New York SBDC Research Network

Until recently, I had never heard of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council . "The Council is a formal interagency body empowered to prescribe uniform principles, standards, and report forms for the federal examination of financial institutions by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (FRB), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS), and to make recommendations to promote uniformity in the supervision of financial institutions." I used the Census data to get, for a state, metro area, county down to census tract, Income Level, Distressed or Underserved Tract, Median Family Income, % 2007 HUD Est., Est. Tract Median Family Income, Minority Population and Owner vs. Rental Occupied Units.

We've gone a bit mad for digitization around here, but you don't need me to tell you that sometimes PDF files of print documents are much easier to use. Back in May 2005, dinosaurs still roamed the Earth, our blog was only a week old, and Roger wrote a post about a NYS Department of Transportation website that provided links to PDF documents, each of which gave traffic counts for county roads. I know many of you took that link to heart, and used it frequently. Life was simple. I think it was last year that DOT decided to "improve" the site by creating the Traffic Data Viewer. In their own words, it provides "a web-based index system that allows users to search for current traffic data available from NYSDOT. Users can obtain individual volume, speed and vehicle classification counts while viewing locations where the data was collected on an interactive map." Good . . . in theory. In reality, I can't figure out how to make the thing work. I've re

I read this article yesterday (ironically, while waiting for my PC to re-boot). It discussed findings presented at a conference here in Albany on Wednesday afternoon concerning the ongoing battle against identity theft & cybercrime. To me, its most compelling part focused on the software used by a UAlbany professor to "lift" credit card numbers from the RFID chips on "swipeless" credit cards - software that can be purchased relatively cheaply. The article also mentions that American Express & other credit card companies are aware of this situation, and often code "alias" numbers that are different from those imprinted on the card itself. The game - which isn't much of a game if you've had your numbers stolen - continues.

Although the information and service that we provide to our clients in starting and maintaining their small business is invaluable, sometimes they need some weathered advice from someone in their own industry, someone who has "been there, done that". For this type of help, send your client to MicroMentor . According to the MicroMentor website, "MicroMentor connects low-income business owners - called "microentrepreneurs" - to individuals who have successfully navigated business ownership or management in the same industry. Although there are some existing mentoring opportunities available to business owners, MicroMentor is the only one that utilizes technology to pair two people in the same industry."

Ahundredmonkeys is a corporate branding and naming consultancy. Their site offers news items about what is going on in this field and some insight into how companies should be thinking about their names. They give some ideas about what to look for in a naming company. Although they are a commercial site and naturally selling their service, I liked it because it is nicely put together. They even look at their competitors to show how their approach differs. Their meditation garden allows you to ponder some ideas about naming and branding. Check out the many articles on their site, it can be a very entertaining read. Just an interesting site and food for thought. Here are some other pointers on the subject: Naming Your Business Entrepreneur.com By Phil Davis April 07, 2005 18 Pithy Insights for Naming Your Small Business Posted by Dharmesh Shah on Mon, Jan 08, 2007

Lately, neckties seem to be a recurring theme in my life. Two weeks ago, I learned to tie a tie (yes, I'm a late bloomer). Then this week at lunch we discussed office dress codes, and the fact that ties from fifteen years ago might be noticeably unfashionable today. Want to know more about the history of men's neck wear? In, " Short, Bold, Skinny, Paisley " the Wall Street Journal presents a timeline of necktie history. We all know that styles change, but I thought this brief piece did an especially nice job illustrating the effect of changing styles on an industry and its trade association.

Monthly Small Business Economic Trends Analysis from the National Federation of Independent Business.