Web users spend 40.3% of online time on communications in March 2005

Web users spent 17.8% of their March 2005 online time at shopping sites, compared to March 2004 share of 17.6%, Nielsen//NetRatings says. Online news or entertainment Web sites received 37.4% of online time in March 2005, up from 35.6% in March 2004, but down from the 12-month high of 41% in September. Search engines accounted for 4.5% of, up from 3.5% in March 2004. Communication represented 40.3% of Web time, down from 43.4% last March.