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I recently got a call from 858-812-9342 saying my Visa had been deactivated and to Press 1 to reactivate it, etc. I hung up and Googled the phone number. This site came up. After reading the comments here I knew it was definitely a fraud call.
A Muse News subscriber sent this to me about her phone fraud call:
Several times a day I’ll get an email or phone call from a client asking if I have heard of “SEO Company #3,000”. They are guaranteeing top placement in the search engines for only $29 or $229 or some other enticing amount. Isn’t that a smokin’ deal? What do you think I should do? Hmmm, hang with me while I muse about this.
I was eating a bag of pistachios and started laughing out loud when I read this: Everybody’s Nuts guarantees that 100% of our nuts will be open. If you find a closed nut do not attempt to negotiate with it. Simply return it for a free bag of nuts! Go to our website at www.everybodysnuts.com
Their website is awesome! It’s simple and interactive. Check out the section that says Create Your Own Stach Comic. And by the way, their nuts are really good and addicting.
I think they’ve done an ingenious job of marketing. Is there some way you can add this type of humor into what you are doing? Their name is very catchy and memorable. The navigation on the website is funny too. They just recently added an online store where you can buy nuts by the case. I can think of several people who would get a real laugh out of getting these as a gift. Have some fun playing around their site and maybe it will spark some ideas for your own web site!
The dictionary uses these words to describe “conscientious” – honest, responsible, reliable and straightforward. In a nutshell, that sums up our work ethic. We respond to all emails and phone calls within minutes or hours. Completing requested tasks in a prompt, efficient manner is standard operating procedure. While this sounds like Basic Business 101 – it apparently is uncommon.
We work well with a variety of professionals throughout any given day. Whether they are Domain Registrars, Hosting, SEO, Pay Per Click, Adwords, Marketing, Public Relations, Printers, Web Companies, Programmers, Virtual or Administrative Assistants and more. I was appalled when I phoned a web company to fix a scripting error on their client’s site for us. (We’re doing some updates on that client’s site). I was told they couldn’t take my request over the phone, I would need to email it to support@ – what the heck? I received an automated email response assigning a case # and saying if it took longer than 72 hours a rep would call me. Well, that didn’t happen, so I emailed again, a new case # was assigned and again no response. I then emailed the person I spoke with initially on the phone. To make a long story short – my request was totally ignored and to this date, the problem still exists on their site. How do they sleep at night?
1. Know where your domain is registered, your login, password and when your domain expires. Make sure that your domain is registered in YOUR company name (not your webmaster’s, employee or volunteer) and that you receive the renewal notices. If your web company has your domain in their name, ask them to transfer it to you. Your domain name is valuable so make sure you are in control of it.
2. Know where your website is hosted. This is sometimes different than where the domain is registered. It can be the same place if you’ve registered your domain at the same place you host the site. Find out if they have an 800 number to call 24/7 if your site is down or has been hacked.
3. Know the passwords for each email address associated with your website.
Contact your web company today if you do not have the above three things and make sure you keep this information in a safe place.
1. Easy – Let the visitor know it is easy to do business with you. Easy to order, easy to buy, easy to subscribe, easy to phone, easy, easy, easy. Don’t we all want everything to be easy? This is a buzzword for sure.
2. FREE – yes, put this word in big, bold capital letters at least once on your home page. Everyone can give something away for FREE. The Internet was built on the premise of FREE. What can you give away for FREE?
3. Today – Why delay? Order today! Now is good, today is better! This word invites the visitor to take action today. Tell them why today is better than tomorrow and that’s even better. Encourage them to buy from you today.
What online newsletters aka ezines are worth reading? I like newsletters that provide valuable information, resources and do-it-now action tips. I unsubscribe quickly from newsletters that continually try to push their products or services on me. Since I spend a great deal of time online, I print the newsletters and read offline later. However, stats show that the majority of people DO read online. Here are the top five newsletters that I read faithfully. I will often share information and resources from them with our clients.
What are you most grateful for? Take a few minutes to create an alphabetical Gratitude Journal. Here are just a few gems of gratitude that I jotted down.
Appreciation of art and artists.
Birds. I love to watch birds, especially finches. They are so bright and colorful.
Convertible Just getting in the car and putting the top down makes me smile.
Dogs. I love dogs. They love you unconditionally and are always happy to see you.
Enlightened. A wonderful way to be in the world – I am enlightened every day.
Flowers – Wild flowers in the mountains are spectacular! Fresh flowers in the home are so beautiful.
Grandma and Grandpa. Loved them so much and grateful for everything they taught me.
Home – It’s like a big hug, warm and welcoming.
Intuition – Listening to the inner voice.
Jenny – My fabulous friend and massage therapist. Aaaaah!
There are so many different methods to organize our busy lives. Some people like to use old-fashioned paper calendars, others like iCal, Blackberry, iPhone or Outlook. I decided to spend two hours with Google Calendar and share my experience.
It’s pretty easy and user-friendly. Since I already use Gmail – I installed the Google app so a mini calendar shows up on the left sidebar below my labels. The Quick Add feature allows you to type in something like: 3pm 7/19 Meeting with Client Name, location, phone. It can be typed in any order that makes sense to you. Then Google Calendar automatically places it on that date with a default of 1 hour. If I type in the time frame like 3-5 pm then it blocks out that time on the calendar. I put everything on one calendar – both business and personal. There is the option of creating several calendars though and that may make sense for your activities.
How do you like to communicate with potential clients who visit your website?
If you prefer email, here are a few tips:
The Web Muse Blog authored by Anita Larson offers web marketing musings for creative types, artists, entrepreneurs and small business owners. I’ve been an entrepreneur for over 20 years and am inspired daily by our many wonderful web clients.
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