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The president wants to make it possible for more Americans to connect through broadband Internet. But he'll have a tough time convincing some people to give it a try.
As part of his economic stimulus package, President Obama wants to improve broadband Internet lines across the country.
He recently said, "[It's] so that a small business in a rural town can connect and compete with their counterparts anywhere in the world."
While this could lead to more people using broadband Internet, the Pew Internet and American Life Project says a third of adults who don't use the Internet have no interest in getting it at all.
Geek Squad Supervisor Julie Schlesinger said, "They do all of their communication by telephone and use their checkbook to pay the bills, so they really have no desire or need to do it."
Schlesinger says it's rare, but on occasions someone will come in looking to buy a computer with no intention of going online.
"It's more of a computer that is going to be used for word processing or primarily used to keep books up to date," she said.
She says parents used to buy these non-connected computers for their children so they could do their homework, but homework requires the Internet these days.
"Even elementary schools require their kids to get online and do research about animals or dinosaurs or whatever it is," she said.
But some marketers believe the percentage of people not interested in using the Web will eventually change as the population gets older.
Barry Preusz with E-Commerce Marketing said, "Consumers of the Internet are getting younger and younger. As to what they use it for, it obviously changes with age."
Preusz says he can't let it bother him that there's a chunk of the population he won't be able to reach through online marketing. He also says even brick and mortar stores have to find their target consumer, and not appeal to everyone.
"To try and attempt to sell yourself as that, or your product as that or your service as that all things to all people, you're wasting your money," he said.
Preusz says the big problem marketers will face is not convincing more people to use the Internet, but being heard above the clutter that's already online.
E-mail: pnelson@ksl.com
