[LINK] Google now 70% of US search engine users

[Stilgherrian]

On 14/08/2008, at 11:20 AM, Ivan Trundle wrote:
> It is pretty staggering when you try to look into this aspect of
> browser user behaviour. I'm constantly staggered that many internet
> users that I talk to are unaware that they can change the default
> starting location.

Some anecdotal evidence from dealing with (very) small business  
clients...

The majority of the users I deal with are not aware that the home page  
of their web browser can be changed. Of those that do know, only the  
tiniest minority know how to do it, or how to look up how to do it.  
Very few people are comfortable with the idea of searching for how-to  
information, I suspect largely because they don't know what to search  
for.

When I do ask if people want their home page changed, the vast  
majority of them ask it to be changed to Google, with the next most  
common being their own business' web page.

More importantly, the vast majority of the users I see do not know  
what the terms "web browser" or "home page" mean. It's just "the  
internet". Then again, neither do they confidently know the terms  
"menu bar", "toolbar", "radio button", "checkbox", "dialog"... very,  
very few "ordinary" users have any formal training in any of this.

Computer use in small businesses is an oral tradition.

Hope that helps,

Stil


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