KNOWLEDGE@WHARTON: knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu Browse the prestigious Wharton School of Business’s marketing section of their website for relevant articles, podcasts and links to other helpful sites.

GOOGLE ZEITGEIST: http://www.google.com/press/zeitgeist A search engine go-to, Google uses its wealth of internet-user information to relay trends for websites, visitors by region, popular search query data and more for savvy marketers.

WORLD FUTURE SOCIETY: http://www.wfs.org Look ahead to how social and technological developments will affect business in the future. Stay ahead of the curve with forecasts and forums.

GALLUP: http://www.gallup.com Studies information on human nature and behavior. View the latest polls and better your business by learning what people of the world think and feel.

ARTS & LETTERS DAILY: http://www.aldaily.com Stay up-to-date on the latest in cultural trends through a compilation of current articles to help update your marketing strategies.

Charitable Donors

CHARITY WATCH: www.charitywatch.org
Verifies credibility of charities for donor safety, rates charities and offers tips for giving, including for online philanthropy.

CENTER ON PHILANTHROPY: www.philanthropy.iupui.edu
Collects data, documents behavior, analyzes trends and conducts long-term studies as part of its effort to increase knowledge of philanthropic giving, volunteering, fund-raising, and of operating nonprofits.

BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU: http://us.bbb.org
Provides businesses and consumers with information on charities and philanthropic organizations.

CHARITY NAVIGATOR: www.charitynavigator.org
Evaluates the financial health of more than 5,300 of the largest charities in the United States, providing information on those charities that are stockpiling money, those that are facing insolvency, and those that rely heavily on private contributions.

NATIONAL CENTER FOR CHARITABLE STATISTICS: nccs.urban.org 
Provides dataon charities and nonprofit organizations, include how many organizations operate throughout the country and in individual states, and offers information on charitable giving patterns and organizational date on nonprofits.

Customer Service

CUSTOMER SERVICE POINT: www.customerservicepoint.com
Provides businesses with the latest advice, articles, newsletters, and software regarding customer service techniques and quality.

CUSTOMER SERVICE GROUP: www.customerservicegroup.com
Offers training guides, newsletters, books and conferences that help businesses increase motivation and morale, improve service quality, and boost customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention.

CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER: www.customerservicemanager.com
E-Magazine that features news, forums, articles and resources to help businesses increase their customer service.

CUSTOMER SERVICE SOLUTIONS: www.customerservicesolutions.com
Provides links to workshops and seminars, books and CDs, article archives and gifts that will help boost your company’s customer service.

e-CUSTOMER SERVICE WORLD:   www.ecustomerserviceworld.com
Features the latest articles, guides, research, links, conferences and seminars and books on enhancing customer service, especially via the Internet.

THE CUSTOMER SERVICE ZONE: www.customerservicezone.com
Provides access to hundreds of articles, book excerpts and tips from experts on customer service. Join a discussion forum for free and have your questions answered by customer service professionals.

Website Traffic Building

103 BEES: www.103bees.com An online service that focuses on natural search engine traffic analytics, providing detailed real-time statistics and in-depth information on search engine traffic.
HIT TAIL: www.hittail.com Offers site owners an easy way to understand search engine traffic; indicates whether your site was found on the front page of search results, or in the “long tail” (many pages down).
FEED BURNER: www.feedburner.com For any site that produces content for syndication, this site can help with managing and tracking RSS subscribers and republishers.
DOSH DOSH: www.doshdosh.com  Geared toward bloggers, entrepreneurs, web publishers, marketers, and small business owners, this site offers web traffic-building tips and blogging and social media strategies.
SQUIDOO: www.squidoo.com  A popular site for building free, single pages about books, blogs, online shops and more. Bonus: you raise money (for you or charity) at the same time.

PEW/INTERNET: www.pewinternet.org To understand your target audience better or to pull information for a business plan, this site offers a wealth of insights for web entrepreneurs, including statistics on the Internet’s impact on families, communities, work, home, education, health care, and civic and political life.

Team Building

TEAMBUILDING INC.: www.teambuildinginc.com Links to team building services and products, including training programs, profiles, assessments, exercises, corporate consciousness and a master list of team building events

THE LEADERS INSTITUTE: www.leadersinstitute.com  Free team building games, tips, icebreakers and resources, including articles related to team building, management, leadership and group problem solving

WILDERDOM: www.wilderdom.com  Team building news, summaries of methods and research findings, links to team building activities and links to resources on psychological profiling tools, group facilitation, team building basics and more

THE TEAM APPROACH: www.teamapproach.com Offers a “team checkup” link to help determine your employees’ perception of the effectiveness of the team — the first step in strengthening the connections between them and tapping the synergy they create

CHART YOUR COURSE INTERNATIONAL: www.chartcourse.com Offers 64 free icebreakers and team building exercises

College Financial Aid

FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID: www.fafsa.ed.gov
This site walks you through the FAFSA process, including planning, application and follow-up.

