Website Globalization

Website Globalization

by: Sharon Housley

Globalize Your Website
The Internet has unlocked a wide array of markets and knocked down barriers that previously prevented merchants from marketing their products on a global scale. There are a number of ways to กglobalizeก a website and broaden a businesses general appeal to an international audience.
1.) Payment Options vary from country to country, therefore offering flexible payment options are important. While PayPal might be a good option for consumeroriented products, this service is not widely used by businesses and is only available to customers in specific countries. In order to attract global customers, businesses must provide a variety of payment options that customers, in different countries, are familiar and comfortable with.
2.) Currency Distinction provides added convenience to a potential customer, and shows an understanding and respect for global audiences. A currency converter is a good option, especially for large companies who may be dealing with many countries. When listing prices clearly indicate the country currency, such as between US dollars and Canadian dollars. This distinction will prevent misconceptions and prevent customer dissatisfaction.
3.) Contact Information should be given for a country code, along with the area code, when listing phone numbers. It should not be assumed that customers know the numbers to dial foreign calls. Since the standards of address formats can differ from country to country, ensure that the mailing address listed on the website is properly formatted. In this time of rapidly expanding use of numbers, if your area code changes, don’t forget to change the information on your website.
4.) Delivery Options should make sense for all customers. Ensure that they have full knowledge of shipping information to avoid delay and error. If a shipping option is not available for a specific region be sure that is clearly stated on the website. Provide estimates as to when the product will arrive to various regions, so that customers have appropriate expectations about delivery time frames.
5.) Order Forms when creating order forms use terminology that is universal; if possible, where relevant, refer to postal codes rather than zip codes. The terminology on the order form should support the fact that the company sells to an international audience.
6.) Payment Policy clearly state payment policies on any order pages, if purchase orders or wire transfers are not accepted from specific countries be sure that the policy is clearly stated. Prepare an explanation as to why the policies are in place. Customers understand that foreign purchase orders are not legally binding and will not feel alienated if an explanation is offered and clearly stated.
7.) Spelling can vary, so avoid using terminology on the website that would cause confusion or look like careless spelling mistakes. Be clear and concise as many customers may be viewing your website in their second language. A website that can be viewed in different languages is all the better for communicating with foreign customers.
Ultimately the goal is to make purchasing the product or service easy for a customer. A website that respects cultural differences, as well as the nuances of language and terminology, will go a long way in attracting an international audience.

About The Author

Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc. http://www.notepage.net a company specializing in alphanumeric paging, SMS and wireless messaging software solutions. Other sites by Sharon can be found at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com , and http://www.smallbusinesssoftware.net

This article was posted on June 22, 2004

by Sharon Housley

Is Something Missing From Your Keywords Research?

Is Something Missing From Your Keywords Research? (Part 2)

by: Serge Botans

In my previous article, I raised the issue that proper keyword research must take into account countries. The reason for that was that the demand for keywords can vary between countries. I gave examples of that fact using the Overture keyword tool.

To support my argument (that we need to be aware of countries when doing keyword research), I gave 2 reasons:

1. it will help us determine which countr(y/ies) to target, and

2. it will help us know what countr(y/ies) our visitors are most likely to come from.

I would like, in this article, to expand on these 2 reasons. I would also like to add further reasons why any keyword research must be country based.

1. When doing keyword research, we need to understand the limitations of our research. This is necessary in order to remove any assumptions we make about our findings. For example, if you find that the demand for a keyword is very high in the US, you cannot assume that the demand for that same keyword will also be vey high in other countries. You will only know for sure how much demand there is worldwide by doing country specific keyword research. Such research can be done using a tool such as the Overture keyword tool,

2. It will tell you where your visitors are most likely to come from. This in turn will tell you what features you need to add to your web site. For example, if you are targeting a keyword that is in demand in the US only, then obviously most of your visitors will come from the US. This then means that you need to design your web site primarily for US visitors. You will hence need to:

use US spelling such as กcolorก and not กcolourก,

if you sell products, then list your prices in US$,

if you live in the US, then add a fax number so your visitors can place orders by fax,

if you live in the US, you could organise a US free call number for your visitors to ring you should they need to,

if you live in the US and you ship your orders, then you could include shipping costs. You could also include how long it will take for them to receive their order,

if you don’t live in the US, then you will need to make it possible for your visitors to pay you in US$,

if you don’t live in the US and you ship your orders, then you could include shipping costs. And you could include how long it will take for them to receive their order,

and so on . . .

If on the other hand, you are wanting to target several nonEnglish speaking countries, then:

you may need to add a translation service to your site so that your visitors can read your site in their language,

you may need to add a currency exchange service so that your visitors can convert your prices into their currency,

you may need to make it possible for your visitors to pay you in their own currency,

you may need to add other ways for your visitors to pay you apart from credit cards. You could offer international cheques/checks, money orders, direct bank transfers, . . . I once had a customer who wanted to pay me in Euros from Italy and needed my address to do so. The easier you make it for people to place an order, the greater the chances someone will place an order!

if you ship your orders, then you could add the shipping costs to each of the countries you are targeting. And include how long it will take for them to receive their order,

and so on . . . May be you can think of other things you will need to add to your site to accommodate your international visitors.

3. It will help you target the right keywords for the country you want to target. For example, if you want to target Canada, then you will need to use keywords that are in high demand in Canada only. There is absolutely no point doing keyword research in the UK if you are wanting to target Canada as the keyword demand between the 2 countries may vary greatly.

4. It will help you develop a keyword strategy so that you can target several countries at the same time. This can be achieved in several ways depending on the keywordsก demand and supply.

you could use keywords that are in common demand in the several countries. For example, if you sell กwidgetsก with your site and you find that there is a healthy demand for กblack widgetsก in the US, the UK, Canada and Australia. Then you could target that keyword with your site as that keyword will help you target 4 countries in one go,

you could use keywords in demand in each country, as long as they complement each other and are highly relevant for your site. For example, using the widget idea, if you found that กcolored widgetsก are in demand in the US, กwhite widgetsก are in demand in the UK, กblack widgetsก in Canada, and กcoloured widgetsก in Australia. Then, you would just target all these keywords with your site which would not be hard to do as all these keywords can easily be targeted together.

Given the right circumstances, you could even use both strategies at the same time.

