Archive for March 2011

In a previous post, we started with features to look for in selecting a merchant account provider. This covers payment processing and credit card security options for growing businesses.

Photo from sxc.hu user stelogic

After selecting your merchant account provider, it’s time to review which credit card processing options and products fit your business, and how these services will prevent credit card fraud. When comparing products, consider the following:

• What are your specific business goals and needs?
• Does your industry demand specialized services or products?
• How can you improve convenience for customers and employees?
• Is your payment process compliant with PCI security standards?

Processing Service Options

To figure out the right processing products for your business, look at your business needs and customer demands. Are you interested in expanding into the e-commerce space? Does your on-the-go schedule require a mobile processing capability? Do you deal mainly with mail order and telephone order transactions? A merchant processing solution can be customized for every business for the greatest return on investment.

Electronic invoicing: Capabilities used in addition to or instead of traditional paper billing, helping cut down on waste and mailing costs through online invoices and bill payment. Merchants can reduce late payments and offer more convenient, flexible account management and payment options for customers.

Mobile processing: The growing use of iPhones, Blackberries, Droids and other mobile devices brings a greater need for mobile processing. With mobile processing capabilities, you can process credit cards and debit cards from your cell phone – often with little or no additional hardware required.

Wireless processing: This service supports business on the go, so that you can accept credit cards without a brick-and-mortar facility or direct hookup. Hotels use wireless terminals to accept credit cards for room service, and drivers can accept credit cards for transportation services right from their vehicles.

Mail order/telephone order (MOTO) merchant account: Streamlines the transaction process for businesses that deal primarily with catalog, telemarketing and other card-not-present sales. Products include a virtual terminal, which allows merchants to manually enter credit card information securely from any computer, and process them in batches for faster service.

E-commerce merchant account: Allows merchants to accept credit cards for products sold online, integrating with major online shopping carts for efficient, convenient checkouts.

Retail merchant account: Ideal for merchants with point-of-sale processing needs, such as more efficient card-present transactions. Retail customers expect speedy checkouts that are as quick and easy as swiping a credit card. Retail merchant accounts provide access to updated credit card terminals and software.

Restaurant merchant account: Allows merchants to accept credit cards at fast food, short order, casual or fine dining establishments. Features may include tab transfers and easy gratuity, among many other options that help wait staff focus more on foodservice and less on bills.

These examples should give you an idea of the basic types of processing services available. A provider can work with you to customize an account to meet your needs.

How to Ensure Secure Credit Card Transactions

Credit card fraud becomes more complex as technology advances. Compromised data leads to devastating consequences, including a loss of credibility and money.

To cut the risk of security breaches and protect businesses and consumers, credit card merchants are required to run processing systems that comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS). PCI compliance ensures your business takes the proper precautions and undergoes regular system maintenance for the highest levels of security.

Common PCI requirements include changing default settings and passwords after system installation, installing and maintaining point-of-sale equipment correctly and preventing the storage of unnecessary data. These issues involve simple fixes, and yet violating them can result in millions of dollars lost.

Make security a priority as you search for a merchant account provider and select credit card processing services. Learn about PCI compliance and verify your credit card processor’s payment gateway, data storage facilities and processing systems comply with PCI standards.

End-to-end encryption is a PCI compliant security feature that encrypts credit card data from the point of credit card swipe to authorization, so that sensitive information remains protected throughout the entire transaction process.

Tokenization is another powerful security measure that protects stored data. This replaces credit card information with tokens that are rendered useless should a security breach occur. Ask your merchant account provider how its services meet PCI requirements and help you minimize your liability.

Offer More Payment Options

If you’re new to credit card processing, read this post on selecting a merchant account provider, and start by doing homework on effective payment processing technology for your industry. Once you’ve signed up for a merchant account, prepare to work closely with your credit card processor as your business and customer demands continue to grow.

About the Author: Jacqui MacKenzie is a writer for Straight North, a Chicago Internet marketing agency that works with BluePay, a company offering credit card processing products. To learn more about payment processing industry, follow BluePay on Twitter.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

I love the Dream Chronicles series. Now with a name like “Book of Air,” you have to wonder if such a book exists if it’s made of air. OK, so another way to read it is that the book or episode is about air, and that’s applies to this one. I reviewed Dream Chronicles: The Book of Air. I’d like to review games more often, but no matter how many time machine games I play — none gives me more time to play.

PC and Mac Catch of the Week: Dream Chronicles: The Book of Air: Help Lyra, Faye’s daughter, find the unique Clockmaker and escape from a strange dimension in Dream Chronicles: The Book of Air! The day before her 18th birthday, Lyra finds herself trapped in a strange dimension. Following clues sent by her grandfather she flies across the realm in search of a mysterious person who will help her restore time and return home. Solve intriguing puzzles and find Hidden Objects to reunite Lyra with her family!

