Corporate Blogging: A new marketing communication tool for companies.

As the internet services becoming more and more important in our daily life, many of the companies start using internet to communicate with its customers rather than still following the traditional way. One of the famous and new communication tools for the companies is corporate blogging. Corporate blogging is a communication tool key connects with the public – the customers, business partners, shareholders, creditors and suppliers – to increase awareness about what is going on for a particular company. Corporate blog is an aid to the company as it is published with the support of an organisation to reach its goals. Within the company, corporate blog act as a tool for collaboration and knowledge management among the employees whereas it servers as a communication tool outside the organization between the company and its potential customers and the important target groups.

In the real corporate world, many of the company started to use corporate blogging system. Example, Google not only using its corporate blogging system to effectively communicate with others to improve its employee relations, customer relation and business processes but also providing blog services – Google Apps (online collaboration suite) – for other companies. Many of the small and medium seized businesses use Google Apps as their communication tools within and outsite the company . It gives positive outsome to those company that implement Google Apps as it not help the company to save cost but also provide a better and greater flexibility in the daily operation functions.

Corporate blogging provides many advantages to the company such as it allows the company or the employees to directly communicate with others both within the company (among the employees in disseminate and explain strategy) and outside the company (sending necessary information to the customers, shareholders, creditors etc); low cost; giving opportunity for others answer in written form as well as publish pictures and most importantly, it is beneficial to the company if the corporate blogging system has a positive effect on the company’s reputation. However, everything has pros and cons. While company is using the corporate blogging, it causes some problems to the company. For instance, many corporate blogs do not look like corporate blog as the employees are not professional enough to use formal communication language in corporate blogging system as they include many of their unprofessional tones; time consuming, many of the employees still prefer to meet the customers directly as they have most to say to the customers but do not have time to type it out. Besides this, corporate blogging system is always a system that easy to start and hard to maintain as it need the company to update the blog from time to time. If company does not update it frequently, it will damages company reputation instead of enhancing its reputation.

As a conclusion, company must be able to handle the corporate blogging system well because the outcome of the system, either positive or negative outcome, is very much depends on how the company run the system.

Things to take note to prevent e-auction fraud when a consumer participating in an e-auction

Prevention methods of E-auction

User Identify verification- eBay uses the services of Equifax to verify user identities for a $ 5 fee. Verified eBay User, a voluntary program, encourage users to supply eBay with information for online verification. By offering their Social Security number, driver‘s license number, and date of birth, user can qualify for the highest level of verification on eBay.

Authentication Service- Product authentication is a way of determining whether an item is genuine and described appropriately. Authentication is a very difficult to perform because it relies on the expertise of the authentication. Because of their training and experience, expert can often detect counterfeits based on subtle details. However, two expert authentications may have different opinion about the authenticity of the same item eBay has links to companies that provide this specialized service.

Feedback Forum-The eBay allows registered buyers and sellers to build up their online trading reputation. It provides users with the ability to comment on their experience with other individuals.

Physical Inspection-Providing for a physical inspection can eliminate many problems. This is especially true collector’s item. When the seller and buyer are in the same vicinity, it is easy to arrange for such inspection. EBay offers inspection services on a regional basis, so buyer can arrange for nearby inspection.

Escrow Service-For item valued at more than $200 or when either the buyer or seller feels the need for additional security. eBay recommend escrow service. With an easy –to-access link to third party escrow service, both partners in a deal are protected. The buyers mail the payment to the escrow service, which verifies the payment and alerts the seller when everything checks out. At the point, the seller ships the goods to the buyer. After an agreed-upon inspection period, the buyer notifies the service, which then sends a check to the seller, eBay , Yahoo! , and other large online auction sites provide their own escrow services. For the detail on how service work for auction, see aunction.yahoo.com and ftc.gov

E-Government in Malaysia: Its implementation so far and citizen’s adoption strategies.

E-Government is the use of information technology in to provide citizens and organizations with more convenient access to government information and services and to provide delivery of public services to citizens, business partners, and those working in the public sector. It helps to improve information flows and processes within government to improve the speed and quality of policy development, coordination and enforcement.

Current applications of e-Government in Malaysia
The examples of applications of E-Government in Malaysia are e-Filling, Renewing Road Tax and Driving License online, KWSP’s i-Akaun, E-Perolehan, e-Tanah, e-Consent, e-Local Government (e-PBT), e-Kehakiman and etc.

Common problems encountered by consumers
Security and privacy – consumer maybe worry about their private personal data and the tax return can see by others.
Language barrier - most of the government websites are using Bahasa Malaysia. So, this may be created problem since some users are more comfortable in using other language like English and Chinese.
Credibility – how accuracy of the e filing system? How to ensure that the system will not make the mistake?
Technological knowledge – some of the people may be do not have the technological knowledge. Thus, they do not know how to use the E Government application through internet.

Suggest ways to encourage more citizens to use the e-government applications
Government can organize some activities to introduce the e government application and teach the citizen how to use the E-Government application.
Eg: increase awareness through TV and radio advertisements, and organizing workshops at shopping malls.
Government should provide websites with multiple language versions.
Government should improve the security and privacy application of E-Government to make sure the data will not hack by the hacker.

Review a local e-commerce site

The Internet is a very powerful communication tool in trade. Business transactions conducted through the Internet i.e. e-commerce, are faster and more efficient because traders can reduce operational cost as well as transaction and delivery time. The unlimited expanse of the Internet can also help in widening strategic network among traders.

Blooming florist is one of the local company in Malaysia. Blooming florist has establish e-commerce site to do business transaction through internet. There are different types of product can be found in this website,(http://www.blooming.com.my/) such as flowers, basket arrangement, cookies, gifts, and etc.

