Boost Your Web IQ

At a loss for conversation among a bunch of bloggers? Wow ’em with this encyclopedic compendium of Internet-related facts. According to the CIA, Nielsen//Net Ratings, Center for Media Research, ClickZ Network, and other sources, the worldwide Internet population now stands at 934 million. That number will go up to 1.07 billion next year, 1.21 billion in 2006, and 1.35 billion in 2007. And there’s no doubt that people spend lots of time surfing the Web at work. In August 2004, the average worker spent nearly 79 hours online and visited 104 domains. With over 137 million at-home Internet users, the United States is by far the most wired country, but Japan and some countries in Europe are rapidly catching up. Web usage in Japan rose 2.68% in just one month, between July and August, to over 35 million visitors, and Sweden added a sizable 6.42%, bringing its total to nearly five million users.