New York SBDC Research Network

The Office of Advocacy has released the January 2015 issue of The Small Business Advocate newsletter . This edition features a roundup of the new leadership of the Congressional small business committees. The message from Chief Counsel for Advocacy Winslow Sargeant details his accomplishments during his tenure at the Office of Advocacy. In addition, a recent SBREFA panel on infectious diseases submits its final report to OSHA. The newsletter can be found on Advocacy's website here .

The 25 Most Popular Passwords of 2014: We're All Doomed Well, that's an article title that caught my eye immediately.  I also thought that my passwords were not the best ever based on what tech friends have recommended.  Then I read this article.  Here are the top five used. 1. 123456 2. password 3. 12345 4. 12345678 5. qwerty My all time favorites on the list is trustno1 and letmein.  There are also the weird ones, like monkey and master.  Ultimately, if you are using any of these passwords, go change them.  Now.

Did you know that there are more international students in the United States from Asia than any other continent? Or that China alone, excluding the rest of Asia, sends more students to the United States than the rest of the world combined? SEVIS by the Numbers is a quarterly report using data from the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS), which SEVP uses to track and monitor the status and activities of nonimmigrant students and exchange visitors who enter the United States. The report highlights key SEVIS data in an engaging way to illustrate trends, values and information on nonimmigrant students studying in the United States. SEVIS by the Numbers Provides Comprehensive Data on International Students  - Highlights from the current report, with a link to download the current report. Student and Exchange Visitor Program Reports  - Archived reports.

Sorry, folks, I don’t have any cake to share for this celebration, but don’t let that stop you from participating in Data Privacy Day. There are practical things you can do today, and every day, to protect your personal information. Here are a few scenarios where people may share more information than they intend. Scenario 1: At the coffee shop, you decide to use an unsecured Wi-Fi hotspot to check your bank balance with an app. More from the Federal Trade Commission .

Branding experts often advise businesses to choose a brand name that describes their product or service — PlumbingMasters, for example, or Gianni’s Pizzeria. From a legal standpoint, however, these kinds of names aren’t likely to receive significant trademark protection under federal law. If you’ve been struggling to land on a brand name, consider these tips to come up with one that’s both memorable and can receive significant trademark protection. Brand names that are clever, memorable, and original have much more robust trademark rights than ones that are simply “descriptive” of the goods or services you provide. Read more from BPlans

By Jennifer Kimmich, owner of the Alchemist Cannery, a brewery in Vermont. For nearly 30 years, I have worked in the service sector and in this time I’ve worked alongside the most dedicated, hardworking people I will ever know. These are the folks, many of whom are single mothers, who keep our businesses running day in and day out, cleaning our hotel rooms, working our front desks, and ringing up our coffee and gas in the morning. These are the hardworking Vermonters who, like all workers in the United States, need paid sick time. Years ago my husband, John, and I decided to offer paid sick days to our employees. To the surprise of many small business owners, it was one of the best business decisions we have ever made. See more in the US Department of Labor blog .

Look around you. Most of today’s top presenters and entertainers are boring people with predictable schedules and habits: -George Carlin was obsessed about not repeating the same joke -Jerry Seinfeld practiced his first Tonight Show bit 200 times -Nelson Mandela loved his 5 a.m. walks -Tony Robbins engages in a writing session for 3 hours every day The best presenters are boring people. And, you can be great as well if you decide to be boring. More from Slideshare .