FASTWEB: www.fastweb.com
This site boasts the largest and most complete source of scholarships available, able to match the aid to a user’s personal profile.

FINAID!: www.finaid.org
Check here to find to information about loans, scholarships, savings plans and even military aid.

MARYLAND HIGHER EDUCATION COMMISSION:
www.mhec.state.md.us
This state-sponsored site includes numerous financial aid tools, including a scholarship search, loan information and veterans benefits.

THE COLLEGE BOARD: www.collegeboard.com
An organization better known for its testing, this site offers much information on financial aid, including how to spot a scholarship scam.

Business Human Resources

SOCIETY FOR HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGMENT: www.shrm.org
This is the site for the world’s largest professional association devoted to human resource management.

HR.BLR.COM: http://hr.blr.com
This site offers HR news, message boards, a library, and salary data on thousands of jobs.

HRVILLAGE: www.hrvillage.com
This site includes links, tools and software covering dozens of HR topics, including employee handbook ideas, HR education and news.

HR.COM: www.hr.com
HR professionals can use this site to network with other members in “communities” that include benefits, compensation, legal, training and development.

GRUNTLED EMPLOYEES: www.gruntledemployees.com
This is focused on keeping the office “gruntled” with information aimed at reducing lost productivity, wasted time and even legal fees.

Business Travel

KAYAK: www.kayak.com
Unlike most major travel sites, Kayak includes flight listings from budget air carriers.

FLYERTALK: www.flyertalk.com
Users can exchange information on how to get the most out of their frequent flier miles, credit card points and hotel points.

SEATGURU: www.seatguru.com
This site provides seating maps of major airlines and a color-coded guide that directs you to good seats and away from bad ones.

BREEZENET.COM: www.breezenet.com
Check here to find some of the best domestic car-rental discounts on the Internet.

HOTELCHATTER: www.hotelchatter.com
This site features hotel reviews from all over the world. Tips, news and deals are also available.

Getting Started with Small Business

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION: www.sba.gov
The federal government’s small-business clearinghouse includes tools, local resources and even a small-business planner.

SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER NATIONAL INFORMATION CLEARINGHOUSE: www.sbdcnet.org
This site contains links to business plans, industry information, associations and even Spanish-language business documents.

INTERNET SMALL BUSINESS CENTER: www.bizplus.com
Free information about seeking trademarks, templates for creating business plans and other resources are provided on this site.

ENTREPRENEUR MAGZINE: www.entrepreneur.com
The magazine’s web site features a wide variety of information about starting a small business, including how-to guides, success stories and tips on getting financing for your start-up.

U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: www.uschamber.com
This site includes a small-business information center that features news articles, industry trends and a library of resources for the budding entrepreneur.

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Websites for Continuing Education

DEGREE.COM: www.degree.com
The federal government’s small-business clearinghouse includes tools, local resources and even a small-business planner.

GRADSCHOOLS.COM: www.gradschools.com
A comprehensive guide to graduate schools, featuring a database of more than 60,000 master’s degree, doctoral/doctorate degree and master certificate programs.

PhDs.org GRAD SCHOOLS: www.phds.org
Helps students and those looking to return to school prepare for the changing demands of today’s market with a graduate school ranking and search feature.

PETERSONS: www.petersons.com
Connects individuals, educational institutions and corporations through its online tools and products, including information about graduate programs, distance learning, executive training, career exploration and more.

PRINCETON REVIEW: www.uschamber.com
This site includes a small-business information center that features news articles, industry trends and a library of resources for the budding entrepreneur.

ONLINE GRADUATE SCHOOL PROGRAMS: onlinegraduateschool.tripod.com
Presents a directory of links to regionally accredited online graduate school programs and related higher education sites for those researching online degrees.

Business and Professional Networking Sites

My Cubicle Space: www.mycubiclespace.com
Provides a search engine platform where any business can promote its product or service in a creative way; specifically designed for small business.

Xing: www.xing.com
A global network counting more than 7 million business professionals as members. Xing offers a job portal with intelligent matching system, a people finder and a global networking contact management system.

Ryze: www.ryze.com
Helps members “rise up” through business networking by offering a free networking-oriented home page with opportunities to join industry-related networks, send messages and view other members’ home pages.

Naymz: www.naymz.com
With the tagline “Empowering Reputable Professionals,” Naymz believes that a good reputation is the key to networking. Maintain a decent “rep score” and the site will create a Google ad for your business for $10.

Ziggs: www.ziggs.com
Allows members to build a profile, network, post jobs and other classifieds and is strongly marketed as an online brand management resource.

Twitter: www.twitter.com
With one question, “What are you doing?,” Twitter creates a constant flow of information. Gain business followers and update them with news, events and ideas.

