Google Talk

Feb
13

Internet Merchant Accounts

1. Foreword, getting familiar with the Google Talk service:

The Google Talk client is a software application that enables its users (people with Google accounts) to instantly communicate with each other via voice calls and instant messages. A very interesting feature, something like an innovation from Google, is that the Google Talk service supports the different industry standards. In other words, you can connect to the GT service using the official client, or you can use other Instant Messaging programs developed by third parties, or you can even set it up on your BlackBerry. The available clients besides Google’s are Adium, Gaim, iChat, Kopete, Miranda, Psi and Trillian Pro.

Google Talk has been the long awaited entry of this truly global company into the IM and Voice Over IP communications market, where names like MSN, AOL, Yahoo and Skype have already been dictating the game and competing for user’s choice. Considering how intense this market is, Google’s entry will make it even more competitive which is a foundation for developing better products for the end user.

2. Getting started. Download. Install. The Interface:

You can download the Google Talk client from the official web page at http://www.google.com/talk/index.html. An alternative website providing fast and secure downloads is http://talk.freesecuredownloads.com. The installation is absolutely straight forward and the setup file itself is less than 2MB.

As mentioned, GT offers Instant Messaging capabilities, combined with high-quality and easy to use Voice-Over-IP calls. The software is totally integrated with Gmail, so all you need in order to login is just your Gmail username (the string before @) and password. Once you have the client installed, you will be asked for your Google username and password to login.

Login and automatically, all your Google buddies will appear in the buddy list. Of course, there is an Add Friend button, a “Search all contacts” field which searches both your Google Talk and Gmail contacts, and a drop-down under your name that lets you set your available/unavailable status and messages. There’s also an Inbox button which takes you to Gmail, plus Help and Settings.

3. The technology behind Google Talk:

The developers of Google Talk have employed the open source XMPP protocol for the instant messaging feature, while the VoIP functionality is based on another protocol known as Jingle. Those are the publicly known facts, but Google hasn’t disclosed any information on the technology behind their server network.

XMPP stands for Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol, open source protocol based on XML, designed for real-time instant messaging. The exact definition of XMPP as given in RFC3921 is “a protocol for streaming XML [XML] elements in order to exchange messages and presence information in close to real time.”

The implementation of the XMPP protocol has allowed users of Google Talk to chat with users of other chat services as long they are based on XMPP. For example, Gizmo Project users (refer to gizmoproject.com) can IM Google Talk users using the Gizmo application. All you have to do in that case is click on Add Contact, and find the given person by his Google ID. The opposite (GT to Gizmo) is also possible, by clickin ‘Add Friend’ and then entering the Gizmo User Name.

Jingle extends the features of Jabber and XMPP and it’s responsible for the transfer of multimedia content such as voice or video. Jingle is a new protocol created by Google and the XMPP Standards Foundation.

4. Google Talk keyboard shortcuts:

There are some neat Keyboard shortcuts that will definitely help you work better with the program. Here they are:

CTRL + MOUSEWHEEL UP/DOWN: changes the size of the current font

CTRL + E: centralizes the selected text

F9: opens Gmail and automatically fills in the To: field with the email address of the person you were talking with when pressing F9

F11: starts a call

F12: stops the call

ESC: closes the chat window on focus

If you want to write your text in bold font, enter it in between *your text*. To make it italic, type in _your message_.

5. Running multiple instances of Google Talk:

This feature is really useful if you have several Gmail accounts, for different purposes (personal, work, etc), but you don’t want to keep logging on and off of them. Switching from one account to another all the time and not being able to communicate with all of your buddies can be really frustrating. This problem is solved using the ‘nomutex’ option.

Mutexes are used by programmers to orchestrate exclusive access to a resource. Simply put, creating a mutex guarantees that another program (or instance of the same program) can’t access the same system resource (memory). By default, when Google Talk is started, it first attempts to create a mutex, and if does so successfully, then it continues and never releases the mutex, until the Google Talk is terminated (at that point Windows deletes the mutex). However, if the mutex creation fails, then Google Talk knows that another instance is already running and it just stops, so only one instance of GT can be used at a given moment.

