Think you have to be logged on to your PC to get in on social networking? Nowadays, that's not the case. New mobile devices and online services are allowing the tech-savvy crowd to continue updating their websites, even if they're not sitting in front of a PC. New networking sites like Twitter, Radar and Jaiku are just as addictive to the younger set as BlackBerrys are for professionals. The new technology allows sites to merge mobile phones and the internet so that users can download photos or send texts from their phone to their online channel of choice. But how will sites like these become profitable? Daniel Graf, co-founder of social networking site, Kyte, says his company may eventually charge companies to advertise on the site. He would then share revenues with the channels' creators.

Tomorrow, Local.com will begin offering a new service it says will help small businesses compete "with the big boys" in the online ad world. As MediaPost explains, Local.com's new "Local Verified" service gives businesses the choice of paying an annual fee to receive top placement in its localized search results. For a premium listing with the website, businesses can expect to pay $249. Is it worth it? According to comScore, it is. The site found that almost half of consumers who visited a local search website visited a local retailer as a result of their search. And it doesn't hurt that Local.com attracts about 10 million visitors per month.

Local.com also provides free listing services for businesses not wanting to purchase the premium services. "Local Promote Basic" is the name of its free online listing service, which allows local businesses to post and update their business' name and contact information, even if they don't have a website.

If your company's in need of some PR, but doesn't have the budget for a full-service ad agency campaign, believe it or not, you're in luck. The PRstore was originally launched in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2001 and has since spread to 18 states. The retail concept is geared toward assisting small businesses and entrepreneurs with their marketing, advertising and PR needs. The stores are located in casual retail settings and have a walk-in mentality. PRstore offers services like consulting and concept development, writing and producing printed materials, and creating websites, print ads and even media spots. Store owner Dan Neavitt said the store's concept is part of a growing trend catering to business owners and consumers wanting to direct projects on their own. More than 300 stores are expected to be in operation across the country in the next five years.

Consumers are starting to demand eco-friendly clothing, and retailers like Patagonia and REI are happy to oblige. Outdoor companies are manufacturing more and more green gear using organic and recycled materials. In the category of outdoor apparel, fibers like bamboo, hemp and soy are becoming popular alternatives to traditional cotton. Sales of organic cotton are expected to hit $2.8 billion next year, up from $583 million this year. If you're trying to imagine how it would feel to wear bamboo clothing, it's actually not much different from linen. And, as an added bonus, it has natural antibacterial and antimicrobial ingredients that actually prevent odor. Another up-and-coming natural product for the environmental consumer is socks made of corn. They can be found at some REI outlets and other retail shops across the country. Though they're priced about 20 percent more than the average sock on the market, they stay drier than cotton.

But it's not just outdoor clothing manufacturers getting in on the trend. Sustainability was a central theme of London Fashion Week, and rock-star Bono is working with his wife and a designer to create an eco-friendly line.

Friday, April 13, was an especially lucky day for a select few. At the close of the day, judges from the 2007 Global Social Venture Competition declared Emeryville, California-based Revolution Foods the winner; D.light, Feed Resource Recovery and Verdacure tied for second.

The competition, which was started in 1999 by University of California-Berkeley MBA students, is open to "social ventures"--financially self-sufficient businesses with a positive social impact. Teams, which must include a graduate business student, submit business plans and are judged at several stages on criteria such as feasibility, ROI, social impact and scalability.

Revolution Foods, founded last August by Berkeley MBA graduates Kristin Richmond-Groos and Kirsten Tobey, provides healthy lunches and nutrition education to schools in the San Francisco Bay Area. The company has reasonable prices, employs environmentally responsible practices and offers its employees benefits and above-average pay. The founders were awarded $25,000 for their venture. The second-place winners each received $5,000.

A record 157 teams from 80 universities in 20 countries entered this year. GSVC will begin accepting entrants for the 2008 competition this fall.--Lindsay Holloway

Frustrated by credit card airline rewards programs packed with limited flight selection and black-out dates?  Then Discover's new Business Miles Card could work for you. The card is designed to give small-business owners the ability to earn miles faster and travel with no restrictions. With the Business Miles Card, business owners can fly on any airline at any time. In addition, business travelers can book their own travel through any travel source at any time, eliminating the hassle of redeeming credit card points.

Just because you enter the world of parenthood doesn't necessarily mean your clubbing days are over. That's because an increasing number of adult nightclub venues are opening their doors to parents with children under the age of 8 for special afternoon jam sessions. The trend slowly emerged several years ago with musicians like Dan Zanes and Laurie Berkner, who offer groovy tunes for the whole family. Now, adult venues are catching onto the idea that Generation X parents love their children, but also want to stay hip. Clubs like World Café Live in Philadelphia and 12 Galaxies in San Francisco bring in bands with names like the Terrible Twos and the Sippy Cups to help kids and their rockin' parents get jiggy with it.

One program that sets out to satisfy both parents and children is Baby Loves Disco, now available in 18 cities. Children enjoy the bubble machines and healthy treats, while their parents can take advantage of a fully stocked bar, a disco ball, and even massages and eyebrow shaping. As more and more twentysomethings become parents, I would imagine this trend will become even more popular. So if clubbing's in your veins, why not tap into this market?

A new website and media campaign are encouraging children to use their imagination to come up with technological innovations of the future. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office is working with the Advertising Council and the National Inventors Hall of Fame in launching the new initiative InventNow. The program targets kids between 8 and 11 years old. On the program's website, children can upload their design ideas and share inventions with peers through message boards. The site also encourages young inventors to protect their ideas by learning about copyrights, trademarks and patents.

