New York SBDC Research Network

I'm not a fan of business meetings. My wife works for a company that seems to revel in them. Sometimes, entire days go by where she does nothing but shuttle from one conference room to another. I don't hide my dismay. I prefer meetings that focus on a single thing, and then be part of an engaged group of people who share their opinions and reach some kind of consensus. It's a rare thing, but it is possible. (For instance, it's how we developed our presentation for this past year's staff training event.) I don't call many staff meetings (I like to think I communicate directly). However, I recognize that this is just the opposite extreme from how my wife's company works. There ought to be a middle ground. This is why I found this article so interesting. It ran in last Sunday's New York Times , and contains eminently practical suggestions for making meetings more efficient, and more useful to the time of everyone involved. I'm going to print it out, an

The Urban Institute has just released a new report addressing the job market for the baby boomer generation. Will Employers Want Aging Boomers? discusses the fastest-growing occupations for those over 55 and the types of skills employers will be looking for in this working population. From the report's abstract: "Boomers will probably want to work longer than earlier cohorts, but their continued work requires that employers hire and retain them. Employers value older workers for their maturity, experience and work ethic, but worry about out of date skills and high costs. Slower overall labor supply growth will increase demand for older workers and occupations with higher shares of older workers will increase modestly as a share of all jobs. Future jobs will require less physical demands and more cognitive and interpersonal skills, trends that favor educated older workers, but job opportunities for less educated older workers may remain limited."

Advocacy funded, U.S. Census Bureau Statistics of U.S. Businesses dynamic data has been updated to 2005. The data contains firm/establishment births, deaths, and related employment creation and destruction data by firm size, industry, and geographic location. From 2004 to 2005, firm births numbered 644,122 and deaths numbered 565,745. Firms with fewer than 500 employees accounted for 78.9 percent of the net employment growth during this period. See the dynamic data sections of http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/data.html for details.

While trying to figure out an idea on what to blog about today, I stumbled across the article Business Books for the Beach . A list of books that entrepreneurs are reading this summer, I thought that it would be the perfect article to highlight on a Friday afternoon with 90+ degree weather across the state. It is a rather short list, so other business book lists are available here and here .

I learned on a listserv this week the existence of ReBrand.com . It is a consulting firm that assists businesses in trying to overhaul the image of a brand in the mind of a consumer (and I'm sure that greatly simplifies the scope of their services). What I like about the site is their annual list of top rebranding efforts. Here's their top 100 for 2008 . This is a list of efforts by a variety of rebranding & marketing companies, so it's not limited to just them. The name of each company brand is linked to their full story. In most cases, you'll see images of marketing efforts used in the rebranding process. At the bottom of each page is some narrative that outlines the challenges the brand faced, and how they were overcome. (And, for a shamless local plug, check out the story of Brown's Brewing Company [the second listing underneath the "Best of Awards" heading]. It's in Troy, about 10 miles from where I'm typing this. Given that it's Frida

The New York State Directory 2007 - 2008 World Chamber of Commerce Directory June 2007 Las Mas Grandes Mentes De Marketing Del Mundo/How to Think Like The World's Greatest Marketing Minds: Lecciones De Negocios Marcia Layton Turner Cuando se mata una venta: Los 10 errores fatales que los vendedores cometen y como evitarlos / Kill the Deal Todd Duncan Negocios por internet para las pymes/ E-business for the Small Business John G. Fisher Anatomía de un plan de negocio / Anatomy of a Business Plan Linda Pinson Sea un propio jefe / Be Your Own Boss David Mc Mullan

We like to think and plan here at the Research Network, but one of our newer mottoes (thanks Nike), is "Just do it." We have lots of good ideas, but they could just sit around forever as we build consensus. Sometimes it's better just to take action, and if its not the right action, you can fix it later. Here's some more evidence for the "just do it" camp- 3 Good Reasons to Stop Thinking So Much, And How to Do It

Trulia is a "real estate search engine that includes demographic information," according to the Albany Times Union's Chris Churchill. The fascinating but slightly spooky Google Maps, street view "allows you to take virtual...tours of about 30 U.S. metropolitan areas," including Albany and Buffalo. One of the pictures of my house was either taken on Thursday afternoon or Friday morning, based on the location of the garbage cans. There may be local resources as well, such as the City of Albany search and Times Union real estate .