As I mentioned in my first article, the Overture keyword tool enables you to research the demand for keywords in some 19 countries around the world. To see the countries that Overture supports, go to www.overture.com and have a look at the top right corner of the page. By clicking on any one of the countries listed, you will have access to the Overture keyword tool for the country you selected, and this will enable you to research the keyword demand in that country.

As you may know, keyword demand is only one half of the equation. Keyword demand needs to be looked at together with its supply numbers. One of the ways of determining keyword supply is to use Google. This means that to you need to know how to use Google to research the supply of keywords in your country of interest. This is a bit harder to explain and beyond the scope of this article.

I hope that this second article has convinced you about the need to be country aware when doing your keyword research. The success of your web site may depend on it.

Serge M Botans

About The Author

Serge M Botans is the CEO of http://www.metakeywordadvice.com a web site that provides advice on keywords. Free evaluation available. He is also the inventor of CID, which is an altenative to KEI.

[email protected]

This article was posted on August 08

by Serge Botans

You Are Wasting You Adword Money

You Are Wasting You Adword Money

by: Iszuddin Ismail aka Kidino

Now this is a tip if you are using any kind of PPC (Adwords, Overture) to promote any product offered via ClickBank or any affiliate program that uses PayPal for payment processing.

If you don’t know this already, ClickBank and Paypal does not accept payment from everybody.

They only accept payments from certain countries. And they can do that by identifying the IP address of the buyer.

For example, me, living in Malaysia, I cannot buy anything that is offered through ClickBank. I hate it!

So the tip is this. Whenever you are promoting anything from ClickBank, use geographical targeting to reduce costs. Just select the countries that can buy the the product.

For example, if you are promoting the Super Affiliate Handbook (by Rosalind Gardner) with Adwords, don’t include Malaysia in the regional targeting.

If I happens to come by your ad on Google, and I think that itกs interesting, I click on it that just costs you $0.20 (maybe). And when I get there, however interested I am with the product, I can’t buy it.

And maybe I could contact the merchant. And the merchant arranged an alternative payment via StormPay or MoneyBooker. But that will not be tracked with ClickBank … you just did favour for your merchant. Well … so generous of you.

$0.20 just went down the toilet. And 50% commission lost.

You can avoid that loss if you had not selected กAll Countriesก in your geographical targeting.

So what I am suggesting is for you to only show your ad to these few countries using the geographical targeting. Of course selecting the countries will takes time. But you could save a lot this way.

To make it easier for you, I have a list of countries that ClickBank do accept payments from. And thereกs another list for Paypal as well.

ClickBank

Andorra

Anguilla

Antigua & Barbuda

Aruba

Ascension Is

Australia

Austria

Bahamas

Barbados

Belgium

Belize

Bermuda

Bolivia

Bosnia & Herzegovina

Botswana

Bouvet Is

Brazil

Canada

Canada

Cayman Is

Chile

China

Colombia

Costa Rica

Cyprus

Czech Rep

Denmark

Dominica

Dominican Rep

Ecuador

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Estonia

Falkland Is

Faroe Is

Fiji

Finland

France

Germany

Gibraltar

Great Britain

Great Britain

Greece

Greenland

Grenada

Guadeloupe

Guatemala

Honduras

Hong Kong

Hungary

Iceland

India

Ireland

Isle Of Man

Italy

Jamaica

Japan

Kenya

Kiribati

Korea (South)

Kuwait

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Maldives

Malta

Martinique

Mauritius

Mexico

Monaco

Montserrat

Namibia

Nauru

Nepal

Netherlands

Netherlands Antilles

New Caledonia

New Zealand

Nicaragua

Niue Is

Norfolk Is

Northern Ireland

Norway

Palau

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

Peru

Pitcairn Is

Poland

Portugal

Reunion Is

San Marino

Sao Tome & Principe

Seychelles

Singapore

Slovak Rep

Slovenia

Solomon Is

South Africa

Spain

Sri Lanka

St Helena

St Kitts & Nevis

St Lucia

St Pierre & Miquelon

St Vincent & Grenadines

Svalbard & Jan Mayen Is

Sweden

Switzerland

Taiwan

Thailand

Togo

Tokelau

Tonga

Trinidad & Tobago

Turks & Caicos Is

Tuvalu

United Kingdom (Gb)

United States

Uruguay

Vanuatu

Venezuela

Virgin Is (Gb)

Wallis & Futuna Is

PayPal

Anguilla

Argentina

Australia

Austria

Belgium

Brazil

Canada

Chile

China

Costa Rica

Denmark

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hong Kong

Iceland

India

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Jamaica

Japan

Luxembourg

Malaysia

Mexico

Monaco

Netherlands

New Zealand

Norway

Portugal

Singapore

South Korea

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Taiwan

Thailand

Turkey

United Kingdom

United States

Uruguay

Venezuela

About The Author

Iszuddin Ismail is the กWeb Marketing Techieก at MoneyClicking. He publishes the MoneyClicking Newsletter where he shares tips and strategies to website building for internet marketing. Go over and subscribe to MoneyClicking Newsletter and receive a 50page FREE EBOOK ContentSite for Affiliate Income.

http://www.moneyclicking.net

This article was posted on September 19, 2004

by Iszuddin Ismail aka Kidino

Website Globalization

Website Globalization

by: Sharon Housley

Globalize Your Website

The Internet has unlocked a wide array of markets and knocked down barriers that previously prevented merchants from marketing their products on a global scale. There are a number of ways to กglobalizeก a website and broaden a businesses general appeal to an international audience.

1.) Payment Options vary from country to country, therefore offering flexible payment options are important. While PayPal might be a good option for consumeroriented products, this service is not widely used by businesses and is only available to customers in specific countries. In order to attract global customers, businesses must provide a variety of payment options that customers, in different countries, are familiar and comfortable with.

2.) Currency Distinction provides added convenience to a potential customer, and shows an understanding and respect for global audiences. A currency converter is a good option, especially for large companies who may be dealing with many countries. When listing prices clearly indicate the country currency, such as between US dollars and Canadian dollars. This distinction will prevent misconceptions and prevent customer dissatisfaction.

3.) Contact Information should be given for a country code, along with the area code, when listing phone numbers. It should not be assumed that customers know the numbers to dial foreign calls. Since the standards of address formats can differ from country to country, ensure that the mailing address listed on the website is properly formatted. In this time of rapidly expanding use of numbers, if your area code changes, don’t forget to change the information on your website.

