24 July 2008



Corporate blogs are still in the infancy phase. Yet many have been launched in recent years. There are many considerations an organization needs to weigh when thinking about launching a blog or encouraging the use of social media tools on behalf of the company. A blog can be private, as in most cases, or it can be for business purposes. Blogs, either used internally to enhance the communication and culture in a corporation or externally for marketing, branding or public relations purposes are called corporate blogs. The advantage of blogs is that posts and comments are easy to reach and follow due to centralized hosting and generally structured conversation threads. All current browsers (including Firefox, Opera, Safari and Internet Explorer 7) support RSS technology, which enables readers to easily read recent posts without actually visiting the blog, which is very useful for low-volume blogs.


Blog provides a powerful informational vehicle for the association. The Board of Directors and association staff can keep the membership up to date with the latest initiatives and activities of the organization. Information for the membership can often be very time sensitive. A blog can provide almost immediate information distribution to the membership, the media, and other interested parties. The lead time for printing a hard copy magazine, or even preparing an online newsletter are unable to be as instantaneous as a blog. Because a blog is constantly updated, with fresh content, the organizational leaders can maintain up to the minute contact with the members. When combined with the power of the organization's existing e-mail newsletter and print publications, the blog completes the informational time consideration with its immediacy.



Besides that, blog is a tool that helps the organization fulfills a business goal if company thinking about publishing a blog for its business, it has to make sure it's not just to have one. Businesses need to keep the best interest of the organization in mind. Redeploying scarce resources just to have a blog makes no sense if there is no business case for one. A blog can be useful extension of the company image in the marketplace. It is however no substitute for bad products or lack of commitment to customers. It provides an opportunity to open a two-way channel between employees and customers. There are potential pitfalls like inadvertent disclosures you should address up front. The other big issue companies need to address here is that of the star blogger(s). What if the blog becomes popular and they leave? What if they leave because they feel their talent can be invested elsewhere?



Corporate blogs are not only interesting and useful, they are also helping the companies that author them develop a totally new relationship with their customers. In some cases, the blogs have helped the company move the needle in reputation, likeability and thus purchase consideration. For example: Direct2Dell - this team is extremely plugged in the blogosphere and social media in general. This is one of those blogs where one would welcome being part of the blogroll. The about statement is right in the banner: "A blog about Dell products, services, and customers". Southwest Airlines - the tone reflects the company brand. The content and the information are top notch without being overly done. From their about statement: "Nuts about Southwest is all about our Employees, Customers, airplanes, and airports. We really are Nuts about Southwest and we hope that our Readers will share that passion by posting their own comments."



However, there are risks for Corporate Blogs and the likelihood that they will occur. The most common ones are negative comments - for this one the company should get your team in a room and put the worst case scenarios on the table to understand how you would address them. Next risk is loss of control over message - let's face it, it is much worse for a business if the marketplace is not talking about it at all. The company should train their subject matter expert team to be facilitators of conversations or hire people who already are. In addition, when a customer is put at the center, it's about them, not the company. Neglect is also another risk involving corporate blog. This is probably the biggest hindrance to starting. It is recommended that setting aside a good number of posts before going public, just like many prolific bloggers do, as this involves the company’s image. The content strategy will also help here. If series of posts is created on certain topics (especially after looking at the interest/traffic) or regular themes, it will be easier to know what to write about.






13 July 2008




The newest laptops are powerful, light, and thin enough to fit easily into the slenderest of carry-on baggage. This makes them a great accessory for flying or any other mode of travel, but also easier to lose or have stolen.

It pays to be extra alert at airport security checkpoints where thieves know people can be flustered. The user should also store the laptop in the seat in front of you, instead of in the overhead compartment when you fly.

But even if you're extra careful, it's still possible to lose your laptop. If spend some time securing laptop before go on the road, it could help keep your personal or financial information from falling into the wrong hands.

Here are several top tips to help the user to secure the information on laptop.

1) Protect your information. If you keep a lot of personal or financial information on your computer; invest in an operating system that includes file protection. Windows Vista and Windows XP Professional have the tools to protect your information through a process called encryption. To learn more, see Encrypt Your Data to Keep It Safe .

