CReATION: Asian surfers rated "sophisticated"

<p>A recent survey by NetValue has found that while Asian consumers </p><p>are relative newcomers to the Internet, they are becoming increasingly </p><p>sophisticated online. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Instant messaging services and Internet relay chat were particularly </p><p>popular with Hong Kong users, with 63 per cent of home Internet users </p><p>sending at least one message in September. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Singapore and Taiwan had the heaviest email activity, with more than 44 </p><p>emails either sent or recieved per Internet user in September. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Hong Kong and Korea spent an equally large amount of time on the Web - </p><p>12 days per user - with Singapore matching the US at 11 days. Internet </p><p>users in Taiwan spent 10 days during the same month. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Koreans visited more sites than any other Asian market at 84 websites </p><p>recorded per user. Hong Kong came in second at 60 sites. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Korea undoubtedly took the lead in usage of audio and video on the </p><p>'Net. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>This could be attributed to the high broadband penetration in the </p><p>country at 38 per cent. It was 10 per cent in other Asian markets. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>China's Internet users spent the least time surfing the Web at six hours </p><p>on average, but were on the same level as their counterparts in the UK </p><p>and France. </p><p><BR><BR> </p>