RIP Business Link Website

jenniemiller177

Think it is a shame. There was a lot of really useful information on there. The new site seems to have a lot less info available.

marlot

vivatifosi wrote: »

Business Link was a great website. Great shame.

Agreed. Directgov was pretty good too; also gone in the latest shuffle o gov't web sites.

Wywth

Apparently this new site is especially designed for us plebs! :cool:

paulwf

Business Link was brilliant, the pages were written by someone with a common sense approach who would guide you through a subject in a logical way. You could then phone them up to get advice and go on their free courses. When I was looking to start up there were numerous times when I would make a cup of coffee and read through one of their guides, it all made sense if you put the time in.

The new site doesn't guide you through a topic, it is just an index leading to a collection of pages about compliance and technicalities. It isn't much use to anyone as you have to know what you are looking for in advance.

I'll write to my MP too, it would take very little to maintain the existing BL site.

WHA

The old Business Link website is available in the National Archive, so at least for the short term, it's valuable content is still available. Just have to remember that it won't be updated so the law and figures will become out of date. But still, highly useful for the factsheets, guidance, downloads, etc.

Perhaps if we all carried on using the archived BL website, the powers may sit up and take notice that the gov.uk is inadequate for business needs.

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121009160823/http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/home?r.i=1073789114&r.l1=1073858808&r.l2=1073860617&r.s=b&r.t=RESOURCES

terra_ferma

cost-cutting, no doubt, it must have costed a lot of money to write up and maintain the site, but really invaluable service!
the current conservative gov is supposed to be on the side of small businesses, encourage private enterprise, etc, but clearly not.

Barney30

Not keen on the new site at all

morg_monster

I work in the same building as the branch of the cabinet office that is responsible for gov.uk!

Shall I kick them in the nuts for you, next time I see one of them in the lift with their ipad, uber trendy threadless t-shirt, and large starbucks cup?!

Edited to add - their blog is here
http://digital.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/
You could try engaging with them on it as they do seem to respond - however I suspect that they are just doing what they are told from on high. When I do encounter them in the lift, although they do come across generally as a bunch of slight tw*ts, they do seem massively enthusiastic about the work they're doing. But also massively frustrated about the constraints placed upon you when you work for the government (I think most got recruited from business and it must be a shock to suddenly come to work in the civil service... at least they all got to keep their Macs though!)

cid_2

Apologies for resurrecting this old thread, but I'm interested to know a couple of years on what people's opinion is today of the demise of the Business Link website (not the face-to-face service) and its replacement with gov.uk. Does anyone miss Business Link? Do people think gov.uk has enough information for small businesses? Or do you just go to a non-gov site for small business advice?

I ask as I've just tried to find something on gov.uk that I know was on the old BL site, and there's zero information on there. I'll have to go to a non-gov website for help and no doubt be marketed to like the potential customer I am while I'm there, which presumably was the government's goal.

Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere (feel free to direct me to another thread if so). Thanks.

Savvy_Sue

cid wrote: »

Apologies for resurrecting this old thread, but I'm interested to know a couple of years on what people's opinion is today of the demise of the Business Link website (not the face-to-face service) and its replacement with gov.uk. Does anyone miss Business Link? Do people think gov.uk has enough information for small businesses? Or do you just go to a non-gov site for small business advice?

I ask as I've just tried to find something on gov.uk that I know was on the old BL site, and there's zero information on there. I'll have to go to a non-gov website for help and no doubt be marketed to like the potential customer I am while I'm there, which presumably was the government's goal.

Apologies if this has been discussed elsewhere (feel free to direct me to another thread if so). Thanks.

Is the link in the quote below to the old Business Link website still working?

WHA wrote: »

The old Business Link website is available in the National Archive, so at least for the short term, it's valuable content is still available. Just have to remember that it won't be updated so the law and figures will become out of date. But still, highly useful for the factsheets, guidance, downloads, etc.

Perhaps if we all carried on using the archived BL website, the powers may sit up and take notice that the gov.uk is inadequate for business needs.

http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20121009160823/http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/home?r.i=1073789114&r.l1=1073858808&r.l2=1073860617&r.s=b&r.t=RESOURCES