Research: November 2008 Archives

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Is your business on the internet or are you an internet business? There is a fundamental difference between the two that some businesses fail to see. One is simply having a presence on the internet with maybe a few snazzy applications to wow a visitor or two, the other is a business that actually derives revenue from its presence on the web.  Yes, technically you can be both, but if you don't utilize the tools available to you, you might be stuck with what is simply an electronic brochure. 

Are you ready to take the plunge, but not quite sure where to start? A little overwhelmed with the options, jargon, and acronyms that abound? Lucky for you (just like anything else on the web) there are references galore ready for you to read through - here are a couple -

- Website 101 yes, there are ads everywhere on this site, but they have to pay the bills somehow. This site offers free web tutorials for small ecommerce startups. Topics range from Domain Name Tutorials  to Third Party Credit card Processing  their tutorials are technically articles that talk you through each topic in-depth -- a good way to start your knowledge-gathering. 

-  Entrepreneur.com has a section dedicated to ebusiness. Here, you can connect with discussion groups, and see how to get started.  New articles keep you updated on the latest e-trends that specifically impact the small business sector.

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Lets face it-- there is really nowhere to hide- the economy is slipping and sliding and so is everyone's meager funds. As a popular politician said, we "saw our 401ks become 101ks". According to comScore the state of the economy, among other things contributed to the 35% growth  in the financial news and research site category:

Current economic conditions - including rising gas prices, general inflation concerns, housing troubles and stock market uncertainty - have Americans seeking to stay informed about the factors influencing their personal finances," said Jack Flanagan, comScore executive vice president. "As a result, the financial news and research category has grown substantially during the past year, with strong visitor gains occurring at most sites, including above average gains at category leaders Yahoo! Finance and AOL Money & Finance.

If you're the type to be glued to your screen (vs. the type to run for the hills and cower) it might be good to ponder-- where do you get your financial information? Maybe you see one (or more) of your preferred sites on the comScore list.    

Want to check out what the "next generation" is looking into? Young Money  gives some insight on who they think would be the best financial websites for young adults ages 18 to 34: 

There are other good financial websites geared for young adults such as the Wall Street Survivor stock market game... and FastWeb.com, a scholarship search engine. Brass is another website worth checking out. But those sites are limited in the topics they cover. I really like http://www.commoditynewscenter.com because it does all of this! Videos, market commentary and easy to use charts help me to keep up with everything going on in the commodity markets!

Additional sites that help connect you to your financial research match: 

• Moneysmartz.com has a section that reviews  financial related sites and gives you overviews/profiles. 
• TimesOnline has their 50 best business blogs with rankings divided according to economics, banking and finance etc.