Small Business Computing Staff

by Lowell Rapaport Sohoware’s Netblaster II Rating 85 Sohoware’s Netblaster II Series includes three wireless networking components: A hub and two network interface cards (NICs), a PC card (or PCMCIA card) for laptops and portable computers, and a PCI card for desktop PCs. The NetBlaster II Wireless Hub simply plugs into your network. It automatically […]

by Mark Battersby You can’t tax the internet, right? Not quite. When Congress enacted the Internet Tax Freedom Act in 1998, it merely prohibited any new laws taxing Internet sales. States can still collect tax on in-state, online sales, and customers who purchase from out-of-state vendors may owe money to their own state without even […]

by Cathy Brower Our cover story this month, we stand united, is about more than meets the eye. On the surface it is an inspiring tale of how small, independent booksellers have banded together and used the Internet to compete against some of the larger book chains. Beneath the surface, however, is a larger message. […]

by William C. Gillis In late March, NorthPoint Communications suddenly shut down its nationwide DSL network, leaving over 100,000 consumers and businesses stranded without high-speed Internet access. Considering the instability of the DSL market, business owners should be wary of other providers meeting NorthPoint’s fate. Businesses victimized by the shutdown included New York City-based Midtown […]

by Robert J. Wagman Is it possible to patent good old common sense? No, but many common-sense business methods have been successfully patented, and some people are hopping mad about it. Back in January, we reported that a United States District Court in Washington state issued an injunction barring www.barnesandnoble from using Amazon.com’s one-click method, […]

by David G. Propson “Do you have any idea Beleaguered the independent book industry is?” Cass Franks asks. The American Booksellers Association has seen its national membership reduced from more than 5,000 to slightly more than 3,000 in five years. Though the ABA recently negotiated a $4 million settlement of a lawsuit against Barnes and […]

by David G. Propson For web users of a certain vintage, “1994” has the same ring that “1969” has to other ears. That year graphical browsers brought the medium to the masses, and suddenly gave individuals the potential to become their own publishers. For quite a while, everyone was fascinated by this phenomenon. When businesses […]

by Karen J. Bannan You get what you pay for, they say. But when you entrust your data to an online host, what are you paying for? “One of the first issues a small business should be concerned about is determining how safe their data is,” says Jerry Harold, co-founder of Herndon, Va.-based NetSec, an […]

by Katie Fitzgerald For randy eastwood, a busy Seattle-area real-estate agent, keeping tabs on incoming phone calls and faxes is crucial to closing deals. Like many agents, Eastwood has an office phone, a cell phone, a fax line, and a home-office line. Unlike most of the competition, he’s no longer chasing messages in four different […]

by William C. Gillis E-Mail is a tremendous tool that has revolutionized business intercourse. It is not, however, the ideal medium for every type of communication. Neal Patterson, CEO of Kansas City, MO-based healthcare software development company Cerner Corporation, learned the hard way. In March, Patterson fired off an angry e-mail to about 400 company […]

by Robert J. Wagman & William C. Gillis Fraud scares everyone, consumers want protection from fraud, and retailers fear that fraud will scare consumers away. That’s why Piyush Gupta, CEO and president of auction site LiquidPrice.com, is leading an initiative among auction sites to adopt business principles outlined in a bill of rights for Internet […]

by Ellen Ullman All the experts will tell you: Even the most exciting graphics or animation won’t make your Web site a winner. Success means visitors return again and again. The secret to pulling them back is refreshing the content. Constantly updating a site requires attention and the right tools. Whether you use an off-the-shelf […]