Miscellaneous free stuff online

By Keith Darnay

More free stuff available online, this time a miscellaneous collection of freebies.

These are items that either didn't fit neatly into the categories used in the previous columns or were just for one particular site.

If you have some favorite sites that offer useful or entertaining free stuff, let me know and I'll pass them along through this column.

Free Training
SBA SBTN
http://www.sba.gov/training/
The Small Business Administration offers the Small Business Training Network, a virtual campus offering online courses, publications and other assistance. Learn how to create a business plan, basic business startup tips, marketing help and more. It's expert advice and training, and it's free.

Free Business Invoicing
Intuit Billing Manager
https://billingmanager.intuit.com/billing/account/sign-up.url
Intuit, known for its online and offline QuickBooks software, offers a free invoicing system online. Use the Billing Manager web site to create customized, professional invoices that you can send by e-mail. You can also track payment history and payment status -- all on one place, all for free.

Free Logo Design
LogoMaker
http://www.logomaker.com
In a matter of minutes, you can build your own professional looking logo for personal or business purposes. The catch is you don't legally own the logo you create -- you have to purchase it for $49.00. Still, this is a great site to generate logo design ideas or, if you really like what you create, buy and download.

Free Commercial Music
FreeAllMusic
http://www.freeallmusic.com
Here's the deal: You get to download five commercial songs a week free. We're talking music from the Universal and EMI labels. Yours to download and keep. But you have to watch a video commercial at the site before you can download each song. Watch an ad, download a song. This process is called "ad supported downloads," and it may prove to be a win-win situation for everyone involved. The site beta-launched in December with 3,000 randomly chosen participants. Sign up now and you may among those chosen to participate in an upcoming second launch.

Free Hubble Space Telescope Photos
HubbleSite
http://www.hubblesite.org
Virtually all photos taken by the Hubble Space Telescope are considered to be in the public domain, which means they are free for downloading and printing, whether on your own home printer or through box store and local photo printing services. One of the best repositories of HST photos is HubbleSite. Click the "Gallery" link and then download either 32 print ready images up to 16 x 20 insize or browse the collection and pick out ones you want to print up to letter size (most within a ready made display format). You can also download wall panel size images, predivided for printing purposes to create wall displays up to six feet wide by three feet high. It's worth taking the time to explore this site.

Free Collection Sites
FreeMania!
http://www.freemania.net

FreeStuffChannel
http://www.freestuffchannel.com

FreeStuffs
http://www.freestuffsites.net

FreakyFreddies
http://www.freakyfreddies.com
Here are a few Web sites that specialize in finding and presenting places to download or order free samples, gifts and more. Always review the terms and conditions behind the "free" offer -- sometimes, free can be expensive. For example, some places will give you something free if you sign up for a trial subscription to a product or service. If you don't remember to cancel before the end of the trial period, your credit card is automatically charged for a year of the service. And be wary of "free" offers that require you to sign up for a special program where you need to buy other items before you earn your free gift.

(Keith Darnay has worked in the online world for more than a decade, the traditional media world for a few decades more and manages the online department and Web site for the University of Mary. His own site, featuring this column going back to 1995, is at www.darnay.com.)