| User BaseThe non-US and non-English Web segments | | | | the local providers. Thus, only corporate clients can |
| have been boosted by a growing trend towards PC | | | | enjoy the privilege of broadband subscription.What |
| penetration and cheaper Internet access in the last | | | | Users are Searching for?Like Internet users |
| couple of years. The US share of the global | | | | worldwide, the majority of Russian and Ukrainian |
| population online, once above ninety percent, is now | | | | surfers search the Web for information. A Yandex |
| under a quarter, while the number of Internet users | | | | poll ( shows that about 24 percent searchers use the |
| who do not speak English at all continues to | | | | Web for easy reference and over 15 percent use it |
| grow.The Asia-Pacific region remains a key | | | | as a research tool. A further 12 percent of those |
| contributor to the increase in the number of | | | | polled said the Internet was a news source for them |
| non-English speakers on the Web, but the Russian | | | | while only 14 percent preferred online entertainment |
| Internet, aka Runet, demonstrates the accelerated | | | | services. An increase in personal consumption in |
| pace of development as well.The Russian language on | | | | Russia and Ukraine has made a positive impact on |
| the Web was represented by 2.7 percent in March | | | | the regional Internet. Russians and Ukrainian are |
| 2003, said Global Reach ( a consultancy that tracks | | | | increasingly relying on the Internet in order to |
| non-English online populations. The share is quite | | | | evaluate products or services before they make their |
| minor, compared to English with its 35.2 percent. | | | | final decision to buy, whether online or offline. |
| However, the growth rate of Runet is far more | | | | Currently, about 1200 online shops are listed in |
| exciting; the Russian Internet audience has tripled | | | | Magazin.ru, the largest Russian e-commerce |
| over the last two years, registering a 40 percent | | | | catalogue, while CNews.ru ( reported last year that |
| increase annually. The February 2003 Report by | | | | the total number of operational online shops in Runet |
| SpyLOG ( indicates that the total users who surf the | | | | was 500 at the beginning of 2002. The most e-shops |
| Russian portion of the Internet have reached about | | | | are online outlets of bricks-and-mortar businesses, but |
| 15 million, 60 percent of whom live in Russia and | | | | some "pure" online stores have opened their virtual |
| seven percent in Ukraine. Moscow and St.-Petersburg | | | | doors as well. Most notable are bookstores such as |
| account for 53 percent of the total Internet users in | | | | Ozon, Biblio Globus and Books in Russia, and |
| Russia. Similarly, the Ukrainian Internet surveys reveal | | | | Bookshop, AzBooKa and Bambook in Ukraine. Despite |
| that the vast majority (70 percent) of Ukrainian | | | | a certain lack of high-quality online offerings in Runet |
| users live in Kiev, Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov | | | | and Uanet, surprisingly few Western sites offer the |
| and Donetsk, according to freenet.kiev.ua and | | | | products and services that need no customs |
| mct.kiev.ua as quoted in Kyiv Post Business March 20, | | | | clearance. For example, web hosting fees in Ukraine |
| 2003.The Ukrainian user base grows as fast as its | | | | are about two to eight times higher than those |
| Russian counterpart. The total Internet users in | | | | somewhere in the United States, but the service |
| Ukraine reached 2.5 million by year-end 2002, a 150 | | | | providers abroad seem to be in no hurry to enter the |
| percent increase in a year, said the head of the | | | | local market. This is also true for e-books, especially |
| Ukrainian State Committee for Communications and | | | | on programming and computing.Spam and |
| Information Technologies ( Independent marketers | | | | SpamdexingDespite spam is still flourishing on the |
| confirm the recent trends on the Ukrainian Internet, | | | | Russian Web, unsolicited email messages in Runet are |
| or Uanet for short. For example, eRus.ru ( quoted | | | | far less aggressive than the email marketing |
| GfK-USM, a marketing company, as stating that the | | | | campaigns in the US, when a news subscriber may |
| regular Internet users in Ukraine accounted for 6.4 | | | | receive bundles of advert mailings that are vaguely |
| percent of the total population (3.1 million of 48.4 | | | | associated with his/her initial subscription.The more |
| million) in February 2003, and the number of the | | | | pressing issue for both users and search engines is |
| users who purchased products or services through | | | | spamdexing, i.e. unfair tricks aimed at attaining high |
| the Internet was doubled when compared to | | | | rankings in search engines. Searching Runet for a |
| February 2002.Internet Access and PricesDial-up | | | | particular key phrase can give you dozens of mirrors |
| connection is the most common way of accessing | | | | and doorways. Some successful SE optimizers in |
| the Internet in both Russia and Ukraine. The Ukrainian | | | | Russia and Ukraine openly advertise that their |
| dial-up users, for example, pay $0.1 to $2.0 an hour | | | | promotion techniques are solely based on building |
| for Internet access, depending on an ISP, time of | | | | doorways or cloaking, which currently seems unwise |
| day and availability of callback services. The monthly | | | | on the global Internet.The top Russian search engines |
| charge for unmetered access in Kiev currently ranges | | | | fight against spam in much as the most popular |
| from about $4 (midnight to 9.00 a.m. with no callback | | | | search engines do worldwide. For example, Yandex |
| support) to about $40 (24-hour access via callback | | | | and Rambler penalize websites for using unfair tricks |
| service). The callback service in Kiev will save you | | | | and encourage Runet users to report search engine |
| about $0.4/hour, an additional fee charged by | | | | spam. Many professional programmers and |
| Ukrtelecom for connection to the local telephone | | | | webmasters also voice their concerns about |
| line.The broadband access is rather expensive, ranging | | | | spamdexing. Articles by A. Shkondin at ClubPro.spb.ru |
| from $40/month (IDSN, 64 K/s, 1 GB monthly data | | | | ( provide some classic examples of how spammers |
| transfer) to $300/month (dedicated line, 64-128 K/s, | | | | play games with the Russian search engines and |
| unlimited transfer) with a set-up fee of $200 to 300, | | | | Internet surfers. |
| plus some hidden charges that are quite common for | | | | |