Rumors Of Internet Slowdown Are Greatly Exaggerated

What: Some 2.76 million Web host names were added to the Internet in June--the second-highest monthly increase ever--bringing the total number of host names added in 2005 to 10.7 million, according to a new survey by U.K. Web measurement firm Netcraft. "Barring a dramatic slowdown, 2005 should easily exceed the record growth of 16 million host names in 2000," Netcraft said.

When: The survey was released July 6.

FUDFactor: The burst of the Internet bubble--and the demise of pet food sites, metals e-marketplaces and thousands of other dot-com aspirants--was supposed to have marked a new era of slow Internet growth.

FUDBust:The dot-com bubble may have burst, but the Internet keeps expanding. Netcraft cites four reasons for the recent surge: more affordable Web storefronts for small businesses; the proliferation of blogs and the accompanying purchase of domains for branding purposes; continued speculation in domain names; and strong online advertising sales. Whether it's due to these reasons or some new phenomenon, one thing is clear: Internet growth is still booming.