Resources: web sites, organizations, events and more to grow your business

Entrepreneur, July, 2004 by Steve Cooper

MAILERSCLUB

www.mailersclub.com

THIS ONLINE PRINTING AND MAILING SERVICE LETS YOU DESIGN AND ORDER EVERYTHING FROM BUSINESS CARDS TO PROSPECT LISTS. PLUS, MAILERSCLUB OFFERS FREE PROOFING AND WILL PRINT, FOLD, STUFF, SEAL, ADDRESS AND DELIVER YOUR MAIL WITHIN THREE DAYS. DON'T HAVE YOUR OWN MAILING LIST? NO WORRIES--YOU CAN RENT ONE, TOO.

AUCTIONBYTES

www.auctionbytes.com

AuctionBytes is a free biweekly e-mail newsletter that covers online auctions. It teaches you how to research and present items for auction, execute bids, conform to shipping and packing techniques, invoice and receive payment once the auction is over, and more.

SOFTWARE ASSET MANAGEMENT (SAM) BY MICROSOFT

www.microsoft.com/resources/sam

SAM keeps track of Microsoft programs, alerts you when licenses are expiring, and standardizes and centralizes the licensing process. The Web site provides a tutorial for implementation and offers a free download of Microsoft Software Inventory Analyzer, which generates an inventory of Microsoft products installed locally or throughout a network.

U.S. CENSUS BUREAU "AMERICAN COMMUNITY SURVEY"

www.census.gov/acs/www

When you can't wait 10 years to get the latest national statistical data, log on to the Web site of the "American Community Survey (ACS)"--an ongoing nationwide survey designed to complement the U.S. Census. You'll find updated demographic, housing, social and economic information. The ACS provides updated annual data for all states, cities, counties, metropolitan areas and populations of 65,000 or more.

RETAILWIRE

www.retailwire.com

Aimed at retail industry professionals, this free daily e-mail newsletter covers the latest news topics, with links to commentary from industry experts and the general readership. It provides daily tips and industry headlines, plus discounted offers for industry reports and events.

DAYPOP

www.daypop.com

DAYPOP, A SPECIALIZED SEARCH ENGINE. CRAWLS MORE THAN 59,000 NEWS SITES, BLOGS AND RSS FEEDS FOR THE LATEST NEWS AND TRENDS. YOU CAN FOCUS ON JUST BLOGS OR RSS HEADLINES, OR VIEW THE TOP POSTS OF THE DAY AND MORE. DAYPOP ALSO POSTS "WORD BURSTS" WHICH INDICATE WORDS THAT HAVE SEEN HEIGHTENED USE WITHIN THE PAST FEW DAYS.

STUMBLEUPON

www.stumbleupon.com

StumbleUpon is a free browser toolbar that automates the process of word-of-mouth Web site recommendations within the StumbleUpon community. Submit a search, and receive as results Web sites other StumbleUpon members have recommended. You can conduct searches in nearly 500 categories or randomly.

COOL SITE OF THE DAY

www.coolsiteoftheday.com

If you have a good Web site and are looking to drive traffic, Cool Site of the Day is awaiting your submission. For $15 (nonrefundable), your Web site could be selected as the Cool Site of the Day. If your site is chosen, it will be e-mailed to Cool Site of the Day's 200,000-plus newsletter subscribers, who will then rate your site, letting you know if it is, in fact, cool.