I guess also the chance of getting the repeat user comes in here for most sites. Every average Joe that hasn't been living in a cave the past few years knows what a .com is and every time he needs something or wants to visit a site, www.______.com is typed in. .com is more familiar than a .net so there you go. Old habits die hard. Specifically addressing search engines, though, yes a .net is just as good if not better when you consider price.