Not to belabor the Holidays, but regardless of how “we did,” it’s important to know “how we did it!” The latest Pew Internet Project Report summarizes the use of the Internet in the pursuit of holiday activities. The overall observation is that Email grows as a seasonal fixture and e-shopping advances. In all, 71% of Internet users went online for some kind of social or spiritual activity and 53% did some kind of e-commerce – either online window-shopping or purchasing gifts.

According to Nielsen//NetRatings Global Index, OnLine banks reached more than 30 percent of the active Internet audience in five major markets in November. "The online financial services sector is one of last year's success stories," said Richard Goosey, international chief of measurement science, NetRatings. "Between October 2001 and October 2002, the number of European surfers visiting financial services sites grew from 15 to 25 million, while the percentage of European Internet users who regularly visit a financial services site steadily rose to 37 percent."

According to a recent study conducted by Market Facts, and released by Periscope Communications/MSNBC.com, use of the Internet as a news source is approaching, and in some cases surpassing the use of traditional media. During the day, more working adults turn to online news than traditional offline news such as television to access breaking news.

Measurements in the 3rd week of December by Nielsen//NetRatings shows that eBay beats the Kelley Blue Book in car searchers by 3 to 1, while Microsoft beats the next best by almost 4 to 1 reaching more than 1/3 of the Internet users.

New research findings from Solucient's HealthViewPlus survey of 20,000 health care consumers suggest that marketers would do well to pay less attention to how women look and more attention to how they feel. 29 percent of women respondents age 18-34 reported having weight problems, 13 percent of women reported suffering from depression and 26 percent reported suffering from migraines.

According to estimates from the Newspaper Association of America in the January issue of NAA's Presstime magazine , newspaper advertising should improve by at least 3.2 percent and possibly as much as 6.1 percent in 2003. After rebounding to positive year-over-year comparisons in 2002's third quarter, the trend should continue with the fourth-quarter numbers and into 2003.

Radio revenue continues to rise as combined total ad sales for October rose 13% when compared to the same month last year, as reported by the Radio Advertising Bureau. The national sector continues to lead the way with a 23% gain compared to the same month a year ago, and local also remains strong with a healthy increase of 10% over last October.

A recently released Pew Internet report shows that most Americans expect to find key information online, and many turn to the Internet first! With over 60% of Americans now having Internet access, the report says, and 40% of Americans having been online for more than three years, the Internet has become a mainstream information tool. Its popularity and dependability have raised all Americans’ expectations about the information and services available online.

While 2002 is not over yet, a recent comScore report shows that online consumer sales (excluding auctions) are on track to post an estimated $74 billion for the year, reflecting growth of more than 39 percent versus 2001. This is particularly impressive, considering the fragile economy and one of the worst holiday retail seasons in recent memory.

Nielsen//NetRatings reports that more than 72 percent of the total U.S. online audience is using Internet applications. This suggests that nearly three quarters of all Web surfers have incorporated Internet applications, including instant messengers, peer-to-peer file sharing and media player viewing, as part of their daily online experience.