Proof That The Internet Is Growing Up

Silver Surfers are not the elder age band who like to grab their boards to ride the waves but are folks perched on their sofas ‘surfing’ the net.
These silver surfers are in excess of fifty and their numbers have been steadily mounting over the past few years.

In the UK there is the UK Online Measurement Company, that is part of the Nielsen research group.
UKOM found that in the year up to May 2010 there were 1.9 million new connections to the World Wide Web. That was comparing with 36.9 million in the same month last year, an increase of some 5%. Of those nearly two million new subscribers 1 million were over the age of fifty. That is fifty three percent of new signups to the Web would be classed as silver surfers.

For the 1st time the greater part of new signups were the older age band and of these over fifties there were more men than females. The best part of the older new users were men over 50 at 722000 or 38%. The older women over 50 accounted for 285000 or15%.

It is estimated that in the British isles there are nearly thirty nine million people connected to the World wide web. According to UKOM, users in excess of fifty currently account for 31% of all internet users.

The breakdown went on to show that after the silver surfers, the next group that showed the most growth was women aged between twenty one and thirty four, who accounted for 272,000 new users or 14%. In third place were young girls between the ages of twelve and twenty they showed a total growth of 231,000 or 12% of the whole.

Alex Burmaster of UKOM said: “The Internet is getting older in more ways than one. Not only is the medium itself maturing but the audience is shifting towards older age groups. This growth is a reminder, if one was still needed, that it is very much a form of media utilised by all age groups.”

He went on to say, “The fact that one in four Britons who use the Internet today are 50 to 64 years old proves it is no longer the sole preserve of the young and technical literati.”

As a result of this developing trend web sites are increasingly geared to and target the older generation. They are not only more adventurous than the previous generation but also has for now plenty of disposable income.

Utility Warehouse that offers Web-based services in the British isles has found a significant number of older people signing up for a broadband connection.

Again according to UKOM, they are attracted to a variety of various internet pages, including travel, health, genealogy, fashion, cooking, community and video sites.

The top ten sites visited by the silver surfers in the British isles were as follows.

1. Real age that is a wellbeing related site and almost ninety percent of its site visitors are in excess of fifty.

2. Saga is another popular site with a market share 78% of the over fifties.

3. Flixxy, which is a video site, is tremendously popular and has greater than 80 percent of its traffic from the silver surfers.

4. W A Shearings who specialise in coach holidays is much visited by the over 50's.

5. Fifty Plus again the name speaks for its self.

6. Hand Picked Hotels for great times away.

7. Lurpak is a site used for baking and cooking much loved by the elder generation.

8. Jacquie Lawson is an electronic greetings card company and is well used by this age group.

9. Family Search is a genealogy site for family trees etc.

10. Cruise.co.uk is exactly what it says and offers various cruises to its visitors.

Countless web-marketing companies who have traditionally gone after the younger groups now have to rethink their policy in the light of the emerging figures.

Silver surfers are increasing and increasingly spending their funds on line but they like to know that they are in receipt of good value for their cash.

Undoubtedly what applies in the United kingdom applies throughout the rest of the world too.

Article Source: http://www.free-article-info.com/ArticleDashboard

Malcolm Ivinson is a a href="http://www.s128722428.websitehome.co.uk">Utility Warehouse Distributor

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