Pressures here, stresses there, and some more of the recession over there, when will it stop? Now what will all the tired souls who are sick and tired of the recession and what it is doing to our economy and people. Why not go out and spend more time with the family, isn’t that what you’ve been working hard for?
Need a place to stay that’s different? Then you’ve gotta’ try New Jersey’s, Sea Isle City which has become one of the best resort towns with the best beaches this side of the Atlantic. We’ve all heard about Florida and almost everybody’s been there, so why not opt for a change of culture, hospitality and natural beauty that’s just awesome. Check out Sea Isle City Info for more details on how you can get a taste of New Jersey from the people who know it best. You won’t regret it!
Painless Payments
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I expect my credit card bills every third week of the month. A CityBank bill, an HSBC Classic Mastercard bill, an HSBC Mabuhay Miles Mastercard bill and a Diners club bill. Why do I have four? Well, hmmm… that’s another story, but at the end of it I completely pay it all off every month. In summary though, I use one for the 0% interest deals, one to earn extra plane miles, one for all office expenses and one for loyalty reasons. It was the first card I owned, the first who trusted me to have one! 🙂
So anyway, at the end of every month I pay all off right. Three of them I pay online and one I write a check for. This story is about my personal experiences of having to pay online and offline.Â
Not sure if it’s just me, but somehow it seemed far more painful to write a check than to merely fill in numbers and hit send. I don’t really know why. I think the convenience/danger of online banking is you do not really have a firm grasp that it is your money that’s being taken in and out of your account. If you write a check… ah you feel it (at least I do). It is harder to physically see something parting from you. Ah, maybe that’s why!
If you’re frequently paying online (like me), it wouldn’t hurt to realize the following reminders to keep you aware that even if it’s a cyber-transaction, somewhere down the business transaction you made is an actual exchange of physical money for services/products.
Check out these tips, and have a safe online payment adventure:
1. Always use a secure Internet connection when making a purchase.
2. Shop with businesses you already know and trust.
3. Look for coupons and other discounts.
4. Comparison shop
5. Be skeptical.
6. Check the shipping costs
7. Protect private information.
8. Review the return and refund policies.
9. Pay with plastic.
10. Print a copy of your order for your records.
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Instant Messaging as a tool for business communications: the cons
We previously wrote on how businesses are adopting instant messaging to complement or even sometimes replace their existing email services as preferred communication means by companies. Yes, it’s great—you get instant feedback from your corresponded; it’s as if you’re talking on the phone rather than writing and sending letters back and forth.
Instant messaging is great, and is beneficial for those who want quick communications. But of course, there are also disadvantages to using IM for business needs and for inter-office communications.
Privacy – Unless you set your IM client to say you’re invisible or busy, most IM clients would display you as online, and might be a hindrance to your productivity if someone keeps on calling and calling
Logging – Not all IM clients have built-in logging features. So if your client’s one of them (usually the older ones), you won’t be able to keep conversations for the record, unless you manually copy and paste, or hit the “Save as” button.
Productivity – IM may prove to be a nuisance to workers who are trying to concentrate. Of course it’s difficult to concentrate if some IM window keeps popping up every now and then containing messages from people you’d rather not talk to right now.
Instant Messaging: the New Email (part 2)?
Companies are appreciating the immediacy of communication via Instant Messaging or IM. While this technology was first thought of as more for personal uses—such as kids chatting with friends, or long-distance lovers chatting and video-conferencing—the business implications have been quick to sink in. Managers could talk to staff in immediacy, whether the latter is in the same building or in another country. Virtual conferences can be held, where more people can join in on the discussion. And IM allows for multiple conversations at the same time, so one can be talking to a client or a colleague, while checking information with another one on a different IM session.
Companies are still looking into the return on investment for establishing IM networks of their own. However, the costs might be considered negligible, since these are usually packaged with corporate email exchange and collaborative software installations. Or if need be, companies can resort to publicly-available IM networks.
UK behind in data protection
According to a survey conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry among 1,000 respondents, UK companies are falling short in terms of protecting data. The DTI has thus expressed concern about this, in light of the increasing level of e-commerce activities and business conducted online. The risk of client data and proprietary company information being stolen continues to be very high.
According to the study, most large companies take an active role in securing data and customer information that it has. However, most smaller companies do not have such a proactive stance on network and data protection.
The most vulnerable, in this case, would be the companies that accept financial transactions online. Information such as credit card numbers and client contact information and addresses are potential targets by hackers. Among the companies that accepted online financial transactions, more than one third did not encrypt their data transmissions and databases. And among companies that use voice-over-internet protocol for voice calls, half did not consider possible security risks.