The site design is attractive which can catch interest of the user, and the design and layout is user friendly because this site has category their products in systematic manner which the user can shop by the product or shop by occassion (include congratulation, happy birthday, new baby, wedding flowers and others.) The download speen is quite fast, because when click the icon, it will immediately appear the things on the screen.

The product search engine is available to enable user to search for the product they intended to find. Example, if the consumer want to buy Rose but don't know what type of Rose is nicer, he or she can use the search engine and just type Rose. Then several type of product with rose will appear.

The shoping chart is available on the top right in this site. It is a very good function for the consumer because when they find what product is interested, they can add it to the shopping chart. After shopping, they can choose the most favourable product they like and yet can make payment of transaction in a single or multiple receipt. The shopping card has display the quantity and unit price of the product. This enable to let the consumer know better about the item, price and quantity that have been choosen when shopping. With the use of the shopping chart provide, the consumer will be more easy when shop.

Blooming site has provide a good and user friendly cash-out features. The consumer neeed to fill in the information and the delivery information. There is a payment option, which consumer can pay by credit card, online banking or mobile payment. This feature is make more easy to the consumer. But the protection and security of the private information might be question.

As a conclusion, I opinion of this site is attractive and user friendly and more convinient for those people have no time to physically look for the product in Blooming Store.

A review on a post on Legal from My E-Commerce blog

Legal right issue always is the matter that is concerned by everyone in this world, both individuals and companies. Based on the post “TVB to protect its legal right in China” posted at My E-Commerce blog, TVB – the largest television station in Hong Kong – right is being infringed by the China certain website as the provide the video sharing facility.

Nowadays, internet is the necessary facility for the develop country. Many services are actually providing by internet facility, one of the main services is entertainment. Therefore, providing entertainment such as online game and online movie or series on the internet facility is not an action against the law. However, if this facility encroaches others people right, it can become a critical matter. In this case, when these certain websites provide the facility of series sharing, it’s actually encroaching on the TVB copyright. People no longer buy series from TVB but just watch the series from the website. When such matter happened, the party sufferer has the right to take legal action towards the aggrieved party. Whether what type of penalty will be taken against the aggrieved party will be decided by the court.

Once the court or authority body take disciplinary action against the offender, it not only teaches the offender a lesson but also warn them not to repeat what they had done earlier. On the other hand, it also gives warning to others people who plan to do the same things in an indirect way. With this, public will more concern about others legal right.

Electronic currency

For the definition is obtain from Wikipedia, the Electronic money (also known as e-money, electronic cash, electronic currency, digital money, digital cash or digital currency) refers to money or scrip which is exchanged only electronically. Typically, this involves use of computer networks, the internet and digital stored value systems. Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and direct deposit are examples of electronic money. Also, it is a collective term for financial cryptography and technologies enabling it.

Electronic currency has been widely used throughout the world on an institutional level for more than two decades. Which is nearly all of the deposit currencies in the world’s banking systems are handled electronically though a series of computer network.

The example of the electronic currency company is PayLoadz, PayLoadz.com system is one of the e-micropayment products. PayLoadz, Inc. is located in the heart of New York City's Grammercy District at 23rd and Park Avenue. This close proximity to the legendary Silicon Alley gives us access to an impressive pool of talent, resources, and also reminds us of the lessons learned during the dot-com fallout. We are a new media development firm specializing in providing solutions for merchants and the community of developers. Founded in 1996 as a web development company Superfreaker Studios has grown to become one of the forefront developers utilizing Macromedia development products.It is service that sell software, eBooks, music, movies, digital art, manuals, articles, certificates, forms, files, and anything else that can be downloaded. Their automated service delivers your products to your customers instantly after payment. Our system operates using PayPal's online payment system and Google Checkout. Our sellers see an average 1,000% increase in sales using our service.

The application of pre-paid cash card for consumers

Nowadays, everyone is so familiar with those Maxis, Digi and Celcom prepaid card as the mobile phone is our daily needs. Yet, how many of us ever heard about prepaid cash card? The concept is basically the same, the only different is the use of mobile phone prepaid card is for us to make a call whereas the use of a prepaid cash card is for us to purchase products and services. A prepaid cash card looks no different with a normal credit card or debit card. Users need to pay a sum of money in advance to increase the amount in the prepaid cash card in order to purchase products and services in the future.

One of the examples of prepaid cash card that is widely used in Malaysia is “Touch’n Go”. Touch’n Go is widely used in Malaysia not just because it can handle all those small amount payment but also give a lot of convenience to its users as it canbe use in many places. Many of the working people owned a car with them, Touch’n Go become very useful when they need to pay the highway toll payment. For those who do not have a car with them, they need to travel by using the public transports, Touch’n Go come into picture in some public transport such as the electronic train and bas that provide Touch’n Go facility. Touch’n Go also provide some privileges to the customer if Touch’n Go is used at certain places, for example A&W, Burger King, Seven Eleven, Caltex and Dunkin Donuts.

Another example of prepaid cash card is the octopus cash card in Hong Kong. The application of this card is almost the same with Touch’n Go in Malaysia. It is used for all type of public transport in Hong Kong as well as the on street payment such as parking payment. Similar with Malaysia, it is also useful in small payment such as payment at convenience store, supermarkets and fast food restaurant.

Prepaid cash card also widely used at other country such as the Coinstar prepaid debit card in Canada, Advance Visa prepaid card in America, Just Cash Maestro prepaid card in West Yorkshire and ACE Cash Express prepaid card at United States.

In short, prepaid cash card can prevent user from over spending as the user can only spend the amount that has been preloaded in this cash, therefore no risk for the user to get themselves into debt as it has no credit or overdraft facility.