For men, it's just, 'Give me the facts. For women, it's 'Let's talk about this. Are you worried about this problem?' It's keeping in touch and connecting with people in a richer way.

Women are the ones who ask directions and men are the ones who never stop to ask directions, so they do it online as well.

More than men, women are enthusiastic online communicators, and they use e-mail in a more robust way. Women are more likely than men to use e-mail to write to friends and family about a variety of topics: sharing news and worries, planning events, forwarding jokes and funny stories. Women are more likely to feel satisfied with the role e-mail plays in their lives, especially when it comes to nurturing their relationships. And women include a wider range of topics and activities in their personal e-mails.

Men tend to be attracted to online activities that are far more action-oriented, while women tend to value things involving relationships or human connections.

Men and women also value the Internet for a second strength, as a gateway to limitless vaults of information. Men reach farther and wider for topics, from getting financial information to political news. Along the way, they work search engines more aggressively, using engines more often and with more confidence than women.

I think the real interesting story is the young women, because that is the one age cohort where there are many more women online. The younger women are just much more comfortable with the Internet.