Tuesday, July 31, 2007

 

LinkWorth: The Good

There are a number of link broker sites out there: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I'm not going to name the ones I don't like for a number of reasons, but I will tell you about one that I have been with for several years and that I am very happy with and that is LinkWorth.com.

There are a lot of reasons why I not only like LinkWorth, but also have been very loyal to them. When I was contacted directly by an advertiser after they canceled text ads on our sites, I was surprised that they wanted to do this to get a discount by bypassing LinkWorth. I promptly reported them to LinkWorth and told the former advertiser that I would never take their business, no matter how much they offered us.

I did this because LinkWorth provides a good service and charges about 30% for the text ad fee. This is not a small amount, but the other sites I have seen generally charge about 50%, or 30% of the "wholesale" price. I consider both of these to be excessive, although to be fair LinkWorth does take 50% of the fees when they take care of the marketing and placing of text ads. I have not tried the full service option but it may be worth it.

Once your site is set up in LinkWorth, you can add code to your site which allows the adding and removing of text ads on your site to be automated. If you've ever added and removed links as advertisers change, you know that can take some time and be a headache if you have a lot of sites.

LinkWorth also allows you to buy text ads on other sites and has different types of advertising options. And as a publisher you can also provide a number of options for advertisers.

We have been with LinkWorth for a number of years and also run Google AdSense on most of our sites. Over the past few years the income from AdSense has decreased, but the LinkWorth income has increased and we are now exceeding the most we have ever made with AdSense on a monthly basis.

If you have a web site or a blog and are not not offering text ads on your site, you are missing out on a great additional revenue stream.

[Note: This is not a paid post and it does not contain any paid text link ads. Some links may be affiliate links and can be easily circumvented if you wish. If you want to confirm that I really feel this way, please feel to comment. I really do like LinkWorth...]


Thursday, July 19, 2007

 

Bankruptcy Business Good

2000+ Bankruptcies Filed Daily Means Attorneys Need MBA Services

With the dramatic increase in petitions being filed combined with staff having to know the new laws effective the last quarter of 2005, there is now more work placed on attorneys than ever before but there is a solution.

Panama City, FL (PRWEB) August 25, 2006 -- As the news headlines are reporting, bankruptcy filings have soared to over 2,000 per day with the potential of total filings reaching 1,000,000 by end of year. This dramatic increase in petitions being filed and the new laws that went into effect October 2005 means more work on the attorneys and their staff.

Victoria L. Rivera, president of MyBankruptcyAssistant.com, provides petition preparation services to attorneys. This allows the attorney the freedom for more billable hours.

The average billable time savings amount to an average of 7.5 hours per filing. By utilizing the services of MBA[My Bankruptcy Assistant, the attorney can figuratively save one work day for each client they have that files a bankruptcy petition.

My Bankruptcy Assistant provides personalized Client Intake Forms with the law firm's name, telephone and fax in electronic format to allow for quick distribution to the client, based on their internet/email access. These forms can be loaded to the lawyer's website for the client to access and download, the forms can be emailed to the client or printed at the office and handed to the client.

MyBankruptcyAssistant.com saves time by providing the Client Intake Interview, Pre-petition Follow-up, Petition Drafting, Online Research, and Client Follow-Up. All of these things will aid in reducing excessive telephone calls from clients, reducing overhead for employee space, equipment and benefits. With the benefits of the internet, MBA can assist attorneys in all states.

Services are tailored to meet the needs of the individual attorney or small firm. Client Intake Forms can be sent to MyBankruptcyAssistant.com electronically via email or faxed for preparation.

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Press Contact: Victoria Rivera
Company Name: My Bankruptcy Assistant
Phone: 850-647-3113
Website:
http://www.mybankruptcyassistant.com


Saturday, July 07, 2007

 

Now AKA is Also Known As....

ALWAYSKNOWNAS -YOUR ID
Stay Connected and Current
WHAT'S YOUR AKA?


Toronto, ON/April 20, 2006 - Bono. Sting. Superman. Everyone wishes they could be known by one, simple name. Well - this is your day.

AlwaysKnownAs, or AKA for short, is a simple, revolutionary way to keep in touch. It is a new online solution that uses names and nicknames to keep you in contact with friends, family and co-workers. Similar to keeping your cell phone number when you change phones, with AKA you keep your name forever. (After all, once you're Superman, you should always be Superman.) But it's not just a name, your AKA is a permanent link to your current contact information.

"It's a fast-paced world and as we move through different jobs and cities we lose contact with people," said Terry Anderson, founder of AKA. "AKA is simple and safe. By simply choosing and sharing your AKA, friends and colleagues can stay in touch wherever they are."

Stay Connected. First you choose your AKA name, then enter it with your contact information at AlwaysKnownAs.com, and include phone numbers, addresses, emails, etc. From there, you choose different levels of privacy, controlling how much information people can see and access. For example, Superman can choose to share his work contact information with colleagues, though his home address and phone may only be available to Lois. By having complete control over which information is hidden or visible, Superman can decide who sees his private info and who doesn't.

Looking for Superman? Simply enter his AKA name (Superman) at AlwaysKnownAs.com and his current contact information will be displayed. Since he's already chosen his public and private information, he knows his personal information is safe.

You control which of your information is hidden and which is visible to the public:

Any user can request to view your hidden information. You choose which of your information is shared with any user. And you can block any user from seeing any of your information.

If you choose, public information may include nothing more than your name and city. You get to choose exactly who can see more of your info on a case by case basis. With this personalized filtering system, AKA protects you and your information.

