Who is going online? Results from the National Capital FreeNet

The National Capital FreeNet (NCF) in Ottawa, Canada is one of the largest and most successful community online services in the world. A sample of 1,073 National Capital FreeNet (NCF) users were surveyed about their demographic characteristics, their access methods, and their levels of satisfaction. The results indicate that NCF users are not a specialized group in the community, but are comparable to the local regional population in age, education, and income. NCF users most often connect from home using modems, often using equipment and telephone lines purchased specifically for this service. NCF users connect to the system regularly, and usage of the system was not strongly related to demographic factors. NCF users are very satisfied with the system and satisfaction and donations were not strongly related to demographic factors or use of the system. These results suggest that this community network has a broad appeal and that current and future online services may have significant widespread impacts on individuals and society.