We are experiencing some technical difficulties with the eBusiness Directory (and many of our other directory sites) this morning.

It is out of my control, but hopefully our tech staff will have it back up and running very soon.

By the way, look for a SecurityProNews directory to come in the near future, where you will be able to find an abundance of resources related to information security and IT issues.

Check the eBusiness Directory again a little bit later today, and it should be back to normal.

We apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you!

UPDATE: Technical Difficulties Over. Please enjoy the eBusiness Directory!

Let’s be honest: the average directory listing only tells potential customers that your business is open and ready to accept their money.  JointWinWin.com will accomplish that while putting in a good word of sorts at the same time.

The catch, as such, is that businesses listed on JointWinWin are supposed to donate at least 0.8 percent of their gross revenue to charity.  But all things considered, that’s a rather small price to pay.

Tom O’Brien, JointWinWin’s cofounder, pointed out in a statement, “It’s a no-brainer – a free [Cause-Related Marketing] strategy, providing valuable SEO backlinks and an extra sales channel.  Customers want to buy from companies with good business ethics.  For example, Coca Cola increased sales by 490% in one CRM initiative.”

So pick a charity (or more than one) and start donating.  There are plenty of deserving non-profits out there, and they’ll seem even better after your rankings and sales start to increase.

In honor of having watched two episodes of “Corner Gas” (a quirky Canadian sitcom) last night, here’s something many of you may not have stumbled across before: the Canadian Business Directory.

Non-Canadians can’t get listed, but since the directory is well known even to a writer at the Illinois-based PromotionWorld, it seems like a rather good resource in the event any Americans need to find a business above the border.  Or advertising slots are available at some reasonable rates.

And as for how northern readers out there can receive the benefits of being in the directory in the first place, a PromotionWorld article states, “You get listed and you get a backlink, simple as that.”  There aren’t any tricks, since everything’s free.  Random treats include a handful of helpful articles and some official banners and images.

Although the site’s not exactly gorgeous, the system is effective.  We’d recommend submitting a listing to the Canadian Business Directory if you’re eligible and checking out “Corner Gas” regardless of geography.

No effort at market research is complete without a look at what Dun & Bradstreet’s Hoovers.com has to say.

Sometimes it’s worth a look at what the big boys have to say with their directories. Few hold the kind of rich content, free and premium, that Hoover’s maintains.

They would like to sell you a subscription, of course, and you may be in a position to generate a solid return on the information that subscription provides. One utility Hoover’s offers builds prospect lists of firms or decision makers, filtered by choices like geographic area and industry.

Other free insights come from their analysts, who post at the Hoover’s Business Insight Zone blog.

You can’t say he didn’t warn you.  Chris is away, now – his paternity leave has started – and it’s liable to be some time before we hear from him again.  We’d like to extend our best wishes to Chris and his wife as they participate in all sorts of miracle-of-life stuff.

Meanwhile, what seems like a small army of people will be trying to keep up with Chris’s duties around the office.  Starting next week, we’ll resume feeding you directory-related info, and should any baby news spread, we’ll see about passing that along, too.

Have a nice weekend, folks.