4.) Delivery Options should make sense for all customers. Ensure that they have full knowledge of shipping information to avoid delay and error. If a shipping option is not available for a specific region be sure that is clearly stated on the website. Provide estimates as to when the product will arrive to various regions, so that customers have appropriate expectations about delivery time frames.

5.) Order Forms when creating order forms use terminology that is universal; if possible, where relevant, refer to postal codes rather than zip codes. The terminology on the order form should support the fact that the company sells to an international audience.

6.) Payment Policy clearly state payment policies on any order pages, if purchase orders or wire transfers are not accepted from specific countries be sure that the policy is clearly stated. Prepare an explanation as to why the policies are in place. Customers understand that foreign purchase orders are not legally binding and will not feel alienated if an explanation is offered and clearly stated.

7.) Spelling can vary, so avoid using terminology on the website that would cause confusion or look like careless spelling mistakes. Be clear and concise as many customers may be viewing your website in their second language. A website that can be viewed in different languages is all the better for communicating with foreign customers.

Ultimately the goal is to make purchasing the product or service easy for a customer. A website that respects cultural differences, as well as the nuances of language and terminology, will go a long way in attracting an international audience.

Copyright 2004 Sharon Housley

About The Author

Sharon Housley manages marketing for NotePage, Inc. http://www.notepage.net a company specializing in alphanumeric paging, SMS and wireless messaging software solutions. Other sites by Sharon can be found at http://www.softwaremarketingresource.com, http://www.rssspecifications.com and http://www.smallbusinesssoftware.net

This article was posted on September 23, 2004

by Sharon Housley

Software Piracy Global Increase

Software Piracy Global Increase

by: Robert Palmer

Pirated software is on the increase and now accounts for over one third of the software installed on the worldกs computers and itกs cost the software industry a staggering, $28bn (£12bn) last year in lost revenues. Thatกs the startling claim of the UK based, Business Software Alliance. Their annual survey of global software piracy shows that some 36% of software applications were illegally installed and being used during 2003.
The study, conducted for the first time on behalf of the BSA by global technology research firm, International Data Corporation, incorporated major software market segments, including operating systems and consumer software and local market software. They discovered that while software costing $81bn (£38bn) was installed onto computers around the world, only $51bn (£23bn) was actually purchased and installed legally.
The USA and Canada who collectively are the most honest when it comes to purchasing software show a software piracy rate of 23% whilst the worst offenders are within the Eastern European countries, where piracy levels are an incredible 71%. Itกs difficult to draw any comparisons from previous years data as this is the first year the study has been outsourced to an independent company and takes in a wider spectrum of software than the previous studies conducted inhouse by the BSA. As well as counting the number of illegally produced software programs installed on systems, the study also includes software for where an insufficient number of site licenses have been purchased.
ขSoftware piracy continues to be a major challenge for economies worldwide,ข said Robert Holleyman, president and CEO of BSA. ขFrom Algeria to New Zealand, Canada to China, piracy deprives local governments of tax revenue, costs jobs throughout the technology supply chain and cripples the local, incountry software industry.ข
Mr Holleyman went on to say, that the IDC study reflects a logical evolution in BSA’s decadelong effort to measure piracy in the global economy. Its scope was expanded to account more accurately for trends such as the growth of local software markets worldwide and the acceleration of Internet piracy.
For its analysis, IDC drew upon its worldwide data for software and hardware shipments, conducted more than 5,600 interviews in 15 countries, and used its incountry analysts around the globe to evaluate local market conditions. IDC identified the piracy rate and dollar losses by utilizing proprietary IDC models for PC, software and license shipments by all industry vendors in 86 countries.
The study found that the size of a regional software market is the critical link between piracy rates and actual dollars lost. For instance, 91 percent of software installed in the Ukraine in 2003 was pirated, as compared to 30 percent in the U.K. But dollar losses in the U.K. ($1.6 bn) were about 17 times higher than those in the Ukraine ($92.1m). This difference is attributed to a much larger total PC software market in the U.K. than in the Ukraine.
ขA number of factors contribute to the regional differences in piracy, including localmarket size, the availability of pirated software, the strength of copyright laws, and cultural differences regarding intellectual property rights,ข said John Gantz, Chief Research Officer at IDC. ขUnfortunately, we found that high market growth regions also tend to be high piracy regions, such as China, India and Russia. If the piracy rate in emerging markets – where people are rapidly integrating computers into their lives and businesses – does not drop, the worldwide piracy rate will continue to increase.ข
ขThe fight for strong intellectual property protection and respect for copyrighted works spans the globe, and there is much work to be done,ข Mr Holleyman said. ขBSA will continue to work with governments to enact policies to protect software intellectual property as well as implement programs to raise business and consumer awareness about the importance of copyright protection for creative works. Lowering the piracy rate will stimulate local economic activity, generate government revenue, create job growth and cultivate future innovation.ข
Countries with Highest Piracy Rate:

Vietnam 92%
China 92%
Ukraine 91%
Indonesia 88%
Zimbabwe 87%
Russia 87%
Algeria 84%
Nigeria 84%
Pakistan 83%
Paraguay 83%

Countries with Lowest Piracy Rate

United States 22%
New Zealand 23%
Denmark 26%
Sweden 27%
Austria 27%
United Kingdom 29%
Japan 29%
Belgium 29%
Germany 30%
Switzerland 31%

Related links:
http://www.bsa.org/
http://www.idc.com/

About The Author

Robert Palmer is CEO of deskNET Communications (http://www.desknet.co.uk) providing webmasters and ecommerce with a more successful alternative to optin email marketing and email newsletters.

[email protected]

This article was posted on July 10, 2004

by Robert Palmer

The AZ of Exhibiting Overseas

The AZ of Exhibiting Overseas

by: Susan Freidmann

Exhibiting overseas is one of the fastest and most cost effective ways to identify the best foreign markets for your products/services. International trade shows and fairs offer opportunities for multilateral contacts and business deals. They allow you to test your product’s export suitability; explore the strength and scope of your competition; and gain exposure to potential suppliers, incountry distributors and customers before making any sizable financial commitments. However, to effectively trade internationally, top management must commit to developing foreign markets.

