Re: NY Times Internet stats Article

[Mike Bauer <[e-mail]>]

[e-mail], [e-mail]


Just got done listening to the NPR interview with Peter Lewis on the
size of the Net.  What a guy.  

First, Peter intimated that "common" estimates on the Net run anywhere
from a low end of 20 million to a high end of 60 million.  I wouldn't
call that common, would you?  Typical estimates I always hear and use
are 15 to 30 million, the low end being those who can use IP services
and the high end being those who have email connectivity at least.  

He then goes on to attempt to explain how this information is gathered
with a ridiculous description of how ping works.  He notes that some
computers pinged only have one person on them, like people at home,
but some have to up to 900,000 people behind a "firewall."  The
problem is that no one knows how many people are on each computer, and
a "common" estimate (who are all these commoners) is 10.  His main
point is that that number is too high because, according to him, if
you can't reach a computer behind a firewall, you can't reach the
people on those computers, therefore those people aren't really on the
Internet!  Oh, wow, I get it!

Yo, Pete.  Read the masthead.  "All the news that's fit to print."  That
means you go and learn about your subject, you talk to a number of
people that have different viewpoints on the subject, and then you
report on it accurately and in a balance manner.  The sensationalist
stuff is run down the street.

There are several good schools that teach both journalism and the
Internet.  I'm sure you can find any one of several thousand on the
Net.