The newspapers official survey company, the Audit Bureau of Circulation, has reported bad news for years. One of the most recent reports stated that daily newspaper circulation has dropped 2.6% nationwide between October 2006 and November 2007. A Pew Research Center study reported in 2006 that daily newspaper readership dropped 20% between 1996 and 2006.

If you can't make the numbers go up, change the way you make the survey. The Audit Bureau of Circulation will revise the definition of "paid circulation".

The Audit Bureau of Circulation has endorsed what it calls "a set of sweeping strategic recommendations" that changes the way newspapers count circulation. The ABC says the rule changes "aim to provide marketers with more useful information, streamline ABC rules and audits, and modify key circulation standards."

First is to revise the definition of "paid circulation." The bureau says the new definitions will be more straightforward and intuitive, representing payment by an individual reader or specialized channels." The new rules mean the price a reader paid for the paper is no longer a consideration; a price as low as a penny can count as paid circulation now.

When you are about to hire someone, whether its a roofer, car dealer, or cleaning service, how do you check the business out?

If you're like most people, you ask friends for references. If you're tech savvy, you could turn to Angie's List, Craigslist, or Smartpockets.com.

What you might have forgotten is that old standby, the Better Business Bureau. Many people do. So the BBB introduced a $700,000 rebranding campaign recently.

Beverly Baskin, president of the Better Business Bureau of Eastern North Carolina, said recommendations from friends and family work, but only to a point. The same goes for Web sites that let consumers rate businesses.

Start your search with the BBB. Its rebranding campaign - including a new Web site, logo, book series and commercials during shows such as "CSI" and "Grey's Anatomy" - drives the point home. Its slogan: "Start with trust."

If a company is accredited by the BBB, you can find out whether it is properly licensed, the government has taken action against it, or it has operated under another name and run into problems.

Many people know they can register a complaint with the BBB, but few realize that their local office will arbitrate disputes with car dealerships through the BBB Auto Line. Few know that the bureau checks the licenses and the certifications of accredited members each year to make sure they are current.

"We went out on the street and found that people had a different perception of us," Baskin said. "They thought you just call and pay your money and become a member. They didn't know that you had to meet standards and that you have to maintain those standards and that we expel members who do not uphold those standards."

The 95-year old non-profit is making changes to compete better online. One is the new Web site. You can go to the national site, http://BBB.org, type in your zip code and be linked to the local site. The site makes it easier to find a company's report, file a complaint and get consumer alerts and warnings.

The site also will include a monthly list of companies that have lost their accreditation and the reasons why.

BBB will introduce the Better Business Bureau book series. The first three books, "Starting an eBay Business," "Buying a Franchise" and "Buying a Home," will be on sale at Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com and Borders.

The rules for becoming an accredited member remain the same: A company must be in business for at least a year, have the appropriate licenses and certifications and be registered with and maintain its incorporation files with the state.

Baskins hopes the ads will encourage people to check the database before working with a company.