Nonprofit News & Resources

The NonProfit Times: www.nptimes.com
Easily receive the latest nonprofit news, fund-raising tips and job openings to help nonprofits manage their organizations more efficiently.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy: www.philanthropy.com
A global network counting more than 7 million business professionals as members. Xing offers a job portal with intelligent matching system, a people finder and a global networking contact management system.

Philanthropy Journal: www.philanthropyjournal.org
Aimed to help people understand, support and work in the nonprofit and philanthropic world and help them recognize and solve social problems.

Nonprofit Technology News: www.nptechnews.com
With news, tech tips, product reviews and more, this is the source for technology information and resources for nonprofit executives

Charity Wire: www.charitywire.com
Nonprofit news, profiles and ideas, with helpful articles about fund-raising and fun suggestions for successful fund-raisers

The Nonprofit Quarterly: www.nonprofitquarterly.org
The magazine for nonprofit leader of all shapes, sizes and mission, with a goal to strengthen the role of nonprofit organizations to activate democracy.

Technology News, Hot Products & Trends

Technology Review: www.technologyreview.com
Aims to promote the latest technology while analyzing economical, social and political impacts, published by MIT.

Tech News World: www.technewsworld.com
One of the largest e-business and technology news networks in the country, providing readers with tech news from Internet trends to network security.

Tuvie: www.tuvie.com
Presents tech and gadgets of the future and concept ideas set to change the world. Read about the newest bathroom tech to wind- and solar-powered street lamps.

PCMag: www.pcmag.com
Delivers technology buyers in-depth reviews and results from product testing labs and consumer experience, assuring buyers of quality purchases

Technology Pundits: technologypundits.com
Combining the brilliance of four industry analysts, this site reveals insight on technology trends and movements.

Computer Technology Review: www.wwpi.com
Formally the most popular published magazine regarding computer storage, this online version is a highly-regarded site devoted to data storage and management.

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Latest Healthcare News, Plans & Trends

www.modernhealthcare.com
The industry’s leading source of business healthcare news, reporting on important events as they happen and helping leaders make informed business decisions.

www.healthcare.com
Through an extensive network of partner websites, HealthCare.com provides a highly specific level of healthcare information to consumers searching for products and care plans.

www.emaxhealth.com
Reports daily health news, informs the public of medical conditions and provides the latest in insurance information.

www.hin.com
The premier advisory service for executives seeking high-quality strategic information on the business of healthcare, drawing from more than 50 publications.

www.healthcarenewsarticles.com
Compiles press releases from medical companies and various public figures, creating “the news portal to independent news media.”

www.futurehealthcareus.com
Devoted entirely to future healthcare initiatives, complete with business reports, rising trends and an extensive online database covering a wide variety of health topics.

Researching Market Competition

D&B MILLION DOLLAR DATABASE: www.dnbmdd.com/mddi
D&B Million Dollar Database provides information on approximately 1.6 million U.S. and Canadian leading businesses, including industry information, employees, annual sales, principal executives and biographies.

HOOVERS: www.hoovers.com
Provides comprehensive insight and analysis of company data including description, contact information, competitors and key personnel, as well as industry information.

MERGENT ONLINE: www.mergentonline.com
Offers information on 15,000 U.S. public companies and 20,000 non-U.S. public companies, including detailed company histories, business descriptions and financial statements.

INFO USA: www.infousa.com
Provides solutions to improve every aspect of your marketing campaign; and lists more than 11 million U.S. businesses searchable by company name, type, size, location or a combination.

SPECPRINT: www.specprint.com/state.htm
In partnership with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation, this service lists new corporations registered in Maryland, updated on the 15th of each month.

BUSINESS WIRE: www.futurehealthcareus.com
Search the last 30 days of press releases and register for free for full-text documents.

Local Downtown Promotion

www.downtownfrederick.org
The Downtown Frederick Partnership enhances, promotes and preserves the vitality of downtown Frederick through the national Main Street program.

www.indowntownhagerstown.com
Powered by Hagerstown magazine, this town page features history, information, things to do and see, a local search engine and related articles.

www.fredericktourism.org
The Tourism Council of Frederick County is dedicated to enhancing the economic benefit of tourism for Frederick County's businesses, attractions, local governments and residents.

www.hagerstownadvance.com
Hagerstown Advance is a city economic development initiative to nurture, promote and connect enterprise with incentives and properties for Hagerstown’s citizens and revitalization of its neighborhoods.

www.businessinfrederick.com
The City of Frederick Department of Economic Development strives to increase economic opportunity for Frederick residents through job creation, revitalization and reinvestment, including downtown revitalization.

www.marylandmemories.org
The Hagerstown-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau promotes the wealth of attractions, events, arts, history, recreation and shopping in Washington County and downtown Hagerstown.