Small Business Computing Staff

Entrepreneur: Mobile App Development Made Easier For SMBs Building a mobile app is an increasingly important marketing strategy, but for small businesses who want to do it, it’s fraught with complication. AppTank, developed by an entrepreneur, claims to overcome some of the problems. “Developing mobile apps may have just gotten a step easier for small […]

Wired: Review: Motorola Atrix – A Mobile Phone & A Laptop Wired magazine says the idea is great – a docking station for a fairly powerful smartphone that gives it a full-size screen and keyboard – but the execution is less than perfect, and the dock is expensive. “All the high-end phones coming out these […]

Open Forum: Small Business Marketing: Opening Your Facebook Storefront Sarah Kessler spotlights four tools for creating Facebook storefronts: Payvment, Storefront Social, BigCommerce SocialShop and Ecwid. “With more than 500 million active users on Facebook, there are more potential customers using Facebook than there are logging into eBay and Amazon combined. Most of these users don’t […]

Small Business Trends: Roundup – Working With Google As Your Business Partner This roundup on Google business and marketing services culls articles from a variety of sources, including CNet and the Wall Street Journal, and covers a range of topics, including strategies, trends and tools. “There are definite benefits to having the most powerful search […]

PCMag@Work (Small Business): SohoOS – Social Networking For Small Business + Free Software PC mag calls SohoOS’s new small business networking site an SMB version of About.me. It lets small business owners post customized business profiles. SohoOS also has a Swiss Army Knife software suite for SMBs that is free for the starter edition. “If […]

Entrepreneur: Cautionary Tale: A Groupon Campaign Gone Wrong A Portland cafe owner, lured by the prospect of winning new customers, made a Groupon offer that hundreds couldn’t refuse. As a result her small shop was overwhelmed and she lost money. Learn from her mistakes. “For many businesses, Groupon promotions can help increase traffic and expand […]

PCMag@Work (Small Business): Apple Officially Announces SMB Service Plan The $499 Joint Venture service plan covers five users and includes specialized service, user training, loaner computers and other features. “In the wake of the iPad mania, Apple pirouetted yesterday and unveiled a new program targeting small businesses. Dubbed Joint Venture, the program aligns with our […]

ITBusinessEdge: SMB Security – How To Defend Your Weaknesses Paul Mah’s prescription for simple SMB security includes covering the basics, keeping software patched, educating employees, deploying whitelisting or blacklisting (to block Web sites) and encrypting data. “In today’s continuation of my Eight IT Projects for SMBs series, I would like to explore how SMBs can […]

Small Business Trends: Roundup – Online Video For Small Businesses This roundup of articles and posts includes items on how small businesses can get their online videos to go viral, the best way to get started making them, how to navigate legal issues, and more. “Are you using online video for your small business? You […]

ITBusinessEdge: MDaemon – A Cheaper BlackBerry Email Experience For SMBs Paul Mah reports that the BlackBerry Edition of the MDaemon Messaging Server allows SMBs to set up a BlackBerry network at a fraction the cost of using Microsoft Exchange and less expensively than other competing solutions as well. “The quiet acquisition of a company called […]

Open Forum: Twitter For Small Businesses: Save Time Doing It Leyl Master Black says the big problem with Twitter is the time it takes to do it well. Black’s time-saving tips for small business users include following other people’s lists, cutting clutter with microlists and automating as many routine processes as possible. “While many small […]

PCWorld: Coming Soon – New Apple MacBook Pro Laptops The new MacBook Pro laptops from Apple include 13-, 15- and 17-inch models, all with Intel Core i5 or higher processors, 4GB of memory, Intel’s new HD graphics processor and a new connection technology, Thunderbolt. Prices range from $1,199 to $2,499. “It’s been nearly a year […]