More than 2,000 shows are organized worldwide each year, and approximately 150 of these events have significant global attraction. Most are held in the major trade show centers in the United States, Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom. The following AZ guidelines will help to take the fear and anxiety out of your overseas exhibiting ventures:

Ask questions and thoroughly research overseas shows to find the ones that attract your target market. A good starting point is the U.S. Foreign Commercial Service (FSC), part of the International Trade Administration of the Department of Commerce. Other sources of information include banks, trade associations, foreign embassies and consulates, binational chambers of commerce and the Internet.

Book space early. Allocation for space is a กfirstcome, firstservedก basis. Applications for space need to be submitted as early as possible — 1218 months prior to the event. Reservations are made with the show organizer or their international representative. Most of the large shows, especially the German ones, have global sales offices.

Coordinate shipping arrangements. Most international trade shows have an officially designated freight forwarder who is familiar with all the relevant details. They will handle the invoicing, arrange for licenses and declarations, prepare packing list, issue bills of lading, handle insurance and prepare all necessary documentation. A duty charge is not normally assessed on equipment, unless it is destined to remain in the country after the show ends. An international carnet facilitates importation and movement of samples and professional equipment between countries.

Determine that your product complies with international technical and safety standards. Germany, in particular, has extremely stringent laws regarding testing products to comply with applicable specifications. Overseas companies are allowed to exhibit products at German trade fairs before their products have been inspected. Formal certification of required is necessary to legally sell your products in Germany. Certain types of merchandise are also subject to specialized safety codes and technical requirements. It is advisable to use a local consultant to help you through the compliance process.

Establish a realistic budget. Costs of overseas shows vary widely, depending on a host of variables, for example, location, exchange rates, time of the year. In addition to your display, shipping, promotional and staff costs, also take into consideration, import duties and export regulations. As a safety net, add 25% to your budget to cover unexpected costs, tipping and exchange rate fluctuations.

Familiarize yourself with overseas union policies. Strong unions exist in the U.K., France and Italy. Understand and appreciate the rules and treat everyone with respect. Offering to buy your union labor lunch or a beer, as well as tipping, often helps to minimize pilfering, loss and damage. When working with contractors, always have someone who can speak the language and give logistical instructions. Arrive at least a week prior to the show to iron out any kinks.

Get to know pricing. Your company representatives should be prepared to negotiate and agree to terms at the show. They should also be fully conversant with tariffs, the European Community’s Value Added Tax (VAT) and other tax implications, and importation and delivery procedures. When quoting prices, most buyers expect prices quoted c.i.f. (cost, insurance, freight), including duties, taxes and other charges. For a small fee, local freight forwarders will assist and prepare c.i.f. costs.

Have arrangements for credit and payment. You should make arrangements with a bank that has international banking affiliations to facilitate your banking needs. Discuss arrangements for transfer of funds, letters of credit and bills of exchange. Potential customers or representatives will expect a credit check. Individual profiles on overseas companies can be found through the World Trader’s Data Reports, available for a small fee from the US Commercial Service.

Since exchange rates fluctuate daily and can affect pricing, especially when dealing with Latin American countries, consider getting paid in U.S. dollars.

Insist on using a nativeborn translator. When translating copy or business communications, always hire a local translator who has technical knowledge of your products/industry. Embarrassing mistakes occur when a translation is done by a nonprofessional with limited knowledge of a language and little or no understanding of slang, colloquialisms and doubleentendres. Prepare product/service literature, data sheets, catalogues, etc. in the principal languages of the major countries represented at the show. Remember that most countries outside the U.S. use metric measurements.

Judge the context. Some cultures are more direct and explicit in their communication. Swiss, German and Scandinavian cultures are considered low context. Their words have specific meanings. In contrast, Japanese, Chinese and Arabs are high context. Their language is often vague, inexact and confusing for Englishspeaking cultures to understand. Reading between the lines is a must.

Keep language simple. Many of your international business contacts will speak English. Problems occur when you use slang, colloquialisms, idioms, jargon, buzz words, lingo, officialese, acronyms, and metaphors. These are often difficult to translate. It is far more effective to keep communication, written and verbal, basic and easy for anyone to understand.

Learn to speak body language. Seventy percent of our communication is nonverbal. We communicate by the way we stand, sit, tense facial muscles, tap fingers, etc. There are also hundreds of gestures to get across almost any meaning, from greetings, beckonings, and farewells, to terms of endearment and insults. Gestures and body language, with the exception of smiling, are not universal in meaning. Be aware of the etiquette on personal space, eye contact and when, what and how to touch.

Make sure that your top executives are available. Overseas shows, particularly in European and Asian countries, are serious business as they focus on sales. Toplevel management attend these shows expecting to place orders. They expect, and want, to deal with their counterparts in your company. They expect to spend time discussing technical details and will often want to close major deals on the show floor. Technical staff, sales people and incountry representatives will help form a complete team.

Nail negotiating. Negotiating in international business is extremely complex. Socializing is often considered essential to the negotiating process. Learn the cultural rules, especially as they relate to timing and how business is conducted. Patience is often a real virtue.

Offer quality and uniqueness. High quality products and services are expected, particularly when dealing with the Japanese and South Koreans. The packaging is as important as the product. If your products and services compete directly with native companies, there needs to be something unique in the technology, innovation, design, styling or image to gain acceptance in the Asian market.

Plan on having a thirdparty contact. Many Asian and Latin American cultures prefer to do business with people they know. Meeting the right people often depends on having the right introduction. If the person you wish to meet respects your intermediary, then chances are you too will be respected.

Question whether กnoก really means กno.ก Much confusion, frustration and irritation can occur when different cultures communicate real meaning. In some countries, such as France, กnoก can often mean กmaybe’ and กmaybeก can mean กno.ก In many Asian cultures, individuals will not say กnoก outright. Rather, they use subtle clues, for example, saying กIt’s very difficult,ก or กI’ll consider it.ก A กyesก or a nod of the head may very well mean กmaybeก or กI understand,ก instead of it being the affirmative response you might interpret. To avoid saying กno,ก Koreans in particular will often give you the answer they think you want to hear. Learn to listen to the subtleties by asking openended questions. It is at times like these that a cultural mentor can be particularly helpful.

