The Internet has changed the way that the world does its shopping. You can buy just about anything that you can think of with the click of a mouse these days: clothes, jewelry, electronics, flowers, food – even cars.
Shopping online is quicker and easier than the conventional method of acquiring things and you can do it without leaving your house, heck you can do it without changing out of your pajamas if you want.
The ability to do much of your shopping from home stems from incredible advancements in technology but despite some vast improvements in internet security during recent years internet shopping still has some very real dangers for shoppers who aren’t careful.
Here are some things to look out for and some of the biggest mistakes the internet shoppers can make:
Not Purchasing over Secure Servers
This simple mistake can cause online shoppers major headaches because sending your information over a connection that isn’t secure can leave it open for anyone to see, this information will include your method of payment (credit card number complete with expiration date and security code or your bank account and routing number) along with your name and your address. If this information falls into the wrong hands you could find yourself in a world of financial trouble.
Some of the charges to your credit cards could probably be written off by the credit card companies once the charges are proven to be someone else’s and not yours leaving you with little in the way of direct financial damage, but removing the fraudulent charges could take a good deal of time which could wreak havoc with your credit rating and cause problems if you try to get a loan or apply for a new job before the situation gets rectified.
The best way to avoid a situation like this is to look for a secure method of checkout like Google checkout or PayPal so you are one hundred percent certain that your information is going through a trustworthy source.
You may be able to find a price that seems too good to be true on some random website that has no secure checkout method, but before you proceed ask yourself if it will be worth the months and months of aggravation trying to recover from identity theft to save a few dollars.
Not Shopping Around
The beauty of online shopping is that we are no longer limited by distance – you can literally buy whatever you want from where ever it happens to be – across the country or across the continent, you can compare prices and products from all over the world and buy from the source that has what you want for the price that you want to pay.
Some people make the mistake of purchasing the item they are looking for from the first online store they stumble upon that has it. This is a fine method for shopping if you have a ton of disposable income, but for people who are on a budget – there is truly no better way available to shop around for the best price than online shopping.
Find the item(s) that you want, and then search all of the reputable outlets you can think of for a price comparison. Online retailers are competing for your business just like traditional retailers do – the difference is that with traditional shopping you would have had to spend your entire day driving all over creation to find out who had the best price, with online shopping you can finds the best deals in a matter of minutes without even getting up from your chair.
Not Taking Everything into Account
If you’re new to online shopping, be wary that you may incur charges beyond just what the virtual “price tag” says. You may or may not have to pay shipping for the item you purchase; you may or may not have to pay extra handling charges and depending on where the online retailer is and where you live you may or may not be responsible for sales tax as well. You have to take all of these things into account before you make your purchase to ensure that you are getting the best deal possible.
Online shopping can change the way you do all of your shopping for the better, but you need to keep your eyes open to several things to be a successful online shopper – be safe, shop around and watch the fine print to make sure that your online shopping experiences are safe and positive ones.
Shop Smart. Get reward miles. You can earn reward miles on all purchases that are made online including clothing, jewelry and even buy Dell Computers. Online Shopping has never been easier or more rewarding.
Copyright (c) 2009 Michael A Jones
An online shopping cart setup can be slippery or sticky! On the one hand, a client can wonder if they will ever reach the end where they can actually pay for the item, or, they can glide along effortlessly through the ordering procedure.
It is obvious that ‘greasing the tube’ so the client effortlessly glides through the ordering and payment procedure can make a huge difference to your profits. If just 10-20% of your clients who normally would abandon the shopping cart stay with it to the end, think what that would do for your business?
When thinking about your shopping cart setup, it’s always helpful to compare your online shopping process with your own personal offline shopping experience. When you select items in a shop and make your way to the Pay Desk, what things irritate you or would irritate you? Have you ever picked up the things you need and then had to go on a search mission for the check out counter. You know how frustrating it can be to circle around and around until you eventually find the check out counter hidden in some remote corner.
What if the cashier delayed your check out by trying to offer you other items, even trying a hard sell approach? Some may not mind, but I suggest that the vast majority would prefer to just take their items straight to the check out, pay for them, and leave the store to get on to other business.
When a customer comes to shop online, is their thinking any different? Not really. Once a person has decided what they want, generally they just want to pay for it.
With the offline shopping experience in mind, here is a list of key points to bear in mind when considering your online shopping cart setup:
1. If you have “Add to Cart” buttons by each product, be sure to include a “Check Out” button beside it so the customer can easily go and pay for whatever they have selected quickly.
