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U.S. Small Business Administration
Business.Gov
-- News Release --
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Release Date: March 18, 2009
Contacts: Dennis Byrne (202) 205-6567, Gerry Simone (703) 994-4418
Release Number: 09-18
Business.gov Launches First Government-Sponsored
Online Community for Small Businesses
WASHINGTON – SBA's Business Gateway Program announced today the launch
of a new Web initiative – http://Community.Business.gov – the first
government-sponsored online community built specifically for small businesses.
The objective of the Business.gov Community supports the White House's
mission to create a transparent and connected democracy, and aims to
provide small business owners, bloggers, and the government with a place to
discuss and share information about starting and running a successful
business.
An extension of Business.gov, the Business.gov Community combines
discussion forums, blogs, an idea exchange, and more, and offers advanced
tools for navigating the labyrinth of government resources, policies, laws, and
opportunities that impact the small business owner.
In addition to providing a "home" where users can share expertise and unique
experiences, the site also provides a pioneering opportunity for small
businesses to provide direct input into Business.gov and voice the ways
government and the online community can better serve them.
"Over the past year, we have significantly expanded our efforts to engage
with small business owners, by giving them easy access to the information
they need to run their business," said Nancy Sternberg, program manager of
Business Gateway. "The launch of the Business.gov Community represents a
new milestone. Through the application of Web 2.0 technologies, we hope to
unite small business owners, industry experts and government, and take the
program to a new level of collaborative knowledge-sharing and insight."
Over the next few months, the Business.gov Community will expand to include
additional features and resources that address specific user interests and
provide access to the wider pool of government and Business.gov partner
resources available to the small business owner.
About Business.gov
Business.gov is managed by the U.S. Small Business Administration in
partnership with 21 other federal agencies. This partnership, known as
Business Gateway, provides innovative information services to the small
business community that save time and money, engage citizens to participate,
and enable collaboration across all key levels of government. Launched in
2004, Business.gov provides a single access point to government services and
information to help the nation's businesses with their operations.