2) Protect your laptop with a strong password. If you travel with your laptop frequently, you should secure it with a strong password. Check your computer's Help and Support service to learn how to add or change your system password. To find out how to create passwords that are tough for hackers to crack, but easy for you to remember, see Strong passwords: How to create and use them.

3) Back up before you go. Always back up your information before you take your laptop on a trip. You can't always avoid the financial loss of your equipment, but you can avoid losing all your information in the process. To learn how to make copies of all of your information using Windows XP, see How to back up manually or by using the Windows XP Backup utility. For Windows Vista, see Windows Vista: Windows Backup. If you use Windows Live OneCare, see Windows Live OneCare Backup and Restore.


10 July 2008

Pre-paid cash cards have been a popular concept throughout America for almost a decade. Now it has penetrated almost all the countries. A pre-paid card has the appearance of any other credit or debit card. It can be used to purchase goods and services in much the same way, but instead of spending credit or money from bank account; consumer can only spend what has been pre-paid onto the card. When purchasing goods, the pre-paid card can be placed into the card terminal, will then be required to key in pin number or sign the payment slip. When shopping online, one can simply enter the corresponding card details. Typical applications of pre-paid cash cards include transit system fare cards, gift cards, and telephone prepaid calling cards. In addition, employers are beginning to issue payroll cards to pay employees.

This card plays a vital role in controlling the consumers spending. The pre-paid card gives much greater control of spending and budgeting. Statements with a full breakdown of what was bought and from where are provided periodically, just like a credit card statement. It can also be used as an alternative way for parents to give money to their children. A pre-paid card can be handy if a person don't have a bank account, or don't want to carry cash for security reasons.

Besides that, there are no credit checks being carried out. Therefore, so consumer can get a card even with a poor credit history. If one has no credit footprint in the UK, consumer is a new immigrant or a young adult, can still obtain a pre-paid card. This card can also be travelling companion. Pre-paid cards can be used in ATMs worldwide. They work well in place of traveller’s cheques, so one can avoid expensive exchange rates or commission charges.

Technological advances in prepaid enable cardholders to manage their prepaid card account using mobile phone. The use of M-Transactions (mobile transaction) functionality adds significant value to client card programs, and in turn provides cardholders with the maximum flexibility and accessibility to manage their funds. The development of proprietary technology enables Prepaid Card cardholders to initially load the card, top-up their account, obtain a balance, transmit funds to secondary cardholder (Money remittance) and temporarily block a card.

M-Transactions is typically available in one of following formats

1. A web portal for card holders, banks, and programs featuring card to card transfers, mobile to mobile transfers, balance inquiry, transaction history, statement summary.

2. SMS service offering that provides the ability to do card to card transfers, mobile to mobile transfers, balance inquiry, card locking and unlocking.

3. Java Mobile Technology - JME (Java Mobile Edition) software that provides the ability to do card to card transfers, mobile to mobile transfers, balance inquiry, card locking and unlocking with a higher level of security through private key encryption of the message data.

The payment card industry is undergoing a revolution through the emergence of prepaid cards. Prepaid Card solutions are ideally positioned as a replacement to cash and paper-based processes. For cardholders, Prepaid Cards are an innovative, cost effective, convenient and secure payment method.

09 July 2008

E-government is the use of information technology in general, to provide citizens and organizations with more convenient access to government information and services and to provide delivery of public services to citizens.


The implementation of e-government in Malaysia and also the issues are information technology provides some powerful supporting tools for e-government, which may empower government to provide additional and/or new services to the public that otherwise, may not be possible. Future studies can look into how to provide new and value-added services through integrated e-government. It is also has qualification and training issues in e-government. While e-government has a potential to substantially change the current way the public sector operates and functions, new qualification requirement arise for users, managers, and decision makers in public administration. As a result, effective training programs should be worked out to meet this potentially large demand from the public sector. However, little researcher has been done in this area.


