February 2010 - Issue 8

We're happy to announce the lanuch of Sarah Dean's new website, sarah-dean.com. On her website will find a safe space for the courageous exploration and manifestation of your Ideal Journey through Life.

Hello!
Welcome to the eighth edition of The Maestro Monthly, an email newsletter published by the Web Maestro. The intent of this publication is to bring you news and updates on Web Maestro services, local business news, as well as general Web related news.

(Please note: if you do not wish to receive this email or other messages from us, you can safely click the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this email.)

You may have already noticed.... the change we talked about a couple of months ago is partially our updated logo and name—The U.P. Web Maestro is now Web Maestro. The "U.P." part of the original name will still be used to define the Marquette area office, while we work on opening other locations which will of course be identified by their own regions. As we implement these changes, we'll continue to keep you updated, and if you ever have any questions, just holler.

Accepting Payments Online

by Nathan Lyle

Allowing clients to pay an invoice, selling products, providing subscriptions... there are many reasons you may want to be able to accept payments through your website. Unfortunately, it can be one of the more confusing and frustrating things to put in place. It might be that you have been unable to find the right service, or a service was recommended that didn't end up working out. However, even after any bad experiences you may have previously had, the benefits are worth a second look.

There are two main types of payment systems: third party online processing services, and payment gateways. The primary differences involve how you access your incoming payments, the costs of the service, and the method used by your customers to make a payment.

Third Party Online Payment

The quickest way to be up and running, and often the cheapest, is to use a third party payment service like PayPal. Typically there is little to no cost for signing up, and the only fees involved are per-transaction fees (which you will pay with just about any method of accepting credit cards). After you receive a payment, you would then transfer the funds manually to your bank account.

One of the main disadvantages is that a service like this is not a bank account in the traditional sense. You don't have the same protections and insurance you would otherwise have. It also means that your customer has to jump through extra hoops during the payment process, and leave your website to complete the payment.

This solution is ideal for small businesses looking to experiment with selling their products online, or who only need to accept occasional payments.

Payment Gateway

Utilizing a payment gateway involves more setup, and can cost more, but typically provides more options and looks more professional. A payment gateway is a service that securely connects your website to your merchant account to transfer payment information for processing. If you already have a merchant account, you may want to start by asking if a payment gateway is part of the services you're already paying for. Payment gateway providers like Authorize.Net can also provide a merchant account if you need one.

The two main advantages of using a payment gateway is that funds can be transferred directly into your bank account, and your customer never has to leave your website. Most payment gateways also provide a developer API which lets your website developer customize your payment pages as needed. While setup is usually best handled by your technical staff or outsourced to a developer, the payment gateway service will typically have easy-to-use interfaces for reports and account management.

This solution is ideal for businesses or organizations looking to accept credit card payments online frequently, or who want to ensure the most professional appearance and customer-friendly experience.

More Information:

• Authorize.Net
  www.upwebmaestroecommerce.com
• PayPal
  www.paypal.com
• 10 Ways to Reduce Chargebacks and Fraud
  www.merchantseek.com/article13.htm

Why should I have a logo?

Guest Article by Greta Berg

In my last article I spoke about the importance of having a strong business brand for your company, why it's important to discover the personality of the business, and how to best communicate that to your target market. Now I would like to expand on those points by talking a bit about one of the most important variables of a good brand—the logo.

We've been identifying ourselves to one another since the beginning of time; from the first cave drawings to developing our own unique signature, man's desire to claim ownership is inherent. A logo is just an extension of that process, it bridges the gap from "I" to "us".

"Why do I need a logo? People know who I am?"

I've heard that question a lot, my answer is simple. You need a logo to identify what your services and products are, and you need a visual image to help communicate who you are and what you are selling. It also helps to separate you from the next guy... we may all be in the business of selling soda, but with a color change, an appropriate font and a custom graphic, we can see that this is a can of Pepsi and the other is a can of Coke.

A well crafted logo serves another purpose—to rally the troops, or rather, your employees. A well crafted, professional identity tells your staff that you are a professional establishment making an investment in them, especially if that logo comes on a newly embroidered shirt.

"So I know that I need a logo but where do I start?"

A good place to start is right at the beginning. First you need to ask yourself a few questions. Who are we? What do we do? What makes us different? How do we want to be seen to the public? Is our target market all male? What's the age range of our clients? The answers to these types of questions will help guide you to what the logo should feel like. "Feel like?" Sure, a good logo not only identifies the product but it also evokes an emotion from your customers and employees, that in time, coupled with the rest of your brand strategy, creates brand loyalty. After all, you want these people with you for the rest of their lives.

"Now what do I do?"

Now that you know you need a logo, and you've answered all the important questions, you have a pretty good idea on what it should feel like. So what's the next step? Well, unless you're professionally trained in graphic communication, I suggest that you hire a good designer to take on the task of developing your company's visual image. I've seen too many businesses that have an excellent product that are visually represented by a poor logo. They either do it themselves, pass the task onto an employee to handle or give the responsibility to a friend who knows someone that will do it for free. Please take the time to get together with a professional. The damage a bad design causes is not just monetary, it also sends a wrong message to the public that you either don't have enough money to put into a quality image or that you don't care.

"Fine, you've talked me into it. But where am I going to find this professional?"

