1. A system for assisting users with the selection of items on the Internet, comprising: one or more hardware processors; at least one web robot operable on the one or more hardware processors for crawling multiple websites to determine published userIDs and associated published preferences for items that are available on the web; a database accessible to the one or more hardware processors for storing the userIDs and associated preferences; software operable on the one or more hardware processors for performing an analysis and suggestion function; wherein the system assumes until determined otherwise that a userID used by a first user on a first website represents the same user as the same userID used by a second user on a second website; wherein associated preferences stored for a particular userID include preferences for items available from a plurality of websites; wherein the system provides a third user with a suggested first item based on the expressed preferences of at least the first and second users across multiple websites relative to the first item and items that at least the first and second users have previously reviewed; wherein the suggested first item provided to the third user is based on both positive and negative preferences of the first and second users; wherein a weighting profile is created for weighting rating values that represent positive and negative preferences; and wherein the weighting profile is deployed by the system with respect to combining preferences of the first and second users in suggesting the first item.
1. A system for assisting users with the selection of items on the Internet, comprising: one or more hardware processors; at least one web robot operable on the one or more hardware processors for crawling multiple websites to determine published userIDs and associated published preferences for items that are available on the web; a database accessible to the one or more hardware processors for storing the userIDs and associated preferences; software operable on the one or more hardware processors for performing an analysis and suggestion function; wherein the system assumes until determined otherwise that a userID used by a first user on a first website represents the same user as the same userID used by a second user on a second website; wherein associated preferences stored for a particular userID include preferences for items available from a plurality of websites; wherein the system provides a third user with a suggested first item based on the expressed preferences of at least the first and second users across multiple websites relative to the first item and items that at least the first and second users have previously reviewed; wherein the suggested first item provided to the third user is based on both positive and negative preferences of the first and second users; wherein a weighting profile is created for weighting rating values that represent positive and negative preferences; and wherein the weighting profile is deployed by the system with respect to combining preferences of the first and second users in suggesting the first item. 4. The system of claim 1 , wherein when the third user requests suggestions relative to a specific product or service category, providing suggestions for items shown on multiple websites based on preferences of users who had similar preferences to each other for items offered on multiple websites and who also had a specified level of preference for said specific product or service category; and wherein the third user need provide no preference information beyond requesting suggestions relative to the specific product or service category in order to receive the suggestions.