Two sisters from Lumberton, North Carolina have been named National Small Business Persons of the Year by the SBA. Bobbie Jacobs-Ghaffar and Lesa Jacobs' healthcare business, Native Angels Home Care and Hospice, received the award during SBA's two-day Small Business Week 2007 conference. The sisters, both members of the Lumbee Indian Tribe, launched their business in 2000 with only one cell phone, two patients and a certified nursing assistant. Today, the company has 301 employees and serves 760 patients daily, bringing in annual sales of more than $9 million.

In selecting the winner, SBA looked at factors such as the company's record of stability, employment and sales growth, financial condition and community service. What set this entrepreneurial duo apart? "Bobbie Jacobs-Ghaffar and Lesa Jacobs epitomize the hard work, the risk-taking and the creativity that are the characteristics of successful American entrepreneurs," said SBA Administrator Steven C. Preston. To find out about the other award-winning entrepreneurs, go to this SBA website.

A new study at the University of Pennsylvania found that people who are always in a funk and never have anything uplifting to say could severely hamper their co-workers and office environment. A bad mood sucks the energy out of the workplace and consequently puts others in a bad mood. "We engage in emotional contagion," said Sigal Barsade, a management professor at Wharton, who studies the influence of emotion in a workplace. "Emotions travel from person to person like a virus."

Likewise, a positive countenance spreads across an office and drives people toward good performance. Being a "glass is half full" kind of person not only benefits your health and relationships, but also enhances your ability to make decisions and handle stress. "Positive people cognitively process more efficiently and more appropriately," Barsade said.--Jessica Chen

If you notice your employees arriving at work in sneakers tomorrow, don't be alarmed. The American Heart Association has selected Wednesday, April 25 for the first annual "Start! Walking at Work Day." The organization anticipates at least 100,000 people will join the effort by wearing their sneakers to the office. According to AHA, Americans are working 164 more hours a year than in previous years and tend to be involved in more sedentary careers. Adults could gain as many as two hours of life expectancy for every one hour of regular exercise.

As part of the event, Americans are being asked to rally at 2:41 p.m. The organization suggests employers turn a regular meeting planned for the day into a walking meeting to encourage employees to integrate fitness into their workday. The "Start! for Employers" section of the AHA website offers information on different programs you can use to encourage company fitness.

In February, we wrote about Staples' "My Real Job" sweepstakes honoring the unsung office heroes: office managers. Staples invited office managers to share their job descriptions and workplace experiences. Of the 8,000 office managers who responded to the survey, about 60 percent came from organizations with less than 20 employees. The survey found that office managers juggle many other titles, from human resources manager to IT manager to housekeeping manager. More than half of respondents say they do the job of at least 10 different employees in any given week.

Though the average office manager makes approximately $53,655, Staples worked with Salary.com to create a composite salary based on survey responses. The resulting figure: $89,138. But according to Tory Johnson, a leading workplace expert, the multitasking trend isn't specific to office managers. "More and more, workers are required to wear many hats to fulfill their workplace roles," Johnson says.

Check out Staples' "My Real Job" website to read some of the most unusual jobs reported by office managers.

Imagine a restaurant with no set prices, where you pay what you can afford. If that means you can't pay at all, you can help out in the kitchen by cleaning dishes or dicing onions. This idea has become reality for Brad and Libby Birky, who opened their SAME Café in Denver in October. The SAME Café, which stands for So All May Eat, throws out the profit-driven mentality and instead focuses on eliminating the problem of hunger in today's society. Though the Birkys could probably feed more people by donating cash to a homeless shelter, they say that's not the point. "Here, someone recognizes them, looks them in the eye, talks to them like they're just as valuable as the next person in line. That's why we do this," says Libby.

The Birkys say it was difficult to get prospective landlords to give their business a chance, but they got advice from Denise Cerreta, founder of One World Café in Salt Lake City, a restaurant serving organic food on the same pay-what-you-can philosophy. After applying for nonprofit status and setting up a board of directors, the Birkys opened their doors. For now, donations are covering rent and grocery costs. Eventually, Brad hopes to pay himself to run the café. In the meantime, Libby continues working as a teacher and Brad does part-time computer consulting work.

The most-praised generation is entering the workforce, and, much to their employers' chagrin, is expecting the same treatment in the office that they received growing up. As this Wall Street Journal article discusses, bosses are feeling the need to praise their young employees, particularly twentysomethings. They're part of a generation that has grown up with constant compliments and nurturing from parents, coaches and professors. So by the time these employees enter the workplace, they naturally expect the good tidings to continue, and any criticism can feel threatening.

Just how far are employers willing to go to keep this generation happy? One company, Scooter Store Inc. in New Braunfels, Texas, actually has a "celebrations assistant" on staff to throw confetti at the 1,000 employees and pass out anywhere from 100 to 500 helium balloons a week.

But some researchers say continuing the overflow of compliments in the workplace will only backfire on employers, arguing it'll turn employees into praise-junkies who'll constantly feel insecure if they aren't given kudos on a regular basis. For advice on how to give constructive compliments to your employees, read the rest of this article.

Earth Day is Sunday, April 22. As you're thinking environmentally sound thoughts, why not ponder the emergence of these two hot trends for a business startup? Going green and caring for dogs are at the heart of Chicago-based Green Dog Inc. Like many doggie facilities, Green Dog Inc. offers a day-care club, dog-walking service, boarding and canine education. Here’s where the green part comes in: Green Dog uses non-toxic cleaning methods, in addition to all-natural toys and foods, making it a healthy place for dogs to play. The facility also has water and air filter systems to keep the water clean and the air fresh. Other perks include aromatherapy during doggie nap-time and floors made of recycled rubber.