Yet more studies into internet usage have come up with a new system of categorising surfers.

Researchers Booz-Allen & Hamilton and Neilsen/Netratings have divided us into seven types.

Which one are you?

Quickies: Usually spend a short time looking at familiar sites and about 15 seconds on a page extracting information or sending e-mails. Surf time: less than one minute.

Just The Facts: These users seek specific information from a known site and are unlikely to spend any money online. Surf time: nine minutes.

Single Mission: These guys know what they want and will use new sites to get it. Surf time: 10 minutes.

Do It Again: These surfers linger on pages and 95 per cent of their time is spent on sites they have visited at least four times. They may also click through banner ads. Surf time: 14 minutes

Loitering: They spend up to two minutes on page views and leisurely visits to favourite sites. Surf time: 33 minutes.

Information Please: People in this category use the net to find out in-depth information, mostly from familiar sites but will go elsewhere if necessary. Surf time: 37 minutes.

Surfers: The true e-beach bums. These guys roam sites, up to 45 in one sitting, and spend a minute or more on a page. Surf time: 70 minutes.