However, most people gloss over terms and conditions and just
sign the agreement assuming they are covered for most legal
services. This usually gives rise to frequent complaints about the
service, fee disputes and complaints about attorneys.

Generally, if you have any complaint with your service, you
should first address any such complaint with your service provider.
Contact them to get information regarding their in-house complaint
process and settlement of disputes. If you are unsatisfied, then it
helps to know who regulates your kind of legal insurance.

Your state’s Department of consumer affairs licenses and
regulates all prepaid legal plans. Prepaid legal service companies
are required to register with the department prior to commencing
business and appoint a sales representative. Further regulation can
be provided by your local bar association.

Facebook isn’t just for teens and young adults. It is a wonderful and practical way for people of all ages to keep in touch on a regular basis and share information. And we’re here to help you get started.

Step 1: Set up an account

• Go to www.facebook.com and enter your full name, email address, desired password, gender, and date of birth.
• When you’re done, hit the green “Sign Up” button.
• If you are a current high school student, you will have the option to join one of their supported high school networks. If you are no longer in high school, you can join one of their college or workplace networks.
• After you complete the sign up form, they will send an email to the address you provided. Clicking on the confirmation link will complete the sign up process.

Step 2: Set up your Facebook Profile
Now that you’ve created your account, it’s time to set up your profile. Your profile allows you to share your interests, activities, and anything else you want to include with people you connect to on Facebook.

Your Facebook profile is about representing yourself and sharing what’s going on in your life with your friends.

• To edit your profile at any time, click on the “Edit Information” link at the upper right corner of your Basic Info or click on the “Edit” icons on the upper right corner of each of your profile fields.
• Each profile information section represents what people will see when they arrive at your profile. Start by filling out the info that will help people identify you—Basic, Education, and Work. Note: Filling out your Education and Work Info is especially helpful since it enables your former (and current) classmates and coworkers to find you via search.
• Having a profile picture makes it easier for friends to identify you as being the real you, especially if you have a common name. In addition, the picture you select is another way to express who you are to your friends and family.

Step 3: Find your friends
Most of Facebook’s features depend on the idea that there are people in your life that you like to stay in touch and connect with. Whether these people are best friends, family, coworkers, or acquaintances, once you connect to them, they are considered Facebook friends. Facebook has created a few ways for you to easily find your friends and we have listed them below.

• Friend Finder asks you for your email address and password. Facebook then runs a check of the emails in your address book to see if any of the addresses match people who currently have profiles on Facebook. You can select which people you would like to send friend requests; friendships on Facebook need to be confirmed by both people before they become official.
• Searching for classmates is an easy way to find good friends that you may have lost track of along the way. To get to Classmate Search, roll over “Friends” in the top menu and select “Find Friends.” At the bottom of that page, you’ll see links to search for classmates if you’ve added school networks.
• Coworker search is an easy way to find people you know from your current or former job. You can find Coworker Search in the same page as Classmate Search. Once you get to the Coworker Search page, simply enter a company and hit search. You might want to enter a name if you’re looking for someone in particular, but it’s not required.
• At any time, no matter where you are on Facebook, you can use the quick search box (at the top right corner of the top menu) to search for your friends by name. Simply type in the name you are looking for and hit enter. If you get no results, check to make sure you didn’t misspell or use a former name. If not, you can try searching by that person’s email address if you know it.

So now what? If a few of your friends have confirmed your friend requests, you can really start to explore Facebook and check out your friends. Seriously, go read all the fun things you can do once you have your friend list set up. Facebook is all about keeping up with friends both new and old.

Twitter’s concept is very simple—it lets you communicate short (140-character) bursts of information to the people that subscribe to your updates. These updates are known as “tweets.” It’s like blogging, only smaller.

You can also subscribe to, or “follow,” other Twitter users yourself. Tweets from the people who follow your tweets will show up in a stream of updates on your Twitter page.

Step 1: Set up an account

Go to twitter.com and click on the big “sign up now” button.
On the resulting screen, enter the username you want, your desired password, your email address and complete the spam checker.