Catch the deal for your PC! Use coupon code CATCH299

Catch the deal for your Mac! Use coupon code CATCH299.

This $2.99 Catch of the Week runs through Sunday, April 2, 2011 at 11:59pm.

Remember Big Fish Games has a Daily Deal offering a different game for $2.99 every day. (Look to the right.)

You know March roars in like lion and goes out like a lamb? Not this time. It feels like the month whizzed by unless you’re in Japan. I’m sure it’s been a long couple of weeks. I’m thinking of the folks there every day.

The second Legoland Discovery Center in the US comes to Dallas. My family heads there tomorrow as part of a special preview for Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts. I can’t believe Lego built the second one here. Here’s hoping it’s a memorable experience for the boys. I’m sure they’ll be asking for this ‘n that as Lego wouldn’t have this place and no Lego for sale.

The youngest got his braces on this week. He got tired of everyone asking, “Why do you need braces?” Severe overbite in his case. That will be three braces for all three kids.

I hope the younger two won’t need them again in the future. The older brother’s permanent teeth haven’t all come in yet and the latest round tried to mess with his teeth. Poor guy had to have three teeth pulled to prevent damage. Orthodontia has changed since I’ve sported railroad tracks. They put braces on kids sooner because they’re waiting until they’re older and baby teeth fall out can do more harm than good.

Brain food…

• 6 Strategic Approaches for Using Twitter: What I like about this infographic is that it covers customer relations, crisis management, corporate reputation management, event coverage, product promotion and sales and issue advocacy. Applicable to almost everyone. Key: Don’t wait until you need it to use Twitter. Start now.
• America’s 100 Best Small Companies: If you’d like to learn about how small companies succeed, these are a good place to start. Some known and some not known.
• 7 Different Types of Writing Gigs for Freelance Copywriters: When I spoke to second graders, first thing I asked was what kind of writers do they know about? Answers: book authors, newspaper writers, magazines. The usual. You know we can do much more and here are some ideas.
• Is a public post a quotable source? Due diligence in sharing information: Depends on the quote selected and where content posted. Newspaper, blog, testimonial, company website, Twitter etc. [Link: Arik Hanson]

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• 20 creative guerrilla marketing campaigns: I must live in a dull place or don’t get out much. Never see creative campaigns like these around town.
• 14 Funny Warning Signs: Thank you for noticing this notice. Your noticing this notice is noted.
• Angry Birds Papercraft: Made my own! No, I didn’t suddenly find myself with free time on my hands. Need to make ‘em so I could throw ‘em around when I get angry at the game instead of breaking my iPod.
• Magazine grammar fail: Eat, Ray, Love — that works, but they forgot the rest of the commas.
• Star Ways John Williams Tribute: Even Wookie captions! (Thank you, Corey, for captioning the video.) [Link: Lori Widmer]

After finishing a delicious meal, a customer goes to the cash register to pay for the meal only to encounter a sign, “Cash only. Credit cards not accepted.” Cue frustration, disappointment, anger and panic. “What?! But I already ate the entire meal and am low on cash! Where’s the closest ATM?”

For businesses, “cash only” means lost sales and profits.

Photo from sxc.hu user Rotorhead

With the evolving technology and increasing convenience of credit card processing, many small business owners who once thought a credit card merchant account wasn’t worth the cost may now find that they can’t afford to not accept credit cards. Adapting to your customers’ needs and expectations is crucial to maintaining a competitive edge in today’s challenging market.

A reliable merchant account provider can offer the expertise, products, support and security your business needs to grow.

Features to Look for in a Processing Service

A merchant account provider or credit card processor provides businesses with the ability to accept credit cards and debit cards as payment for services and products.

When comparing merchant account providers, consider the following:

• What are the transaction rates and fees?
• To what percentage of transactions the lowest rates apply?
• What services does the processor provide?
• How reliable is the processor’s customer support program?
• How’s the company credit card security and PCI DSS compliance? (More on this in a moment.)

Costs and Fees

One of the biggest concerns for businesses needing of a processor is cost: What are the transaction rates and fees? Transaction rates are a percentage of the total transaction, while fees can include a flat amount charged by the processor.

Be careful in selecting the processor with the lowest rates and fees. They could also be charging hidden fees. Find out to what percentage of transactions the lowest rates apply. Always know exactly what you are paying for and why.

Services Offered

Another area to look at is the range of services the processor provides. Maybe you need a simple retail merchant account and credit card terminal rental, but what if your business expands? If your merchant processor cannot support your growing needs, you will eventually have to look into a second or third vendor that can provide additional services.

