Resources 04/05

ASSESSYOURINTERNATIONALRISK.ORG
The SBA, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and member companies of the American International Group Inc. have put together a must-visit website for businesses expanding into the global market. The website covers common risks, such as shipping and storing goods abroad, insurance coverage, trade credit essentials and much more.

PUBSUB
It's tough staying afloat in the sea of information, but lucky for us, a rescue boat has arrived. PubSub is a matching service that instantly notifies subscribers when new content is posted on the web that matches the subscribers' query. The PubSub search engine reads blogs, internet newsgroups and all SEC filings, and is continuing to add more data sources. Subscription is free.

WEB CAFé
Office Depot offers a series of free online seminars for entrepreneurs each month. The seminars focus on four main topics: marketing, finance, technology, and entrepreneurial tips and tactics. Past seminars have been archived and are available online, and each Web Cafe is presented by a small-business author or expert, such as SBA Administrator Hector Barreto, and Entrepreneur's editorial director, Rieva Lesonsky. The next scheduled seminar takes place May 3.

26TH ANNUAL SIMMONS SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE, APRIL 30, BOSTON'S WORLD TRADE CENTER
More than 2,500 women in business will greet some of the nation's top women leaders--including American Red Cross president and CEO Marsha Johnson Evans, former director-general of the World Health Organization Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, and actress and activist Susan Sarandon--to discuss this year's theme, "What Matters Most." Advance tickets are $510 for the general public.

UPTIMEBOT.COM LINK POPULARITY CHECK
We all want to be popular, particularly on the web. Uptimebot.com offers a free tool that checks the top 10 search engines for your website's link popularity. Type in your URL and, within seconds, you'll see a chart that includes results from AOL, Google, MSN, Yahoo! and more. It's also useful to type in your competitors' URLs to see who's linking to them but not to you.

RECOGNIZE SERVICE EXCELLENCE
This site helps keep business owners abreast of the latest techniques, technologies and trends in customer service. Free membership gives access to a weekly e-newletter; RecognizeServiceExcellence.com Research Center, which is filled with white papers, articles and the latest news; and Expert Insight content, where industry experts answer your most relevant questions.