Adoption and usage by citizens is the one of the most important issues in implementation e-government. Warkentin et al. (2002) constructed a model that attempts to explore this issue. They believe that the adoption rate depends on many variables. One of the major variables is “trust in e-government,” which is itself determined by several variables. Other variables, such as perceived ease of the use and perceived usefulness, are generic to EC adoption. Moderating variables, such as culture, also are important.

06 July 2008

Mobile payment system is an effective means of providing customers with admission or money off vouchers which can be coded or designed to allow viral spread. One of the mobile payment systems that available in Malaysia is Mobile Money. It is a PIN-based Mobile Payment Solution designed by Mobile Money International Sdn. Bhd. to deal with the limitations and bottlenecks created by cash, cheques and credit cards.

Mobile Money can advance the function of mobile phone to allow registered users to pay for goods and services at anytime, anywhere by using only a mobile phone coupled with a 6-digit security Personal Identification Number (PIN) via Short Messaging Service (SMS).

Mobile Money International Sdn Bhd is one of the biggest mobile payment service providers in Malaysia which implements the MM wallet and allows customers to send a payment request through an SMS text message by personal identification number (pin) authorization to pay their bills. Consumers can SMS-transfer money to anyone, anywhere, and anytime.

In Malaysia, with 25 million mobile phone subscribers, therefore there are immense opportunities to leverage on mobile phones to accelerate the migration to electronic payment. The higher the number of mobile phone subscribers, the higher rate of participation of the population in the banking system. With this favorable market condition, there are many mobile banking have been launched in recent years. However, by up to date information, there are only 1.8% mobile phone subscribers in Malaysia registered to the mobile baking and payment service. Therefore, there is a potentially lucrative market for mobile banking and payment services.

In conclusion, mobile payment system may seem to be attractive and beneficial based on above discussion. However, mobile payment system in Malaysia is not well established. Consequently, merchants’ involvements, as well as consumers’ supports are greatly appreciated and required to popularize mobile payment system.


Electronic auction (e-auctions) is auctions conducted through online. There are many people buying and selling products or services through the internet. But, the fraud occurring today became the big problem for the people who doing the transactions.



There are some prevention method for e-auction fraud such as:




  • Feedback Forum: The eBay Feedback Forum allows registered buyers and sellers to build up their online trading reputations. It provides users with the ability to comment on their experiences with other individuals.


  • Verification system: Through verification, third parties will evaluate and identify an item through a variety of means. For example, some collectors have their item “DNA tagged” for identification purposes. This is a way of tracking an item if it changes ownership in the future.


  • Authentication service: Product authentication is a way of determining whether an item is genuine and described appropriately. Authentication is very difficult to perform because it relies on the expertise of the authenticators. Because of their training and experience, experts can (for a fee) often detect counterfeits based on subtle details. However, two expert authenticators may have different opinions about the authenticity of the same item.


  • Appraisal services: Appraisers use a variety of methods to appraise items, including expert assessment of authenticity and condition and reviewing what comparable items have sold for in the marketplace in recent months. An appraised value is usually accurate at the time of appraisal but may change over time as an item becomes more or less popular in the marketplace.


  • Nonpayment punishment: eBay implemented a policy against those who do not honor their winning bids. To help protect sellers, first-time nonpayment results in a friendly warning. A sterner warning is issued for a second-time offense, a 30-day suspension for a third offense, and indefinite suspension for a fourth offense.


  • Escrow services: An escrow service is a licensed and regulated company that collects, holds, and sends a buyer's money to a seller according to instructions agreed on by both the buyer and seller. Typically, once the buyer receives and approves the item from the seller within an agreed time frame, the escrow service then sends the payment to the seller.

Electronic Currency


You may have probably heard from a friend or may have read in an article online about this very profitable, very easy and trusted way to earn money in the internet. You are probably interested as you have always wanted to earn some income even while you’re at home with the kids. The problem is you still haven’t decided yet if this electronic currency trading is really for you. You are scared to take on the risk and scared to try. Maybe you are thinking that this is just another one of those business hypes that require you to give out much money and have little or no returns.