With gas prices continuing to rise with no end in sight and unemployment rates slowly rising due to the worsening economy, now would be the perfect time to get a "work from home" job. Unfortunately, the majority of "work from home" jobs are scams to make money off of people who don't have the money to spare. To find legitimate "work from home" business opportunities that are available, you just need to know where to look. Here are a few of the sites that can help. - bbbonline.org – Click on "For Consumers" when you want to research a specific business opportunity. - WomenForHire.com - Offers resources and ideas on working from home. - FTC.gov - Type "work at home" in search box for good and bad business opportunities, as well as information on how find a legitimate business.

Today's New York Times features an article called " Small Business is Latest Focus in Health Fight ". It focuses on the efforts of individual states around the U.S. in helping small business employers to provide health care to their workers. (New York isn't mentioned by name, though.) Two sentences jumped out at me: 1) "Of the 47 million uninsured people in this country, at least 20 million are employed by small businesses or work for themselves — a figure that has increased by an average of more than 500,000 a year since 2000." 2) "State laws now typically make it impossible for businesses to cross state lines to create their own purchasing pools, and small companies have had little success to date in being able to band together in sufficient numbers within state borders." Regarding the latter, Federal legislation has been introduced that would ease restrictions on small business' forming pools, even across state lines. The National Federatio

You may have come across articles celebrating this very old-school business as an example of extreme customer service success. Dabbawallas are tiffin-meal delivery men in India and have a remarkable success rate for accurate delivery of hot meals. Now, the business journals are looking at this human-driven, personalized service model with interest. The cult of the dabbawala The Economist Management trends Jul 10th 2008 From The Economist print edition Business-school gurus take lessons from an unexpected source The Dabbawalla's Secret Seth Godin's Blog Dabbawalla Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here's something I didn't know: The average age of a U.S. head of household is 49.5 years old. According to Advertising Age's " The Changing Face of the U.S. Consumer: What We Can Learn from Census Data, and Why It Matters for Brands ," households headed by two age groups, 35 to 44 and 45 to 54, currently account for almost half of U.S. consumer spending. But these groups are shrinking, so in the future more spending come from households headed by someone 55 or older. And they may be looking for different things to spend their money on.

Survey: 40 Percent Of Small Businesses Have No Disaster Preparedness Plan "A new national survey reveals that a startling number of small businesses remain unprepared to face a potential disaster, be that a hurricane, tornado, wildfire or computer virus, and the majority of these businesses have no plans to change. Commissioned by Office Depot, the survey of small businesses shows 40 percent admit they are not ready for a disaster and one-third indicate having no current plans to get prepared."

We'll get inquiries once in a while on finding contact information for school districts around the state. For years, we'd rely on a database generated by the State Education Department that was a bit cumbersome to navigate. Here, then, is an alternative, from the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics: http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/districtsearch/ Regardless of the geographic scope of your results, you can choose to download your findings directly into a spreadsheet. Note that this database is for public schools only.

There is a future of droughts and downpours for the U.S.A., according to the the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Climate Change Science Program . The specific report is here with the press release here .

At a Staff Training event years ago, I encountered Bonnie Gestwicki in the lobby of the hotel. She had a glow about her (she usually did). I asked where she got it from. She mentioned that she attended a kind of meditation session, which ended with the instructor saying that he "honored the light within you". From there on out, this became a running greeting between us. Today is the last day of Bonnie's run as director of the Corning SBDC, and I'll miss her insight on Finger Lakes wines, her wit & wisdom, and how she sent birthday email greetings to so many of us. Most of all, I'll miss that glow. So long, Bonster! We honor the light within you. Just don't head for the light any time soon!