2. Let the customer check out easily with trying to push extra products on them. This is not to say you can’t try an upsell arrangement, but it has to be done gently and discreetly. One main domain registrar I use, mainly their prices are low, does irritate me with the number of options and extra bells and whistles they try to thrust on you before you can check out. At times I have a problem finding the checkout button because the page is so loaded with offers. I find that annoying and frustrating. Perhaps you do to.
On the other hand, Amazon have mastered the art of discreet upselling. Along the bottom of the screen once you have made your selection they gently tell you that other customers who were interested in ‘this’, were also interested in ‘that’. When I buy on Amazon, I don’t get the pressured feeling I do on the domain registrar site. The product add-on suggestions are carefully woven into the shopping cart setup almost seamlessly.
3. Make it easy for your customers to change their order. Your shopping cart should provide the option to delete or change the quantity of any item at any time with a convenient button in the cart.
4. Reassure, reassure, and reassure the customer that their ordering information is secure. Briefly explain the security measures you have in place or put badges and certificates alongside that indicate the whole procedure is going through a secure connection.
5. Make sure the buttons clearly show what they are intended to do and cut down as much as possible on the number of steps to the payment button. Don’t confuse the issue with gawdy graphics and unnecessary steps. It’s a good idea to count how many times the user has to hit the enter key or mouse button from the time they add an item to the cart, to the click on the Pay button which actually processes the transaction. Your number one priority is to cut out any steps that are unnecessary. So within 2 to 4 clicks, the whole thing is finished and the payment is in your account.
If you’ve ever enjoyed a day at a water park with the family and taken a ride down the water chute, you know once you take that first step over the edge, there is no going back! You are on your way. It’s the same with your shopping cart setup. Be sure to grease the tube by making the payment process, clean, simple, and as effortless as possible.
Examine every step and make sure you know all your shopping cart software can do so you make use of all the features that will help you. Rather than throwing money at more advertising, why not re-examine your shopping cart setup and add to your profits considerably.
On Michael’s body care site, he has minimized the steps to the check out. Take a walk-through demonstration here on this link to see for yourself: http://www.net-vault.com/online-shopping-cart
My blue fronted Amazon parrot, Tarah, does not have clipped wings. However like many birds that were clipped during the fledging process, he has never quite learned the kind of flight skills that might earn him the title of a “flyer”. I often said “He has his flight feathers, but he doesn’t fly.” One day I learned, the hard way, that this wasn’t exactly true.
I was visiting my parrots as I was moving from southern California to northern California. When I arrived I brought Tarah in his cage to my old bedroom. I opened the door to the cage to allow my bird some much needed free time. Before I knew it, he bolted off his cage, through the bedroom door, took a right and made his way down the hall. He then banked left and flew through the living room. At that very moment my father was just opening the sliding glass door to step out onto the deck. Guess who went through the door too? The deck was on the second floor, so my bird had two stories of lift to assist him on his grand flight down the fairway of the golf course behind the house. Thank goodness he was a green flying brick. He ran out of gas and slowly descended to the soft green grass before a tree offered its branches as refuge. Juiced by adrenalin, my feet barely touched the ground as I ran after my bird.
I have always been very careful about the choices I make having a flighted bird in the house. But I was very surprised by the amazing flight my bird made on that day. Sometimes birds that we think will never fly do indeed fly. Sometimes birds that have flight feathers trimmed surprise us when feathers return. Sometimes experienced flyers get frightened or find themselves in unfamiliar territory. Whatever the situation, there are some strategies that can be very useful to recovering a bird that has flown to a location undesired by you. The following information is provided to prepare you for that day when your bird may find itself airborne and heading in the wrong direction. These strategies apply if you bird has no flight skills or is a world class flying athlete.
Bird is flying away
Call to your bird loudly as he is flying- it may help him find his way back to you.
As your bird is flying, do not take your eyes off of him. Note the last place you saw him, the level of his flight, how tired he looked. He may have landed in that area. (Radio or phone contact for a group of people searching can be very helpful in this situation. Grab your cell phone!)
Searching for your bird
If you have a group of people, spread out and circle the area you last saw him.
If you cannot locate him, call to him. He may call back. Say words or sounds he knows or mimics. Most parrots are located by their screams.
If he has another bird he likes, put that bird in a cage and bring it to the area you last saw him. Walk away from the bird in the cage. It might encourage the bird in the cage to scream. This may inspire the lost bird to scream. Keep talking to a minimum so you can listen for the scream.
Look carefully in a limited area (within 1 mile) in the early stages of your search. Parrots usually do not go far unless, blown by the wind, chased by a bird of prey or extremely frightened.
Keep in mind your parrot may see you before you see him. When this happens, parrots are sometimes very quiet. This may be because the parrot is more comfortable now that you are present.