What is e-currency?
Electronic currency means the money that we use over the internet. Electronic currency allows its holder to buy the goods and the services that the hugeness of the internet offers. Electronic currency trading, therefore, means buying and selling of this internet money. Just like in normal everyday monetary currencies, electronic currencies are also varied. Each one of them is backed by an underlying monetary currency or in some cases, even valuable or precious metals.

Benefit of e-currency
One of the primary benefits about electronic currency trading is that it allows us to do business and earn with only a few dollars of investment. In fact, some electronic currency trading experts even suggest that beginners should start with only a few dollars so that they can first learn the ropes about electronic currency. Electronic currency trading does not demand much and it is really up to you if you want to increase your investment or not. With electronic currency trading you are given many opportunities to profit without spending too much on investment.

The second thing about electronic currency trading is that it has a low transaction cost. Unlike other businesses that eat up your profit with exorbitant fees, electronic currency trading allows you to do business with minimal fees giving you more profit and more money for you.

The third benefit about electronic currency trading is its flexibility and convenience to the persons involved. Since you do business online, you are given much freedom on how to schedule your day. You can work with any electronic currency trading market that best suits your needs for any time of day. The electronic currency trading business does not sleep so night or day; the world is just at your fingertips. Aside from the schedule flexibility, electronic currency traders can also conduct business anywhere in the world. Whether they are at home, in their regular place of work, at the park, at the coffee shop or virtually anywhere, so long as there is an internet connection, electronic currency trading can be had. Electronic currency trading is not only very profitable it is also very convenient for us.

One of the example of e-currency Website www.paystone.com.

In this Website, we can know that Pay stone micro payment is cost effective, convenient, easy to managed and secure.

05 July 2008

What is Phishing?

Phishing is a new type of network attack where the attacker creates an imitation of an existing Web page to trick users into submitting personal, financial, or password data to what they think is their service provides’ Website. The frequently used attack method is to send e-mails to potential victims, which seemed to be sent by banks or online organizations. In these e-mails, they will make up some causes, e.g. the password of your credit card had been mis-entered for many times, or they are providing upgrading services, to attract you visit their Web site to conform or modify your account number and password through the hyper link provided in the e-mail. You will then be linked to a fake website after clicking those links. The style, the functions performed, sometimes even the URL of these faked Websites is similar to the real Website. It’s very difficult for you to know that you are actually visiting a malicious site. If you input the account number and password, the attackers then successfully collect the information at the server side, and is able to perform their next step actions with that information like withdraw money out from your account.

How to Prevent Yourself from Phishing?

The best way you can prevent yourself from phony phishers is to understand what legitimate financial service are providers. Most importantly, legitimate entities will not ask you to provide or verify sensitive information through an email.

Follow these five simple steps to prevent yourself from phishers:

  1. Pick up the phone to verifydo not respond to any emails that request personal or financial information, especially ones that use pressure tactics or prey on fear. If you have reason to believe that a financial institution actually does need personal information from you, pick up the phone and call the company yourself using the number in your rolodex, not the one the email provides!
  1. Do Your Own Typing — Rather than merely clicking on the link provided in the email, type the URL into your web browser yourself or uses a bookmark you previously created. Even though a URL in an email may look like the real deal, fraudsters can mask the true destination.
  1. Beef up your securityPersonal firewalls and security software packages with anti-virus and anti-spam are a must have for those who engage in online financial transactions. Make sure your computer has the latest security patches, and make sure that you conduct your financial transactions only on a secure web page using encryption. You can tell if a page is secure in a couple of ways. Look for a closed padlock in the status bar, and see that the URL starts with “https” instead of just “http”.
  • Security Tip: Some phishers make spoofed websites which appear to have padlocks. To double check, click on the padlock icon on the status bar to see the security certificate for the site. Following the “Issued to” in the pop-up window you should see the name matching the site you think you’re on. If the name differs, you are probably on a spoofed site.
  1. Read your statements — don’t toss aside your monthly account statements! Read them thoroughly as soon as they arrive to make sure that all transactions shown are ones that you actually made, and check to see whether all of the transactions that you thought you made appear as well. Be sure that the company has current contact information for you, including your mailing address and email address.
  1. Spot the sharks — Visit the Website of the Anti-Phishing Working Group at www.antiphishing.org for a list of current phishing attacks and the latest news in the fight to prevent phishing. There you’ll find more information about phishing and links to helpful resources.