Step 2: Enter your profile information

Once logged into Twitter, click on the “Settings” section at the top of your Twitter home page and complete your profile information. The information doesn’t have to be revealing or creative.

Step 3: Find your friends

• Search for people you know who are already using Twitter by clicking the “Find People” link at the top of the screen.
• Invite your friends—enter your friends’ email addresses to invite them to join Twitter.
• Search for new people to follow using search.twitter.com.
• Search for the city where you live to find other users who live close to you.
• Enter your career area to find business peers.
• Enter your hobbies to find people with shared interests.

The list of potential things to search for goes on and on.

Step 4: Manage your messages

I’m a big fan of Tweetdeck, an application that runs on your desktop. Tweetdeck’s selling point is that it lets you group the people you follow by creating different columns, which display each group’s updates. If you interact with a large community on Twitter, this can be very useful
Installing Tweetdeck is very easy. Just scroll down the Tweetdeck homepage and click the black “Download” button. Once it’s installed, getting started is as simple as logging in using your Twitter username.

There you have it—you’re now ready to start using Twitter.

If you’re nervous about getting started in social media, Twitter is a great place to look. It’s quick to start, easy and flexible to use, helps you get to know other people and it doesn’t require the concentrated investment of time that blogging can require. It’s still emerging and still developing; but, use it well, and you can get a lot of value from it.

If you intend to sell a security, the securities laws require that the securities be registered with the Federal Securities and Exchange Commission or that there be some form of exemption from registration. For smaller businesses, registration is usually too costly and not a realistic option. Therefore, it is important to make sure the securities offered fit the requirements for an exemption. This is a complicated area and will probably require you to get some help from an experienced securities lawyer. Failure to comply with the requirements can be costly and sometimes subjects you to criminal penalties as well. The Securities and Exchange Commission website has some good basic information for small businesses.

For more information on the securities & exchange commission visit:
http://www.sec.gov
http://www.sec.gov/info/smallbus.shtml

You can also get help from your state securities regulator. However, the regulators go by different names so they can be difficult to locate. They are usually a part of the state corporate agency, state finance department, or a similar agency.

For more information on state securities departments visit:
http://www.nasaa.org
http://www.consumeraction.gov

The following is a list, although not exclusive, of the types of
corporate topics or items discussed at a corporate meeting and
included in corporate minutes:

• Appointment of officers
• Compensation of officers and directors Issuance of stock and the amount and type of payment for stock
• Employment agreements and special compensation arrangements for officers/employees
• Basic details of shareholder agreements and stock purchase agreements
• Declaration of dividends to shareholders
• Authorization to use a particular bank as depository of corporate funds
• Bank signature cards
• Bank resolutions and lines of credit
• Use of professional advisors such as accountants or attorneys
• Authorization to issue additional stock
• Loans to shareholders, officers, directors, employees or third parties
• Loans from shareholders, officers, directors, employees or third parties
• Lease agreements
• Major purchases of land, buildings, equipment, and other businesses
• Major sales contracts
• Major charitable contributions
• Employee benefit plans and programs
• Pension and profit sharing plans and contributions to the plans
• Corporate name changes
• Amendments to Articles of Incorporation or Bylaws
• Stock redemptions and/or re-capitalization
• Change in corporate tax year
• Shareholder agreement to elect S corporation status

In addition to the above list, it is advisable to have the minutes or
consent set forth contemporaneous reasons for major actions taken
or policies adopted such as:

• Explanation of why officer/employee salaries should be raised or adjusted
• Why a dividend was or was not paid
• Reasons for creating a deferred compensation package
• Why money is being accumulated rather than spent onvexpenses
• Why a particular acquisition was or was not pursued
• Why a particular piece of property or equipment wasvpurchased
• Nature of negotiations for the purchase or sale of the business
• Why a certain employee was terminated
• Any other business which is beyond the day-to-day operation of the company

* “Wikipedia needs to be fixed, get on it!”
* “Why is our Wikipedia page so crappy and negative?”
* “It’s extremely obvious that a competitor is controlling our wiki page. Let’s do what is needed to rectify this quickly. Who wants to take the lead on this?”
* “I need a more aggressive answer about how we intend to manage our Wikipedia entry.”

