Federal Trade Commission There's a mother lode of practical information here, including the Business Guidance section, with scores of downloadable business publications on topics ranging from advertising to e-commerce to telemarketing. The directory of regional offices will steer you to the nearest Better Business Bureau, Public Utilities Commissions, state consumer affairs and other agencies' offices.

FedWorld John Q. Public meets Uncle Sam at FedWorld. You'll find a wealth of government and business information -- everything from government standards to 17,000 trade-related documents and up-to-date analyses of major U.S. industries. Browse databases, download forms, purchase reports and link to scores of other related sites.

GovCon GovCon is a free service for businesses interested in obtaining government contracts. Once you register you'll have access to The Commerce Business Daily; bidding, teaming and employment opportunities; searchable government regulations; electronic newsletters; an interactive advertiser yellow pages; and notification of upcoming seminars and trade shows on government contracting issues.

Internal Revenue Service Get the lowdown on current Federal tax regulations and other tax information at the Internal Revenue Service's Web site, where you can also download tax forms and instructions. It's Small Business Corner offers advice on starting and operating your own business.

Library of Congress The two most useful areas at this site are; Thomas, where you search for information about legislation, and the Copyright Office, where information about copyright law is available.

National Technical Information Service Through the National Technical Information Service home page, you can search more than 370,000 (20,000 business-related) titles produced by U.S. government agencies and non-profit agencies since 1990. This free search is limited to author, title or agency identification information. You have to subscribe to get the full description summaries.

NonProfit Gateway As it's name implies, this site is intended for use by nonprofit organizations. It offers links at Cabinet departments to information that is of special interest to nonprofits. Other links will fetch information about grants, volunteering and budgeting issues, and Master Search lets you perform keyword searches on 530,000 government Web pages.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA's pages provide a wealth of information related to the workplace safety standards and regulations. You can search for OSHA regulatory rules, and delve into a number of other databases that include information such as recordkeeping guidelines, speeches and congressional testimony.

U.S. Business Advisor Billed as the onestop electronic link to government for business, the U.S. Business Advisor is a collection of links to other government agencies. Topics include doing business with the government, international trade, finance, labor and employment, general business, and laws and regulations.

U.S. Department of Commerce The depth and breadth of information at this site seems overwhelming, but it's an incredible tool if you know what your looking for. It's got links to the DOC's 14 bureaus, including the Patent and Trademark Office, the Bureau of Export Administration, the Census Bureau, the International Trade Administration and the Technology Administration.

U.S. Small Business Administration No matter what stage your business is at, you'll find a wealth of information here on starting, running and expanding. Get step-by-step information on launching a business, find out about SBA loan programs, take an online course or register your business in Pro-Net for government contracting opportunities.