retaggr - your online presence everywhere
retaggr is about two things:
- displaying your Profile Card so the world can keep up to date with the details you choose
- tagging people you know on images anywhere on the web (not just on some social networks)
What is my Profile Card?
- Your profile card is like your business card for the web, except so much more!
- Aside from your name, bio, and links to your websites, you can add widgets to your card which will be visible to anyone that views your card.
- What kind of widgets? Recent blog posts, recent tweets from twitter, recent photos, the ability to communicate via MSN/Gtalk/Skype, and more.
- Explore the widgets on the My Profile Card page for a full list.
- Consolidate all your online identities into one.
What can I do with my Profile Card?
- On retaggr enabled blogs and partner sites, your Profile Card will be left when you leave a comment. Look for this icon:
- Embed it in your webpage! We have some options for you. Get started here.
- Include it in your email signature
- Encourage others to link to it when referring to you on their blog. If they retaggr enable their site, those (normal) links will pop up your card.
How do I embed my card in a blog / website?
- Anyone can embed or link to your card, by clicking “Embed” on your Profile Card, and following the instructions there.
- If you’re looking for something smaller, check out the retaggr badge
Where will my Profile Card be shown?
- Anywhere you (or anyone else) embeds it - blogs, websites, etc.
- As a pop up card on images in which you are tagged
- As a pop up card on retaggr enabled websites, when they link to you
- If you include it in your msn tag line, email signature, and so on, others will be able to view it by visiting the address in their browser
- If you have installed it on your blog, against your name when you post
- Linked from your retaggr email signature
- In community features on this site (Edit your settings if you’d like to change that)
Have fun with this new interactive business card.
PayPal Alternatives
PayPal, which is owned by eBay, is very popular but if you are a small-business owner there are a few things you should know. PayPal is not a bank and is not regulated by federal bank regulations. PayPal will not defend you nor really “investigate” complaints but rather sends you boilerplate responses and 99.9% of complaints filed are denied. PayPal’s main income is making interest from the balances in PayPal accounts. If your business deliver services as opposed to tangible goods, they do not defend you at all. Google the phrase “PayPal alternatives” or “PayPal problems” and you will find thousands of horror stories.
So what are the alternatives if you do not want or cannot afford a merchant account? This list contains various alternatives to PayPal.
Google Checkout - When you use Google Checkout to process your sales, you’ll only be charged a low 2% + $0.20 per transaction. With Google Checkout, there are no monthly, setup, or gateway service fees. If you advertise with Google AdWords, you will also be eligible for free transaction processing for some or all of your Google Checkout sales each month. For every $1 you spend on AdWords each month, you can process $10 in sales the following month for free through Google Checkout.
2Checkout - In 2007 Inc. Magazine named this as one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S.
AlertPay - Offers personal and business accounts. Works and feels like PayPal.
E-junkie - Shopping cart for selling downloads and tangible goods. Great pricing - upload 10 products (50 MB) for $5 a month, up to 999 products (999 MB) for $125 a month.
ProPay - Registered agent of Wells Fargo Bank and MetaBank. Offers fixed rates on all transactions. Processes credit card transactions via internet and phone.
NETELLER (U.K. based) - Want to move your money? Maybe kick a payment over to your favourite site or send some to a friend? Or do you want to load up a prepaid card for your next trip? You can do this and a lot more. Instant deposits, withdrawals, transfers to merchants and other NETELLER members.
WorldPay - Accept payments via internet, phone, fax and mail. Major credit cards are accepted and they have also included debit cards and local payment schemes like Maestro, Laser and Electron.
ClickBank - If you have a digital product or service to sell, consider the benefits of becoming a ClickBank publisher.
Escrow - Both parties agree to terms, which includes a description of the merchandise, sale price, number of days for the Buyer’s inspection, and shipping information.
Is there a good PayPal alternative not listed here? Let me know!
Unique client gifts under $25
Are you really taking care of business? Do you appreciate your customers? Gifts (without your company logo) are a nice way of showing them their relationship is important to you. If you don’t want the boilerplate, run-of-the-mill gift baskets, flowers or cookies, here are some unique gift ideas under $25 to say thank-you, happy birthday, note a business anniversary, or other important occasion. Select a gift to match your client’s hobbies, business, or personal taste, then take a few minutes (or have your Virtual Assistant do it) to gift wrap it and add a personal handwritten note.
