Lisa hook, an executive at AOL, one of the biggest providers of traditional ("dial-up") internet access, has learned amazing things by listening in on the calls to AOL'S help desk. Usually, the problem is that users cannot get online. The help desk's first question is: "Do you have a computer?" Surprisingly often the answer is no, and the customer was trying to shove the installation CD into the stereo or TV set. The help desk's next question is: "Do you have a second telephone line?" Again, surprisingly often the answer is no, which means that the customer cannot get on to the internet because he is on the line to the help desk. And so it goes on. Admittedly, in America, where about half of all internet households now have high-speed ("broadband") connections, these AOL customers are so-called "late adopters", or "analogues". But even younger, savvier "digital natives" or "digital immigrants" can provide surprising insights for those who care to listen.
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