Recognize the role of women in business. Research the customs of the country you are visiting as they apply to women. Although female business travelers account for one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry, problems still exist. Be prepared to prove yourself as you may not be taken as seriously as your male counterparts. Familiarize yourself with local and regional attitudes and cultural differences about women in business. This will help to define your approach and avoid potential problems and embarrassing situations. However, business overseas is based on trust and relationships. And women, like men, are responsible for creating the necessary rapport to accomplish their goals.

Supply all your company representatives with bilingual business cards. In Europe and Asian societies, business cards are essential. They act like a business passport. For countries where English is not widely spoken, have cards printed on the reverse side in the local language. This is best done in the country you are visiting. Also be aware of the specific etiquette that exists, particularly in Asian countries, for presenting cards. For example, in Japan, business cards are exchanged ceremoniously using both hands and a bow. Both parties will read and study the card. It is extremely impolite to write notes on the card or shove it in your pocket.

Train your people. Make sure that the people who represent your company at overseas shows are well trained and know and understand the cultural differences of the people with whom they will interact. They should know how to greet and address visitors. Formality is the norm in Europe, whereas a more casual and friendly style is acceptable in the U.S. Understanding different business negotiating styles, conversation sensitivities, and how women are treated in business, is essential, in addition to knowing eye contact, handshakes, body posture and spatial distance differences. The key is to develop relationships of trust and sincerity as they are critical for successful business.

Use ATM’s (Automated Teller Machines) to get local currency. They give you the wholesale exchange rate of 510%, which is a far better rate than you would get at hotels or currency exchanges. Always try to purchase enough local currency before leaving home to pay your transportation from your destination airport to your hotel, plus a little extra for tips.

Value different decisionmaking processes. The key is not to sell but rather to build relationships. Decisionmaking differs around the world. For example, in Asian cultures, it starts from the lower levels in the organization, and works its way up the ladder. Many times, lower level employees will visit a trade show to gather information, which they will include in a report to a higher manager. Don’t expect a decision from an initial meeting. Decisions are usually made collectively, and the process is often slow and thorough. However, once a decision is made, especially in Japan, a quick execution is expected. The key, once again, is to do your research.

Watch out for cultural differences. Know and understand the cultural differences of the people with whom you will interact. Be sensitive to color and symbols and their meanings in different countries. For example, mourning is symbolized by white in Asia, purple in Brazil and yellow in Mexico. If your product, packaging and literature are in the wrong color, you will lose sales. Red and yellow are lucky colors in China — conversely, never use red printing in South Korea. In many of the Asian countries, the number four denotes death and should be totally avoided, including products packaged in fours. If possible, avoid the number nine, as it has connotations of suffering. Seven and eight are considered lucky. Be safe and always do your research!

Expect to followup personally. Personal contact and immediate followup after the show is the best way to establish foreign buyer/seller relationships to produce future orders.

Yield to a time investment. Building relationships is a key component to doing business overseas. Behavioral differences are real. It is wise to recognize them and to make allowances when doing business. Willingness to cultivate business contacts through personal visits plays a major role in export success. Plan regular visits to your major buyers, agents, or distributors. Be available, interested and quick to react to problems or complaints.

Zero in on the fact that doing business overseas demands time and patience. It may take several appearances at trade shows before your company is taken seriously. Foreigners want to feel confident that you are sincere and totally committed to your involvement in their country.

About The Author

Written by Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, author: ขMeeting & Event Planning for Dummies,ข working with companies to improve their meeting and event success through coaching, consulting and training. Go to http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com to sign up for a free copy of ExhibitSmart Tips of the Week.

[email protected]

This article was posted on December 03, 2004

by Susan Freidmann

iKobo Review Part 2

iKobo Review Part 2

by: Adam Senour

Attempt 1 Conclusion
On July 13, 2004, the transaction was cancelled. My MasterCard was never charged.
However, I did notice that my limits as a sender and receiver had been unilaterally raised to $500 USD. I had not contacted iKobo by telephone or email with regard to raising my limits, nor had I sent any of the ‘requiredก documentation.
It also appeared that Penny Wang was correct. MasterCard does appear to cause processing difficulties with the iKobo system.
Attempt 2 Success in Sending Money via VISA
On July 13, 2004, I attempted to resend the $10 USD via iKobo using my VISA. The transaction went through successfully and on July 16, I received the small withdrawal amount on my VISA statement. I entered this amount in and the transaction was verified and the withdrawal amount refunded two days later. However, a loss of $0.23 occurred when iKobo refunded the money due to a change in the USD to CAD exchange rate.
My staff member received the IKard on July 23, 2004; 10 days after the transaction start date and 7 days after its approval.
No transactions have appeared from iKobo or any other retailers before or since the initial two attempts on either of my credit cards.
Support Email
I attempted to send the following email on July 8, 2004 to [email protected], as well as [email protected]:
To whom it may concern,
My name is (nom de plume), and I have been hired by ADAM Web Design to write feature articles for the articles section of the ADAM Web Design web site. This section may be found at http://www.adamwebdesign.com/articles .
I have become aware of iKobo recently and will be writing a feature article about your company, as it is one of the relative newcomers to the payment processing market. In the process of performing my research, I have uncovered some information and comments which I find rather concerning from the standpoint of the end user of your products. In the interest of fairness, I would like to give you the opportunity to state your side of the story to any readers of the ADAM Web Design website.
Please note that I will be publishing both this email and the response to it (or lack thereof) in the ADAM Web Design iKobo article, as a means of documenting my research on this subject. This article will be syndicated throughout various article publication websites and other channels of distribution. These channels of distribution can greatly benefit your company and provide it with some additional exposure, should my findings be favourable. Your response will be a factor in determining how favourable my review will become.
My questions are listed below:
The first testimonial on your website refers to a site (www.everythingforeveryone.com) that is under construction despite the following comments:
กLike every business person goes, I was in search of a reliable and easytouse merchant service. I traveled through each and every search engine to find the best merchant service that would use credit cards. The services I offer, paying online would make things go pretty fast. One fine day, after exhaustion, I found iKobo and it was my lucky day!! I registered right away and launched my site the very next day! Thanks iKobo for launching such a great, reliable and easy service.ก
Fatmah Azam Ali