To avoid that, you need to stop that mutex from being created in the first place. Here is how you can do that. Press the Start button on your Windows Taskbar and click Run. In the Open field enter:

“c:Program FilesGoogleGoogle Talkgoogletalk.exe” /nomutex

Now you are free to open as many Google Talk instances as you want, and login with your different Gmail accounts at the same time.

6. GTalk’s command line parameters:

Besides the /nomutex parameter, there are some other ones you can use as well. To use any of the parameters listed bellow, just replace it with ‘nomutex’ as in the example given bellow. So the general string should look like:

“c:Program FilesGoogleGoogle Talkgoogletalk.exe” /PARAMETER

Replace PARAMETER with one of the params given bellow:

• autostart – it will set GTalk to start automatically with Windows, as long as the “Start automatically with Windows” option in the WinRegistry is checked

• forcestart – Google Talk will start automatically with Windows, regardless of the state of “Start automatically with Windows” checkbox

• S upgrade – to upgrade the software

• diag – starts the program in diagnostic mode

7. Google Talk’s Windows Registry records:

To edit the settings of GTalk stored inside the Windows Registry, open the Start menu -> Run, and enter ‘regedit’, once the Registry Editor is open, navigate yourself down to HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareGoogleGoogle Talk.

You will notice the following sub-keys, that store different option values:

Accounts: holds the usernames and passwords, plus some connection options for the different accounts used on the client. The password is encrypted in a key called ‘pw’

• Autouspdate: the information in this sub-key is used when performing Update on GTalk. Then the software will compare the value in the InstalledVersion key with the Google’s response for that value. If it turns out that, there is a newer version available, Google Talk will start to download it automatically. On 27 of April, 2007, the latest version is 1.0.0.104, hence, that is the value you should for the Installed Version and Available Version keys

• Options: additional settings

• Process: this key stores the process ID of GTalk

8. A look at the future: Google Talk’s Click-to-Call service:

Click-to-Call is a new service by Google and eBay, that’s currently in test mode, available at [http://www.google.com/help/faq_clicktocall.html]. The idea is to allow users to directly call a given merchant on eBay, just by clicking at a link on his page at eBay.com. In that way, both you and the seller can verify the deal, confirm the details and keep in touch while it’s being processed. This will really expand this business even further, making it more secure and reliable.

This whole idea that will have a very positive impact on the online business, is a combination between three of the most succesfull Internet companies – eBay, Skype and Google. In this project, every company offers what it makes best: eBay provides the marketplace, Skype brings the Voice Over IP communication technology, while Google comes with its leadership in search and advertising.

At the moment, the Click-to-call function works only for Google Maps. Here is how it goes. Search for a given business on Google Maps, once you find a store that you want to get in touch with, click on the ‘call’ link that is placed next to the phone number of that store. Once you do that, you will asked for your own phone number, enter it and press ‘Connect for free’, Google will call you almost instantly and connects you to the given store. Currently, this feature works only for business inside the US.

Google doesn’t share your number, but you will have the phone number of the business you selected will appear on your caller ID when Google connects you. There are no charges for both local and long-distance calls, unless you have entered your mobile phone (in that case, your provider will charge you whatever his fees are).

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eWAY Testimonial – Jeff Bonnes

Feb
12

Jeff Bones of findababysitter.com.au tells us how eWAY was the best solution that helped get them taking payments within a day. The easy solution

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Plastic Protection

Feb
9

Internet Merchant Accounts

There are many people who still fear buying items or services on the internet because they worry about identity theft or credit card fraud. While these are natural concerns, it’s important to note that there have been many advancements in credit card security, and in particular, protection for online purchases. Shopping online is not all that much different from shopping in person as far as security is concerned. Certain cards have special security features intended just for online purchases, and include password protection and single use credit card numbers.

Web sites that accept credit cards typically offer an additional layer of protection as well, by encrypting the information (credit card numbers) as it is sent from your computer to theirs. In fact, someone who is intelligent enough to decrypt such information is probably intelligent enough to create a self-generating credit card system, and make their own credit card cards with fake account numbers! Before making a purchase on a website, just make sure that there is a secure label someplace on the page, usually “SSL”. Also, you can check to be sure that the domain starts with “https”; the “s” is to show you that it is a secure site.

Using credit cards online gives you purchase protection, in addition to security protection. If you make a purchase from an online merchant that does not delivery on their promise for what you expected to receive, or the item is never sent, your credit card offers protection. You will not have to pay for an item that is not as described. Also, if the item arrives in the mail broken or gets lost before you receive it, in most cases your purchase protection will allow you to return the item or obtain a new one.

