[Foundation-l] getting Wikipedia to the 5.2 billion people who can't access it

[Mark Williamson]

> That's a pretty important question.  If not being an internet user just
> means that you have internet at the library and not in your home, the method
> to reach such people is much different.  Considering that the United States
> is listed at 74.7%, I'm sure "internet user" is defined too strictly for the
> purpose of saying who "can't access [Wikipedia]".

I'm pretty sure "internet user" doesn't refer to the availability of a
connection, but rather whether or not a person actually uses the
Internet. My grandparents were married for nearly 75 years before they
died, living in the same house until the end. My grandfather was an
avid internet user and would've been happy to let my grandmother use
the Internet had she shown any interest, the computer with the
connection was right in her home, yet she never connected, even when
he was not home or if he was ill. She simply felt she had better
things to occupy her time.

Your idea that the fact that the statistic counts over 25% of US
Americans as not being internet users must mean a very strict
definition is used is not necessarily correct. There are plenty of
people in the USA, particularly the elderly and rural poor, who do not
use the Internet. 20% of US Americans live in rural areas, 12% are age
65 and over. I'm not saying that nobody from those groups uses the
Internet, I'm just saying that 75% seems like an accurate number to me
of people who use the Internet.

Mark