BOOMER eZINE

The Online Entrepreneur Magazine

Please pass Boomer eZine on to a friend.  They will thank you for it.

If a friend passed this to you, you can start your own subscription at www.boomer-ezine.com.  Complete the subscription form and you will receive a free copy of “How to Choose The Best Web Host for YOUR Website”.

Table of Contents for this issue.....

1.    Authors Comments

2.    Q & A, Suggestions and Comments

3.    eBay Classified Ad Wrap up

4.    eBay Countdown

5.    Privacy Policy

Author's Comments

We were threatened by Tropical Storm Erin this week, but it turned out to be a non-event.  We went to bed Wednesday with predictions of rain starting at 1:30AM on 8/16 with winds in the 30 – 50 MPH range.

When we awoke Thursday, it was dry and dead calm.  The storm turned north of us and drenched San Antonio , Austin , and Houston , TX .  We received weather reports from two of our children who live in Austin and San Antonio .

We are now watching Hurricane Dean as it moves toward us.  It is projected to hit the coast of the Western Gulf of Mexico ( Mexico or Southern USA ) sometime late next week.

Q & A, Suggestions and Comments  

If you have anything for this section or you have a suggestion for a topic for an article, please send us an email with your suggestions or your input.  With your help, we can improve the Boomer Video eZine.  

eBay Classified Ad Wrap up  

Please refer back to the article in Volume 2 Issue 15 for the background on the ad about which I am writing the wrap up in this issue.  

I started the test ad on July 18 and it expired today (Friday, 8/17) so this will be the final analysis.  With four hours left to go, the ad had 168 visits.  It was pulling in about five hits per day.  The amazing thing was that it ended with 185 visits (17 hits in the last four hours).  The surge of visitors in the last day came due to the following reasons:  

1.    The ad was a featured ad.  This put it at the top of the search page for whatever search it fell on.

2.    The default search sequence for eBay is Time: ending soonest.  Since the ad was ending today, it was at the top of every search on the keyword “web hosting”.  

The ad cost $40.40 to run for 30 days and brought in 185 hits.  This calculates to $.22 per hit.  This is much less per hit than I would pay for this advertising if I were using Google A dw ords.  This ad targets the keyword “web hosting” which is a very expensive keyword in the pay per click advertising market.  

With the success of this experiment, I plan to keep a classified ad running on eBay using eBay as a traffic generator.  In this next ad, I will sell my SBI consulting services and direct the viewer to my About Me page.  On the About Me page, I will promote my ebook “How to Choose The Best Web Host for YOUR Website”.  As you know, the viewer must subscribe to Boomer eZine to download the book.  

We will periodically review how the ad is performing, but we won’t bore you with an update in every issue.  

You might consider running an eBay classified to promote a product of your own.  It does generate traffic.  

eBay Countdown  

When I logged on eBay today, I was greeted by an offer to try a new eBay tool called eBay Countdown.  

Here is what eBay said about the new tool.  

How do I get access to eBay Countdown?
At present, eBay Countdown is only available to a small group of beta users as we test out this fun new feature. We are always looking for new test users, so please sign up for the beta group here.

If you are already a beta user, make sure to add eBay Countdown as a bookmark/favorite or desktop shortcut so that eBay Countdown is 1 click away.

Does eBay Countdown require a download?
No download is required to use eBay Countdown. eBay Countdown is a flash application that lives inside a web page. All you need to have is a web browser with Adobe Flash Player 8 or higher. Most computers have Flash Player 8 installed. Adobe reports that over 96% of computers have Flash Player 8 or higher.

How accurate is the countdown clock and high bid information?
The time left as indicated in the clock display may be slightly inaccurate.  Price does not reflect shipping insurance or tax. Click to "View Item" to see more details in the Item Listing page.

How do I bid?
There are 2 ways to bid:
1. Enter your bid amount in the box and press "Place Bid"
-or-
2. Click the "Minimum Bid" button to bid the minimum amount above the current bid.
If you have already bid on the item, you have the option to opt-out of viewing the confirm screen before your bid is submitted.   The bid confirm screen will provide you instructions on how to do so.   Note: if you have never bid on the item before, you will always be required to view the confirm screen before submitting your 1st bid

How do I turn off the sound?
You can turn off sound by clicking on Options and unchecking the Sound box -or- click on the sound icon at the top to turn it off.

I don’t see all my items from My eBay. Where are they?
eBay Countdown includes all ACTIVE items in your My eBay Buying list. This includes active items you are bidding on and watched items. Closed items are removed from the eBay Countdown display. Certain types of items may not show up, including classified ads, best offer, second chance offer and Live Auction format items. Sometimes, eBay Countdown may delay updating its list. You can click on the refresh icon to request eBay Countdown to update the list.

How I change my avatar in the Bid History chart?
You can select a different avatar by clicking on Options and selecting the Look & Feel tab. There will be an option to choose an online identity.

I don’t see all my favorite searches in the ticker. Where are they?
At present, you can only view a limited number of your favorite searches in eBay Countdown. Go to the Options screen and click on the Content tab to select which favorite searches will be included in the ticker.

Here is a picture of the eBay Countdown page

Privacy Policy  

Last week we discussed the importance of having a privacy policy for your website and a link to it on your home page (index).  

Let’s look at what you need to have in your privacy policy.  

