Last year at InternetWorld, my Best of Show award went to CallButton.com for a service that allows customers to click a button to summon a telephone call from a sales rep or web site owner. While that seemed like best solution at time of that review and still provides an excellent support solution, it does NOT measure up to power of Groopz live support nor does it require a web site visitor to offer up any personally identifiable information until they make purchase.

My biggest objection to Groopz service is possible intrusiveness of an unexpected live chat popping up unwanted or unrequested. When I pointed privacy implications out to folks at Groopz, I was told, "The only information that is now gathered by this live help tool is very same data gathered by WebTrends for analysis." While this is true, most users of WebTrends don't watch as an IP address travels through their site. As a privacy advocate, this feels voyeuristic to me, even if all you are doing is watching an IP address move through site, I feel just a little uneasy with it. But those extra sales might be worth a bit of uneasiness if customers aren't offended.

The Java chat window that pops up for greeting may well startle site visitors but, according to Groopz, experience has shown that most just politely answser no, or click chat box closed as though it were a pop-up advertisement. Since you can see what visitor does, even though they close window, you'll know if they leave site because live information is still on your interface screen.

Research has shown that up to 80% of online shopping carts are abandoned and although reasons are simply unavailable for this, I'll assert that it is frustration over not being able to ask about simple matters like battery life or term of warranty that makes an online shopper leave without purchasing products already in an online shopping cart.

Additional, albeit separate, research has shown if shoppers could have questions answered, they would convert to buyers and complete up to 80% of those abandoned transactions. Completing of even 40% more sales would more than justify $95 monthly cost of Groopz.com service for many online businesses. Any one of those contacts offer opportunity to upsell too!

Groopz.com receives WebSite101 Best of Show award for this simple, affordable sales tool for small business webmaster. For a list of runners-up and more contenders for award, visit WebSite101.

This, he says, is how web affects ALL businesses. No longer do you need to call for verification of funds at a bank (it's online or ATM) and no longer does it matter that bank is closed or that you are not at your own branch. The central server for any and all businesses, large and small, will be open 24/7 and always accessible to any customer to track their orders, check inventory for availability of any product they wish to buy and make instant buying decisions at 3am. If not yet, then soon.

This sweeping change hass come in banking and commerce, in government, philanthropy, academia and even many personal interactions. While I commend Mr. Conway for his speaking ability, I still see a place for helping world to understand how this change affects broad majority of public, small business and vast middle ground -- rest of us. Conway talks about how BIG business, BIG finance and BIG government is moving toward total web adoption, but this affects rest of world too. Because business, government and finance is "moving online" it means that instant access to every aspect of our world will be available to everyone via web.

It hasn't happened yet, but I believe web will soon make it possible to do previously unimaginable (even mudane) things like lock your front door via web from your car or office if you forgot to do it when you left home. I think we'll be able to do a long list of things undreamt currently within a very short time. But my question is . . . must it always be top down?

Does BIG business, BIG money and BIG eGovernment need to make sweeping, worldwide changes before John Doe learns about those changes or is it possible that something simple John Doe does will soon affect BIG business just as profoundly? I submit that web-enabling of our world will have a reverse profound effect on BIG business. They will know instantly how public perceives their company, it's products and it's business philosophy because that feedback will be available in real-time via web. If start-ups had that power, they might fail less often than they do now.

I now routinely check web for weather information, maps for upcoming travel destinations and local public transportation routes in cities I'll soon be visiting. I make hotel and car reservations, book airline tickets and I even found free parking and airport shuttle online for my most recent flight.

Admittedly, this stuff is all travel related, but you can look up recipes online and find lawn care tips just as easily and instantly. Our expectations are moving this direction for every human activity. The web is pervasive, always on and mostly accessible for most people. It's magic for me, how is it for you?