New York SBDC Research Network

On a section of our Facebook page, we had higher engagement figures than reach, meaning more people were said to have clicked on or interacted with the content than Facebook said viewed it. In searching for a possible answer, we found this article: Facebook Admits Organic Reach Is Falling Short, Urges Marketers to Buy Ads . Essentially, Facebook is saying that the fewer people are seeing free posts from pages, and that you’re going to have to pay to promote your content if you want it seen. Kind of depressing, but our numbers seem to reflect this change. Somewhere or other - can't seem to find it presently - I saw a video about how the Facebook model of having to pay to have them see you seems backward, compared to the YouTube model, where the people who drive traffic to the site actually can benefit from their cleverness.

Business Employment Dynamics is a set of statistics generated from the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages program. These quarterly data series consist of gross job gains and gross job losses statistics from 1992 forward. These data help to provide a picture of the dynamic state of the labor market. New data from the Business Employment Dynamics program: Entrepreneurship and the U.S. Economy

The Fourth Quarter Employment Bulletin shows the labor market is showing signs of improvement but still has areas of concern.  Small business-dominated industries are starting to turn around as interest rates remain at historical lows.  Find the full report here: http://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/Quarterly_Employment_Bulletin_4q2013%20.pdf

Governor Andrew Cuomo introduced the New York State Adventure License Series, a new promotional effort to provide New Yorkers and visitors the opportunity to purchase lifetime licenses to fish, hunt and visit New York State Parks. This is part of the State’s efforts to boost tourism and enhance recreational opportunities across the state for outdoor enthusiasts. Click here to learn more . Visit the new online licensing portal – www.licensecenter.ny.gov – to purchase a lifetime license or to learn more about the Adventure License Series. New York’s Lifetime Adventure License Series will provide many benefits including: Lifetime Hunting License: $535 for small/big game A lifetime hunting license allows holders to hunt across millions of acres of majestic wild lands in New York while saving on the costs of an annual license. Lifetime Fishing License: $460 A lifetime fishing license provides a lifetime of fishing on more than 70,000 miles o

The 37th edition of the New York State Statistical Yearbook for 2013, published by The Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government of the University of Albany, is now available in print and online. Similar to the Statistical Abstract of the United States, this Yearbook is organized into chapters focusing on specific topics or governmental functions. Where possible, the tables provide data for each of the state’s sixty-two counties, including the five boroughs of New York City. Several interesting statistics are captured in this edition with particular relevance to the small business landscape in New York State:  New York State ranks second in New Economy scores for High Wage Traded Services. Also in the New Economy category, New York is ranked twelve for Foreign Direct Investment and sixteenth for Job Churning. (To view the full data, navigate to Table B-5 ) Direct expenditures by New York State and local governments totaled $15,173 per capita, 51 percent above the nationa

In FY 2013, Advocacy produced 22 contract and internal research reports on a variety of topics including access to capital, small business exporters, entrepreneurship, and minority- and women-owned businesses. In addition to these reports, Advocacy economists participated in roundtables and conferences about various small business topics and conducted presentations to audiences that included policymakers, academics, and/or the media. These outreach efforts are important for small business stakeholders around the country. This document describes the 2013 research and provides links to the publications on Advocacy’s website .

Someone I know wrote: I go to a coffee shop where I plan to use the WiFi. I order a cookie with my tea, not because I really want a cookie but because I want to order something besides tea since I'm coming there to sit for a while and I want to be nice. The woman puts my cookie in this huge basket. It's weird. It's not something you'd ever eat a cookie out of. I figure she's out of plates or something so I say, that's OK, I don't need a basket, I'll just use this napkin. She looks at me and sighs -- not joking at all-- and says, alright but watch out for the crumbs, we just vacuumed. For real. Like she was annoyed with me. And to top it all off, their Wifi doesn't work. Do I just have my knickers in a twist or am I right to be a little annoyed with her? Oh well. First world problems. She got lots of constructive feedback, such as "Ask her for a bib" and "Spill those crumbs and walk out the door!" My own cranky response: It&