A piece of Internet history was made this week when Madonna managed to get nine million people online for a live gig.

It was the Material Girl's first live web concert as well as being her first UK concert for seven years.

Visitors to www.msn.co.uk/madonna were able to log on, buy merchandise, catch up with the latest news, post messages, text friends, buy CDs, win things........well do anything that involved Madonna really, plus, of course, see the gig live.

As one of those looking forward to the experience of "being" at the intimate London venue from the comfort of my own home, I remain slightly disappointed.

A lot of people, including me, were booted off at the height of the show although it was easy enough to get back on.

But the main source of disappointment was the picture quality. While I am prepared to accept that watching it at a new media centre at a university or top design firm might have provided the sort of television quality boasted of, my home computer system is just that - a home computer system.

So my experience of "being there" was probably pretty much the same as most people at home - a slightly fuzzy picture with slightly tinny sound quality.

Now the solution to this is on its way and, sadly, it is thanks to the porn industry. I can't think of another circumstance when I would say this, but I hope the porn industry gets on with it.

Only the porn mongers, who can make huge amounts of money by making the "being there" experience as real as possible, have the investment cash and inclination to make a difference in this field.

And while they push the Internet into ever seedier corners, at least the rest of us will be able to appreciate the rumoured £1m makeover of the Brixton Academy, the show and the music that MSN are believed to have paid millions of pounds to put on.

Did you get to see Madonna online? Tell me what it was like for you by dropping an e-mail to Sara Andrews.