Visa, among other credit card lenders, have come up with a way to password protect your credit card. Whenever you are shopping online, you will be required to input your special password before you can make the purchase. This protects you against people who have obtained your credit card number or have the card itself and are attempting to make purchases with it. As long as you don’t store your password with your card, this layer of protection should make it impossible for someone else to use your credit card.

Many cards are currently offering single use credit card numbers for shopping online. Each time you make an online purchase, the credit card company issues a secondary card number, which will be used for that single purchase only. Once your transaction has been entered with your single use card number, you (or anyone else who may have seen the transmission or is waiting on the other end of the website for your card information!) will not be able to use that particular number again to make another purchase.

If the worst happens- and someone does happen to get your credit card number or the card itself- if you report the fraud the moment you notice it on a statement, or the moment you notice the card is not in your wallet- you will not be held liable for charges made on that card. In fact, it is the retail stores that take the biggest beating when it comes to credit card fraud, not the consumer. Shopping online is as safe, if not safer, than shopping at the store or over the phone thanks to the plastic protection your credit cards provide.

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They Died Together; The Vagaries of War

Jan
30

The SS Paul Hamilton, WWII, 1944, hit by an aerial torpedo with 580 men aboard, blows up, all hands lost. An eye witness account by an ex-Merchant Marine seaman.

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Self Employment Ideas With Low Start-Up Costs

Jan
4

Internet Merchant Accounts

Stress, boredom, low-pay, or having an entrepreneurial spirit may all be causes for wanting to leave a 9 to 5 job and become self-employed. Having a goal to become self-employed starts with figuring out what it is you can do to start your own business. Not everyone who wants to work for themselves know exactly what to do and where to start. Below are some low-cost start-up ideas that may get your creative juices flowing.

Freelance Work – If you have a skill such as web programming, copywriting, or other technical skill, then freelance work will be an easy transition. You can simply market yourself and as you get more clients, word of mouth will soon work in your favor. Sooner or later, you will have more work than you can handle – this of course depends on the level of service you provide and the quality of your work. Start-up costs should remain low as you will need at the most: business cards, a web site, software (depending on your skills), hardware (computer), and office supplies.

Drop shipping – I’m sure you have heard of drop shipping before. If not, it is a very low-cost way of selling physical goods without having to buy a ton of stock up front. Most people who use drop shipping have online stores, collect payments from customers, and forward on the orders to the drop ship company which fulfills and ships the products directly to the customer. Most businesses utilize eBay to take advantage of their huge customer base. The costs for this remain relatively low since there is no up front stock to buy. You may have to purchase shopping cart software for your web site, a merchant account, or pay fees if you go with eBay.

Self-publishing on the Internet – Do you have a love for writing? Do you have a skill or talent that you can turn into a how-to guide? You can begin self-publishing your own information products and market them over the internet. What makes this low-cost is because the most you would need to purchase is a web site, web hosting, and possibly some advertising. You could begin this business around $100 or so.

Out of the above examples of low-cost self-employment ideas, my favorite remains self-publishing. Information will never run dry and as long as you are able to help solve someone’s problems, there will be a customer base ready to purchase your products.

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7 Questions to Ask A Potential Internet Merchant Account Provider

Dec
29

Recently I went looking for an online merchant account, with disastrous results. I made the mistake of taking information at face value and relying on the ecommerce merchant account provider’s good reputation in other areas.

Fortunately, you can avoid the same experience I had by asking the right questions of a potential ecommerce ecommerce merchant account provider.

Merchant Account Provider Questions

Understanding the answers to these questions before signing an application or agreement will help make for a solid partnership between you and your merchant account vendor:

1. As a merchant, can I accept credit cards both online and offline?

Do I need to get separate authorizations or permissions when setting up my ecommerce merchant account for different types of transaction (Internet, retail, phone orders, etc.)?

What other merchant fees are involved if I accept both online and offline credit card charges?

2. Can I accept ecommerce payments using methods other than Mastercard and Visa (Discover, American Express, Diner’s Club, online checks, debit cards, etc.)?

If so, what are the fees and do I need to do anything to “activate” those ecommerce payment methods?

