sing the Internet means secluding yourself for hours with a computer, right? Au contraire, say the patrons of the increasingly popular cybercafes, where you can browse the Web while sipping a latte, check your email between gulps of microbrew, and make the acquaintance of like-minded patrons who'd rather compare the merits of different Web browsers than . . . anything else.

From San Francisco to Seoul, many cafe owners have discovered that offering Internet access draws a crowd. Boston's Cybersmith Cafe -- where you can order your snacks by email, Net surf, videoconference, or image morph from one of 55 workstations -- is considered the best first date in town by many locals and more than a few out-of-towners. Proprietor Patrick Westerborg of the Internet Cafe in Amsterdam found that two Performas and a PC, installed in June 1995, pulled in more customers than the hashish and marijuana he had offered for eight years. And if someone catches your eye at the next table in Bangkok's CyberPub, you can send your pickup line via email.

Many cafes feature the latest in computer games. But on a practical level, cybercafes help travelers get messages from home without lugging their laptops abroad. They also offer inexpensive Internet access to people who simply can't afford the necessary hardware. At a Haagen-Dazs outlet in Bangkok, for example, you pay only the cost of the ice cream.