues to grow at a rapid pace across all demographics, far outpacing the adoption rates of many other Internet activities, according to a new report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project.

More than half (62%) of Internet users have watched content on video sharing sites, up from 33 percent in 2006. The majority (89%) of Internet users 18-29 say they watch content on video sharing sites, and 36 percent do so on an average day.

Over time, online video has become more deeply integrated into daily life, and has started to move into the spaces that are generally reserved for traditional television viewing. Overall, 19 percent of Internet users say the use video sharing sites on a typical day. In comparison, just 8 percent of Internet users reported use of the sites on a typical day in 2006.

"Broadband connectivity has helped to set the stage for high-quality viewing experiences and broaden the appeal of online video content," Pew said.

"Fully 63% of American adults now have high speed connections running to their homes. Among broadband users, 69% watch video on sharing sites, and 23% do so on a typical day."

While much of the content on video sharing sites is user-generated, there is also a growing amount of professional content on YouTube and Hulu. Efforts to attract viewers to these sites are paying off, as 35 percent of Internet users have viewed a television show or movie online. In comparison, just 16 percent of Internet users said they had watched or downloaded movies or TV shows in 2007.

"As Internet users become accustomed to regular on-demand video viewing online, many are choosing to watch from the comfort of their couch," Pew said.

"Among those who watch TV shows or movies online, 23% say they have connected their computer to a television screen so they could view video from the Internet on their TV. That amounts to roughly 8% of all Internet users."

The internet is one of the many children of modern technology. To most individuals, the internet serves various benefits for them. With the internet loaded with different types of information, people seek answers to several questions in mind through the web. It is not solely information that the internet brings you; it can also bring you entertainment. There are a lot of entertainment items featured over the net – there are web games, videos to view, chat rooms and other forms of diversion.

While most people appreciate the internet, there are some people who loathe the internet. Perhaps the few people who detest the internet are the ones who do not have a full grasp of the advantages one can obtain from using the web.

From here Jim Edwards enter. He undertakes one important goal – to help people be familiar with the internet so that it will be utilized in its optimum purpose. He likes to see people succeed in the internet marketing field.

If you wish to do well in the internet marketing field, you need to come up with a good web site. Creating a web site is a task wherein you have to exert more effort, a lot of patience and extract your creativity juices.

Out of Jim Edwards’ Ten Commandments on making a web site, three factors seem to be extremely indispensable.

Establish a purpose.

Purpose is a desired result to achieve something wherein it is always kept in mind every time an action is performed. What is your website for? That should be your initial question. List all the possible answers you can come up with and segregate the important ones.

Make your own vision and mission. Let it be your guide in establishing your purpose why you have thought of creating a web site.

Create for your audience.

These days, people want to have user-friendly gadgets because it simplifies their life. Make a simple, user-friendly website wherein people will find it easy to navigate and learn more about what you want them to be familiar with.

Yes, you may be an expert but put your feet into your audience’s shoes so that you will know what their needs and wants are. Remember, the web site is not solely for you to view and utilize. Go back to what your purpose is.

Make Things Simple.

“Simplicity is beauty,” they say. This phrase will serve great help to you. Design your website in such a way that it draws attention and will make your visitors want to come back every so often. You can forget about flashy colors in your design which is distracting to the eyes. Choose a color scheme that is friendly to the eyesight.

Keep your pictures minimal. Select pictures which are extremely important to your audience.

Text-wise, always make it standard. Use appropriate types of fonts as well as font sizes. If you wish to deviate with the standard, make certain that it will be beneficial to your target market. Most importantly, make certain that the end result is good.

Purpose, being audience-sensitive, and simplicity are three factors which are exceptionally beneficial to keep your web site up and running.

The internet, it may be a product of modern technology yet the system itself can be kept trouble-free if the people running the system have a goal like Jim Edwards – to let people have a grasp of the many benefits of internet.

Taking Advantage of an Internet Based Business Opportunity

If you don’t have your own concept of an Internet based business in mind, there are plenty of opportunities available for the taking. If you’re a good sales person, reseller and network marketing opportunities abound. How successful you may be with an Internet based business opportunity, however, is contingent upon how much time you wish to devote and how hard you want to work. Isn’t that true in any business, though? Isn’t it also the reason some people are content to work for others, because they don’t want the extra work that is involved in having their own business. This is perhaps the reason some people are very successful and others fail to achieve any degree of success on the Internet.

If you have an idea of your own such as crafts that you want to sell, or even a book you have written that you desire to market and sell from a website, you are far ahead of those who don’t have a concept of what type of Internet based business opportunity interests them. However, that doesn’t mean that without your own concept, you cannot be success, but you do need to think about what you would like to do. For example, the Internet is infiltrated with affiliate programs, but you don’t want to go in blind and start signing up for all of them with a dream of making some serious money. You want to choose a product line that you find interesting and work with that. If you enjoy books, you may want to work with some of the booksellers such as Borders and Barnes and Noble. Remember, the concept behind these is to draw people to your website, so it’s not enough to submit your site to the search engines and expect that everyone will come running to visit your site. No matter what Internet based business opportunity you choose, you will need to advertise constantly in order to be a success.