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Showing posts from March, 2011

Copyright quiz

From Lesley Ellen Harris at copyrightlaws.com When it comes to copyright law, there is much misinformation. Take the test below to determine what you think is a copyright truth or myth (false). Truth or Myth (False)? T F 1. Only registered works are protected by copyright. T F 2. Online content is in the public domain unless it has a copyright notice. T F 3. In at least 164 countries that belong to the Berne [Copyright] Convention, copyright protection is automatic upon creation of the work. T F 4. In all countries, the duration of copyright is seventy years after the death of the author. T F 5. Fair use is intentionally ambiguous. T F 6. You can copy 3 percent of a work without obtaining copyright permission. T F 7. If a work does not have a copyright notice, ©, then you may freely use the work without obtaining permission. T F 8. All U.S. government works are in the public domain. T F 9. Fair use never applies in a for profit situation. T F 10. There is no such thing as an

BestBizWeb Enewsletter

From The Information Advisor : "our monthly review of the best business research sites we’ve come across. We know how hard it is—well, even impossible—for anyone to keep up with all the new business sites that appear daily, let alone take the time to check each out and determine which are worth remembering. So we’re doing this work for you—and it’s free!"

New Online Toolkit Improves Access for SBA Lenders

WASHINGTON – Small business lenders now have access to more in-depth information and resources on U.S. Small Business Administration loan programs through the new Lender Toolkit on the agency’s recently redesigned website. The new site strengthens SBA collaboration with its lending partners, making it easier for them to identify the points of contact, loan programs and financing options that will best expand access to capital for local small businesses to help them grow and create jobs. Elements of the streamlined Lender Toolkit include useful tools like the ability to download and submit loan packages, updates on interest rates and important lending news, all at www.sba.gov/for-lenders . “Lenders are vital partners in our efforts to help entrepreneurs and small business owners grow successful companies and create good paying jobs in their communities,” said SBA Administrator Karen G. Mills. “Over the last two years, we’ve worked hard to strengthen these partnerships. This new online t

Contracting for Women-Owned Small Businesses

WASHINGTON – Are you a woman business owner seeking federal contracts? The U.S. Small Business Administration’s March web chat will focus on a new Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) federal contract program aimed at bringing more WOSBs into the federal contracting arena. Federal contracts can provide women entrepreneurs with the oxygen they need to take their business to the next level. Celebrate Women’s History Month and visit http://go.usa.gov/4BV to get information about the new contract program. WHO: Michele Chang, senior Advisor in the Office of Government Contracting and Business Development at the SBA, will host the March web chat on “SBA’s New Federal Contract Program for Women.” WHAT: SBA’s web chat series provides small business owners with an opportunity to discuss relevant business issues online with experts, industry leaders and successful entrepreneurs. Chat participants have direct, real-time access to the web chats via questions they submit online in advance, and du

Desktime

Desktime is an application that offers a marketplace for office space. If a company or building has a desk available, they can advertise it and those in need of desk space can locate it via this site. Right now it looks they only have listings for Austin and Chicago but it looks like a good idea. I wonder if things like this will take off. It seems like it would appeal on a number of levels: efficiency, non-wasteful approach, crowd-sourcing, network-encouraging opportunity. Like most things, its success will depend on populating the database. If this were tied in with a site like Linkedin, or Twitter you might be able to join forces with a limited network to share resources. I read an article about this on Springwise , a site that tracks innovative business ideas.

Small Business Profiles for the States & Territories

Check out the latest stats coming out of the Office of Advocacy's state small business profiles . These profiles show details about each state's small business makeup as well as the entire country. Each state profile will show you stats on; business ownership, demographics, industry breakout of firms and employment, employment turnover and lending.

Top 10 Web Hosting Services 2011

Consumer-Rankings.com "performed in depth research on the leading web hosting service providers." It "compared their pricing, features, bandwidth and storage space, ease of use, customer support and more to help you determine which hosting provider is right for your personal or small business website. According to our 2010 logs and stats , 59% of our visitors preferred iPage .For a quick overview of the most popular web hosting services click here ."

