SEO Matters

  • DIY SEO | Hobo – Over 20 tips to seo your own website. Professional optimisation tips anyone can deploy.

  • Get Links From REAL Sites (IE Sites That Aren’t Just THERE To Link … – Sometimes it’s hard to explain to people what a quality link is but in simple terms this is how I describe a site you want a link from: It doesn’t have to be relevant to your industry; It doesn’t have to be an authority in it’s niche …

  • Comment on WordPress 2 by SEMUADA » About WordPress – 2005 was a very exciting year for WordPress, as it saw the release of our 1.5 version (introduced themes) which was downloaded over 900000 times, the start of hosted service WordPress.com to expand WP’s reach, the founding of Automattic …

  • PR Friday | Local SEO Guide – No I’m not talking about PageRank. As we provide more and more cutting edge blogginess we get more and more PR folks pinging us re their amazing clients.

  • Too much face(book) time – Here’s the problem. I believe the Net is an open place. Same with the Web. I also believe private walled gardens on the Web are fine things. Nothing wrong with them. My problem is when the former starts looking and acting like the …

  • James Stephens » Iptables On A Linksys-Cisco WRT54GL Broadband … – Following on from the announcement of a renewed commitment to Linux by Linksys-Cisco and the release of the Linux-compatible WRT54GL Wireless-G series broadband router (discussed here), this post details how to run Iptables on a …

  • WordPress on Debian Linux – This tutorial is how to install WordPress on Debian Linux. Installing WordPress on Debian? What for? Are there many easy ways to install WordPress on our server (Web hosting)? Eventually, We don’t need to know what distro that our …

  • WordPress Theme Releases for 8/3 « Weblog Tools Collection – Dot Dot Dot is a 3-column, minimal theme. Envy is a blue, two-column, widget-ready, WordPress theme with overlapping tab menus and rounded corners. Fadtastic is a 3-column, SEO-optimal theme designed for fluid width flexibility. …

  • iWPhone WordPress Plugin and Theme | iWPhone WordPress Plugin and … – The iWPhone WordPress Plugin and Theme automatically reformats your blog’s content for optimized viewing on Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch. It detects the iPhone/iPod touch’s User Agent and serves up the content with the special theme only to iPhone and iPod touch visitors, all other browsers will view your WordPress blog with your current theme. Please keep in mind that this is an early beta release (v0.

  • More blog, less roll – With apologies to those whose juice (or whatever) may be reduced by it, I’ve deep-sixed the blogroll. As a move this was long overdue. The ‘roll on my old blog had grown longer than Dumbledore’s beard, and was just as antique. …

  • 7 SEO blogs and 21 useful articles | David Airey, graphic designer – As a self-employed graphic designer, reliant on my website for most new business, it makes sense to learn how to improve Google rankings. Here I point you in the direction of a few helpful SEO blogs, with links to particularly relevant …

  • How Did They Start Those Authority SEM/SEO Blogs? – Ever wondered how you start a blog? Ever wondered how popular seo blogs started? I decided to take another look at how some of the blogs I read on a weekly basis kicked things off.

Interesting Snippets

  • Official Yahoo! Store Blog tips and tricks for ecommerce success … – PayPal Express Checkout Gets Speedier. September 21, 2006 | In News & Announcements |. Editor’s note apology: My apologies faithful readers. I’ve been deeply involved in getting our upcoming release ready so I haven’t had much gas left …

  • Comment on 24 Signs That You Could be in Financial Trouble and How … – Very well articulated pointers to know how is one placed on his finances. I would also add these 1. Withdrawing cash on your credit cards. 2. Worrying too much about kid’s school fee rise next year. 3. Not able to finance one’s medical …

  • A powerful new iCal action for Quicksilver – Benjamin Harley, creator of ABGMerge, the Gmail contacts-Address Book syncing app, has also scripted a powerful iCal action for Quicksilver, which is more flexible and has more options than Quicksilver’s built-in iCal plugin. …

  • How To Be Poor»Blog Archive » No Need To Condom This Credit Card – The title is a nod to National Condom Week. Cedit Card Statement I like my credit card a lot. I can safely say my credit card company has succeeded in building a solid relationship with my family and I. First off, I haven’t paid a penny …

  • collecting credit card information in om without ipayment – up to 11.5.9, it was impossible to utilize the credit card functionality and secure fields unless you also implemented ipayment. oracle ipayment is the module which screens and processes credit card transactions through order management …

Online Payment Updates from Around

Mobile Banking And Existing Banking Systems

Existing banking systems are too old for mobile banking.

If we know, we tend to forget this, and if we are ignorant, we would never believe it: but banking is actually not real time. What you see is not necessarily what is, nor is it what you may get. Listen to what Bill Streeter say in a recent article in the ABA Banking Journal:

“On the other hand, if you define real time as handling any transaction at any channel only once, at which point final posting occurs, then very few U.S. institutions are doing that….. Real time was also the norm for years with savings and loans and credit unions, and still is in some cases, though the movement to check-based transactions changed things for many of these institutions.”

The rest of the article is a great read about the state of real-time-ness in banking and how difficult it is to turn existing banks into real time machines. Or to quote from the article: “Changing core systems is not for the faint of heart,”

Which made me think: why do we want to put mobile banking and payment solutions on top of old banking systems? The whole idea of using a mobile phone for banking is that I can do stuff in real-time. I mean, can you imagine having a telephone call in batch? Phones are made (and consumers expect them to be) real-time devices. It is just absolutely crazy to plug a mobile phone into a system that does not work in real-time.