The phone book is a good start, read through the ad and give them a call. The Internet is also an excellent resource; any good designer will have a web page with their information, testimonials, and the costs involved. Take the time to call up a few of their clients, ask them how they were to work with, what the was process like and what it was like to work with that person. After all, it's your businesses image on the line here. A good graphic designer will also have an extensive portfolio that shows the potential client who they've worked for, and what their style is like. I pride myself on my portfolio, I display it on my website and in my office; I love showing off who I've worked for. I will also go through the entire process, from start to finish and tell my potential client what to expect, when to expect it and how much it will cost.

"What if I already have a logo but I don't like it"

I've heard this question a lot, it's usually followed up with "I'm afraid to change it, I don't want to loose any customers". My answer to that is simple, how many are you loosing because of a poor identity? Actually, it's an excellent opportunity; your current clients will feel that you are not only putting money back into the company, your giving back to them... [read the full article]

About the author: Greta Berg is the owner and prime creative force behind Company B Graphics, providing powerful brand identities through innovative and cohesive logo design, signs and printed materials. Greta has had years of experience in the sign industry, and cares about both her work and her client's success.

Miscellaneous Maestro Minutia

As the old saying goes, the rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated. We wanted to make sure to set the record clear that while we are making some changes in our business identity and overall organization, we are not going out of business. In the near future we hope to span several locations, but will continue to be the Marquette area's premier website service provider.

When you have a minute, check out our new website!

That's all for now. Please feel free to let me know what you find useful or what you'd like to see us cover in future issues.

Sincerely,
Nathan Lyle
Phone: (906)228-5884
Email: nathanlyle@upwebmaestro.com
Website: www.upwebmaestro.com
Blog: www.upwebmaestro.com/blog

Business Tip

Backup your files!

There's several ways to make sure that an equipment failure or theft doesn't set you back. Depending on your business, the loss of all your files could be devestating. At the very least, you should purchase an external hard drive, and make weekly backups from your important computers to this external drive. Then, if your regular computer bites the dust, you have a way to recover your important data. Even better would be a networked daily backup system, that automatically archives your files on a separate machine. (Consult your local networking provider for options.) If a hardware solution won't work for you, there are several online backup options, though they can be tough for older computer to run efficiently.

You should also make sure that your website has a regular backup made. Most hosting companies provide this service by default.

This is one of the easiest things that most of us don't bother thinking about until it's too late.

Web/Technology News

Why AOL Will Buy Twitter

There's just no way Twitter will make it all the way through 2010 as an independent company. Probably by summer, but no later than autumn, we'll see Twitter scooped up and integrated into another service. There are a few potential candidates, but the one that seems to make the most sense is AOL. First, let's look at reasons why Twitter will end up with someone; then we'll look at why this someone has to be AOL. [read more]

Google to stop censoring in China, may pull out

Google no longer intends to censor search results in China, and if the Chinese government balks, it may take its servers and go home. The stunning change in Google's policy toward doing business in China came after Google discovered that it and other businesses were the victims of "a highly sophisticated and targeted attack" aimed at gathering information about human rights activists. [read more]

Tech companies pitch in for Haiti relief

The tech industry is opening up its wallets and its Web sites to help with earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. The moves come in the wake of the massive 7.0 earthquake that left much of Haiti's capital in ruins and millions in the already impoverished country without access to food, clean water, housing, and sanitation. [read more]

Verizon ends service of alleged illegal downloaders

Months after Verizon Communications began issuing warnings to accused file sharers, the company has acknowledged that multiple offenses could result in a service interruption. Verizon, one of the country's biggest broadband providers, appears to have adopted an approach to illegal file sharing that sounds very similar to one promoted and pushed heavily by the music industry. [read more]

Microsoft fixes 8 IE holes, including one used in attacks

Microsoft recently issued a cumulative critical patch for Internet Explorer that fixes eight vulnerabilities, including a hole targeted in the China-based attacks on Google and other U.S. companies. The security update is rated critical for all supported releases of IE 5, 6, 7, and 8, according to the advisory. The more severe vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution if a user views a malicious Web page using IE, it said. [read more]

Marketers to Spend More on Social Media as Usage Skyrockets

Rumors of a Facebook decline have been greatly exaggerated, according to a new Nielsen report that says the average person spent five and a half hours on social media sites in December 2009, up 82 percent from December 2008. Significant traffic increases for Facebook and Twitter led the way. [read more]

Mozilla takes on YouTube video choice

A disagreement between Google and Mozilla is making a once-obscure debate into a real issue for those who watch Web video or host it on their own sites. Recently, Google's YouTube announced early support for HTML5 video, which can be built directly into Web pages and viewed with browsers without relying on a plug-in such as Adobe Systems' Flash, Microsoft's Silverlight, or Apple's QuickTime. Another Web video site, Vimeo, followed suit. [read more]

Guilty Plea in 'Anonymous' DDoS Scientology Attack

A Nebraska man is pleading guilty in federal court to a computer-disruption charge for his role in the 2008 distributed denial-of-service attack that temporarily shuttered Church of Scientology websites. Los Angeles federal prosecutors said Brian Thomas Mettenbrink, 20, signed a plea agreement admitting his role in the January 2008 attack—bringing to two the number of defendants convicted in Anonymous' attack on Scientology. [read more]

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