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Do you often daydream about working at home? Before you hand in your letter of resignation, please read what Jan K., The Proofer has to say about the pros and cons of being your own boss. These are points to ponder before you begin your pursuit of a work-at-home job.

Working at Home Isn”t All Fun and Games

I enjoy telling people that I “work at home.” I can see that wistful look in their eyes, and I can hear it in their voices when they say, “That must be nice.” And then for about five minutes, they do a little daydreaming about what it would be like to “work at home.” I never explain to them about the measure of self-discipline it takes, and how great are the temptations to take a “break” and reorganize my sock drawer when I find myself faced with working on a project that is less than interesting (or worse yet, “not as profitable” as other projects). Why burst their bubble? Let them daydream awhile?.

Working at home can be all the wonderful things that those people daydream about. Setting my own hours, working at my own pace (project deadlines permitting), running to the market at 1 o”clock on a Wednesday afternoon when there”s nobody there—these are just a few of the plusses of working at home. For parents (whether it is the mom or dad, or both working at home), being able to adjust their working schedule to school schedules, being able to take the kids to the orthodontist or to soccer practice, working at home is a definite plus. For people who don”t work at home and who want to work at home, it is probably hard to think of even one minus. But the fact of the matter is, the minuses do exist—in abundance.

It is not my purpose here to ruin all your hopes or plans to establish yourself as a work-at-homer. In fact, I do encourage you to follow that dream and be your own boss. However, I want you to take just a few minutes to take stock of your situation and once and for all decide if working at home really is in your best interest.

First, and obviously, you have to have a job skill that is amenable to the at-home environment. If you trim poodles on the weekend and think you can turn it into a full-time at-home business, then look around. Do you live in a two-bedroom apartment on the second floor and just do your neighbor”s poodle once a month (but you do it really well)? Or do you live a four-bedroom ranch house with a three-car garage that can be made over into “Donna”s Clip Joint” and happen to live in an urban neighborhood where everyone has pets? And even if you do, what about all the permits that you will need? Will you be able to pursue this type of work at home, and do so legally?

The most applicable work-at-home job skills involve the use of a computer, the Internet, phone, fax, and other small business/office machines. You can hardly drive from home to the grocery store without seeing those signs nailed to telephone poles: “Got a Computer? Earn up to $2000 at home!” Of course, you can, but can you?

For the sake of argument, let”s presume then that you have a computer and an assortment of small business machines, and that you do indeed have some skill that you believe can be marketed. Let”s focus on you for a minute: Are you self-disciplined? Are you organized? Do you have the proper workspace where you can work undisturbed? Are you able to face a workday where you have no supervision or guidance? Can you work at home, day after day, without having the people contact that you would typically find “on the job”? When you have overlapping projects, will you be able to cope with the necessary prioritizing so that you get the time-critical job done on time without jeopardizing the next job in line?

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Filed under: Ecommerce

The Payment Care Industry Data Security Standard or PCI DSS levies requirements on credit card merchants to safeguard consumers’ credit information from malicious behaviour from identity thieves. The payment card industry providers such as VISA, MasterCard and American Express are now enforcing PCI compliance. Non-compliance can result in fines, restrictions or possibly permanent expulsion from card acceptance programs. If your business depends on accepting credit cards, then you have no choice than to become PCI compliant.

The new Payment Card Industry (PCI) data security standards are network security and business practice guidelines developed by Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover Card. They were developed to establish a ‘minimum security standard’ with regards to the protection of cardholders’ account and transaction information.

What are PCI DSS requirements?

The PCI Data Security Standard represents a common set of industry tools and measurements to help merchants and credit card processors that store, process or transmit cardholder data ensure the safe handling of sensitive cardholder information. The standard provides an actionable framework for developing a robust account data security process that includes preventing, detecting and reacting to security incidents.

What are the benefits of working with a PCI Compliant Service Provider?

By working with a PCI compliant service provider you can ensure that cardholder account data being processed across your technical environment is protected. PCI DSS protects cardholders and minimizes the risk to your business.

The main benefits of implementing the PCI CSS for your organization and working with a provider that is compliant are:

– Protecting customer personal data – Increasing customer trust by demonstrating your commitment to the security of their personal information – Protecting your business from financial penalties – Leveraging a hosting provider’s existing PCI DSS compliancy investment i.e. your technical infrastructure resides in a data centre that has already been audited – Potential savings starting at $100,000 in capital expenditures by outsourcing to a managed service provider that is PCI compliant

Who has to comply?

The credit card companies have made it clear that ANY entity that stores, processes, or transmits cardholder data regardless of their transaction volume, are required to comply with the PCI requirements. Failure to comply with the PCI security standard may result in substantial fines or permanent expulsion from card acceptance programs. Recent studies on financial fraud have indicated that hackers are increasingly targeting small, commercial Web sites, increasing the need for all merchants and service providers to become fully compliant with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standard (DSS). What do I need to do to meet the PCI standards?