Owner, www.everythingforeveryone.com
The website mentioned in the second testimonial (www.CyberSamrat.com) does not have any open mention of iKobo.
None of the other customers listed have websites using iKobo as well.
Do you have any merchant websites which openly use iKobo, so that I may question them about their experiences as I research this article?
In your Help section, there is an FAQ that reads as follows:
Q: What is iKobo?
A: iKobo is the fastest most convenient way to send and receive money world wide. You can send and receive money anytime in over 240 countries. Using iKobo you can send funds from your home or office, and your recipient can access the funds at over 800,000 ATMs worldwide using the iKobo iKard. Our Affiliate and Merchant programs are the best and most rewarding opportunities on the internet.
Since there aren’t 240 countries in the world (not counting dependencies and territories), are dependencies and territories being included in this calculation?
Some countries, such as the country of Georgia, are able to send money but not receive it. Why is there a restriction on the receipt of funds?
Why would mailing an iKard be necessary, as opposed to email confirmation of payment similar to the way in which banks perform email money transfers? Does this not add unnecessary expenses to the service, thereby increasing its cost?
Why is information such as a credit card statement, utility bill, and/or birth certificate necessary for the raising of limits, and why do you offer the relatively nonsecure method of email as a possible means of document delivery as opposed to a secure upload/download site?
What do people who don’t have either a driverกs license or a utility bill require in order to raise their limits?
What exactly does iKobo to manually validate information in order to raise a limit? And what do they do in areas where privacy acts may make it impossible to run a check on a driverกs licence?
What exactly does checking this information establish? All you can do with a driverกs license in Ontario, for example, is check to see that itกs valid. That doesn’t necessarily imply that the person who owns it has never committed a fraudulent act. The same logic would apply with a utility bill.
There are many posts on various Internetindustryrelated discussion boards that tend to arouse suspicion. A few such examples are below:

http://www.kwcom.net/cgibin/forumtest/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=228&get=last (all users)
http://www.sitepoint.com/forums/showthread.php?t=158896&highlight=ikobo (Mike28)
http://www.wholesale411.com/bbs/viewtopic.php?p=32940 (any proiKobo poster)

As you can see, all of these people either have relatively low discussion board post counts (one of the signs of a discussion board unsolicited commercial advertiser) or have affiliate hyperlinks (also a form of unsolicited commercial advertising). As a general observation, they also to come from areas outside of North America; a few of the more common countries for which positive testimonials are found are Romania, Pakistan and Russia. Why would there be little to no positive commentary from countries such as the US and Canada, if Canada and the US are two of the countries for which you claim are primary senders and the US is one of the countries which you claim are primary receivers?
Another rather common issue that comes up is that of iKoboกs IPN/antifraud. Many developers are claiming to develop their own set of filters based on your IPN, yet I fail to see how this would be possible or necessary if your antifraud mechanism is accurate enough to capture the vast majority of fraudulent transactions. Could you please elaborate on this issue and explain in practical language exactly how this would work?
Do you communicate with bank servers via Base24 or the newer and more secure Base72?
Thank you very much for your time, and I look forward to your response.
A few notes on this email for clarification:
1. Base24 does exist. It is the central banking network through which all electronic transactions, online or offline, are posted. However, Base72 does not. I included a reference to Base72 in an attempt to determine their honesty.
2. I have removed my nom de plume for the purposes of being able to reuse said name for future research.
The Interlude
My attempt to send an email to the email addresses above failed. The [email protected] was returned by MAILERDAEMON with the error message กuser unknownก and [email protected] is configured as an autoresponder, encouraging the user to contact iKobo directly via their trouble ticket system.
The [email protected] email was particularly unusual for two reasons:
1. The email is listed as the administrative and technical contact email for the iKobo.net domain name (see Discrepancies section).
2. Emeka Ohuche is listed on the iKobo website as the president and CEO. One would think that the president and CEO, especially when listed as the administrative and technical contact for a domain name, would have a working and valid email address.
Upon receiving the instructions from [email protected] to use the trouble ticket system, I did so the following day (July 9, 2004). I received a polite response from กStewart Langilleก who indicated that he would be more than happy to discuss these issues with me via telephone. However, I declined this option on the grounds that I wanted to be able to provide the iKobo email response to my article readers.
The iKobo Response 13 Days Later
On July 21, 2004, I finally received a reply from iKobo. However, I did not receive a reply from กStewart Langilleก; the reply came from [email protected].
The reply follows, in its entirety (including the indentation):
Please find the answer to your request below:
www.everythingforeveryone.com is a former featured merchant. This information will be updated with our next release. www.CyberSamrat.com has a large iKobo banner toward the bottom of the page. We have many customers that sell on auction sites. Many online merchants do not show you upfront and in living color the name of their payment processor, because they want the customer to focus on the information on the site itself.
The discrepancy in the number of countries is simple. While you are absolute correct that there aren’t 240 countries in the world. This refers to the ability of sending and receiving money, as not all the countries can receive money and not all the countries can send money. This number is not limited to countries only as it also includes dependencies and territories, as you pointed out. This number has been corrected on our site to reflect correctly that we deal with 170 countries worldwide.
The way ikobo works is that we charge the senderกs credit card, we then make this money available to be withdrawn using an iKard (currently this is the only way the money becomes available). We do not deposit money directly into anyoneกs bank account. We offer email as a means to submit information because it is convenient. We do not have a secure upload/download site that we can offer (at least not yet).
We ask for certain information pertaining to an account holder as it pertains to increasing the limits, because this helps our Verification Department maintain a good level of security, this also helps keep fraud down. We have to not only protect ourselves as a company but also our customers. People are not limited to just a driverกs license and a household bill in order to have their limits increased. There are several different documents they can submit to request a limit increase.
The reason we ask for these documents is not because it tells us specific information about the customer. We use these documents to help verify their information. As far as what exactly we do in order to verify information and how we keep fraud down is not information we share. The reason being security, for both iKobo and our customers.
Studies have shown that when people are happy with a service they tend not to share the experience. Which means that very few people actually share their positive experiences. However, there are people in countries that other payment processing companies do not service, that are happy and willing to share their positive experiences about a company that does provide service to them.
IPN is not an antifraud device; it is designed to provide our merchants an Instant Payment Notification (IPN). This was designed with security of the customersก information in mind. I cannot comment on what developers not associated with iKobo claim to do or be able to do.
We do not share our bank partnersก information. I cannot elaborate on our processes because it is privileged information.
Click here to respond to this email. (do not use the reply function on your email browser)
Thank you for choosing iKobo,
The iKobo Team

iKobo, Inc.

iKobo, Inc.

