Last September, Plugged In ran an article listing Internet service providers (ISPs) in the Cincinnati area.
That article was undoubtably the most popular that's appeared here.
Our list had 18 providers; today, there are more than 3,500 regional and national ISPs in the United States (http: - - thelist.iworld.com), more than 50 available to residents of Greater Cincinnati.
All this competition forces down prices; many ISPs offer unlimited access for $20 a month. Sprynet, a national ISP, even has a $5-a-month bargain plan (http://www.sprynet.com).
But in this freewheeling marketplace, caveat emptor takes on added meaning. Choosing the wrong ISP can mean hours of frustration. Wrong software, bad technical support advice or no tech support at all can send computer novices scurrying back to America Online or CompuServe - which many say are the slowest and most costly ways to access the Internet.
So how can the Internet shopper find the best ISP at the best price? As the old song goes, you'd better shop around. And the best place to shop for good Internet access is on the Internet.
The most comprehensive and ambitious attempt to rate ISPs can be found on CNET (http://www.cnet.com /Content/Reviews/ISP), the online multimedia company (you might have seen their television show on late-night cable).
CNET asked readers to rate their ISPs and compiled the results. Not surprisingly, the big national online companies didn't fare well.
Of 418 ISPs that were rated, CompuServe's WOW service was 417th (CNET reports ''satisfaction with the service is extremely low''), and America Online, the largest online service, was rated 407th for its Internet access. While CNET says AOL is good for beginners, pricing and slow connections to the Web frustrate customers.
Rafe Needleman, CNET editor, says the survey is based on more than 14,500 replies received since March. The survey is also one of the most popular CNET features, and it will continue to compile and post updated results daily, ''into the foreseeable future.''
He added that the ISP community is watching the survey closely, and CNET has installed controls to keep ISP owners from stuffing the ballot box.
According to the CNET survey, some of the best ISPs are here in the Midwest. The No. 1 company is Midwest Communications (http://www.mwci.net) of Iowa. The No. 5 company is right here in Cincinnati: OneNet Communications (http://www.one.net).
According to the CNET review, OneNet offers good value and top-notch customer service, at a good price: unlimited access and a personal Web page all for $19.95 a month. Start-up fee is $29.95, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Rodney Sizemore, OneNet's director of sales and marketing, thinks that the high rating was based on customer service, which in the ISP business means technical support. That's critical for folks used to the simplicity of the big online services.
''Probably, the largest percentage of converts are from AOL and CompuServe,'' Mr. Sizemore said. ''We can take new customers from computer illiterate to configuring some software that can be difficult.''
Technicians can be reached by phone 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. six days and by voice mail Sunday. And they're on call for e-mail 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
''We have people remotely on all night,'' he said. ''We surprise people at 3 a.m. with (e-mail) replies.''
Another attraction is the personal Web site with 10 megabytes of space - enough for a small corporate site. Of the more than 5,000 OneNet customers, Mr. Sizemore estimated that half have Web pages.
While the CNET rating hasn't brought an explosion of new accounts, business is good and growing steadily.
''It gives customers a more comfortable feel,'' he said of the CNET rating. ''People have seen us there, and it makes them feel they made the right decision.''
Only a few Cincinnati area ISPs are mentioned in the CNET survey: Dot-Net (http://www.dot-net.net) was rated 131st, Cincinnati Bell's Fuse (http://www.fuse.net) was ranked 233rd and IgLou was 358th. InfiNet (http://www.infi.net), a national ISP which supports the Enquirer's GoCincinnati service, was ranked 243rd.
For a complete list of Cincinnati area Internet companies, see Dave Houston's home page (http://ccc-bbs.com/public/pages/houston/isp.txt).