Top 5 FACEBOOK Privacy Settings

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/03/facebook-privacy-settings_n_598968.html

Customers Driving You Crazy?

Customers – can’t live with ‘em, can’t live without ‘em. If you’re in a business with lots of customers, many days you may wonder, “Why do I have to be nice to these people?” People who are otherwise nice, smart, patient, somehow can become demanding, dumb and pushy when they become customers.

Read more here:  http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/columnist/abrams/2011-04-07-small-business-customer-service-tips.htm

12 Things Good Bosses Believe

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2010/05/12_things_that_good_bosses_bel.html

Top 10 Reasons to Start a Blog

By Susan Gunelius, About.com Guide

1. To Express Your Thoughts and Opinions

You have something to say, and blogs provide a place to say it and be heard.

2. To Market or Promote Something

Blogging is a great way to help market or promote yourself or your business, product or service.

3. To Help People

Many blogs are written to help people who may be going through similar situations that the blogger has experienced. Many parenting and health-related blogs are written for this purpose.

4. To Establish Yourself as an Expert

Blogs are wonderful tools to help bloggers establish themselves as experts in a field or topic. For example, if you’re trying to get a job in a specific field or hoping to publish a book on a specific topic, blogging can help legitimize your expertise and expand your online presence and platform.

5. To Connect with People Like You

Blogging brings like-minded people together. Starting a blog can help you find those people and share your opinions and thoughts.

6. To Make a Difference

Many blogs are issue-based meaning the blogger is trying to provide information to sway people’s thinking in a certain direction. Many political blogs and social issues blogs are written by bloggers who are trying to make a difference in their own ways.

7. To Stay Active or Knowledgeable in a Field or Topic

Since successful blogging is partially dependent on posting frequency and providing updated, fresh information, it’s a perfect way to help a blogger stay abreast of the events in a specific field or topic.

8. To Stay Connected with Friends and Family

The world has shrunk since the Internet has become more accessible. Blogs provide a simple way for family and friends to stay connected from different parts of the world by sharing stories, photos, videos and more.

9. To Make Money

It’s important to point out that most bloggers don’t make a lot of money blogging, but the potential does exist to generate revenue from your blog with hard work and commitment. There are many bloggers who bring in big bucks. With patience and practice, you can make money through advertising and other income-generating activities on your blog.

10. To Have Fun and Be Creative

Many people start a blog simply for fun. Perhaps a blogger is a fan of a particular actor or loves knitting and wants to share that passion through a blog. One of the most important keys to successful blogging is having a passion about your blog’s topic, so you can write prolifically about it. Some of the best and most interesting blogs started out as blogs that were written just for fun and to give the blogger a creative outlet.

How Small Businesses Are Using Social Media for Real Results How Small Businesses Are Using Social Media for Real Results

From Mashable.com’s Real Results Series:

“Social media can be a scary prospect for small businesses; unlike traditional marketing methods, it puts part of the message in the hands of the customers. But while it’s easy to be concerned that the message will go the wrongway, the benefits can outweigh the risks if you use the available services wisely.”

http://mashable.com/2010/03/22/small-business-social-media-results/

5 Reasons You May Want to Start a Side Business

Whether your “real” work is a full-time day job, an academic course, or taking care of kids, you might have a few hours to spare each week which you’d like to use productively. Have you ever thought about starting a side business?

Read more here:

http://www.dumblittleman.com/2010/02/5-reasons-you-may-want-to-start-side.html

Self Help for Startups

The following article talks about how local entrepreneurs are having after-hours meetings.  This time is used for networking, information sharing and giving their one minute speech.

Click to read more about this article

Top 10 Trends in Small Business for 2010

By Steve Strauss for USA TODAY

As has become a tradition now, this is the time of year when I offer my annual look at the top 10 trends in small business. While not a prediction column, there is by necessity a tad of prediction in it, since trends, by their very nature, are gathering forces.

Certainly this was true last year when I listed, to no one’s great surprise, the economy as the top trend of the year, and sadly, it didn’t disappoint. I am sure I speak for many of us when I say we are happy to say goodbye to 2009.

Read the rest of what Steve has to say:

How to Market Your Business With Facebook

By KERMIT PATTISON   Nov. 11, 2009

Business owner, you might want to friend Facebook.

“You need to be where your customers are and your prospective customers are,” said Clara Shih, author of “The Facebook Era” (Pearson Education, 2009). “And with 300 million people on Facebook, and still growing, that’s increasingly where your audience is for a lot of products and services.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/12/business/smallbusiness/12guide.html?_r=3&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1268327147-87LOdBIgWRocU0VCLvD8oQ