Roger blogged about Canada earlier this week. Since Canada Day is next Tuesday, I'll continue the theme. Recently, Health Canada published Reducing Work-Life Conflict: What Works? What Doesn’t? While Canadian in focus, it discusses issues that transcend borders. From its summary: "More and more workers are finding it difficult to balance the roles of employee, parent, spouse, and eldercare giver. Trying to balance paid work, family responsibilities, and personal needs takes a toll on employers, families, and workers. And it shows up as higher absenteeism, reduced employee commitment, declining job satisfaction, lower workplace morale, and reduced satisfaction with family life . . . the report examines what employers, employees and their families can do to reduce work-life conflict." It's lengthy (325 pages), but if you're facing this conflict (and have the time), I recommend giving it a read.

Earlier this week I stumbled onto The Franchise Mall , an online directory of franchises. The reason why I prefer the Franchise Mall over other franchise directories is the amount of information given about the company. The Franchise Mall lists the number of franchises in operation for the past five years, start-up costs, statistics on business operations, similar franchises to look at, and much more. There are many other excellent franchise directories to choose from and since results vary from database to database, I would suggest using a few when searching for franchise opportunities. The Franchise Registry - SBA list of franchise companies whose franchisees enjoy the benefits of a streamlined review process for SBA loan applications. Franchise Search - Resource for franchising lifestyles and personal ownership. Franchise Opportunities - Directory of available franchise and business opportunities. Best Franchise Opportunities - Best franchise opportunities, franchises for sale

Are you on Facebook, but wondering what it can do for your small business? On June 24 th , Visa unveiled a new Facebook application, the Visa Business Network . While still in beta, the application claims that "Here you can connect with other small business owners, learn ways to manage your business more efficiently, and grow by reaching the millions of potential customers on Facebook." Visa's also partnered with the Wall Street Journal, Google and Entrepreneur to bring small business content and applications to its Facebook presence. Read more about the Visa Business Network in this article from ComputerWorld: Visa, Facebook unveil social network for small businesses

Sharing your best pics Beautifully crafted cabinets, comical before and after plumbing or electrical shots, clothing, jewelry, interesting photographs of anything - this is an opportunity to be creative and show the beauty in daily life. While you cannot use Flickr to advertise your business, you can still use it to store and share photographs. And like LinkedIn, and Facebook, it is another social networking resource. Build a repository of photos to share with colleagues or the world at large and you can decide who can see which photos. Label them with your website name and without screaming your message, you can still show your stuff. In this situation, less is definitely more. But check out Flickr and just browse and see the beautiful and interesting things you can see.

Canada at a glance presents the current Canadian demographic, education, health, justice, housing, income, labour market, economic, travel, financial, and foreign trade statistics. This booklet also includes important international comparisons, so that readers can see how Canada stacks up against its neighbours. Updated yearly, Canada at a glance is a very useful reference for those who want quick access to current Canadian statistics. Remember, Canada Day is July 1.

When a new business is started, it is rare of the entrepreneur to own the necessary machinery and supplies. While the Yellow Pages might be the first place an entrepreneur thinks of to search for supplies, there are better options. Earlier this week I learned about ThomasNet , where users can search for manufacturers, distributors, and service providers. According to the website, "ThomasNet is the leading online industrial destination site where buyers and engineers from companies of all sizes, including the government and the military, go to search for and purchase everything needed – from printed circuit boards to laboratory equipment to machinery." The site provides an easy-to-use keyword function for the user to search products, services, companies, brands, news, and more.

A mashup is an application that is developed out of existing APIs (application programming interface). The same way an operating system integrates various functions, a programmer can develop a new service or product out of freely available applications. So, when two or more tools are married you see new products like PolicyMap that uses Pushpin Location Data which gives lots of place data tied to maps. The creators take an existing tool and expand or marry it to another to create something new. Another is Big Contacts that pulls together three different tools to create a new web-based organizer. It consolidates email, phone, documents, syncing and task lists. API Dashboard A source for many, many applications used in mashups. Aimed at designers and programmers, it is still interesting to see the variety of tools that are being incorporated into new applications. It descibes which API are used and has links to the site.

