Compiled by Vicky Nolan
Determining the Success of Your Site
Success in e-commerce is often all about the number of visitors to your site. While many e-businesses can claim huge traffic volumes, determining how the site measured audience levels is equally important. As
anyone who deals with computers daily can attest, gremlins live within the computer system with one goal in mind: Screw up anything and everything possible. For a reliable count of visitors on a site, many companies are relying on an outside source to help track numbers. An analysis of traffic patterns, profile of web visitors and real-time reporting is available from SuperStats.com for as little as $19.95 per month. Visit http://superstats.mycomputer.com for more details.
A Person-To-Person Credit Card Payment Solution
eCommony, Inc. has introduced a new person-to-person credit card payment wizard that enables websites to provide visitors immediate P2P credit card payment service. The wizard, available at eCommony's website (www.ecommony.com), installs eCommony's FundTransfer P2P payment application after a short
online registration process. The online registration service takes fewer than three minutes to fill out, and the applicant's request is instantly processed. FundTransfer is a person-to-person credit card payment application based on eCommony's PayToCard Network infrastructure. With FundTransfer, individuals can complete e-commerce transactions and receive secure and private credit card payments at the website of their choice. Simultaneously, eCommony announced a strategic agreement with Achex, a provider of a new
payment service that leverages the Internet and existing payment networks to transfer funds directly to and from personal checking accounts via e-mail.
Outsourcing Customer Service Could Save Your Butt
e-commerce support centers, inc. warns that e-commerce sites with poor customer service will be writing their "e-bituaries" soon. To help avoid this, the company promises to "supply your customers with all the information they need as soon as they need it." Customers click a button on your site to receive help from the company's staff via phone support, voice/video over IP, or by sending an email, which will receive a personalized reply within 24 hours. As an additional service, e-commerce support centers can proactively monitor your site and initiate a text chat with a customer who has triggered a "hot spot."
Guaranteed Message Delivery Online Available
VeriSign, Inc. and Slam Dunk Networks, Inc., a provider of Internet-based guaranteed transaction message delivery, have introduced the world's first trusted message delivery network, enabling guaranteed transport and tracking of authenticated business-to-business transactions and communications over the Internet in seconds. The new offering combines VeriSign's Internet trust services infrastructure, which includes
business-grade authentication, digital signatures, directory and routing services and online payment processing, with Slam Dunk Networks' mission-critical message delivery network to guarantee delivery of
business-to-business transactions and communications anywhere in the world in seconds. "For businesses to leverage the true power of the Internet as a global communications platform, they must feel confident that the messages they transmit reach the right destination, with the highest levels of security, all at Internet
speed," said Stratton Sclavos, president and CEO of VeriSign. "The combination of our trusted infrastructure and Slam Dunk Networks' innovative delivery network ensures that businesses of all sizes can engage in mission-critical B2B messaging with the guarantee that their communications will get to the right recipient in seconds for pennies a transaction."
Stop Junk Email Now!
Mailshell.com unveiled a free email management service designed to protect user privacy and eliminate all junk email before it reaches a user's inbox. The service requires no reconfiguration or changes to users' existing email set-ups. "Email is the most used and abused Internet software application," said Tonny Yu, founder and CEO of Mailshell. "The current email infrastructure naively trusts email senders not to abuse the system, yet the volume of junk commercial email indicates that this honor system has collapsed." The initial version of Mailshell.com is focused on business-to-business mailing lists and commercial opt-in email, the greatest sources of email privacy violations. The main user benefits of the initial version of
Mailshell.com are that it can:
- Prevent junk. Users can subscribe more wisely. Mailshell's Yahoo-like email directory portal highlights, organizes, reviews, and provides samples of the best email lists so that people are properly warned before they give out their email address. Users can easily get the fun and useful information that they want. Instead of visiting multiple sites, users can sign up for an unlimited number of lists by filling out just one universal subscription form on Mailshell's portal. Users can opt to receive
their content via their existing email inbox or via their own Mailshell Web-based email accounts. There is no charge for either option.
- Stop junk. Users can unsubscribe easily. Mailshell's advanced filtering technology is able to automatically and accurately identify and categorize incoming emails. If users do not like what they are receiving, Mailshell will stop it instantly and permanently. Users are more organized, have more control, and are more productive.
- Protect privacy. Users subscribe anonymously. Mailshell creates a new and separate anonymous email address, a 'mail shell' - for each email list and only reveals what the user explicitly has given permission to reveal. Much like the old person-to-person phone call, the system uses the
'mail shell' address to match and authenticate each party's identity, rather than just the recipient's. Businesses can prevent the online tracking of their employees.
VoIP Now Available for Macromedia Products
Live interactivity and communications is getting a boost from HearMe, which can now allow Macromedia Shockwave developers to enhance their interactive content with "next generation" voice communications. HearMeTM VoiceXTRATM is a sophisticated software development tool for adding advanced voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) functionality to interactive Shockwave content. VoiceXTRA expands the audience for HearMe's technology by extending the functionality of Macromedia Director Shockwave Studio. "HearMe's VoiceXTRA adds voice-enabled functionality to Macromedia Shockwave content via Macromedia Director 8 Shockwave Studio's drag and drop capabilities, giving developers an easy way to create even more immersive Web destinations," said Miriam Geller, senior product manager, Macromedia. "Because the HearMe VoiceXTRA provides access to a proven voice network, our customers can easily explore the latest new technology while at the same time benefiting from HearMe's expertise." HearMe VoiceXTRA supports both Windows and Mac platforms.
More VoIP Products Available
A pact between PagooTM, a leading provider of comprehensive IP-based voice solutions, and Tiscali, a leading Internet Service Provider and telecommunications company, will give Tiscali a turnkey Voiceover IP solution. The deal will enable Tiscali to deploy a wide range of Internet phone
services under the Tiscali brand. By teaming with Pagoo, Tiscali is able to offer its more than two million customers the ability to make and receive calls over the Internet, as well as manage their communications with voicemail and call forwarding. According to company officials, Pagoo's applications are the first to
make VoIP a true alternative to voice over traditional telephone networks. End customers can get a personal phone number instantly online, make and receive phone calls over IP and have voicemail, caller ID, Follow Me call forwarding, and web-based real-time account management.
Looking for the Right Computer Cable?
ComputerCableFinder.com is a new online tool that identifies the correct cable to use based on an individual's needs. The user-friendly site was designed to help visitors determine which cable or cables they should use based on criteria they select from a list of options. Available on the ComputerCableFinder.com are SCSI, USB, printer, networking, keyboard and video cables plus many other types. The site was created by leading cable manufacturer StarTech.com as a starting point for the many computer users who have difficulty pinpointing the cable that they need from the huge selection available. "There are hundreds of different cables currently on the market for many different applications," commented Paul Seed, President of StarTech.com. "People were telling us that they were overwhelmed by all the options and that they needed something to help them. ComputerCableFinder.com takes the guesswork out of finding the right cable."