Merrill Lynch & Co’s most recent snapshot of cyberspace estimates the number of US web users climbed 250,000 in the month of July to reach 62.9 million, which is less than the average increase of 750,000 per month, but to be expected given seasonal effects.

America Online sites remain the number one draw with 67% reach, up 1%, while Yahoo remained number two with 62%, also up 1%. Microsoft was up 2.5 points to 55%, while Lycos remained in the number four position with 48% reach. Less bookseller than shopping portal these days, Amazon.com remained the number one shopping site with a reach of 18%.