For many of you, Microsoft Outlook is your choice for your Personal Information Manager (PIM).

Newsgroups may still be one of the mysteries left to solve based on the sheer number of groups (30,000+), daily messages (more than 1 million each day) and how a group benefits you firm or business.Those who think Newsgroups are simply a source of the latest gossip are wrong; they can a powerful ally in business, especially for owners and partners who seek credible resources and information.Finding the appropriate newsgroup(s) and figuring out how to use them to your advantage is the challenge. Most specialize by subject, but where do you begin and what do you say?

They come in all shapes and sizes. They are called viruses. Y2K has inspired malicious hackers to concoct some doozies for your viewing pleasure. From a worm that displays “Hi 2000” as it eats away your data to a trojan horse virus that uses chat rooms to spread its disease, they are up and running in 2000.And then there are the “hoaxes” that masquerade as viruses. Among the most notable are the Happy New Year Virus and the AOL Year 2000 Update.

According to a recent survey conducted by RHI Management Resources, 39 percent of chief financial officers believe services related to e-commerce will the be the biggest growth area for public accounting firms in the next five years.The survey, which polled 1,400 CFOs from various sized companies employing more than 20 employees, shows that financial systems consulting was cited as the number two growth area for public accounting firms.

Microsoft's free Hotmail email system was crippled over Christmas weekend because the $600 billion giant forgot to pay a $35 bill.The shutdown of the system came after Microsoft failed to pay the annual $35 fee for it's registered passport.com domain name, which verifies user names and passwords for the Hotmail system. The mistake was discovered by Michael Chaney, a programmer who works with Linux, a competing system to Microsoft's Windows.

Small- and medium-sized CPA firms should know that, in many cases, their employees can receive the same benefits afforded to the large firms because of a group buying effort through outsourced HR resources.Outsourcing the HR function is nothing new; firms like ADP have provided services for some time in this market known as the "Professional Employee Organization (PEO).However, sometimes a wake-up call is inorder.

Is your life moving at the speed of light? Does it feel like it? It can. When prioritizing tasks feels suffocating, It’s time to look outside for help. Use these guidelines to go forward toward your goals instead of running away from them.Is what you are doing important or urgent? Just knowing the difference can help. Important means something needs to be done. Urgent, on the other hand, means the item must be done.What will happen if you don’t do the item today? So many people have unrealistic expectations for themselves.

Toast the new year and resolve to make internal communications priority one in your firm. That’s the idea from Jim Shaffer, author of The Leadership Solution which is due out in early March. According to Shaffer, employees who are informed outperform their uninformed counterparts, all things being equal. He also says that your words should match your actions. Employees do what you do, not what you say. Be careful in your day-to-day interactions.

Throughout the year, AccountingWeb has presented a variety of stories on how the IRS has made attempts to shine its tarnished image by presenting a "kindler, gentler" outlook on pursuing audits, offering concessions to taxpayers and just being plain nice.A new ranking from the American Customer Satisfaction Index claims that the attempts were unsuccessful, and the Service still ranks as one of the most unpopular government agenices in the Americas.While some tax professionals have gone on record to say the IRS is, indeed, doing a better job, taxpayers are the heart of the concern, and on