Ouch! If you’ve had any experience working with Wikipedia, you know that making changes on their site doesn’t happen overnight, aggressive tactics are taboo, and it can often take months until even a little progress can be made. There are two things you can do.

1. Educate

The first thing you need to do is help your clients and management understand that working with Wikipedia takes time and changes don’t happen overnight.

* A Wikipedia page is a living document that anyone can contribute to or edit. Which means anything can (and will) appear on a Wikipedia page.
* Content should be written from a neutral point of view. It’s a guarantee that information that is heavy with marketing will be edited or deleted.
* Facts should be well cited and referenced. Remember, while not everything is notable, you improve your content’s level of stickiness by providing up to date and high quality supporting documentation.

2. Participate

Contribute in areas that may have no relevance to your business or your clients. Demonstrate you’re genuinely committed to increasing the quality of the Wikipedia project and its content. Find something you are interested in or passionate about and share what you know. Here are a few tips on how to start participating (without getting banned).

*Step 1: Click on the ‘discussion’ tab of the article to figure out what other details are being discussed about the page. Get to know what’s going on in the history of a page – especially if it’s a page about you or your business.

* Step 2: Write on the discussion pages to reach out to other editors who care about the topic. You can present information, links, facts, and not worry about having your visible edits reverted.

*Step 3: Start small. Don’t try to rewrite the entire page. Make a small edit or update here and there over time. There is an old proverb that reminds us “that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.” That’s the real key to working with Wikipedia.

*Step 4: Reach out to the volunteer-powered user service system. Send your inquiries about a page to info@wikimedia.org. Highlight the issue, the article/link in question and be as precise as possible in describing the issue. If you want a fact corrected, make sure the correct information is available and public. Has the fact been widely reported by a media outlet? Can it be found on a corporate website or trusted blog? If a Wikipedian can’t cite a fact, it’s hard to change or add to the article.

Does this take time? Absolutely! It takes careful thought, a simple step-by-step plan and flexibility to evolve as others add and edit the page. Eventually, you’ll gain enough momentum to start seeing the results.

Your biography will help promote your image to customers and the community. Typically, a biography can be anywhere from a few paragraphs to a page in length. Your biography is a condensed version of your career history and is used to highlight your relevant experience to establish your credibility.

Your biography will inspire confidence in your abilities and differentiate you from your competitors. Unlike a resume, contact information, dates of employment and other specific information are omitted on a bio. Keep in mind your biography will be used for networking and for providing additional information to local media.

How To Write Your Own Bio

Before writing your BIO, answer a few of the following questions:

* What is your business philosophy?
* How did you start in your area of business?
* What is your relevant experience?
* What are your goals and/or successes?
* Do you have any relevant training or education?
* Can you provide background information on your business?
* What sets you apart from your competitors?
* What is your personal education, or what are your certifications?
* What is something unique or personal about your background?

As you write, think about your audience. Who will be reading your biography? If you are writing the biography primarily for a journalist, the emphasis may be slightly different than if you are writing it to entice customers to your business.

Once you complete the biography, the last thing to do is verify the accuracy of your facts and information. Accuracy is a critical component to your credibility.

At a minimum, most banks will require:

• A copy of the articles of incorporation that you filed with the
  state, and;
• Your new employer identification number (EIN). Some banks
  may also request a copy of your bylaws and a resolution from
  the corporation’s directors authorizing the bank to be the
  corporation’s depository of funds. (However, most banks
  have their own standard form for this purpose.)
]]> http://www.corporateresourceguide.com/requirements/what-information-will-i-need-to-provide-to-the-bank-to-open-a-new-account/feed/ 0 http://www.corporateresourceguide.com/requirements/what-is-the-fastest-way-to-get-a-new-ein-number/ http://www.corporateresourceguide.com/requirements/what-is-the-fastest-way-to-get-a-new-ein-number/#comments Fri, 04 Mar 2011 08:10:17 +0000 Robert Montgomery http://www.corporateresourceguide.com/?p=78 Continue...]]> You can now obtain an employer identification number (EIN) online at the IRS website.