Customer Support Department

IKobo Service Positive Aspects
1. The IKard showed up at my staff memberกs house within the allotted time frame (35 business days).
2. The daily reminders to input the verification amount were very helpful.
3. กPenny Wangก (the Live Chat representative) seemed to take an interest in what I was asking, although this is somewhat difficult to judge from behind a computer monitor.
4. The VISA verification was relatively quick (two business days).
5. My limit was raised to $500 with no additional verification required.

iKobo Service Negative Aspects
1. A 13day response time for a support email, no matter the complexity of said email, is excessive.
2. MasterCard poses problems for the iKobo system.
3. No debit card or bank information is accepted.
4. The signup process was somewhat confusing, with multiple steps being required where one would suffice.
5. The กForgotten Passwordก link does not function as intended. No password gets sent to the requestorกs email.
6. Because of the IKard concept, an additional $1.50 per transaction USD ($.95 within the US) is added to the overall cost. This renders the iKobo fees higher than the PayPal alternative. This brought the total fees for the $10 USD transaction to $3.50 ($2.00 for the transaction, and $1.50 for the IKard).
7. No satisfactory explanation was offered for the rationale behind the request for additional information.
8. My limit was raised to $500 with no additional verification required. I have placed this as both a positive and negative since, while I do appreciate the right to send and receive additional funds, it directly contradicts the iKobo request for additional information.
9. The company is based in Marietta, Georgia, yet the employees seem to have major problems with the grammatical aspects of the English language. There are numerous typographical and grammatical errors both on the iKobo website and in communication with employees.
10. The coding of the iKobo website contained numerous technical errors and relied excessively on Javascript, which is disabled in over 13% of web browsers. For a company that seems to target a global audience, this is a rather abnormal strategy at best.

Informational Discrepancies
1. iKobo.com and iKobo.net, despite appearing to be websites for the same company, are two different websites with two different sets of domain information.
Due to legal restrictions with regard to the publication of WHOIS information, I cannot reveal the results of the domain name WHOIS lookups for both companies: however, for those of you who are curious, a website such as http://www.domainsearch.com will allow you to verify this information.
2. iKobo claims to accept MasterCard, yet MasterCard posed difficulties for iKobo during my initial transaction.
3. iKoboกs head offices appear to be in Marietta, Georgia, with no listing of offices outside of this area. However, they charge $9.95 USD for express delivery of the IKards to Canada and the US, while issuing said cards for free to countries such as Andorra, Spain and Belgium. This would suggest that iKobo is targeting the European market and/or not entirely based in the United States.
4. Cybersamrat.com did not have a banner promoting iKobo services on either the day I had sent the email or one week later, when I reviewed this particular site.
It should also be noted that cybersamrat.com sells web design services and, as such, would not be especially likely to have the iKobo banner up strictly for the purposes of informing customers that iKobo can be accepted. The affiliate code contained within the cybersamrat.com banner also indicates other purposes.
5. While many online merchants do not reveal their payment partner info, a large percentage of others do in order to let their customers know that their online purchases are made in a safe and secure manner. To date, I have not yet seen an iKobo merchant website other than cybersamrat.com.

Final Analysis and Conclusion
iKobo does not appear to be a scam, as many have suggested. However, it is a company with a number of technical and support problems and needs to do a great deal more to both expand its service offering and lower its fees.
iKobo also needs to be more upfront in terms of disclosure, in order to ensure that its users have the full benefit of knowing what is being done with their information and whom it may be directed toward. Another recommendation would be to include optout information directly on the initial signup form, rather than forcing users to click on a subtle hyperlink that many people would not see.
It does not, at the present time, pose a serious threat to PayPal in the marketplace; however, if they can improve on the issues mentioned above, this may change in the future. If this does change, an updated review will be posted accordingly.

About The Author

Adam Senour is the owner of ADAM Web Design, a leading web design and development provider in the Greater Toronto Area. Please visit http://www.adamwebdesign.ca for more information on ADAM Web Design products and services.

This article was posted on July 30, 2004

by Adam Senour

Online Casino What Is It?

Online Casino What Is It?

by: Aleksei

Entertaining industry conquerors more and more space of our lives. Any inventions in any technical sphere of life attract those who are involved in entertainment business. Internet was not the exception.

Lots of offers concerning gambling and getting real money can be found in the virtual world. Casinos, lotteries, bingoes, sportsbooks: thats a small part of the sphere where one can get a lot pleasure and test the fate.

This article throws some light at one of the most widespread area of entertaining industry which is online casinos. The point is to show if that`s real.

More than 3000 international online casinos are located in the web. There are also some thousands of national online casinos. The main difference between them is the language of communication, which is more applicable for people of a definite country. Another important feature is the system of payment with the currency most suitable for the country.

Gamblers from some countries (Albania, Belarus, Hungary, Latvia, Russia, etc) are not welcome in some casinos. Why not all the international casinos accept the gamblers from this countries? In fact, casinos doesn`t make a difference in nationality of the gambler. All the gamblers are indentified by IP of the provider, which is a transfer for gambler in Internet. What is the problem of such countries for casinos managers? That`s a topic for another article and we will not dig this problem deep here. Besides, more than 2000 of international casinos provides one with the choice which can satisfy anyone.

Every casino provide a set of different games, bet limits and coefficients of payings. You can play oneonone with the croupier or with gamblers from other countries, talking friendly meanwhile. One can choose a game which involves some certain people. One can also play for dealer against the other gamblers. There`s a great list of opportunities which are given by the online casinos.

The detailed list of different kinds of casinos, types of the games provided, bonuses for players, types of mone transfer used by casinos, various strategies of games, theory of gambling and more useful information can be found at http://www.icasinoclub.com.

There are some more questions which can arise from players, such as

is my winning payed?

do they play honestly?

and some others. The answers should be got concerning each online casino separately.

Different assotiations (such as Online Player Assotiation (OPA) and some others) are created to control the casino functioning. In case of an illegal action some measures are taken, including fines and even withdrawing franchisse.

A serious punishment for a casino is the publication of the fact of its failure in free sourses of information. The great competition among casinos together with such publication may cause the financial trouble for the owner of the business. With millions of dollars are involved in the foundation of the casino (the figure of $1 000 000 is a one usual to start an average business), not every casino can let any cheating in.