3. What are the different discount rates and fees for different types of ecommerce and other charges through the merchant account (Internet, in person, telephone, mail, etc.)?

4. What are the other fees related to this ecommerce merchant account – yearly, set-up, application, monthly minimum, statement, support, cancellation, discount, per-transaction, gateway access fees, card reject fee?

Are these subject to change?

Are there any other fees involved in order to get my ecommerce merchant account functional?

5. Do I process ecommerce charges manually or automatically?

If manually, is it possible to get automatic merchant account processing?

If so, do you provide a secure online payment gateway for my ecommerce merchant account?

How do I get up and running and what extra charges will I pay to do so?

6. What other software and services do I need to become fully ecommerce enabled online (such as secure gateway provider, etc.)?

Do you have a list of these additional ecommerce providers that are compatible with my ecommerce merchant account?

7. Do I need additional hardware or software not previously mentioned?

If so, what is the cost and how do I get this equipment?

Many of these questions are different ways of getting at the same issue — you want to know every component, every function, every fee, and every charge association with making your ecommerce merchant account work effectively for your business.

If you ask these questions while establishing a mutually comfortable relationship with your ecommerce merchant account provider from the start, you can avoid “traps” and lay the groundwork for a long, solid partnership.

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Affiliate business and the internet home based business

Apr
18

Affiliate marketing is nothing more than a Web site network. Let’s say you own an interior decorating business. Your Web site is dedicated to promoting your company and reaching out to potential customers. While your service is basically traveling to locations and performing consultations for redecorating rooms and businesses, you know that those who are interested in redecorating their homes are also into household accessories such as candles, curtains, antique furniture, etc. In this case, affiliate marketing for home internet business would involve contacting companies who sell these items, getting their permission to post links to their sites on your Web site, and collecting a percentage of profit for each purchase that company receives because someone clicked the link from your site to theirs and bought an item.
In turn, these companies will probably post a link to your Web site on their site. Someone who is browsing for discount furniture may see the link to your interior decorating business and decide to contact you for a consultation. Once the contract is signed between you and the client, the Web site that sent business your way will then collect a referral fee.
For affiliate marketing for home internet business, having a business yourself is not even really a requirement. If you are nuts about hair products, you can make a living selling hair products without having to take orders or stock products. That’s what I’m talking about. No stocking product in your garage, taking orders and everything else associated with a typical business.
How is this done? Create a content based web site dedicated to hair tips and hair trends. Include columns and articles all about hair that will attract other hair gurus to your site. Make sure your content is packed with great information. After your Web site is established, contact several online beauty product stores and set up affiliate marketing agreements. Most of this is already done in most cases. That’s if you get with net savvy companies.
Those who hit your site and/or become a regular visitor will inevitably be interested in ordering these products advertised on your site. Once that advertisement link is hit by your site visitor, and a purchase is made, you will then receive commission.
The key to having successful affiliate marketing for home Internet business is simply continuing to increase traffic to your site. The more hits on your site, the more chances you have of gaining profit from purchases made through links on your site. Promoting your Web site, writing articles that contain appropriate keywords and instituting a newsletter to subscribers would be promising ways to attract browsers to your Web site.
More traffic equals more profits. The more traffic you can drive to your site, the more successful your home Internet business will be. If a company sees that your Web site is regularly visited by hundreds of people daily, you won’t have a problem with getting other businesses wanting to partner with you. I know what you’re thinking! Drive traffic? How do I do that?
How to Increase Your Site Traffic and Succeed With Your Affiliate Marketing Programs
Are you ready to get to work? Well, let’s get to it then! As an affiliate, your main objective is to sell the products and services offered by your partner merchants. Unless you can do this, you can never hope to make a significant amount of money with affiliate marketing programs. Ok, that’s it! Just kidding. So how do you boost sales? All things being equal, you will need to increase your site traffic before you can experience more sales. By the law of averages, the more people are aware of the products you are offering, the more products you will sell. It’s just that simple folks, it’s a numbers game.
I bet you want a few tips that can help you boost your site traffic don’t you? Here you go:
1. Optimize you site for the search engines. The most successful sites on the internet are the most visible ones. Now there are various ways to achieve increased visibility on the internet, but the foremost method is that of search engine optimization. The details are too technical to discuss here, but the purpose of search engine optimization (SEO) is to help your site achieve higher rankings on the search engines. If you have used a search engine, you will notice that any particular keyword search will return thousands, if not millions of results. Most people will not bother to browse through all those results; they will prefer to look into the sites already displayed. Statistically speaking, the sites listed on the first results page will garner the highest amount of traffic, putting those sites in a better position to make money.
2. Joining internet directories. While internet directories are no longer as widely used as search engines, some people do use them. It is important that you do not overlook the potential customers that these directories can bring to your site. To join an internet directory, you will have to submit your site for approval, and you will be categorized accordingly.
3. Provide fresh content. Your site must continually be updated if you expect your visitors to keep coming back. Your site must have useful content, as well as tools that will help your target audience. Make your site as easy to navigate as possible, and be sure that your links work the way that they should. There is nothing that frustrates people more than a “broken” website, and once your site has been labeled as such, chances are slim that many people will want to come back.
4. Build an online community. In other words, build relationships with your potential customers. Make your visitors feel welcome and appreciated, and they are likely to come back. Be interested in solving their problems and they will thank you with their business.
Making your affiliate marketing program work is really not that much different from operating a traditional business. The only way you can keep your customers is to treat them right. The Japanese have a saying: The customer is God. As long as you treat your customers with respect and exert effort in trying to meet their needs, you will find that they will be more than willing to help you with yours.