For more information visit: https://sa2.www4.irs.gov/sa_vign/newFormSS4.do

You will see a copy of form SS-4 which is the application form for a
new EIN. You can fill out and submit the form online. You should
receive a new EIN almost immediately, while you wait.

For more information on completing form SS-4 visit:

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/iss4.pdf

You can also obtain a new EIN by mail, fax, or telephone. First, you
need to fill out form SS-4. After filling out the form, you can file it
with the IRS in one of the three following ways:

By Mail – Mail the completed SS-4 form to the local IRS office.
It will take approximately four weeks to get your EIN.

By Fax – Fax the completed SS-4 form to the IRS at (215) 516-
3990, anytime day or night. A power of attorney must be
included with the fax, or be on file, if an individual other than
the taxpayer makes the request. If a return fax number is
included with the request, you should receive your EIN
number by fax within approximately three days.

By Phone – Complete the EIN Application Form and telephone
the IRS at (800) 829-4933. The person making the call must be
authorized to sign the EIN Application Form. You can
sometimes expect delays in getting through.

]]> http://www.corporateresourceguide.com/requirements/what-is-the-fastest-way-to-get-a-new-ein-number/feed/ 0 http://www.corporateresourceguide.com/differences/should-i-incorporate-in-nevada-or-delaware/ http://www.corporateresourceguide.com/differences/should-i-incorporate-in-nevada-or-delaware/#comments Fri, 04 Mar 2011 07:30:34 +0000 Robert Montgomery http://www.corporateresourceguide.com/?p=42 Continue...]]> The short answer is that it will probably cost you more
money to incorporate in Nevada or Delaware. In addition, it may
provide few, if any, substantial advantages unless you have a larger
corporation and unless you live in one of those states or are doing
most of your business there. If the corporation is a small business
corporation and does business primarily within a single state,
incorporating in the home state is typically preferable.

The cost of incorporation in your home state will usually be less than
incorporating in a different state and then trying to qualify to do
business as a foreign (meaning from another state) corporation. A
foreign corporation that qualifies to do business in another state is
subject to taxes and annual report fees from both the state of
incorporation and the qualifying state. Another disadvantage of
incorporating outside of your home state is the possibility of having
to defend a lawsuit in another state. You will also have to maintain a
registered office and agent in the other state, which is an additional
cost each year.

If you operate a business, within no particular location or home base,
such as an internet business, then you might want to consider
Nevada or Delaware. However, you may find the cost of operating
and maintaining your corporation higher in Delaware than in your
home state due to the franchise fees charged by Delaware and the
need for a registered agent in Delaware. Many large corporations
are domiciled in Delaware but my opinion is that Delaware does not
provide many benefits to smaller companies that could not be found
in their home state.

Nevada promotes the incorporation business by claiming no state
income taxes and not sharing tax information with the IRS.
However, if you do business in another state, you will likely still pay
state taxes in the state in which you conduct business. Each state has
its own formula for deciding if a business owes state taxes. It’s best
to consult an accountant about this question. As far as sharing tax
information with the IRS, the IRS can obtain your records in Nevada
by way of subpoena if they want. Also, I believe in being aggressive
with tax savings, but not cheating. So what do you have to hide?

Nevada promotes the incorporation business and a lot of
incorporation services have sprung up there. Some of these offer
valuable services while others advocate advantages, which are more
puff than reality. Due to this and the large number of corporations
formed in Nevada, some experts say that Nevada incorporating has
developed a questionable reputation with the IRS and may subject a
business to a greater likelihood of an audit if it is formed in Nevada.

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