Annette's Internet Speedometer: How Fast Is It Really Growing?

  The latest data on Web growth paints a rosy picture. Consider that:

17,000 new U.S. users are logging on each day.
Relevant Knowledge reports more than 57 million Americans logged onto the Web in April, up 1.6 million in three months.

Number of domain names is increasing. Network Solutions recently registered the two-millionth domain name. Roughly 77% (1.43 million) of the .com, .net and .org domains are U.S. registrations.

Hours per week online are holding steady.

NetRatings reports Web users spent an average of six hours a week on the Web this month, viewing 348 pages during 10 separate sessions. Ziff-Davis research arm InternetTrak has reported similar results throughout 1997.

  No wonder we are seeing glowing announcements and prognostications like these:

Ticketmaster reports online ticket sales jump 270% from a year earlier.

Forrester Research says U.S. market for ecommerce software will surge 31-fold by 2002, to $3.8 billion

eMarketer contends the amount shoppers spend on the Web will increase 14-fold by 2002, to $26 billion.