Rumor Has It...Relying on blogs and fan sites can shed some light on public opinion, but read them with a grain of salt.

Ren Moulton likes visiting product blogs and rumor sites like Core77, Gizmodo, IDSA and Notcot. "Intellectual property is core," says Moulton, founder ofDogmatic Products, a 5-year-old pet products company in New York City, and Egg Design, a product design subsidiary that develops proprietary technologies.

Moulton, 37, uses these sites for brainstorming, benchmarking and creating partnerships--as well as for preventive measure, since he competes with large companies. "If we see a conglomerate is launching something, we stay away from it," he says.