The more affordable and convenient option is finding an all-in-one merchant account provider that provides a wide range of credit card processing services. The provider should also have a secure payment gateway with the technology to efficiently, safely and quickly authorize transactions.

By consolidating your vendors with a one-source credit card processing solution, you’ll have just one statement to deal with and one company to call for questions and support. And speaking of support – you’ll want to look into that, too. Customer support available 24/7 helps reduce lost production and business caused by processing issues. The sooner the problem is resolved, the sooner you can get back to work.

Compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is required for all businesses that accept credit card payments. Failure to meet security standards can lead to hefty fines and a loss of business credibility. Be sure your credit card processor offers and implements the proper PCI security features, such as advanced encryption technology and cardholder verification systems.

Get Started!

As with any new project, do your homework and weigh the pros and cons of each merchant account provider and credit card processing service. Talk to colleagues, get several different opinions and stay updated on the latest news and products in the payment processing industry. Then get ready to take that next step toward achieving your business goals.

And throw out that “cash only” sign already.

About the Author: Jacqui MacKenzie is a writer for Straight North, a Chicago Internet marketing agency that works with BluePay, a company offering credit card processing products. To learn more about payment processing industry, follow BluePay on Twitter.

Speaking of royalty, anyone interested in the big royal wedding coming in a month? I wonder how someone messed up this mug that is supposed to show the royal couple only to display Will’s brother Harry instead?

OK, back to Shades of Death: Royal Blood. After your father dies, your sister Violet requests your help at the Family Castle. After arriving, things seem to be in disarray. Explore the castle and help Violet get to the bottom of a dark mystery in Shades of Death: Royal Blood. Use your Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure skills to explore the grounds and solve tricky puzzles. Discover what had frightened your father and find the truth behind his death.

Also available for the Mac.

Download and try Shades of Death: Royal Blood.

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

If I were to judge the game on name alone, I’d be wondering why someone would be a Lord of mirrors. Or is Mirrors the name of a country or province. Wouldn’t that be strange? I’m from Mirrors. It’s near Wales, but no one hears about us because Wales gets all the attention.

PC and Mac Catch of the Week: Haunted Manor: Lord of Mirrors: Help Stan Riddle escape the Haunted Manor! After being trapped by the Lord of Mirrors, Stan needs you to guide him to safety! Use your Hidden Object skills to find valuable items and piece together perplexing puzzles. Discover why a beautiful mansion has been abandoned and what caused the owner to disappear. Come up with a clever escape plan to reach your friends in Haunted Manor: Lord of Mirrors!

Catch the deal for your PC! Use coupon code CATCH299

Catch the deal for your Mac! Use coupon code CATCH299.

This $2.99 Catch of the Week runs through Sunday, March 27 at 11:59pm.

Remember Big Fish Games has a Daily Deal offering a different game for $2.99 every day.

My family doesn’t have ancestors from Ireland, yet Dad and I always wore green on March 17. Dad went to the extreme and wore a striped green suit to work. He also had a button that said, “Kiss me, I’m Irish” and a couple of others. (He wouldn’t get away with that kiss me button today with sexual harassment policies.)

My ancestry is tricky to trace as many of them came over from Europe and Russia in the late 1800s and early 1900s. However, Facebook connected me with some relatives on my mother’s father’s side. In ONE day, my family tree tripled. The top of this image shows the family tree before I found my cousins on Facebook and the bottom is what I added based on our conversations in Facebook.

Amazing, eh? Despite all of its flaws, Facebook is an incredible resource as so many friends and family members who aren’t social networkers actually use Facebook.

Brain food…

• Be Authentic: Why the World Needs You to Be You: I wish I could remember where I read a conversation between two people and one person convinced the other to stop ignoring a difficult part of her life. Face it head on. It made a difference in her writing.
• The Bare Bones Guide to Twitter: Get what you need to know and not a drop more. [Link: Lydia Ondrusek]
• Browser Evolution – The History of Web Browsers [Infographic]: Wow! I started using the Internet around 1993 with Internet in a Box and Mosaic. This chart begins in 1994.
• Prithee, Inform Me: The Rules of Writing: Kurt Vonnegut’s eight rules for fiction writing. A keeper.
• 100 Exquisite Adjectives: Need to study these. Not familiar with some, but I like ‘em! Can’t use words like these in writing because they’re not well known.

And for fun because we’re allowed…

• Another 12 Modern Bookcases: I love the US map bookcase. Don’t think I could handle such a bookcase as I like my books in a neat row. Here’s the original 15 coolest bookshelves.
• 12 Most Creative Objects Inspired by the Rubik’s Cube: That puzzling puzzle from the ’80s has a new lease on life… as a bunch of other things.
• Celebrate Pi at piZone: If you enter your email address, you’ll add another digit to Pi. I did this and my position is my birthday (month and day) with the #7.
• Stop-motion chess game: Builds up… give it time… [Link: Guy Kawasaki]

Where are you from?