I thought this was an interesting article from Friday's Business Review: " Web site turns cars into moving billboards--and extra gas money for drivers " discusses a new Saratoga Springs business that offers free gas cards to drivers willing to advertise for local businesses. Interested drivers volunteer to soup-up their cars and trucks with vehicle graphics, and hand out cards and brochures. Local businesses can select drivers based on their age, what type of car they drive, how much they drive, and where they go. And all that driving is made possible by the gift cards for gasoline. Win/win? The next edition of What's Your Signage? will include a section on vehicle graphics/wraps, maybe discussing concepts like this one. Until then, don't forget about Whatsyoursignage .com for all sorts of information about signs and small business.

Here's a section of the business cycle that may not be well understood. The study "Entrepreneurship and the Barrier to Exit: How Does an Entrepreneur-Friendly Bankruptcy Law Affect Entrepreneurship Development at a Societal Level?" received the SBA's Office of Advocacy Best Paper Award at the 2008 Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference. "The authors examine the relationship between bankruptcy law and the value-creating activities associated with risk-taking behaviors by entrepreneurial firms. They argue that an entrepreneur-friendly bankruptcy law may paradoxically increase the number of corporate bankruptcies, which may be indicative of a vibrant entrepreneurial economy." A copy of the report is located here and the research summary can be found here . Should you need further information, please feel free to contact Jules Lichtenstein at (202) 205-6533 or advocacy@sba.gov.

" Lost in E-Mail, Tech Firms Face Self-Made Beast " is an article that appears in last Saturday's New York Times . While its premise (that desk-bound workers have their productivity affected greatly by a steady barrage of email throughout the work day) is hardly new, I was intrigued by the technology implemented by Google Mail. I don't have a Gmail account, but I like the idea of clicking a button & having my email made inaccessible to me for a fifteen-minute period. I might have to switch over to that service, just so I can catch my breath. *** Just so you know, Research Network turnaround time is down to five days.

One of the most common items requested here at the Research Network are Sample Business Plans. For access to Sample Business Plans, we primarily use two resources: Business Plan Pro and the Business Plans Handbook. Business Plan Pro is available through a downloadable interface that currently costs $99.95 for the 2008 version. Business Plans Handbook, of which there are twelve volumes, is available online through a few different sources. NOVELny , which is available for use to all New York residents, includes the Gale Virtual Reference Library, providing access to volumes 1-10 while Reference for Business provides access to volumes 1-11, as well as other valuable business research sources.

You are probably familiar with SurveyMonkey , an online survey service we have used in the RN, but as this method of taking surveys becomes more popular and effective, there are others: PollDaddy , Zoomerang. As far as I know, all of these offer a basic, free service and an expanded service for a fee. Another service is called; Ask500People which is what it says. It is in beta and allows users to ask sometimes random questions and counts the responses.

Do you have trouble remembering your Web 2.0 technologies? There are a plethora of collaborative online tools for everyone and every purpose. I'm not sure this will help you keep them straight, but you might discover something new and helpful. Go2Web20.net is a directory of web 2.0 applications and services. The home page displays a screen full of logos for different applications. In the mood to play? Just scroll up or down with the little purple arrows, and click on what moves you. If you're looking for a specific application type, you can either search or browse the tag cloud (click on "Select Tag"). Visually it's a lot to take in, but there's some pretty interesting web applications included here that you might not have found otherwise.

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.

There are many industries and businesses in New York State that require permits and licensing in order to operate. Restaurants, day cares, liquor stores, contractors, and hotels are just a few of the more popular businesses that our clients start that require permits. In order to find out what NYS requires, the Governor's Office of Regulatory Reform provides OPAL - Online Permit Assistance and Licensing. OPAL provides information for all of the state agencies, as well as contact information, fees, and requirements for applying for the permits and licenses. The site also provides pages of "Helpful Information" on a variety of businesses, not just the ones that require permits. There is a keyword search to facilitate easy searching of the database.