Despite some parrots bright colors, they can be very difficult to see in trees. Look for movement buried in the trees as opposed to your whole bird perched prominently on the tree.
You have located the bird, but he is out of reach
Once you find you bird, relax (unless the bird is in immediate danger.) It is better to let the bird sit where he is (if he is inaccessible) while you work out a strategy. Do not frantically try to grab the bird, hose or scare him down.
If the bird has just landed. He will probably not fly again (if at all) for awhile.
Bring the bird’s favorite person and/or favorite bird friend (in a cage) to the area where your bird is located.
Bring favorite food items, familiar food bowls and the bird’s cage if possible.
Be careful not to ask your bird to fly from a great height or a steep angle. Try to position yourself (or bird buddy, or bird cage) to allow short flights or short climbs to lower places.
Try to lure your bird to fly or climb to branches/objects that are similar to those upon which he is sitting if possible. A bird may be too frightened to climb onto a distinctly different perch. (For example, the bird might be afraid to climb off of a tree onto a fence.) If you have no other option, expect the process to be slower and be patient with your bird as he builds his confidence. He may also fly again if he touches the new perch and is frightened by it.
Do not raise unfamiliar objects up to your bird to have him step onto it. More than likely this will only scare your bird to fly farther away. If you have a familiar item, you may have a chance that the bird will step onto it. Keep in mind things like ladders, people climbing trees, cherry pickers etc. may also scare your bird. Go extremely slowly if you resort to using these items. Stop any action if your bird looks like he wants to fly away.
Try to call your bird down when his body language indicates he is ready to try to come down. Do not constantly call.
Try hiding from your bird on occasion. This will create a level of anxiety in your bird which may cause him to try to come to you once you reappear. Usually birds will scream and or start moving around a lot when they are ready to make an effort to return to you. If you notice this activity, come out from hiding.
If you hear your bird screaming while you are hiding, he may be ready to fly or is already in the air. Come out of hiding right away. Most parrots scream when they are flying in this type of situation.
Birds also often relieve themselves and also scream right before they fly. Be alert for this. You may need to see where your bird flys. Be ready to run if necessary.
Avoid having a crowd of people around the bird’s favorite person. A scared bird may not want to fly into a crowd of strangers. Give the bird’s favorite person lots of room.
The sun is setting and your bird is still out.
Parrots will usually fly again shortly before the sun starts to set. This is probably your last opportunity to get your bird back before he will begin to roost for the night. Take advantage of it. You can try to get the bird “pumped” up by yelling and creating a level of excitement. This may encourage one last flight.
As the sun starts to set, your bird will start to fluff his feathers and get ready to roost for the night. At this point it is best to just allow him to go to sleep. Keep an eye on him until the sun has set completely. Remember his exact location.
Before the sun rises the next day, return to that location. Your bird should still be there, unless he was frightened in the night (owls can cause this).
Usually by 8:30 or 9:00 AM your bird will be ready to fly again or make an attempt to get to you. Repeat the steps described in the section “You have located your bird, but he is out of reach”.
Your bird has flown off and after 24 hours of searching he has not been spotted.
Contact the following people and let them know you are looking for your bird. If a person finds your bird they may contact one of these organizations.
Call animal control
Call the SPCA/humane society
Call local veterinarians
Call local zoos
Call local pet shops
Call local police
Place an ad in the classified section of the paper for a “lost” bird.
Note: Don’t give out the bird’s band number. If your bird accidentally falls into the wrong hands this could lead to removal of the band.
Check the classified section of the paper for “found” bird. Answer all ads. People are sometimes unaware of what they have found. A Congo African grey may be mistaken for the mythical red tailed pigeon by a helpful stranger who is unfamiliar with parrots.
Post flyers that state “lost bird” in the areas you last saw your bird. You may also wish to offer a reward as incentive for people to call.
Often times a bird is found within 24 hours of his disappearance. The trick is to find the person who found your bird before you.
Do not give up
The key to getting a bird back is perseverance. Do not accept that you will not get the bird back once you have lost sight of him or her. As a professional bird trainer that free flys many types of birds on a regular basis, I can attest that parrots are often the easiest type of bird to locate and recover. Trust me – nothing is more frustrating than searching for the silent, but observant owl who has buried himself in the bushes and has watched you walk by 100 times! Thankfully our parrots often seek out human or bird companionship if and when they have a big flight adventure.
Copyright 2005 © Good Bird Inc. First appeared in Good Bird Magazine Volume1 Issue1 Spring 2005.
To learn more about products and services to help you train your parrot visit www.GoodbBirdInc.com
Barbara has been a professional in the field of animal training since 1990.