Puppetshow fans celebrate. Another Puppetshow is ready for you.

After discovering a new system of caves, the entire town is excited to explore, until Suzy is kidnapped by a mechanical beast! Emerging from the darkness and startling the townfolk, the creature causes a cave-in behind him, leaving no trail to follow. Track the creature down and explore the mysterious caves in PuppetShow: Lost Town Collector’s Edition, a beautiful Hidden Object Puzzle Adventure game!

This is a special Collector’s Edition release full of exclusive extras you won’t find in the standard version.

Other Puppetshow games:

• PuppetShow: Mystery of Joyville
• PuppetShow: Souls of the Innocent

Download and try PuppetShow: Lost Town Collector’s Edition free

Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Meryl Evans

When Paul, my husband, was in his late 30s, I started thinking about how I could surprise him for his 40th. It’s hard to be surprised when turning 30, 40, 50 and so on. Paul surprised me for my 30th. To be honest, I wasn’t that surprised. I have a weird radar that figures out surprises. That, and my five-year-old made a comment — but she only confirmed what I thought.

So I decided to do something drastic… celebrate his 40th when he’s 39 1/2. This put the date in the summer and right between my daughter’s camp sessions, so she was home for the celebration. Frisco RoughRiders, a minor league baseball team, plays within a couple of miles from our house. Hmm… how about an old fashioned ball game for a party?

The day arrived. Paul isn’t one of those who feels the need to show up early especially for a ball game. Of all times, he decided he wanted to leave earlier. Oh, fine. I went with it delaying as much as I could.

We ran into my parents in the parking lot. (They lived an hour away.) So I came up with a perfect explanation on the spot. (And I’m not usually good at on-the-spot situations.) “Dad won tickets to the game and had plenty for the family.” Oh, it was very plausible. Everyone knew Dad was lucky. He won a car, a bike, trips.

We went to our seats and ran into my brother and sister. No big deal. Then our friends started showing up causing my husband’s face to turn curious confused. We revealed the party. Surprise! He was surprised even though we didn’t arrive after everyone else did as I had hoped.

All of us received an unexpected surprise… us adults with black tongues from the red and black — RoughRider colors — frosting on the cake.

Everybody’s Talking about Surprises

I wrote today’s post as part of the WOW-Women on Writing Blanket Tour for Letter from Home by Kristina McMorris (www.kristinamcmorris.com). This debut novel is the story of three young women during World War II and the identity misunderstandings they and the men in their lives have. Ask yourself: Can a soldier fall in love with a woman through letters? and What happens if the woman writing the letters is different from the woman he met the might before he shipped out, the woman he thought was writing the letters? Is it still love or just a lie?

Like many authors, Kristina has had a wild selection of “real jobs” everything from wedding planner to actress to publicist. She finally added novelist to the list after Kristina got a peek at the letters her grandfather wrote to his sweetheart (a.k.a. Grandma Jean) while he was serving in the Navy during World War II. That got her wondering how much two people could truly know each other just from letter writing and became the nugget of her novel. In honor of her grandparents, and all the other families kept apart by military service, Kristina is donating a portion of her book’s profits to United Through Reading, a nonprofit organization that video records deployed U.S. military personnel reading bedtime stories to their children.

Comment for a Chance to Win

If you comment on today’s post on this blog or any of the others participating in Everybody’s Talking About Surprises by 11:59pm on March 17, you’ll be entered to win a special surprise prize! It includes an personalized copy of Letters from Home, a Big Band CD, Victory Garden seeds, and a $20 gift card the winner can use at … well, it’s a surprise! All wrapped up in a vintage WWII box. To read Kristina’s post about surprises and a list of other blogs participating in Everybody’s Talking about Surprises visit The Muffin.

Tell us about a time when you were surprised.

Always love Cooking Dash and this is a good catch.

PC and Mac Catch of the Week: Cooking Dash: DinerTown Studios: Trouble on the set! Flo’s friend needs help feeding the cast and crew of her TV show. Prepare, cook, assemble and serve the delicious menu items from each TV-themed restaurant. Can you successfully feed the egos and stomachs of the cast and crew and keep them from walking off the set in Cooking Dash: DinerTown Studios.

Catch the deal for your PC! Use coupon code CATCH299

Catch the deal for your Mac! Use coupon code CATCH299.

This $2.99 Catch of the Week runs through Sunday, March 20 at 11:59pm.

Remember Big Fish Games has a Daily Deal offering a different game for $2.99 every day. (Look to the right.)