Lucky Mini Money Tree. This cute little plant thrives in almost any indoor conditions, making it a great office gift. Miniature Money Tree arrives in a timeless blue and white bowl. Size: 4″ container, plant stands appx 8″ tall. $19.95 at Giving Plants
Ceramic Travel Coffee Mug. Finally, a coffee travel mug that goes into the dishwasher and the microwave and fits nicely into an automobile cup holder. Furthermore, this ceramic coffee mug looks and feels like an actual coffee cup giving you the benefit of both a travel mug and a coffee mug. Available in 4 colors. $17.95 at CoffeeCakes
Photo Mouse. A first in customizable PC peripherals. $12.95 at Saitek USA
Slinky Cat Miniature Desk Clock made of pewter, a playful way to hold onto business cards, pictures, or notes, all while keeping track of time. $19.95 at The Animal Rescue Site
Timberland Global Tracking ID Tag, bears unique ID number and a 24 hour a day, 365 days a year number to call collect from anywhere in the world in the event that your bag with the Global Tracking ID Tag attached is lost and found by a third party. $4.99 at The Traveler’s Shoppes
Tiffany Butterfly Folding Umbrella. 43″ arc, high quality auto-open folding and closing umbrella, 100% polyester. $19.99 at Nature Pavilion
Embassy Italian Stone Design Genuine Leather Shopping/Travel Bag with outside pockets on both ends and along both sides. $14.99 at World of Bags
LP Record Coasters (six assorted designs). Handmade in Philadelphia. $18 at UncommonGoods.com
I’ll be updating this list as I find new items, so check back often!
IRS Rule Governing Gifts: $25 limit. You can deduct no more than $25 for business gifts you give directly or indirectly to each person during your tax year. A gift to a company that is intended for the eventual personal use or benefit of a particular person or a limited class of people will be considered an indirect gift to that particular person or to the individuals within that class of people who receive the gift.
Incidental costs. Incidental costs, such as engraving on jewelry, or packaging, insuring, and mailing, are generally not included in determining the cost of a gift for purposes of the $25 limit. A cost is incidental only if it does not add substantial value to the gift. For example, the cost of gift wrapping is an incidental cost. However, the purchase of an ornamental basket for packaging fruit is not an incidental cost if the value of the basket is substantial compared to the value of the fruit.
7 Worst things on websites
My personal views on the seven worst things you can do to your website:
- Flash intros. Personally, I hate flash intros. When I visit a website I want the information I came for, not some fancy flash showing off a web designer’s talents. You have about 10 seconds to grab a visitor’s attention — don’t waste that precious time or they WILL go elsewhere.
- Ad nauseum. Home pages filled with ads, related or unrelated to your services, is distracting and leaves a visitor wondering what you’re selling or providing for a service. On a personal note, it makes me feel the site is “spammy.”
- Pop-ups. I detest pop-up ads appearing when I’m entering or leaving a website. Pop-ups were the rage “way back when” but today are perceived as annoyances by most people.
- Typos. If you have a lot of typos on your website, your visitors may wonder if your business can deliver a professional service when time and care wasn’t taken to reflect that on the website.
- Asking for TMI (too much information). Have you visited a website where the contact form asks for too much information when you want to make a simple inquiry? It’s like contest forms where they ask for date of birth, age, income — that’s my personal information and certainly doesn’t belong on most websites. Ask for the bare minimum of information you need to give the visitor an informed response — you can obtain further information, if needed, once they become a customer or in follow-up.
- Music. Turn down the music, or better yet, leave it off. Potential visitors may be accessing your site from work (shhh, don’t tell the boss), from a public library, or from home late at night when their children are sleeping — and, hello, everyone is now awake because of the loud music. Leave the music off with the option for the visitor to turn it on.
- Speed it up. Make sure your images are optimized for the web, don’t put too many large photos or ads on a page, make sure your links/link images don’t drag you down. I’ve visited a few sites where the coding for a link to another site bogged down the home page loading — and I then promptly left the site.
Remember, treat visitors to your site like they are guests. Is your home page pleasing to the eye? Does it make a visitor feel welcomed? Is it clutter-free? Give visitors what they want fast, with succinct information, and easy navigation or they WILL go elsewhere.
Free business documents equals free press
“Docstoc is a user-generated community for sharing professional documents. Find a vast quantity of high-quality legal, business, technology, educational, and creative documents for free. Docstoc connects those who need content with those who have.”
Users can store their documents in their own personal online folders for anytime, anywhere access. Documents that you upload and share (or keep private) on docstoc get your documents (and business name) indexed at the top of search engines and generate business leads.
You can also embed documents in your blog or website with the docstoc flash player. Currently docstoc accepts .doc, .pdf, .xls, .ppt and .txt files.
Free Press by “Design”
I just finished a cookbook project for the nonprofit organization Dismas House and I didn’t get paid! That’s right. I found their request at VolunteerMatch.org seeking someone to design their cookbook. I have gained far more than my business’s name on the back of the cookbooks and website (and not the reason why I did this project) — I found a fantastic nonprofit organization with wonderful clients and staff and I was able to lend a helping hand doing something I enjoy.
I look forward to donating more time to Dismas House and wish them every success with their cookbook sales when they go to press next month.
Why you need a professional logo
You have one chance to make a good impression. Your logo is an integral part of your business image:
- It shows your clients you care about your business
- Adds credibility to your business
- Establishes a consistent branding/logo design identity and color scheme to use throughout your printed marketing materials, promotional items, and website
- Conveys professionalism
- When someone sees your logo they “remember” your business
- Your logo will reflect your business’s image and personality
- It’s an essential marketing tool and should be part of your business plan’s budget
- Which do you think is more credible: A professional custom logo OR clipart with your business name typed in a plain for fancy font?
Office To-Go offers professional logo design and logo design/stationery packages at affordable prices.
