Showing posts with label Internet Safety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Internet Safety. Show all posts

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Buying On The Internet – Learn How To Avoid Being Duped When Buying On The Internet

Buying on the internet is unavoidable in modern times, although many people, especially in the developing world, are reluctant to transact any business on the internet for fear of being cheated. While they are right, avoidance is not the solution. Even in the conventional way of transacting business, there are numerous people, who have lost big sums of money in trickery. Instead of avoiding, it's therefore important for you to be equipped with safety measures when buying items on the internet.

Did you know that buying on the internet is safer if you really learn how to identify genuine websites from fraudulent websites? I cannot know how many times I have transacted business on the internet and I would like to assert that I have never been cheated. It's therefore my pleasure to share with you the same internet buying safety techniques I have always applied when buying on the internet from any company.
  1. Before buying on the internet, establish whether the supplier is genuine and credible by checking out for his/her contact information, privacy statement, customers' testimonials and/or feedback from customers. These details should be available on the supplier's website. Contact information should normally include personal and business information, a personal photo, name, telephone contacts, postal and physical addresses.
  2. Establish whether the supplier's website has his own domain name and the website is hosted by a recognized professional web host. Remember that if the supplier cannot invest in his own domain name that costs as little as $ 10/-, then he is not a serious businessman. And if his website is hosted on a free server, that's enough information for you to click away and take the money elsewhere to avoid being cheated while buying on the internet.
  3. Make sure your online payment is handled properly by having your details encrypted so that they are not viewed by anyone else apart from the bank handling your transactions. Keep your credit card pin number to yourself. If you make a mistake of sending it to anyone else over the internet, you risk being cheated. Your credit card details MUST not be seen by any other person for safe buying of any item on the internet.
  4. Use other methods of payment in case you have doubts with using your credit card. This will enable you to transact business without any worry of any risk.
  5. Before buying on the internet from any company, make sure you understand properly the payment terms, commitments and agreements you are entering into with your supplier. Be clear on what, how and when the payments you entering into agreement with the supplier are to be made. If there are any hidden charges, it's important that you get to know early enough to avoid being cheated.
  6. Print out your order details, receipts and other payment terms for reference purposes. For instance, you can use them to track your transactions and to reconcile your payments on your credit card statements.
  7. After buying from the internet, get your credit card statements and make sure you check them properly to find out if they are in conformity with the payments you actually made. If there any payments you did not really make, it's advisable to contact your bank as well as your supplier for clarification.
  8. It's recommended that before buying any item on the internet, one should look for the security icon that is normally a small padlock found either at the top or bottom of your browser. Click on it to establish whether the supplier has a valid encryption certificate. Check for the details of the certificate and the website address, which should start with https//.
  9. Make sure your web-browser, such as Internet Explorer, is set to the highest level of security notification. For instance, if you are an internet explorer user, you can do this by clicking on the Start button, then Control Panel, then Network and Internet and then on Internet Options. Under Internet Options window you will see options that include General, Security, Privacy, Content, Connections, Programs and Advanced. You will activate your security settings under Security.
  10. Find out whether you are using a recent version of your web-browser, which has better security features. If you do not have a new version of Internet Explorer, you can download it free of charge from Microsoft. The recent version of Microsoft is Internet Explorer 9.
If you take into consideration the above tips, buying on the internet will be made easier and you will be able to protect yourself against any risks. I apply the same tactics and I have never come across any problems.

Charles Kiyimba owns http://www.CashWithGoleza.com and http://www.golezadesigners.com where popular home business ideas and opportunities are tested rigorously to find out what works and what doesn't. Visit today to discover the secrets behind building a successful home business.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Email Spamming And Cell Phone Spamming Are Unprofessional Marketing Methods You Must Avoid

Many marketers are so much involved in email spamming and cell phone spamming. But do you know how bad spamming is to other internet and cell phone users? There is nothing as stressful on the internet as opening your email box only to see a long list of interruptive emails sent without being requested. These emails are commonly known as spam or unsolicited commercial emails (UCE). It's even more stressful to switch on your phone and you get welcomed by numerous and repeated advertising messages that you have never subscribed to. Such emails and phone messages are sent to hundreds or thousands of people with an intention of making money but through using unethical ways of advertising.

A good marketer will always send emails and messages to people who have subscribed to them. But sending such stuff to people who have not willingly asked for it is very unprofessional. Posting adverts to discussion groups and forums is also contrary to professional marketing standards, which everyone SHOULD AVOID. Email spamming and cell phone spamming are currently a very big problem to all internet and cell phone users respectively. It's a bad practice that calls for our concerted effort to fight against it.

How do spammers get access to your contacts? They do it by automatically collecting people's e-mail addresses listed on websites, a process commonly known as scavenging. There are also those who use dictionary terms to develop email addresses by guessing. At times they purchase the contacts through list brokers.

I don't know how you feel and what you do to such emails and messages. But I am one person, who always gets disgusted with such stuff. One thing I always do is to delete those emails and messages immediately. Learn it now that when you send unsolicited commercial emails to people, who have not subscribed to an opt-in list, you stand to lose in many ways.

Lawmakers in different countries are coming up with laws and policies to restrict spammers from sending unsolicited commercial mails. If you are one those people still insisting on sending such mails in the name of marketing your products, you risk having your website shut down permanently one day.

When you send emails and messages to people who are not interested in your products, you are using unprofessional marketing methods to fill their email accounts and cell phones with advertising messages that they end up deleting. In the end you get tagged as a spammer. Why don't you save your name, your email and IP address from being blacklisted? My friend, do not spam!

When you spam, you violate the privacy of others and you become a stumbling block to those who run their businesses legitimately. Online users become overwhelmed with such mails and develop a bitter taste for legitimate online marketers. Not only that but large emails also disrupt the facilities of the Internet Service Providers (ISPs).

Since spamming has never been good at all, I would like to appeal to whoever reads this article to avoid responding to a spam. Never respond to it in any way because by so doing, you subject yourself to more spam. When you respond to it, whether positively or negatively, you are only telling the sender that your email account is active and he continues to send more. There is need for a collective effort to fight against this bad practice that has stormed the internet and is spoiling it greatly. Play your role to prevent this bad practice!

This is my simple advice to all existing and upcoming marketers. Never use unprofessional marketing methods to market your products and services. Stop spamming if you really want to save your name and your business as well. Learn to market your products and services using proven ethical methods. Never send emails to people, who have not requested for them. Play your part by not endangering our internet, an invention that has opened new opportunities for all of us.

Charles Kiyimba owns http://www.CashWithGoleza.com and http://www.golezadesigners.com where popular home business ideas and opportunities are tested rigorously to find out what works and what doesn't. Visit today to discover the secrets behind building a successful home business.