In order to bring the true benefit of mobile banking, we will have to re-define banking from the ground up. The banking systems that should sit underneath mobile banking should be designed in a different (more modern view). If a transaction happens we post a debit and a credit and it is done (simple). If we have to reverse the transaction, we post a credit and a debit. This is not so difficult. This means that mobile banking (in many cases) would initially be a separate system.

Once again, this is not so far-fetched. Banks did it when they launched credit card systems a few decades ago, and it seemed to work pretty well. Why should we not do it with mobile payment systems. Just a thought…

Source Courtesy: http://mbanking.blogspot.com/2009/07/existing-banking-systems-are-too-old.html

Mobile Money Transfer Service from MoneyGram and Affinity Global

MoneyGram International and Affinity Global Services Launch Mobile Money Transfer Service Agreement brings MoneyGram’s convenient cash-transfer services to Mobile Network Operators and their customers

MoneyGram International (NYSE: MGI – News), a leading provider of global payment services, and Affinity Global Services, a leading mobile financial services company, today announced an agreement that will enable mobile money transfer receives in important markets around the globe, bringing greater convenience and extending the benefits of MoneyGram services to a new category of consumers.

According to the World Bank, more than 200 million people live outside their home country. Mobile networks, which are now globally available, help immigrants stay connected and mobile money transfer applications will enable these and other subscribers better manage their finances. The MoneyGram and Affinity Global Services alliance will allow consumers to use MoneyGram’s agent network of over 180,000 locations around the world to send money to an account associated with a mobile device.

“In developing economies, there are more people with mobile phones than traditional bank accounts. We see a tremendous opportunity to better serve these consumers by delivering MoneyGram remittances in compelling new formats such as mobile technology,” said Anthony Ryan, MoneyGram president and chief executive officer. “Our relationship with Affinity Global Services will significantly enhance our agent network by allowing us to partner with mobile network operators in key corridors such as Latin America, Asia and Africa, and provide convenient, affordable and reliable money transfer services to consumers around the world.”

Affinity Global Services is the first Mobile Gateway to facilitate MoneyGram services, and will provide technical connectivity between MoneyGram and various mobile network operators. The MoneyGram mobile money transfer service will use Affinity Global’s MADE™ Platform, enabling MoneyGram to connect to virtually any mobile network operator. The parties are currently in discussion with a mobile network operator which is expected to be the first to launch the service to consumers later this year.

”MoneyGram understands that success in the mobile sector is about more than just technology,” said Ritchie Skelding, Affinity Global Services chairman. “To make mobile money transfer services work on a global scale requires a partner with world-class systems and a willingness to partner with mobile operators. Success also takes a commitment to deliver consumer value in a simple and transparent way. There is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ in this rapidly evolving space so MoneyGram’s entrance into the mobile money sector will help accelerate adoption of these services.”

About Affinity Global Services, Inc.

Affinity Global Services is a mobile solutions company based in Dallas, Texas. We believe in bringing economic freedom and opportunity to underbanked people around the world.

Established in 2004 and funded by US and international venture capitalists, Affinity boasts a leadership team of wireless and financial services veterans. We understand that wireless technology can deliver financial empowerment to those in need – and that providing such empowerment benefits everyone. For more information, visit www.affinityglobalservices.com.

About MoneyGram

MoneyGram International offers more control and more choices for people separated from friends and family by distance or those with limited bank relationships to meet their financial needs. A leading global payment services company, MoneyGram International helps consumers to pay bills quickly and safely send money around the world in as little as 10 minutes. Its global network is comprised of 180,000 agent locations in 190 countries and territories. MoneyGram’s convenient and reliable network includes retailers, international post offices and financial institutions. Now, MoneyGram offers its most loyal customers MoneyGram Rewards for cash discounts on eligible money transfers from the U.S. – visit www.mymoneygram.com to register today. To learn more about money transfer or bill payment at an agent location or online, please visit www.moneygram.com.

Source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/MoneyGram-International-and-bw-222672343.html?x=0&.v=1

Online Payment News From Around The World

  • SMS Webcast + My Whitepaper (Free) « Screenwerk – I know that you’re dying to read whitepapers that I’ve written. And so with that understanding . . . if you sign up for the upcoming Webcast on SMS marketing, you’ll get the whitepaper that inspired it — free of charge. …

  • eBay to IPO Skype in 2010 – Fresh from losing StumbleUpon after its SU founders bought back the social bookmarking site from eBay, it seems like eBay …

  • Maximize The Power Of Micro-Payments – I am a big fan of micro-payments. If you are unfamiliar with the term, a little background information might help. Back in 2005, while working to pay off my debt, I decided to try a little experiment. Instead of sending just one payment …

  • AP Debuts Online Payments: Cash for Quotes « Screenwerk – AP Debuts Online Payments: Cash for Quotes. By Greg Sterling. Thanks to Tim Cohn for pointing out AP’s (apparently new) online form that makes it easy for you to pay them for even very short excerpts and quotations. …

  • ClickBank Analytics Part 6, Data Availability | The Online … – Clickbank Affiliates, Analytics, Clickbank, credit cards, Digital, digital goods, Digital Products, ePayments, metrics, online payments, Paypal, reporting, trends · blog comments powered by Disqus. Subscribe …

  • 5 Ways to Link your Mobile Phone to your Bank Account | The Online … – The Online Payments Report How to make, sell and pay for digital products. RSS icon · Email icon · Home icon · Home · Digital Products · Flickr · How To · PayPal · Reviews · SEO · Templates · Site Map · Contact Ivan …

  • ATM For Anonymous Online Payments – Carl Amos, an inventor in Atlanta, anticipates a return to the cash economy but without the computer-generated visual effects. Amos recently patented a way to pay for online transactions with bills and coins rather than credit or banking cards. In upwards of three-quarters of the world, most money transactions are cash only, said Mr.