The information about various casinos is given at forums, devoted to this topic. Your opinion can be left there as well. There are private forums where professional gamblers exchange their opinions. As an open source http://www.icasinoclub.com/forum can be recommended. There you can get as much useful information as you need.

Online casinos have their own andvantages in comparison with the real ones. Safety of your own home lets you think through and apply different possible tactical steps in quiet atmosphere with no fuss. There`s additional list of games which is come across in online casinos only.

There`re very impessive Jack Pots. The greatest one ($1 500 000) was won in the online casino. The usual sum for a winning is some hundred dollars, which are won regularly.

To try the game every casino provides newcomers with additional dibs called ขbonusข. To bet on virtual money you are getting pleasure as well as a sum, which will be transferred to your plastic card or a bank account.

About The Author

Aleksei aka Lord Maverick (LM)

http://www.icasinoclub.com

Copyright 2004 LM All Rights Reserved.

You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, in your Newsletter, on your website, or in your EBook, as long as the author`s Resource Box is included with the article and all url`s are as hyperlinks.

This article was posted on April 21, 2004

by Aleksei

Jamaican OverDrive LCDกs in LDCกs

Jamaican OverDrive LCDกs in LDCกs

by: Sam Vaknin, Ph.D.

OverDrive an ecommerce, software conversion and epublishing applications leader has just expanded an ebook technology centre by adding 200 ebook editors. This happened in Montego Bay, Jamaica one of the less privileged spots on earth. The centre now provides a vertical epublishing service from manuscript editing to conversion to Quark (for POD), Adobe, and MS Reader ebook formats. Thus, it is not confined to the classic sweatshop cum production centre so common in Less Developed Countries (LDCกs). It is a full fledged operation with access to cutting edge technology.

The Jamaican OverDrive is the harbinger of things to come and the outcome of a confluence of a few trends.

First, there is the insatiable appetite big publishers (such as McGrawHill, Random House, and Harper Collins) have developed to converting their hitherto inertial backlists into ebooks. Gone are the days when ebooks were perceived as merely a novel form of packaging. Publishers understood the cash potential this new distribution channel offers and the value added to stale print tomes in the conversion process. This epiphany is especially manifest in education and textbook publishing.

Then there is the maturation of industry standards, readers and audiences. Both the supply side (title lists) and the demand side (readership) have increased. Giants like Microsoft have successfully entered the fray with new ebook reader applications, clearer fonts, and massive marketing. Retailers such as Barnes and Noble opened their gates to ebooks. A host of independent publishers make good use of the negligiblecost distribution channel that the Internet is. Competition and positioning are already fierce a good sign.

The Internet used to be an English, affluent middleclass, white collar, male phenomenon. It has long lost these attributes. The digital divides that opened up with the early adoption of the Net by academe and business are narrowing. Already there are more women than men users and English is the language of less than half of all web sites. The wireless Net will grant developing countries the chance to catch up.

Astute entrepreneurs are bound to take advantage of the businessfriendly profile of the manpower and investmenthungry governments of some developing countries. It is not uncommon to find a mastery of English, a college degree in the sciences, readiness to work outlandish hours at a fraction of wages in Germany or the USA all combined in one employee in these deprived countries. India has sprouted a whole industry based on these competitive endowments.

Here is how Steve Potash, OverDriveกs CEO, explains his daring move in OverDriveกs press release dated May 22, 2001:

กEveryone we are partnering with in the US and worldwide has been very excited and delighted by the tremendous success and quality of eBook production from OverDrive Jamaica. Jamaica has tremendous untapped talent in its young people. Jamaica is the largest Englishspeaking nation in the Caribbean and their educational and technical programs provide us with a wealth of quality candidates for careers in electronic publishing. We could not have had this success without the support and responsiveness of the Jamaican government and its agencies. At every stage the agencies assisted us in opening our technology centre and staffing it with trained and competent eBook professionals. OverDrive Jamaica will be pioneering many of the advances for extending books, reference materials, textbooks, literature and journals into new digital channels and will shortly become the foremost centre for eBook automation serving both US and international marketsก.

Druanne Martin, OverDriveกs Director of publishing services elaborates:

กWith Jamaica and Cleveland, Ohio sharing the same time zone (EST), we have our US and Jamaican production teams in sync. Jamaica provides a beautiful and warm climate, literally, for us to build longterm partnerships and to invite our publishing and content clients to come and visit their books in productionก.

The Jamaican Minister of Industry, Commerce and Technology, the Hon. Phillip Paulwell reciprocates:

กWe are proud that OverDrive has selected Jamaica to extend its leadership in eBook technology. OverDrive is benefiting from the investments Jamaica has made in developing the needed infrastructure for IT companies to locate and build skilled workforces here.ก

There is nothing new in outsourcing back office work (insurance claims processing, air ticket reservations, medical records maintenance) to third world countries, such as (the notable example) India. Research and Development is routinely farmed out to aspiring first world countries such as Israel and Ireland. But OverDriveกs Jamaican facility is an example of something more sophisticated and more durable. Western firms are discovering the immense pools of skills, talent, innovation, and top notch scientific and other education often offered even by the poorest of nations. These multinationals entrust the locals now with more than keyboarding and responding to customer queries using fake names. The Jamaican venture is a business partnership. In a way, it is a topsyturvy world. Digital animation is produced in India and consumed in the States. The low compensation of scientists attracts the technology and R&D arms of the likes of General Electric to Asia and Intel to Israel. In other words, there are budding signs of a reversing brain drain from West to East.

Epublishing is at the forefront of software engineering, econsumerism, intellectual property technologies, payment systems, conversion applications, the mobile Internet, and, basically, every important trend in network and computing and digital content. Its migration to warmer and cheaper climates may be inevitable. OverDrive sounds happy enough.

About The Author

Sam Vaknin is the author of กMalignant Self Love Narcissism Revisitedก and กAfter the Rain How the West Lost the Eastก. He is a columnist in กCentral Europe Reviewก, United Press International (UPI) and ebookweb.org and the editor of mental health and Central East Europe categories in The Open Directory, Suite101 and searcheurope.com. Until recently, he served as the Economic Advisor to the Government of Macedonia.

His web site: http://samvak.tripod.com

This article was posted on February 2, 2002

by Sam Vaknin, Ph.D.