Engineers and technical and industrial professionals rely heavily in the Internet for work, according to the seventh annual GlobalSpec Engineering Trends Survey. The survey is based on responses from 233 members of the company’s registered user base. The respondents provided their answers online during the third quarter of 2008.
About 21% of respondents reported spending over 12 hours per week online for work-related purposes. Around 33% said that they spend at least nine hours online weekly. The Internet has become crucial to performing key work-related tasks: 83% of respondents have used the Internet to find components and suppliers; and 81% go online to obtain product specifications. In addition, 79% use the Internet to conduct research, 67% to request a price quote, and 66% to compare products across suppliers.
Seven of the top 10 most valuable resources for searching for products and services are online resources, including search engines, supplier Web sites, online trade publications, and e-newsletters. Seventy-four percent of respondents indicate visiting six or more work-related Web sites per week, with 20% visiting 20 or more. Additionally, 59% use multiple search engines for work. Interestingly, podcasts, blogs, and RSS feeds were ranked least valuable as information sources for work-related purposes.
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