The survey was taken during the National Enquirer Online's debut month, during which a record-breaking number of users logged in to check out their favorite gossip and celebrity news. A total of 1,308 qualified responses were collected during the survey period. Nearly one-third (32%) of NEO users had never read the Enquirer print version before. The survey found NEO visitors are heavy Internet users, with 80% spending 5-7 days per week on the Web and the majority spending over 3 hours per day. Most users (45%) followed a link from another site, while 18% came to NEO via a search engine.

Visitors to National Enquirer Online are well-educated and are doing well financially, with 73% of users currently employed, and 80% having attended college. The majority of these Web-savvy users show a preference for news, computer and entertainment publications and frequently purchase products or services online. Employers might be concerned to know that 21% of National Enquirer Online users are checking out the gossip at work -- but most (73%) are accessing the stories in the privacy of their own homes.

"Not since such major technological breakthroughs as the telephone or the water cooler has gossip made so much progress," said E-Ticket head Rick Gibson. "The demographics show that the Enquirer Online audience is a wide-ranging one. Everyone loves to read hot gossip, and the Internet is the perfect medium for it." E-Ticket experienced a similar success when it launched its first property, America's Most Wanted Online, based on the popular television show.