Nominet UK, the not-for-profit organisation responsible for .uk Internet infrastructure, today announces the launch of a new website to support consumers and businesses online, knowthenet.org.uk.
As the Internet plays an increasingly huge role in everyday life, consumers and businesses are increasingly looking for help and advice on a range of online issues.
• Research conducted amongst UK consumers revealed that the top Internet related concerns were online banking, safe and legal downloading, security and ensuring content is appropriate for young children.
• In September this year, there were 31,000 Google searches for ’Internet safety’, 60,500 searches for ‘cyber bullying’ and 34,000 searches for ‘computer virus’.
• Security risks are also growing, with almost 80,000 people falling victim to Internet fraud in the first nine months of 2010 – a 10 per cent jump on last year.*
Knowthenet.org.uk aims to help Internet users get the most out of the Internet. The site provides advice, information and video content for consumers and business users across three broad categories of Internet activity:
• Getting started online – including introductions to blogging, social networks, online banking etc
• Staying safe online –a library of material on a range of topics from password choice and phishing scams to privacy settings on social networks
• Doing business online – explaining key issues businesses need to understand when doing business online, from SEO to intellectual property
“Information is only a click away on the Internet. The challenge is that often people don’t always know what to trust, or where to go. Free, impartial advice is hard to come by. We’ve launched the knowthenet site to bridge this knowledge gap, addressing concerns and offering impartial, useful advice which gives people the confidence and know-how to do more online,” explains Phil Kingsland, Marketing & Communications Director at Nominet.
Nominet is supporting knowthenet.org.uk as part of its commitment to making the Internet a more trusted space for all. “We see knowthenet playing an important part in our commitment to making the Internet a more trusted space for everyone who uses it – it’s vital for the wider digital economy” explains Lesley Cowley, Chief Executive of Nominet.
The site aims to provide a starting point for people to gather information on how to get more out of the Internet, pointing users to other trusted Internet resources such as GetSafeOnline and Identitytheft.org.uk for more detailed information.
The front page of the website will be updated several times a week with short posts that will provide practical advice for consumers and businesses as media stories break and major new online developments occur, from security scares to new Internet trends, explaining the implications in straightforward terms and giving practical advice to readers.
Knowthenet.org.uk users can also follow site updates via Twitter, comment on stories and suggest additional topics.
