I am pleased to announce the launch of DCW Blogs - Blogs by Dot Com Women. Please visit our new blogging site at http://www.dcwblogs.com. You will love to variety it has got to offer. From beauty and business to family and relationships, we have a variety of inspiring and informational blogs written by women who are experts in their own fields.

Join us in our journey towards journaling the colorful lives of women as mothers, wives, daughters and most importantly - being themselves!

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It doesn??™t take much to scald a small business: disputes that just can??™t seem to be resolved, website security breaches, on-the-job accidents that send insurance rates soaring. A number of issues can singe your business. When the heat is on, business owners need to know where to find help. And fast.

1. The American Arbitration Association (AAA) is a not-for-profit organization that offers alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services, helping resolve over 200,000 cases yearly. AAA provides a forum for hearing disputes via 34 offices nationwide and use broadly accepted rules and a roster of 8,000 impartial experts to help resolve cases.
Most disputes use mediation and arbitration, but even less formal methods like fact-finding, mini-trial and partnering are being used more by small firms. AAA has excellent ADR publications, plus downloadable forms that can help you head off disputes in the future.

2. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) helps resolve business disputes by using common sense alternatives to expensive legal actions. Programs are run through local BBBs under the direction of the group??™s national umbrella organization, the Virginia-based Council of Better Business Bureaus.

BBBs offer several levels of help, from informal advice to structured mediation and arbitration. The BBB??™s Dispute Resolution website explains how it works. A program called BBB Care helps small businesses and their customers quickly address disputes at low cost and without attorneys. More than 100 BBB offices nationwide offer the program. Bureau staff will work with you and the people involved to help resolve the dispute.

3. McAfee Security delivers world-class software and service solutions that help small businesses secure and protect their computers and make their technology work better. McAfee??™s well-regarded anti-virus, security, encryption and desktop optimization products include VirusScan, SpamKiller, Personal FireWall, EasyRecovery and QuickClean. Prices for most products range from $35 to $99. In addition to ???over-the-counter??? retail security products, McAfee also offers security services by subscription via the Web.

4. Norton AntiVirus from Symantec ranks among the world??™s most trusted anti-virus software. It repairs common virus infections automatically, without interrupting your work. It also scans and cleans both incoming and outgoing e-mail and defends against script-based viruses, even between virus definition updates.

Also, Norton Personal Firewall is an easy-to-use program that keeps hackers out and your data in. It helps protect confidential data in e-mail, Microsoft Office attachments, websites and instant messages. Symantec offers both AntiVirus and Personal Firewall as a bundle for $79. They also have a line of related products to provide Internet security and help solve common computer problems.

5. The National Safety Council (NSC) is an excellent source for workplace safety advice and information. This nonprofit operates under a federal charter and is one of the nation??™s leading safety resources.

NSC offers posters and banners, safety publications, software, training programs, videos and more. Their website has helpful information for small businesses in areas such as repetitive motion injuries, emergency care, ergonomics and compliance with standards set by OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). NSC also offers an emergency preparedness package and info on proper use and handling of chemicals.

If you have employees who drive as part of your business, the NSC??™s safe driving manual can be especially helpful. Consulting services are also available. Annual membership of $215??“$300 includes discounts and additional services.

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Excerpt from the book 'The 100 Best Resources for Small Businesses'. Visit www.bizbest100.com to purchase your copy of ???The 100 Best Resources for Small Businesses??? and learn about the resources (many of them free) successful business owners use to face challenges, find solutions and send sales soaring.

A little romance as you travel the road of marriage goes a long way toward making sure the happiness lasts far beyond the wedding day. If the last time you wooed your spouse was on your honeymoon, try saying ???I love you??? with one of one of these romantic suggestions from ???The Joy of Marriage.???

• Leave a love poem on your spouse??™s voice mail.
• Slow dance in the kitchen when you??™re feeling romantic.
• Crank up the volume and sing along when the radio??™s playing ???your??? song.
• If you don??™t have a pet name for your honey, make one up.
• Sometimes the massage is the message.
• Tell your children the story of how you met.
• Take a walk together after dinner.
• Draw a heart on the bathroom mirror with soap and put both of your initials in it.
• Smooch in the car at a stoplight.
• Stand by the window and wave good-bye, even if your spouse is just driving to the store.

Valentine's Day doesn't just have to be celebrated for two. Have a romantic party and invite all your friends to enjoy this love-ly day. Here are some ideas from Penny Warner's book, "The Best Party Book".

Make your own invitations by cutting hearts out of velvety paper, or using lacy heart-shaped white paper. Include little candy "conversation" hearts in the envelope. Buy small, heart-shaped boxes of candy, write the party details under the lid, and hand-deliver the invitations.

Ask guests to dress in red, white, or pink, or in a romantic outfit, or as a famous romantic character.

Light lots of red, pink, and white votive candles around your home. Hang posters from romantic movies. Use real or artificial roses, along with heart-shaped balloons tied together with ribbons. Play romantic music.

Make "love coupons" to hand out to your guests. Some can be appealing, such as "Good for time off from your least-favorite chore." Some can be duds, like "Good for one phone call to your mother-in-law."

Go around and ask guests to tell how they met their significant other. You may be surprised at how different the versions of these stories may be!

Make the refreshments pink, red, and delicious. Serve strawberry daiquiris or mimosas (pink champagne and orange juice). Stuff sandwiches with pink salmon or crab meat. Put strawberries, cherries, or raspberries on croissants with whipped cream. Try sundaes with strawberry ice cream or real strawberries.

Give away little gifts of boxes of candy, bottles of champagne, flowers, romance novels, theatre tickets, romantic music, or massage oil.

Stencil Hearts

• Pencil
• Paper plate
• Scissors
• Red, white or pink construction paper
• Sponge
• Red, white, and/or pink tempera paint
• Clear contact paper (optional)
• Marker (optional)

Draw a heart on the center of a paper plate. Cut out the heart by poking through the center of the heart and cutting from the inside out so the rim of the plate stays intact.

Hold the paper plate stencil against the construction paper. Have your child dip the sponge into the paint and dab it over the stencil. Lift the stencil, move it to another part of the paper, then dab again. Continue dabbing and moving the stencil until the paper is covered with hearts.

When the paint is dry, use the painting as a greeting card, or cover it with clear contact paper and use it as a Valentine??™s Day place mat. If you like, use a marker to write love messages on each heart.

Stuffed Hearts

• Large sheets of paper (each at least 2 square feet)
• Tape or stapler
• Markers, crayons, paint, and/or paintbrushes
• Scissors
• Newspaper, tissue paper, or other paper scraps
• Hole punch and yarn (optional)

Lay a sheet of paper on top of another and tape or staple the edges together. Draw the outline of a heart on one side of the paper. Cut along the outline to make two cutouts. Tape or staple the edges of the cutouts together, leaving an opening along one edge.

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