Recent studies have shown that 2004 was a big year for nonprofits and real estate agents to use the Web to conduct business.
For nonprofits, a surge in online donations left tech-savvy charities with a combined windfall of tens of millions of dollars last year, according to data released by two Internet services firms this week and reported by Wired News.
These figures suggest that charities without a Web presence could be missing out on much-needed funds. With the tsunami aid pouring in from all over the world, the Web has been key in making it easy to give.
In the real estate world, the jump was significant as more and more home buyers and sellers became tech savvy.
According to a story in the San Jose Mercury News, home sellers used the Internet more during their transaction, expected quicker responses from their agents and were more likely to communicate in person with their agents than in 2003, according to results of the 2004 Survey of California Home Sellers from the California Association of Realtors.
Only 12 percent of home sellers surveyed by the Realtors group in 2003 said they used the Internet as part of their home sale. But in 2004 the number nearly quadrupled, rising to 47 percent.
InSite Web Services, an Alameda-based company, can be reached at 510.206.7456 or via .