MISCONCEPTION: "Only a handful of people have Internet access."

FACT: An October 1995 CommerceNet/Nielsen study found that 17% of all people in the United States and Canada above the age of 16 — that's 37 million people — have access to the Internet.

FACT: The number of WWW users worldwide has nearly doubled every 9 months for the past three years.

FACT: Almost every home computer sold in the U.S. in the last four years is Internet-capable.

MISCONCEPTION: "Only nerds, college kids, and rocket scientists use the World Wide Web."

FACT: A May, 1997 Washington Post article stated that one out of every six Americans surfs the web regularly — many doing so every day.

FACT: The CommerceNet/Nielsen study found that 18 million people in the U.S. and Canada used the World Wide Web during a 3-month 3-month period in mid-1995 alone.

FACT: 82% of all web users are above the age of 21 and have an average annual income over $60,000; roughly 40% have at least one dependent.

MISCONCEPTION: "No one does business over the Internet."

FACT: A recent MasterCard/Visa/Verifone survey found that 32% of all WWW users had already purchased goods over the Internet, and a whopping 92% plan to do so in the near future.

FACT: 45% of Internet users look for information about commercial products & services on-line.

FACT: By the end of 1995, 20 of the nation's largest banks had begun offering consumer & credit services via their web pages.

MISCONCEPTION: "The web won't provide me with anything that my 'old fashioned' print ads don't already do for my business"

FACT: Potential customers probably can't read through newspapers, coupon packs, or the phone book during the day at work — but your web site is only a few mouse clicks away on their computer, all day, every day!

FACT: Once committed to paper, your print ad cannot change. Your information on the web can be changed daily — hourly, if need be — to reflect changes in your hours, schedule, services, or specials.

FACT: Errors in print ads can be embarrassing and cost you money, and it may take days or weeks for a correction to be printed and distributed. Errors in web pages can be fixed immediately upon being found — usually before a page is made available to the public!

FACT: With print ads, newsprint smears; newspapers get lost or wadded up and recycled; coupon packs get thrown out with "junk mail;" or one person clips out your ad from a page so no one else ever sees it. Your web-based ad, on the other hand, always looks good, is always on the web, and is always visible by anyone with a network connection!

MISCONCEPTION: "I'm a local businessperson, and the World Wide Web will only advertise my business to people in Pretoria or Paris or Patagonia..."

FACT: The Washington, DC metropolitan area is one of the world's largest computer markets (the U.S. Government is arguably the world's largest consumer of computer services). As a result, the number of web users is higher in the DC metro area than anywhere except a handful of major metropolitan areas in the U.S. and Europe.

A note from Spider's Loom: The Washington Metropolitan Area is a major center for tourists and businesspeople, both national and international. A web site is an ongoing opportunity for you to acquaint them with your business — your web site gives them an opportunity to become familiar with you before they come to the area!

MISCONCEPTION: "I need a lot of expensive time, equipment, and staff to create and maintain a web site."

FACT: Many Internet service providers (ISPs) allow users to have web pages along with their e-mail; if you already have an Internet account (e.g., with AOL, Compuserve, Erols, or any one of dozens of other providers), check with your provider — you can probably have a web site, which Spider's Loom can develop for you.

FACT: You don't even need an Internet account!  For a small monthly fee, Spider's Loom will provide you with space for pages that include text, graphics, sounds, and interactive forms!

FACT: Except for an occasional meeting or phone call (scheduled at your convenience), Spider's Loom will do all the work necessary to create and maintain your web site, leaving you free to attend to your business.

FACT: By making information available on your web site, you can actually reduce the amount of time you and your staff need to spend answering questions from customers, partners, and suppliers!

*Demographic information used on this page is derived from multiple sources in print and on the web. Please contact Spider's Loom for more information.