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

At the same time, I attended Social Media with Curves this past week – at the first of two preview calls, the question was posed: Are women changing the face of social media? Well, if my experience thus far is any indication – it is. To me, social media is the softer side of what I always felt direct marketing was – the hard sell. To me, social media is the feminine side of marketing – it’s more touchy-feely. Maybe I have direct marketing wrong – let me know what you think!

Darren Rouse said, “When you start using Twitter for the first time it can feel a bit overwhelming, almost like entering a really crowded train station during rush hour on a Friday afternoon”. My feeling: Forget entering the train station, the thought of Twittering gave me stage fright and it was more like entertaining a really crowded train station during rush hour! Eek!

1. To Connect – This was the reason why I started to tweet… really, as intelligent as my dogs are, they can only carry a converstation so far before I need some human interaction during the day! Twittering is for the moment… I like to live in the moment, it works. Twitter nutures feelings of community and being a part of something bigger than we are.

2. To Help – I like to give. I like to help people. If I think I can fix a problem or point someone to a solution, I will try.

3. To Learn – I learn about a lot of events taking place. Hopefully, some day I will be the one announcing them, but not yet! I also learn a lot about gadgets and applications – sometimes I even put my two cents in on an app I find worthy of sharing.

4. To Contribute – Lots of people use Twitter as an unscientific survey tool. People like to be asked what they think – I do too! It really is a great tool for engagement.

5. To Drive Traffic - Jeremiah said Google Analytics indicated Twitter was one of the largest referrers of folks to his blog. I’ve noticed it registering on mine too and hey, as a small biz owner I DO require clients

In the short time I’ve been Twittering, I’ve also met some pretty amazing and intelligent people! They are inspiring, positive, and they nuture my soul. So, in the spirit of Jeremiah’s blog I will ask, how do you use Twitter and how does it make you feel?  Comment below or tweet me: @CarrieAnderson

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