She owns and operates a company, Good Bird, Inc., (www.GoodBirdInc.com)) that provides behavior and training products to the companion parrot community. These products include Good Bird Magazine, books, videos, and training/behavior workshops. Barbara has provided behavior workshops and/or animal training presentations at the Association of Avian Veterinarians conference, The American Federation of Aviculture conference, The International Parrot Conference at Loro Parque, Parrot Festival, The International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators conference, American Association of Zoo Keepers conference, Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference, The Parrot Society of Australia conference and many more. She is the past president of the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (www.IAATE.org) and has been on the Board of Directors since 1997. Her expertise has been utilized by the US Dept. of Agriculture, Fish and Wildlife Service and numerous international professional organizations. In the past 4 years she has met and trained over 600 parrots at her workshops.
She is the author of “Good Bird! A Guide to Solving Behavior Problems in Companion Parrots” by Avian Publications and also “The Parrot Problem Solver. Finding Solutions to Aggressive Behavior” by TFH Publications. She is also the producer of the Good Bird Parrot Behavior and Training DVD series.
Barbara’s experience also includes consulting on animal training in zoos and other animal related facilities. She has been a part of the development and production of more than 15 different free flight education programs. Barbara continues to provide consulting services to zoos, nature centers and other animal facilities through her other company Animal Training and Consulting Services (www.ATandCS.com). In her career she has trained animals, trained staff, and/or presented shows at facilities around the world.
Barbara has been a professional in the field of animal training since 1990.
She owns and operates a company, Good Bird, Inc., (www.GoodBirdInc.com) that provides behavior and training products to the companion parrot community. These products include Good Bird Magazine, books, videos, and training/behavior workshops. Barbara has provided behavior workshops and/or animal training presentations at the Association of Avian Veterinarians conference, The American Federation of Aviculture conference, The International Parrot Conference at Loro Parque, Parrot Festival, The International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators conference, American Association of Zoo Keepers conference, Association of Zoos and Aquariums conference, The Parrot Society of Australia conference and many more. She is the past president of the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (www.IAATE.org) and has been on the Board of Directors since 1997. Her expertise has been utilized by the US Dept. of Agriculture, Fish and Wildlife Service and numerous international professional organizations. In the past 4 years she has met and trained over 600 parrots at her workshops.
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There are numerous people that have their mind set to get various cheap flights, yet they never actually make the effort. Mostly they depend on individuals to do it for them, the third party types of companies that are around just to put together cheap packages for those travelers who don’t wish to do it on their own. While many of these types of deals are good enough for most people they are rarely if ever the best.
The majority of airlines typically offer some of their discount tickets up to these types of companies, however in the end, the bigger deals that they carry are offered directly from them. With some basic research, consumers can very easily locate different cheap airline flights on their own, likely they will be less expensive than anything offered by any of the travel companies.
Locating The Best Deal
For consumers, doing research is a key element. As a matter of fact, the best cheap airline flight is likely the one that is closest to home. That is to say, it is very important for people looking to travel to be familiar with their respective local airports, and to know which of the airlines frequent those same airports. There are many large cities, such as Boston, that have bigger sized airports, however there are other airports within reasonable driving distance that can serve as alternative choices.
These type of secondary airports – New Hampshire, Rhode Island,
Manchester for example, quite frequently have cheaper flights due to the fact that they are less popular. They also serve as hubs for some of the airlines, and those airlines quite frequently fly out numerous amounts of flights, yet will not be able to book all of them.
Many airlines would prefer to sell a cheap airline flight as opposed to having no flight at all, so many consumers are likely be able to secure good deals if they spend their time researching which airports are nearby, and which airlines service those airports.
An additional type of information worth looking into is peak travel times. Throughout the country, numerous different airports experience varying volumes at different times. Seasons, Holidays as well as school vacations all play a significant factor into these fluctuations, so what would be a period that is crowded in the Northeast area might not necessarily be a crowded time in the area of the Southeast. Many airlines will offer a cheap airline flight for a specific span of dates.
If people looking to travel can make plans around those particular dates, and of for them it doesn’t matter when the trip happens, they will be able to spend a lot less money by catering to the needs of the airlines. During travel times in their peak periods people are going to seek out flights regardless, so many airlines can afford to raise their prices. However, when travel times are poor, airlines will make available a cheap airline flight on a consistent basis in the hopes of securing at a minimum at least some business.
Listen to Korbin Newlyn as he shares his insights as an expert author and an avid writer in the field of travel. If you would like to learn more go to Last Minute Airfare education and at Cheap Air Flight learning.