The PCI standard comprises two basic steps: 1. Pass quarterly remote vulnerability scans conducted by a Visa and MasterCard “Qualified Independent Scan Vendor”. Scans are required for all Internet connection points whether they are office networks or home/office connections (dial-up, DSL, cable or wireless) or permanent Internet servers such as your web site and email server, etc.

2. Successful completion of a security self-assessment questionnaire. The self assessment questionnaire asks specific questions about your internal security practices, both on your web site and in your office.

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Filed under: Management

Moving overseas isn’t a very exciting experience. Rather it can be a pain in the butt as you look for a place to live in another country and then try to figure out what paperwork you need to do yourself and find a moving company that can get your furniture from here to there. Sometimes it almost seems like it isn’t worth it. To make things a bit easier, get started on the paperwork nice and early.

Passport and visa: You obviously need a passport in order to travel out of the country, so you will want to make sure that you not only have a passport but that it is valid for at least a year or two. You will also need a visa for the country that you plan to move to. This is a vital part of moving overseas, most countries won’t allow you to enter without a visa. Sometimes you can get this at the point of entry, but it will be better for your peace of mind if you obtain it earlier.

Residency permit: If you want to live in the country that you are moving to, on a permanent basis, you will need a residency permit. Many countries allow you to apply for this after you arrive, but you may need to apply earlier, so make sure you check the regulations on this one. Otherwise you could end up with only a tourist visa, which will require you to leave the country every few months to renew it.

Work permit: Are you planning to work in the new country? If you don’t have residency, you’ll need to make sure that you have a work permit to allow you to carry on a job. Many jobs will provide this for you, so if you are being hired by a company and relocated, ask them to arrange the work permit for you. Certificates of registration: These are necessary for everything you are moving out of your original country. You will need to prove that your belongings are yours and that you are not importing them to sell. You can register your belongings at the nearest embassy for the country.

Export declaration form: In most cases, this will be filled out by your moving company. In fact, if you pack any of your own boxes, this could cause problems for your items at customs. You will need to let the moving company pack everything up if you want to expedite the process and receive your possessions as quickly as possible.

Medical reports: These may be necessary if you are travelling to a foreign country that requires immunization records. If you suffer from health problems, it’s a good idea to carry your medical records with you anyway, even translate them into the new language so your doctor will be able to read them easily.

Moving to another country doesn’t have to be as frightening or as complicated as it might sound. Plan ahead and make sure that you have all your paperwork in order well before you have to leave. Talk to your moving company about what they are responsible for and about insurance. Then plan your move down to the last minute, where you will have everything so the movers can pack it, etc. Its a lot of work, but with the right planning, you should be fine and able to pull off the big move fairly smoothly.

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Filed under: Business

Anyone can receive counterfeit money no matter where they are. You can go to the bank and get that one $100 bill that was not checked when it was received by the bank. You then go to the grocery store and pay with that $100 bill when the cashier checks it with a special counterfeit detector pen that indicates the bill is counterfeit. The cashier is silent and goes to her manager to show them the bill. All the while, you are standing at the checkout confused as to what is going on until the manager comes back to tell you that they must confiscate the $100 bill because it is counterfeit. They have already notified the authorities so the situation can be investigated. Now you are stuck with a cart full of groceries and you must wait for the police in order to tell them how you received the bill.

This is a situation that may be somewhat unusual, but some have experienced. They have been at no fault regarding the possession of a counterfeit bill because, if not checked properly, they can be distributed by banks, stores, and other venues in which money changes hands.

But what if you were on vacation and this happened? First of all, you’re not from the area and you just handed off a counterfeit bill. That makes you look quite suspicious and, unfortunately, can get you into serious trouble and ruin your entire vacation. That is why it is important to take certain precautions.

Precautions to take

One can never be too careful when traveling with cash. If at all possible, one might prefer to use traveler’s cheques or use a debit card or credit card. These items can be reported if missing, whereas cash cannot be replaced. Traveler’s cheques can be replaced if missing so your trip isn’t completely ruined. However, if you must carry cash, there are ways to protect yourself against receiving counterfeit money.

Depending on where you are in the world is going to determine what tools you need, but using items such as:

A counterfeit detector can keep you receiving a counterfeit bill. Simply keep one in your purse or pocket to immediately mark the bill. The mark should show up clear if the bill is real and the mark will show up as dark if it is counterfeit. Although many retailers use these pens, cashiers can get into a huge hurry and forget to mark them.

UV detectors can also protect you. These devices can come as pens or key chains that you can shine on the bill to make sure the security thread is inside the bill and that the denomination of the bill is printed on it. UV devices that work on U.S. bills also work on Canadian bills. When shined on a Canadian bill, the coat of arms along with the words FIVE CINQ and BANK OF CANADA BANQUE DU CANADA appear over the portrait in blue. The UV light will also pick up the red fibers on the bill.

