Business Resources | Educational Resources | Writing Resources | E-Cards | Fun and Family Stuff

Portals for Business, Communication, Writing and Fun

In our business adventures as communication professionals, we've run across many great sources, wellsprings for ideas and information on business and marketing. We thought we'd share them with you.

Business Resources

Arizona Small Business Association (ASBA)
A warm, open-minded association providing access to resources and benefits which help small businesses develop, grow and succeed. Ann Videan is co-facilitator of its Marketing & Sales Executive Connection community and knows first-hand that ASBA offers unbelievable ROI for small businesses, especially considering its low annual membership fee.

Creating Customer Evangelists
Authors Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba show you how to take your company's best customers and build them into influential, loyal, and enthusiastic evangelists.

Institute Of Management Consultants (IMC)
The oldest and foremost association devoted to the management consulting profession. This group allows you to broaden your horizons and expand your network so you can grow your practice profitably.

International Association Of Business Communicators (IABC)
A comprehensive resource for communication professionals.

Phoenix Business Associations
A list of business organizations such as the Arizona Better Business Bureau, Departments of Commerce, Export Council, and Service Corps of Retired Executives (S.C.O.R.E.).

Public Relations Society Of America (PRSA)
With the vision to unify, strengthen and advance the profession of public relations, PRSA has established itself as the pre-eminent organization building value, demand and global understanding for public relations. Ann Videan has been an active member of the Phoenix chapter since 1981 and served as its president in 1990. She personally knows the value of this group.

Videan Unlimited Resource Garden
An online source of small-office and home-office (SOHO) virtual outsourcing experts to assist businesses with large or specialized projects. Each is recommended by someone else in the garden.

Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia Resources

High-Tech Encyclopedia
Great for finding high-tech definitions and acronyms.

1-Look Dictionaries
An index of more than 600 dictionaries.

VoyCabulary
VoyCabulary lets you click on any word on any Web page to quickly look it up.

Acronym Finder
The Web's largest database of common acronyms, and abbreviations.

Rhyming Words
For you poets out there, here's a wonderful tool to jumpstart your thinking with rhyming words.

Writing Resources

Inspired 2 Write
Offers "free" classes.

Bella Online
A feast of great writing information. Geared to women, but beneficial for all.

Cluetrain Manifesto
Get a clue and get on the train. Read their book and learn to write and do business like a person, not a corporation.

chiasmus.com
Brings life to your quotations.

E-Cards

Jacquie Lawson
You get access to a small, but delightfully beautiful cache of this artist's animated e-cards, for just $8 a year.

Blue Mountain
A great site for cute and funny Flash and animated e-cards for just $13.99 a year.

Fun and Family Stuff

About: Travel With Kids
A listing for children's museums, corn mazes, water parks, snow domes and other family fun spots.

Family Fun Magazine
A vibrant, user-friendly, publication providing creative ideas and real-life solutions giving parents what they need to make family life everything it can be.

The Phoenix Zoo
Home to over 1,000 animals and centrally located in the Phoenix metro area, the Phoenix Zoo offers an exciting array of animal exhibits, unique special events, educational programs and outdoor recreational activities for people of all ages. This zoo is Ann Videan's charity of choice, and her favorite place for walking. She gave her client Rhino Internet/Rhino Staging the idea to bring white rhinos back to the zoo in 2004.