The Yin, Yang of the Net
Marc Ballon covers small business and entrepreneurial issues for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-7439 and at marc.ballon@latimes.com
There is no doubt that the Internet is helping to drive the current economic boom. In Orange County, for instance, more than half of the local business leaders surveyed said that the Net has helped boost productivity, according to a recent UC Irvine study. The report also found that one in three executives credited an online presence or Internet usage for fueling sales.
That’s the good news.
However, a recent study conducted by the market research firm Greenfield Online found that 9% of the 1,000 respondents confessed that their job performance has suffered because of the Internet, with 13% saying Internet access makes it difficult to stay focused.
Blame e-mail, computer games and mtv.com, among other culprits.
