New York SBDC Research Network

The Statistical Abstract of the United States , published since 1878, is the authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. Although emphasis in the Statistical Abstract is primarily given to national data, many tables present data for regions and individual states and a smaller number for metropolitan areas and cities. Use the Abstract as a convenient volume for statistical reference, and as a guide to sources of more information both in print and on the Web. Sources of data include the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, and many other Federal agencies and private organizations. The PDF version is available for download here .

The Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, or DSIRE , is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility and federal incentives and policies that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency. Established in 1995 and funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, DSIRE is an ongoing project of the N.C. Solar Center and the Interstate Renewable Energy Council. Users can search for state or federal incentives, as well as benefit from other useful aspects of the website. One such useful aspect of the website is the Library , which includes selected reports, technical papers, articles and presentations authored by the DSIRE staff. Related publications that were co-authored with colleagues in academia, government and the private sector are also included. Another useful aspect of the website are the Links provided to National Organizations, Federal Resources, State Organizations, Regional Organizations, and International Organizations. Overall, this is an i

For those visually inclined, here is an infographic of the information we share through the Internet. Some of these are such staggering numbers, it's difficult to get one's head around but neatly summarized at GOOD . Other interesting infographics can be found at their site .

The United Nations General Assembly designated Oct. 20, 2010, as the first-ever World Statistics Day to highlight the role of official statistics and the many achievements of national statistical systems. Statistical organizations throughout the world will celebrate World Statistics Day at the national and regional level. The census, the U.S. Census Bureau and 13 other principal federal statistical agencies together have been collecting statistics about the nation's people, economy and society since 1790. Here are some statistics, including statistics about statistics .

Launching a blog for your business is an exciting way to generate continual buzz and to boost your word-of-mouth marketing efforts. Blogs are a more personal, conversational way to communicate with your customers, and they help foster customer loyalty. Through helpful, entertaining posts, you can start and maintain conversations with customers about your business and position yourself as an industry expert. More HERE .

On Wednesday, October 27th from 9:30-10:30 AM, the New York State Small Business Development Center (NYS SBDC) will be co-sponsoring a free webinar on Franchising. The webinar is being presented by Frank Dunne, Principal of the Hudson Valley FranNet, a company that provides no-cost guidance, information and support to individuals who are interested in exploring the purchase of a franchised business. The program is primarily targeted at entrepreneurs who are seeking information on franchising. To register by phone call (914) 260-9082, or by email at fdunne@frannet.com.

While searching for local grant writers the other day, I stumbled upon a website created by a grant writer in New York City. GrantWatch.com describes itself as "the only website that provides a comprehensive listing of the most current funding opportunities: Federal, State, Foundation grants for nonprofits, for-profits, preschools, education, community, faith based organizations, universities, small businesses and government." Users can search the website by grant topic OR by state. I found the state search particularly helpful and unlike the main grant site we search here at the Research Network, this site has a free search option. Finally, one of the topic searches was "For-Profits", a topic we rarely find grants for and another main reason I will use this site when searching for grants.