Planning some outdoor recreation? Its a great time of year for biking and hiking, and just getting outside. Interested in the economic and demographic aspects of outdoor recreation? Check out the research provided by the Outdoor Industry Association . Some of the more technical or current reports are only for members, but free reports include a 2006 state of the industry report, state by state examinations of the active outdoor economy, demographic profiles, and retailer operational analyses.

Does international pressure really affect the survival of domestic manufacturers? Does it have the same effect regardless of size? A new study released by the Office of Advocacy, The Impact of International Competition on Small-Firm Exit in U.S. Manufacturing, provides answers. The study finds that changes in exchange rates affect the smallest of manufacturers, those with fewer than 20 employees, but have limited a impact on larger manufacturers. Manufacturing firms in high-tech industries felt less impact from international pressures than low-tech industries did. A full copy of this report is available here and the research summary can be found here . Should you need further information, please feel free to contact Brian Headd at (202) 205-6533 or advocacy@sba.gov. *** This report, "Characterization and Analysis of Small Business Energy Costs," compiles available information to (1) characterize the potential impact of energy price increases on small entities in individu

Everyone has a story to tell about a client who wants/needs a grant for their business. We know from experience that there are very, very few (if any) grants for private, for-profit businesses. Despite this experience, some clients are likely to insist that the money is "out there," somewhere. If they insist, then send them to GrantGopher.com . It's just been released. It promotes itself as a free website where information on grant funding possibilities can be found. From their home page: "We believe that this information should be freely available, especially because grants are so desperately needed by people and organizations that may not be able to afford subscription fees or a professional grant researcher." We're one of those organizations that have paid an annual fee for a database that we've used for your grants requests over the years (and that fee went up this year, and will go up again next year). GrantGopher requires a free registration to acc

A few weeks ago, I filled up the gas tank in my car and for the first time ever, I paid over $40. For those of you that drive large cars, trucks, or SUV's, $40 must sound like heaven. But for myself and my little Honda Civic, $40 is a lot. It is predicted the the price could hit $5 per gallon by the end of the year and certain gas stations in Germany are already charging up to $8 per gallon. Below are links to websites to help your clients (and you) find the cheapest gas in the area. Websites to find gas prices Gas Price Watch Gas Buddy Gas Prices from Mapquest The following links provide widgets that can be downloaded to your desktop or embedded in the programing of your blog or personal webpage. Automotive.com Gas Prices Widget Interdimension Media Gas Widget Apple Gas Widget for Macs Finally, here is a list of websites that are also pertinent to the gas crisis. Fuel Economy AAA Fuel Cost Calculator Alternate Fuel Prices - Includes prices and purchase locations for BioDiesel

I was thinking about changing minds. How difficult it is to do. To change one's own mind or another's. From the point of view of an individual but also from that of a company or a brand - once a person has made up their mind about something, it almost doesn't matter what they hear or see. It seems that lack of perception is reality. If a person is not looking for new information, they are only picking up on the elements in a person or product that agrees with their established opinion. All other information is weeded out so that the image agrees with the bias. We can see that in the political process, in the media; once a point of view has been repeated a few times, it solidifies in the mind and is intractable. They say the key to changing someone's mind is to acknowledge and understand their point of view and then slowly point them to another option, and repeat. Changing Minds: The Great Resistance Branding Strategy Insider Posted by Jack Trout November 12, 2007 Atta

According to a recent article from Federal Computing Week there are at least 31 active public blogs run by federal agencies. This piece highlights 5 blogs hosted by (or at least related to) federal agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services (Secretary Mike Leavitt was the first head of an agency to write a public blog), the Congressional Budget Office, the State Department, and the Navy. We spend a fair amount of time searching for federal regulations and statistics. This more personable and conversational side of federal government feels particularly refreshing.

The Rockefeller Institute of Government has published the 32nd edition of its popular New York State Statistical Yearbook, providing updated information on a vast array of state data and state agency contacts for news media, citizens, government officials, and others. The 714-page Yearbook contains information ranging from population and health statistics to information on education in the state. Information is freely available online as a series of Excel pages here . For more information or to obtain a copy, click here . Read the news release .