It is also good to know about the different types of security used on the printing of bills even if you are visiting a foreign country and cannot find any counterfeit detection devices for that particular currency. By doing this, you can immediately spot a counterfeit bill and call the authorities or return it as soon as you receive it and let them know that it is counterfeit. This can keep you out of trouble for circulating counterfeit money, especially when you are away from home and trying to enjoy yourself. This can also prevent the money from ending up in someone else’s hands.

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Filed under: Business

Google Adwords is a highly well known and widely used online advertising program that helps an Internet Marketer to succeed within a short span of time. We take a look at some useful strategies to succeed while using Google Adwords.

Google Adwords is the most popular pay-per-click program for advertising on the internet. Unlike regular search engine listings, which are free listings according to “relevance”, as defined by the particular search engine involved, Adwords are small text ads which usually appear to the right of the unpaid listings. Google has also introduced graphics ads in the AdWords placement. Advertisers bid on specific “keywords”, which determines where the ad is displayed. However, unlike other search engines, where placement is completely determined by the amount of the bid, Google uses a complex algoritm which also takes into the account the popularity of the ad. Thus, an ad which gets clicked on a lot of time can end up in a better position than one with a higher bid. That’s how Google rewards the ad for relevancy, so it pays to create an ad that will invite clicks.

Advertising with Adwords has many advantages. First, the ad is displayed immediately, as opposed to waiting for sites to show up in regular listings, which can take months. This is because Google chooses on which site to advertise and not the advertiser. Second, these ads can be highly targeted, meaning you can make sure you’re only paying for clicks by customers who are sincerely interested. Third, Adwords allows you to run several ad campaigns simultaneously, so you can test the results and experiment on the fly to constantly improve the quality of the ads. You can even track the “conversion rate,” or the actual number of sales generated by a given ad. This is highly important for PPC marketing.

The primary step is to come up with the most effective list of keywords that you will use for your AdWords ad. This is extremely important, because if you bid on the same ones everyone else is bidding on, you will end up with very expensive clicks. You can use any of the many keyword search tools available (wordtracker.com has a popular one) to determine which keywords have lots of searches but not too much competition. You could also use AdWords Analyzer software for this purpose. The latest software that is creating a big storm is called SpeedPPC. If you bid on enough low-cost keywords, you can do as well or better than if you had placed an expensive bid on a popular term. You can also place a limit on your budget, so that you can control how much your total expenditure is per month. You can also specify certain words you do not want included, so that you don’t attract a lot of clicks from people looking for something related that you don’t offer.

If you are starting out with Google Adwords, I will teach you a fairly simple technique that will save you from spending a lot initially on clicks. Under Networks where your ads need to be shown, you need to disable Content Network and activate only Search Network. Normally, you get more targeted visitors with Search Network compared with Content Network. When you activate Content Network, several non-serious visitors will click your ads which will appear on the websites. When you are dealing with more targeted visitors, then your click through rate (CTR) will increase and wasteful clicks can be avoided.

The Google Ad itself consists of four lines: a title of no more than 25 characters, a description with two lines of up to 35 characters each, and a line for your URL, also limited to 35 characters. The title is what really attracts attention. It should include the keyword you’re targeting, and should be as striking as possible so as to stand out from the crowd. If it’s truly attention-getting, it will get more clicks than other, duller ads higher up on the page. Ideally, you should strive to get your ad at the 3 or the 4 position. First position will be, first of all, very costly and it need not necessarily get you more clicks. But, your aim should be to get your ad displayed on the first page. Some suggest that it should be in all caps but Google TOS does not allow it, and include a price if possible.

The description should include the USP – Unique Selling Proposition for your product, and also include enough information to discourage clicks by unqualified customers. Make sure they know what you’re selling and what to expect, as well as what sets you apart from the competition. All the more reason why you should include the price. It will dissuade irrelevant clicks and thereby save on costs.

Finally, make sure the URL listed in the Google Ad takes the visitor to the most relevant page in your site for what they’re looking for. Make sure the link is up to date and functioning correctly.

This is what Google AdWords is all about, but in a nutshell. Many resources are available on the net which go into greater detail. But now that you understand the basics, you should be armed with the information you need to explore one of the most potentially lucrative marketing tools on the internet.

The great news about using Google Adwords is that a website is not a must. Anybody with a little ingenuity and some imagination can succeed in making money using Google Adwords. But, let me also add here that having a website is, definitely, a distinct advantage even though it is not a necessity because of another extremely popular concept known as squeeze pages. Through squeeze pages, your revenue potential through PPC marketing increases exponentially.

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Filed under: Internet Marketing