SmallBusinessNewz

Business Twitter Accounts May Be On The Way

By all accounts, Twitter CEO Evan Williams's keynote at the SXSW conference was a failure.  He and interviewer Umair Haque so failed to hold people's attention that a large portion of the audience even walked out before it was finished.  But now, hopes are high that Twitter will make up for the snoozefest by announcing commercial accounts next month.

NASE Introduces Business Trip Mileage App

While it's hard to argue with the functionality of this approach, carrying around a crumpled piece of paper and scribbling various distances on it is perhaps not the most elegant way of tracking business-related mileage.  The National Association for the Self-Employed would like to help by offering businesspeople an iPhone app called TripAlly, instead.

UK Politicians To Speak At FSB Conference

It shouldn't be long before we have answers (or at least, statements from politicians) regarding small businesses and the economic situation in the UK.  First Minister Alex Salmond, Business Secretary Lord Mandelson, and Shadow Chancellor George Osborne will speak at the Federation of Small Businesses' Aberdeen Conference this Friday.

Easter Forecast Points To Increased Spending

It looks like small businesses are going to benefit from two "up" holidays in a row.  Less than a week after the National Retail Federation predicted that people will spend more on St. Patrick's day this year than last, the organization issued another forecast suggesting that Easter will also be more profitable.

FSB Calls For Better Broadband Service

One week ago, the BBC published the results of a survey showing that 79 percent of adults worldwide view Internet access as a fundamental right (the figure was 75 percent in the UK).  This may give the Federation of Small Businesses a strong leg to stand on as it pushes for better broadband service for small firms.

Google Announces Rich Snippets Progress

If the idea of influencing what shows up when your business appears as a search result on Google appeals to you, the search giant's taken a step that should prove quite useful.  To be precise: Google's added support for microdata for use in rich snippets.

Taking A Look At Google Apps Marketplace

Google, the company which is known for their in-house apps has expanded to help third-party developers sell their applications. Earlier this week, Google launched the Google Apps Marketplace. The service acts much like other downloadable services you use, i.e - iTunes App Store, Android App store. After putting Google Apps Marketplace through the proverbial paces, this is one service to keep an eye on.

St. Patrick's Day Spending Estimates Up

St. Patrick's Day should be a slightly more festive - and profitable - occasion this year than it was in 2009.  The National Retail Federation, working together with BIGresearch, forecast that consumers will spend more money to celebrate the holiday, with young people being particularly likely to get in the spirit.

Study: Online Media Essential To Local Shopping

Small business owners who have worked hard to create sites, use social media, and proofread info on services like Google Maps should be pleased to know their effort's likely to pay off.  BIA/Kelsey and ConStat have determined that 97 percent of consumers use online media when shopping locally.

Advertising on Social Networks: Worth it?

Social media is about conversations. That's the line we've been fed time and time again. There's nothing wrong with it. It's the truth. For marketers and businesses looking to utilize the tools and social networks out there, it will probably serve them well to remember that, but it has often been suggested that directly marketing and trying to sell your product through social networks is in bad taste. That is a topic that probably isn't so cut and dry.