We have Adobe Standard on our desktops, which helps us convert Word documents, images, PowerPoint slides, spreadsheets, and the like into PDF files. If you don't have this, here's one way to (freely) convert your stuff: a site called KoolWire . In addition to PDF, this site enables you to convert files into MP3, RTF, or WAV formats. On the home page, simply select (in Step 1) the format you want the item converted to. Click "start," and it will open a formatted email. Attach the file (or files - you can do more than one) to that email, click send, and await the results. If your file (or files) are more than 10 MB in size, they require you to upload through their website instead of by email. As for other file formats, check out the "KoolVersion Rules" link along the bottom of the home page. As a test, I sent them a Word file earlier today. It was 54K in size, and took about 90 seconds to be turned around back to me. Pretty cool (with a "c," n

Suppose you want to open an ice cream parlor. You like ice cream, you know most people like ice cream, and the city that you live in doesn't have an ice cream parlor. Sounds like a great idea for a business. Except for the fact that you have never worked in an ice cream parlor and really have no idea how to make, keep, or serve ice cream. Where would you go to learn the basics? On Wednesday, May 7th the Wall Street Journal ran an article entitled "How to Teach Yourself How to do Almost Anything." In the article, a few websites were listed sources where interested individuals, including my hypothetical ice cream parlor owner, can go to find instructional videos. Howcast - Cool how-to videos and guides from cutting-edge filmmakers, savvy experts, - and you! How To Videos on Wonder How To - Video Instructions, Tutorials, and Hacks eHow - How To Do Just About Everything

I've had a few requests for pricing information for fine artists. There are a few sources either available online or available in paper at a local library or by subscription. Gordon's Art Sales Index Gordon's is described as one of the largest databases of artists and art prices used by collectors,museums, and others. You will find links here to other databases as well like: Gordon's Photography Price Annual Gordon's Print Price Annual Hislop's art Sales Index Davenport's Art Reference & Price Guide

We know that television advertisers place advertisements during programs that attract their target demographic. Turner Entertainment Networks is taking it one step further. They have developed a program, TV in Context, which matches advertising content to related scenes in the program. Read all about it in this New York Times article, Turner to Offer Marketers Way to Link Ads to Content . They provide a few examples of how this could work. Let’s say you’re watching the movie “Hitch” on a Turner channel. In one scene a character suffers an allergic reaction, and immediately following, viewers see drug store commercial for an allergy medication. Turner is comparing the program to "contextual targeting, which is all the rage in online advertising and takes advantage of tracking the online behavior of computer users to serve them ads they would find relevant."

Websites come, websites go. But are they really gone ? Not always. There's something called The Wayback Machine , where you can retrieve old versions of current, or even defunct websites. It's not every page, and it's not every version of a given page; some companies block access to their pages. It's not just curiosity, though, that fuels the Wayback's usage. Once, I had a question that involved accessing a form or document from the Bureau of Indian Affairs website. For some bizarre legal reason, the BIA page was blocked, but I was able to access the piece using the Wayback Machine to get an earlier version of the BIA site. Here are 50 Fun Ways to Use the Wayback Machine .

Al Scher, our resident cycling geek, emailed me two interesting items this week. Both would be of interest to any clients you might have who run bike shops: From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune comes an article titled $4-a-Gallon Gasoline Knocking Bicycle Sales, Repairs Into a Higher Gear" . Bike shop owners around the country are noticing a remarkable jump in the number of bikes being bought. I haven't had a bike in years, and I'm thinking of paying a visit to a local shop. TheCyclePeople.com promotes itself as a site where 1.5 million cyclists visit often. This page is promoting a deal where owners of bike shops, touring companies, or cycling clubs can submit one or more listings - for FREE - for display for the rest of 2008. The catch is that they need to have the business' information by May 31st, 2008. So, again, if you have clients in this industry, let them know about this deal.