SBA Proposes Increase in Size Standards for Some Industries

WASHINGTON – A proposed rule published today for comment in The Federal Register by the U.S. Small Business Administration would adjust the size definition of small businesses in professional, scientific and technical services and other services sectors. The proposed revisions would increase the revenue-based size definition businesses need to meet to qualify as small businesses. They apply to businesses in 36 industries and one sub-industry in professional, scientific and technical services, and one industry in other services sectors. As part of its ongoing comprehensive review of all size standards, the SBA evaluated 46 industries and three sub-industries in these sectors. Of these, the SBA proposes to increase size standards for 36 industries and one sub-industry and retain current standards for the remaining 10 industries and two sub-industries. SBA’s size standards vary from industry to industry to account for differences among them. In 2007, the SBA began the process of review

Internet Page Ranking

Check PAGE RANK of Web site pages Instantly . "In order to check pagerank of a single web site, web page or domain name, please submit the URL of that web site, web page or domain name." http://www.whitehouse.gov 10 http://www.sba.gov 9 (Small Business Administration) http://www.state.ny.us 9 (state of New York) http://www.ibm.com/ 8 http://www.asbdc-us.org 7 (Association of Small Business Development Centers) http://www.nyssbdc.org/ 6 (New York State Small Business Development Center) http://www.timesunion.com/ 6 (Times Union newspaper, Albany, NY) http://nysdca.blogspot.com/ 6 (Data Detectives - the blog of the NYS Data Center affiliates) http://sbdcrn.blogspot.com/ 5 (blog of the New York State Small Business Development Center) http://www.whitehouse.com/ 5 (spoof of White House site) http://www.rogerogreen.com/ 4 (my primary blog)

Manufacturing Industry News

" Manufacturing Industry News is your go-to resource for latest news and trends in manufacturing. Our mission is to help manufacturing companies keep up with industry news, stay ahead of the competition and achieve business growth. Affiliated with HubSpot , a Cambridge-based inbound marketing softare company, Manufacturing Industry News seeks to offer you practical takeaways for sustainable manufacturing and growth strategies."

Bankruptcy stats

You can get all the bankruptcy stats you need from the US Bankruptcy Court site.

SBA Disaster Preparedness Webinar Is March 15

WASHINGTON – In the aftermath of flooding, wildfires, earthquakes and man-made calamities, how does the U.S. Small Business Administration determine which businesses are eligible to apply for disaster loans? How are loan amounts decided? What role does insurance play in the outcome of disaster recovery? Get answers to those and other questions during a free webinar on SBA disaster assistance funding hosted by the SBA and Agility Recovery Solutions on Tuesday, March 15 at 2 p.m. EDT. Representatives from SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance will explain how the disaster loan program works, how an SBA declaration is made, details on the application process, and tips on managing a swift recovery. A question and answer session will follow. SBA has partnered with Agility Recovery Solutions to offer business continuity strategies for entrepreneurs via their “PrepareMyBusiness” website. Visit www.preparemybusiness.org to access previous webinars and for more preparedness tips. Since 1953,

The Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDD)

A useful link to find out much of what you might want to know about about franchise and business opportunities, including Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDD), can be found on the FTC site .

Patents

A nifty wiki of patent databases .

Top 15 Hispanic-owned Companies in New York 2010

From Hispanic Business The Top 15 New York companies in the 2010 Hispanic Business 500 Ranking produced revenues of $323.12 million and employed 5,032 people in 2009. The revenue figure is down from the previous year, when it stood at $418.69 million, but the number of employees has risen from the 4,570 people reported in 2009. Gracious Home, in New York City, heads the list, with 2009 revenues of $59.00 million.

SBA Faces 45% Funding Decrease in U.S. Proposal

The U.S. Small Business Administration faces a 45 percent drop in funding under President Barack Obama’s budget request after receiving extra funding in economic stimulus legislation. The agency, which supports companies through loan programs and disaster assistance, would get $985 million in the fiscal 2012 plan Obama proposed today, a cut from the spending levels of 2010 supplemented by $962 billion in stimulus funding. While the budget would back $27 billion in loan guarantees for small business, administrative spending and funds for Small Business Development Centers would be cut...