Affiliate Marketing and Requesting Customer Support
As a webmaster, you are bound to run into problems. Even though you have spent a good amount of time learning the affiliate marketing trade, sooner or later you will run into some challenges that you will need help to resolve. Areas such as e-mail services, affiliate marketing software, and online services are often particularly troublesome.
Unfortunately, getting help is not often easy, even from your web host. But there are ways to make the process simpler for both sides. Here are some questions that you might consider before you call your service provider:
Who are you? Many people report their problems without providing their personal information, such as their username. Unless the support team knows who you are, how do you expect them to solve your problem?
What is the problem? Be specific. Identify which product or service is not working properly. Keep in mind that you are just one of your web host’s customers. Unless you can pinpoint the problem, chances are pretty slim that you will receive appropriate and timely help.
What software are you using? Your web host’s support team will need information on the software you are using. For instance, they will ask you what type of system you are using in your computer. It is a well-known fact that certain applications do not work well on certain systems. Be sure to give any relevant details about the services or applications that you use.
When did the problem start? Identifying the time you became aware of the problem is important. If you have recently made any changes to your system and the problem appeared soon after, it is quite likely that particular change is the cause. Don’t withhold information from the support team; every bit of knowledge is crucial to identifying the source of difficulty.
What have you tried to fix the problem? If you have attempted to fix the problem yourself, be sure to include an account of your attempts in your report. Letting the support team know what you’ve already done will help them save time, and also make a more accurate diagnosis of what’s wrong.
Have you kept it simple? For security purposes, some support systems do not allow HTML display. To avoid having your e-mail intercepted, it is best to send your messages in plain text format.
Remember to be polite. Keep in mind that the support team is composed of human beings – they certainly will not appreciate if you maltreat them. Never insult them; never use profanity. If you want your problem to be resolved, it is better to hold your peace and act civilly. Despite what you may think, you are just one of their customers — they reserve the right to discontinue their services to you whenever they like.
These pointers will not always get you the speedy service that you deserve, but they can certainly help. Affiliate marketing is one of the easiest businesses to operate because you don’t have to mess with all the paperwork and stocking. This article is just a small sample of what it takes to be an affiliate home business operator. There are many programs available to help you out as I hope that this article clears up your questions. If you have more, you know where to go.

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IDIOT SHOT in the balls! (10.5.10 – Day 523)

Apr
1

Watch the live cameras and shoot us with paintballs with the free app: www.prankhouse.com people in my team: youtube.com youtube.com youtube.com youtube.com youtube.com people not on my team: youtube. com youtube. com youtube.com youtube.com youtube.com go here and "how" our Facebook group. Friends we can be ohhh yaaa! facebook.com ** other AWESOME STUFF *** We are on twitter hehe (duhhhh): twitter.com twitter.com Join Us on Facebook: facebook.com Staff channel: youtube.com youtube.com OurWebsite: internetkilledtv.com ***************************

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