New York SBDC Research Network

Businesses: you may wish to inform your tax preparer about this free webinar The Tax Department is offering two webinars on December 19 and December 20, 2011, that will explain how tax professionals can use the Tax Department's Online Services to manage their clients' accounts. There is no charge to participate. The webinar will explain how to create an Online Services account for clients and preparers' own business to: -file returns on behalf of clients -sign up for email notifications from the Tax Department -access other available online services offered by the Tax Department Expanded e-file mandate This year, the e-file mandate has been expanded. Now, all tax professionals must e-file their clients' returns. View the e-file mandate information . The first webinar will be conducted on December 19 from 10:30 am until 12:00 pm. The webinar will be repeated on December 20 from 10:00 am until 11:30 am. Participation is limited to 150 individuals on a

Top 6 Social Media Marketing Trends of 2011 Reflect on what has been happening in social marketing in 2011 in this article by Todd Wasserman on Mashable . While not a year for big changes, this article discusses how it has been more confirmation of who the main players are and for the small business owner, an indication of where they should invest their marketing energy.

Here is a survey of how women are really using technology today [PDF] , from laptops to mobile, from AdAge in collaboration with JWT. The single most interesting thing was the Millennial Profile of Aimee MacDonald (page 9), who, despite her high-tech lifestyle, learned "the value of a good old-fashioned person-to-person phone call."

Source: Government Accountability Office Economic, environmental, and health concerns have spurred interest in "green building" — construction and maintenance practices designed to make efficient use of resources, reduce environmental problems, and provide long-term financial and health benefits. Federal laws and executive orders direct agencies to meet green building standards in federal buildings and to foster green building in the nonfederal sector; the latter includes private, state, local, and tribal entities and accounts for the majority of the nation's buildings. GAO was asked to (1) identify current initiatives by federal agencies to foster green building in the nonfederal sector and (2) determine what is known about the results of these initiatives. Full report (PDF)

I've written here before about the fact that, unlike for women-owned, or minority-owned businesses, there is no certification, as such, for small business in New York State. Yet, certain vendors that offer set-asides for small businesses are looking for such documentation; calls to our office confirm this trend. Generally speaking, most government procurement entities allow for self-certification; what one US President once called "trust but verify." It appears, though, that some companies have decided to have small business set-asides, and erroneously believe that ALL states have a more systematic procedure, as California reportedly does, or did. What is a small business to do? If the business is listed in a database such as Reference USA or a Dun & Bradstreet product, perhaps a record from those sources would do. Perhaps a file business certificate a/k/a a DBA, might be enough. But maybe not. My favorite suggestion, from one of our SBDC advisors, which

Thursday, December 15, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., EST WASHINGTON – With the end of the 2011 tax year right around the corner, small business owners can help prepare themselves for the upcoming filing season by clicking in to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s free December web chat for tips on potential year-end tax savings. Chat participants can get valuable information on how to prepare now with useful tax savings tips and a set of red flags on mistakes to avoid. WHO: Edward S. Karl, CPA, vice president of taxation for the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, will host SBA’s free December web chat on “Tax Essentials for Small Business Owners.” Karl will answer questions about tax deductions and credits business owners can use to reduce their tax payments, as well as other tax-saving tips. 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 en

What are the influential blogs in Canada? Try Blog Rank . Noticed that Travel blogs dominate the rankings. You can use the main site to check out other categories as well.