Automate Your Address Book. AKA Connect is a family of software plug-ins for major e-mail applications that let you add to or edit your address book effortlessly. Simply type in a person's AKA, and all their current contact info is automatically entered for you. In addition, if their information ever changes, your address book will be automatically updated. Plus we've developed a special interface that will soon allow popular web-based address books and e-mail applications to integrate with AKA. Currently supported address books include Microsoft Outlook and Blackberry. Support for Palm and Mac OS 10 Address Book coming soon.

AKA Beginnings. Backed by experienced management with proven records of accomplishment, AKA is a creative and fast-paced online service designed with the user in mind. Founded in January 2005, Terry Anderson and Greg Sharp developed AlwaysKnownAs.com based on the belief that the world needs a simple and safe way to for people to stay in touch with each other. Anderson is a former CEO and founder of e.Media group in Minneapolis, Minnesota, while Sharp is a former CEO and founder of Multimedia Productions Inc. (MPI) in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Sublime Solutions in Toronto, Canada.

"Everyone has been looking for permanence in a temporary world, for that one online ID that they can take with them anywhere. We believe this service is the right product at the right time," said Anderson.

Industry Facts. According to Internetworldstats.com, over 200 million people, or two-thirds of the American public are current Internet users. With the increasingly popularity of mobile devices such as smart phones, mp3 players, PDAs and the growing availability of WiFi access, the ability for people to stay current and connected has never been more important. AKA's services are developed to accommodate the fast-growing pace of Internet technology. New updates and additions will be made on an on-going basis.

I Want My AKA. The AKA service can be used by consumers and corporate Internet users over 18 years of age. Share your AKA name with others via e-mail, in a meeting, at a party, or printed on your business card. You do not have to be an AKA member to find out someone's contact details; however, to list your information on AKA, you must subscribe to the service. The cost is $9.95 per year, but for a limited time AKA is offered free for your first 12 months.

About AlwaysKnownAs.com
AlwaysKnownAs.com is a business offering a simple yet revolutionary online software service for consumers and corporate Internet users. The service, called AKA (short for "Always Known As"), is a new online service that provides a simple and secure way to always stay connected with your personal and business contacts. For your own AKA, go to www.AlwaysKnownAs.com.

#.# # #

CONTACT: Susan Evans, Evans Larson, (612) 338-6999
E-mail: susan@evanslarson.com


Tuesday, July 03, 2007

 

Plastic Card Security Act

Minnesota Plastic Card Security Act advances

News Release - April 11, 2007 - The Senate Committee on Commerce and Consumer Protection recommend the passage of legislation aimed at protecting consumers from credit card fraud on Tuesday. The Committee referred the bill, Senate File 1574, to the Senate's Judiciary Committee.

The legislation, authored by Sen. Mary Olson, DFL - Bemidji, prohibits companies or retailers from keeping the secure information stored on a credit- or debit-card's magnetic strip in their computer databases after a transaction is completed. The magnetic strips on payment cards contain sensitive information such as the customer's name, account number, PIN, card expiration date, and security code data.

"Credit card fraud can be devastating to consumers," said Sen. Olson. "It often takes months or years to completely resolve fraudulent charges, and to reestablish one's credit. Companies and merchants should not be allowed keep this information where it can fall into the wrong hands."

Currently, payment card industry standards prohibit companies from retaining magnetic strip information. Sen. Olson's bill would put these industry standards into Minnesota law, allowing the state to impose penalties on companies that are not securely purging their customers' private information from their computer systems.

Sen. Olson cited the recent security breach at TJX, the parent company of T.J. Maxx, Marshall's, and several other retailers, as one of the primary reasons for bringing this bill forward. Investigators estimate that hackers gained access to private information from an estimated 45 million credit- and debit-cards in the breach, which TJX had stored in their computer system. Florida investigators have charged six people in connection with the breach, claiming they used this stolen credit card information to make over $8 million in fraudulent purchases.

"The TJX scandal confirms the need for this legislation," said Sen. Olson. "Consumers trust companies to protect their financial information. The state should take an active role in ensuring that companies take that trust seriously."

Sen. Olson's legislation also specifies that a company or retailer violating this provision is responsible for both notifying their customers and covering the expenses of potential fraud if their customer's information is compromised. Currently, the responsibility for notification and fraud repayment typically falls on the financial institution backing the credit card. This responsibility will only be shifted to retailers if they are found to have improperly stored credit card information.

The Commerce Committee took lengthy testimony on the bill, hearing from both banking and credit union representatives who issue cards and from witnesses representing the retail industry. After retailer representatives expressed concern about some provisions of the bill, Sen. Olson asked the Committee for an opportunity to resolve the differences between the two groups. After negotiating for several hours, Sen. Olson re-presented the bill late Tuesday night and offered an amendment that addressed practical difficulties the retailers raised with implementing the proposed legislation.

"I'm pleased we were able to find common ground on this issue," said Sen. Olson. "This bill offers protection to consumers, while not placing unnecessary or undue hardships on businesses."

Rep. Jim Davnie, DFL - Minneapolis, is carrying companion legislation in the House of Representatives. The bill, House File 1758, has passed through several committees, and is awaiting a vote on the House floor.

For more information, please contact Sen. Olson's office at (651) 296-4913, or sen.mary.olson@senate.mn.

-3-0-
State Senator Mary A. Olson
District 04
124 Capitol
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155-1606
Telephone (651) 296-4913
sen.mary.olson@senate.mn       


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