Note from the Editor
Season's Greetings!

Important Notice Regarding Upcoming Server Maintenance
Worldbid Network will be undergoing scheduled maintenance this week.

Customer Service Department Holiday Hours
Reduced service during the holiday season.

Antivirus Protection is Essential to Doing Business Online
Quick spread of new viruses emphasizes the need for virus protection.

Note from the Editor

The holiday season is on us once again and, as usual, I am left wondering where the year went.

In light of many of the things that have occurred around the world this year, I feel it is especially important to take this time to reflect on and appreciate all that we have, our families and our friends.

Have a great holiday season everyone!

Important Notice Regarding Upcoming Server Maintenance

The Worldbid Network will be undergoing scheduled maintenance on Wednesday December 19, 2001 beginning at 9:30am PST. We hope to keep the server downtime to a minimum and expect to be back up and running at full capacity at by 6:00pm PST.

During this period, you will not be able to access the Worldbid Network sites and you will not be receive your Email Trade Notifications. Services will resume as normal following this period.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you or your organization.

Customer Service Department Holiday Hours

Our Customer Service Department will be closed for the holidays from December 21, 2001 to January 6, 2002. All email received during this period will be responded to in the order that it was received beginning January 7, 2001.

If the matter is of an urgent nature, please contact one of our Account Managers at sales@worldbid.com or toll free in Canada and the US at: 1-877-685-2248 ext. 244 or at (250)-475-2248 ext. 244 for international clients.

Answers to many common questions can also be found within the online version of the Worldbid.com Frequently Asked Questions [FAQ] at http://www.worldbid.com/faq.cgi.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Antivirus Protection is Essential to Doing Business Online

The recent increases in the number of new and potentially damaging viruses has once again highlighted the need for any company or individual doing business on the Internet to take proper precautions.

The rapid spread of viruses such as W32.Badtrans.B@mm [BadTransB] and W32.Goner.A@mm [Goner] have shown that there still remain a lot of unprotected computer systems in use. Often the affected computers may, in fact, be running antivirus software, but have not been updated in some time and are therefor vulnerable to new viruses, worms and trojans.

It is very important that you maintain current versions of both the antivirus software that you are using and the virus detection lists that the software uses to identify potentially harmful email, attachments and programs. The method for updating your virus lists will vary from individual program to program, but most provide an automated update feature. New virus lists are usually released on a weekly basis. Please check with the manufacturer of your antivirus software for details.

Please take precautions to ensure that your computer system and network are protected by quality antivirus software and that the virus definition list is current. Your business contacts will thank you for doing so.

"We are an Importer & Exporter of agriculture products in China. We have established essential business relationships with many companies all over the world by using the information that Worldbid.com supplies. Your website is an excellent method for us to promote our trade."

Harward Ken, Guangdong Kking-nong Industry Information Co.ltd. [