02 July 2008


Credit Card is the most popular form of online payments for consumers. A credit card, such as a visa or a MasterCard, has a spending limit based on the user’s credit history; a user can pay off the entire credit card balance or pay a minimum amount each billing period.

The causes of credit card debt are
poor money management, saving too little or not at all, financial illiteracy. The poor money management is a monthly spending plan is essential. Without one you have no idea where your money is going. You may be spending hundreds of dollars unnecessarily each month and end up having to charge purchases on which you should have spent that money. The saving too little or not at all is means it is not to prepare for unexpected expenditures by saving three to six months of living expenses. The financial illiteracy is many people don't understand how money works and grows, how to save and invest correctly, or even why they should balance their checkbook.

The preventions are planning is no more difficult than writing down your expenses and income and reconciling the two. You will be surprised at how powerful you'll feel when you are making thoughtful decisions about where and when to spend your money. It is to avoid unwanted debt, the saving is important and if anything happen, it will not cause immediate financial strain and increase debt. It is better learn to get educated and get in control at the money.

01 July 2008

Security in the era of technology is critical issue particularly ones’ personal data.
Current software allows one to transfer data from networked computer to outside computer, thus providing flexibility especially to the corporate field. However, the same software creates breeches to the security. One of the most common crimes in the era of technology is identity theft. It is also a fast growing and a serious crime that has penetrated in the recent era.

Identity theft happens both online and offline. One of the ways that identity thieves collect personal and financial information about members of the public offline is to filter through carelessly discarded trash. Many people throw bank statements, utility bills and other potentially sensitive documentation away without shredding it first. An identity thief can find enough about someone - just from their dustbin or mailbox - to steal their identity. Identity thieves steal personal and financial information online more purposely, with
phishing attempts for example but it is often because of carelessness or complacency, regarding personal and financial information.

Once an identity thief has obtained someone's personal or financial information identity thieves will steal your money from your accounts and savings, run up enormous credit card bills, and obtain passports and other official documents, empty bank accounts - even using their ill-gotten gains to fund other crimes, such as drug running and terrorism. The legitimate owners of the information identity thieves’ abuse can spend vast amounts of time and money trying to undo the damage to their finances and their reputations. This often raises the question of how safety is our personal data online. There are many ways of obtaining ones personal data. For example:
1) Email-Transaction Identification
2) Web-Transaction Identification
3) Location Extraction
4) Routinised Self-Identification
5) Dataveillance

The road to recovery after the identity has been stolen is a long one but it is not impossible to repair the damage. Because identity theft is such a high profile crime, it is easy to get help and support whilst one check their details and put measures in place to contain the threat. However, there are several ways to repair the damage as quickly as possible. Firstly, call law enforcement and report the identity theft. Make sure you get an incident number. Secondly, report all lost or stolen documents, such as passports, driving licenses, credit cards, chequebooks. Thirdly, notify your bank, credit card company and any other financial institution that holds you details. Tell them directly that you are contacting them about identity theft. You will need to close any accounts that have been compromised, which will be inconvenient but will prevent an identity thief from stealing any more of your money (assuming they have not already emptied your accounts).

Cancel your checkbooks, credit and ATM cards and get anew PIN[s] besides notifying the postal service[s] if you think that your mail has been tampered with or redirected. Then, contact any companies where accounts have been opened in your name and tell them that you are a victim of identity theft. They will have a policy in place to deal with your inquiry. Finally, contact the main credit bureau, tell them that you have been a victim of identity theft, and ask them to monitor your credit activity. Ask them to send you a credit report that, when you receive it, study very carefully for discrepancies.

There are several steps to minimize the risk of ones identity being stolen. However, no matter how careful or what steps been taken to safeguard the information, it is a sad fact that as with all crime despite the best efforts, it can only minimize the risk. Being cautious is not the same as being invincible.