The Face That Launched a Thousand Sites

Who in America best typifies the Internet? America Online (AOL Quote) Chairman Steve Case? eBay (EBAY Quote) CEO Meg Whitman? What about Al Gore?

No, no and no. The answer is The Internet Guy.

You've never heard of The Internet Guy, but chances are you've seen him. Out of the millions of people in the U.S., it's The Internet Guy (let's call him TIG) whom many online companies have chosen when they want to put a human face on their Internet businesses. With an amiable mug accented by thick-rimmed glasses and spiky hair, TIG has graced magazine ads, billboards and Web sites for everything from online music store EveryCD to comparison-shopping service CompareNet to online guide About.com (BOUT Quote) in the days after the company changed its name from MiningCo.com.

It doesn't stop there. There's TIG lounging in a chair on the Herman Miller (MLHR Quote) office furniture Web site. And he's holding a mike and pulling out the finger guns like a Vegas lounge singer on the Domino's Pizza site. ...