In the context of blogging and in laymen’s terms, a blog ping is a signal a blog sends to a (or many) ping server(s) that blog content has been updated.

What is a ping list?

A ping list is a list of web addresses

What is a ping service?

A ping service notifies blog directories and search engines a blog has been updated.

What are the dangers of pinging?

If you use a ping list incorrectly, your blog can be banned and you will be labeled a spammer… er, a spinger (aka a ping spammer). An example of this would be when you update your blog – another ping goes out and technically, your post is not considered fresh content.

Are ping lists always up to date?

No – ping servers come and go, so whatever list is used it should be kept up-to-date.

What does this mean in the context of WordPress?

WordPress makes this easy for you by listing Ping-O-Matic’s server (rpc.pingomatic.com) by default. All you need to do is sit back and let it work for you!

Source: Wikipedia

In conjunction with the Blog Design Package, I’m also through the motions of obtaining a merchant account – I know, the really practical stuff!

My intention is to experience the process of doing this for myself so that I might be able to coach my clients through the process of setting up their own merchant account and make it as easy as possible for them.

I have chosen PSiGate for my payment gateway – Cindy Greenway pointed me in their direction and I value her judgement. So, off I go on my quest for a merchant account…

There are two major tasks to take care of before they will grant my business a merchant account – the application and the products page.

The Application – It’s 25 pages long, but you only need to send about 6 of them – as of today, these are the required pages you need to fax these folks:

• Complete the Home Trust/PSiGate Merchant Application and Agreement. The Signature(s) of owner(s) is required in the Merchant Signature field as well as Guarantors/Owners field on page 2. Signing Officer(s) ownership must be equal to or greater than 51%.
• Complete and sign Home Trust/PSiGate Merchant Agreement (page 9).
• Complete and sign Home Trust/PSiGate Merchant Pre-Authorized Debit Plan form (page 12).
• Complete Chase Paymentech Merchant Application and Agreement.
• Signature(s) of owner(s) required on the second page in both Merchant
• Signature and Guarantor(s) field. Signing Officer(s) ownership must be equal to or greater than 51% ***Only persons in Alberta must complete guarantee in the presence of a Notary Public page. Being in Alberta, I thought this was going to be a chore – it wasn’t. Here’s a TIP: Spend the time making phone calls to different law firms – I found one who notarized that particular page for FREE! Being nosy, I asked why he was free and everyone else wanted to charge me $50 for this service – he said they do it at no cost as a marketing tactic. Great point! – If I need a lawyer’s services in the future, guess where I’ll be going?
• Complete and sign Chase Paymentech Merchant Application and Agreement Schedule “A”.
• Provide a copy of an embossed void cheque for business bank account for each currency. Starter cheques, counter cheques or personal cheques are not acceptable. In lieu of a void cheque, a stamped bank letter including business name, branch, transit, account numbers and currency is also acceptable.
• Provide a copy of business registration or Articles of Incorporation.
• Upon receipt of your application, PSiGate will review all information for accuracy and completion and as per agreement terms conduct appropriate credit and background checks. In addition, a merchant website review is conducted to ensure your website meets appropriate criteria. You will be contacted by a sales representative to review your application.

This is where I am right now, creating the Products Page – it’s almost complete, but I wanted to take a break today and let you know what is required on the products page:

• Proof of domain name registration or site ownership (or lease).  A simple web page print of your domain name registration from one of these two sites should be fine. (http://www.networksolutions.com/cgi-bin/whois/whois OR http://www.cira.ca/en/home.html)
• The business trade name corresponds with web site name. Please include a screen print of the home page.
• Attach a web page printout of a sample product page, and we confirm sufficient description of goods is provided (ex.  voltage requirements, measurement scale, clothing size protocol, purchase restrictions, etc).
• The payment processing page has a valid 128 bit web server SSL digital certificate installed.  A web page print of the certificate details is attached.  If you need to purchase an SSL certificate, PsiGate recommends Geotrust: https://products.geotrust.com/ssl/quickssl_premium.do?ref=12863PSI28&method=retail
• Disclose and display the transaction currency (CAD and/or USD).
• The delivery/shipping policy is disclosed (e.g., if restricted to Canada or another country or any division or area within a country, delivery timeframe, cost)
• The return/refund policies are disclosed.  You must have a refund policy.
• Customer service contact information is disclosed (ex. electronic mail address, telephone numbers – including country code, toll-free and non-toll-free numbers, facsimile numbers, mailing address).
• The country in which the merchant is officially registered and located is displayed immediately prior to completion of a purchase transaction.
• An appropriate Visa and MasterCard acceptance mark is displayed.  Authorized logos may be found at www.visa.com and www.mastercard.com
• The security policy is disclosed.
• The privacy policy is disclosed.
• Upon receipt of your application, PSiGate will review all information for accuracy and completion and as per agreement terms conduct appropriate credit and background
  checks. In addition, a merchant website review is conducted to ensure your website
  meets appropriate criteria. You will be contacted by a sales representative to review
  your application.

So much for my quick update!! I hope this is helpful to those of you who are thinking about a merchant accounts, sales pages, or your web presence – honestly, it looks like a huge chore but it isn’t that bad. I’ll post my success – hopefully, they won’t take too long to review my application!

Oh, and I’ll be offering a Sales Page Package in the near future too!

Sincerely,
Carrie