OCLC Research Project Measures Scope of Web

[Martha Conway <martha.conway@YALE.EDU>]

Some interesting information about the World Wide Web from the OCLC Office
of Research --

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Edward O'Neill +1-614-764-6074
oneill@oclc.org
Nita Dean +1-614-761-5002
nita_dean@oclc.org

OCLC RESEARCH PROJECT MEASURES SCOPE OF THE WEB

DUBLIN, Ohio, Sept. 8, 1999--Researchers at OCLC have determined that the
World Wide Web has about 3.6 million sites, of which 2.2 million are
publicly accessible.  They also found that the largest 25,000 sites
represent about 50 percent of the Web's content, and that the number of
sites and their size are climbing.

The project, conducted by the OCLC Office of Research, indicates that the
World Wide Web has approximately 2.2 million Web sites that offer publicly
accessible content.  These sites contain nearly 300 million Web pages.

These results, obtained in June 1999 through OCLC's Web Characterization
Project, also show that significant portions of the Web are not publicly
accessible or do not offer meaningful content.  About 400,000 Web sites can
be considered "private," in that they do not offer content that is
accessible without fee or prior authorization.  In addition, about 1
million sites are "provisional"--either in a transitory or unfinished state
(e.g., the ubiquitous "Under Construction" site) or have only content that,
from a general perspective, is meaningless or trivial.

Project findings indicate that adult content claims a small proportion of
the Web.  About two percent of the public sites--42,000 of the 2.2
million--contain sexually explicit material.

The mean size of a public Web site is about 129 pages, a 13 percent
increase over last year's estimate of 114 pages.  The Web is dominated by a
relatively small collection of "megasites"-- the largest 25,000 sites
contain about 50 percent of all pages on public sites.

The number of public Web sites has approximately tripled in the two-year
period from June 1997 to June 1999, increasing from 800,000 to 2.2 million.

"The Web has achieved the status of being one of the foremost information
resources available today," said Ed O'Neill, consulting research scientist
and manager of the Web Characterization Project. "Because of the Web's
importance to libraries around the world, OCLC is committed to providing
timely information that will assist them in understanding the Web and using
its content."

In addition to conducting independent Web research, project staff are also
working with the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Characterization Activity,
a cross-industry group committed to the goal of promoting the Web's
evolution and ensuring its long-term interoperability and robustness.

More information about the latest OCLC Office of Research Web statistics
and analysis is available at:
<http://www.oclc.org/oclc/research/projects/webstats/>.

Founded in 1978, the OCLC Office of Research is dedicated to research that
explores the place of the library in the changing technology environment
and develops tools that enhance the productivity of libraries and their users.

Headquartered in Dublin, Ohio, OCLC Online Computer Library Center is a
nonprofit, membership, computer library service and research organization
whose computer network and services link more than 34,000 libraries in 67
countries and territories.  OCLC is dedicated to the public purposes of
furthering access to the world's information and reducing information costs.