The privacy policies that I studied had these components:  

General Introduction

Personal Information (What information do we collect)

Registration Information

·        Credit Card Information

·        Email Information

·        Use of Cookies – what are cookies. Etc.

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act

Non-Personal Information

Release of Information

·        Sharing and Selling Information

·        What About Legally Compelled Disclosure of Information?

How You Can Correct or Remove Information (How Can You Access and Correct Your Information?)

What About Other Web Sites Linked to Our Web Site?
Our Commitment To Data Security:

Choice/Opt-In/Opt-Out
Surveys & Contests

Updates and Effective Date

Agreeing to Terms - Your Consent  

I am posting two privacy policies for your reading.  These are posted for free distribution.  By using either of these or a combination of the two, you absolve and hold harmless John Howe, Inc. from any consequences from using this information.  

The first privacy policy is from Free Dog Training Tips at  

http://www.freedogtrainingtips.net/Privacy_Statement.html

THE FOLLOWING IS A GENERIC PRIVACY STATEMENT THAT YOU ARE FREE TO USE. HOWEVER, WE RECOMMEND THAT YOU READ IT THOROUGHLY AND EDIT IT ACCORDINGLY AS SOME OF THE INFORMATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOUR SITE. WE ALSO RECOMMEND THAT YOU HAVE IT APPROVED BY A LAWYER AS XSITE PRO AND INTELLIMON CANNOT, IN ANY WAY, BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGES, LITIGATION,LEGAL INFRINGEMENT SOR COMPLAINTS CAUSED THROUGH USING THIS GENERIC STATEMENT. IF YOU USE THE STATEMENT BELOW AS IS OR IN AN EDITED VERSION YOU DO SO COMPLETELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Privacy Policy

We have created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm and continuing commitment to the privacy of personal information provided by those visiting and interacting with this web site. We hold the privacy of your personal information in the highest regard. The following discloses our information gathering and dissemination practices for this website.

We recognizes the importance of protecting your privacy and our policy is designed to assist you in understanding how we collect, use and safeguard the personal information you provide to us and to assist you in making informed decisions when using our site. This policy will be continuously assessed against new technologies, business practices and our customers' needs.

What Information Do We Collect?
When you visit this web site you may provide us with two types of information: personal information you knowingly choose to disclose that is collected on an individual basis and Web site use information collected on an aggregate basis as you and others browse our Web site.

1. Personal Information You Choose to Provide

Registration Information
When you register for any of our products, services or newsletters you will provide us information about yourself.

Credit Card Information
If you choose to avail of our services, you may need to give personal information and authorization to obtain information from various credit services. For example, you may need to provide the following information:
-Name
-Mailing address
-Email address
-Credit card number

-Name on credit card

-Credit card billing address
-Business and home phone number

Email Information
If you choose to correspond with us through email, we may retain the content of your email messages together with your email address and our responses. We provide the same protections for these electronic communications that we employ in the maintenance of information received by mail and telephone.

2. Web Site Use Information
Similar to other commercial Web sites, our Web site utilizes a standard technology called "cookies" (see explanation below, "What Are Cookies?") and web server log files to collect information about how our Web site is used. Information gathered through cookies and Web server logs may include the date and time of visits, the pages viewed, time spent at our Web site, and the Web sites visited just before and just after our Web site.

How Do We Use the Information That You Provide to Us?

Broadly speaking, we use personal information for purposes of administering our business activities, providing the products and services you requested, to process your payment, , to monitor the use of the service, our marketing and promotional efforts and improve our content and service offerings, and customize our site's content, layout, services and for other lawful purposes. These uses improve our site and better tailor it to meet your needs.

Furthermore, such information may be shared with others on an aggregate basis. Personally identifiable information or business information will not be shared with parties except as required by law.

Occasionally, we may also use the information we collect to notify you about important changes to our Website, new services, and special offers we think you will find valuable. You may notify us at any time if you do not wish to receive these offers by emailing us at the link provided on the newsletter.

What Are Cookies?
A cookie is a very small text document, which often includes an anonymous unique identifier. When you visit a Web site, that site's computer asks your computer for permission to store this file in a part of your hard drive specifically designated for cookies. Each Web site can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser's preferences allow it, but (to protect your privacy) your browser only permits a Web site to access the cookies it has already sent to you, not the cookies sent to you by other sites. Browsers are usually set to accept cookies. However, if you would prefer not to receive cookies, you may alter the configuration of your browser to refuse cookies. If you choose to have your browser refuse cookies, it is possible that some areas of our site will not function as effectively when viewed by the users. A cookie cannot retrieve any other data from your hard drive or pass on computer viruses.

How Do We Use Information We Collect from Cookies?
As you visit and browse our Web site, the site uses cookies to differentiate you from other users. In some cases, we also use cookies to prevent you from having to log in more than is necessary for security. Cookies, in conjunction with our Web server's log files, allow us to calculate the aggregate number of people visiting our Web site and which parts of the site are most popular. This helps us gather feedback to constantly improve our Web site and better serve our clients. Cookies do not allow us to gather any personal information about you and we do not intentionally store any personal information that your browser provided to us in your cookies.

IP Addresses
IP addresses are used by your computer every time you are connected to the Internet. Your IP address is a number that is used by computers on the network to identify your computer. IP addresses are automatically collected by our web server as part of demographic and profile data known as traffic data so that data (such as the Web pages you request) can be sent to you.

Sharing and Selling Information
We do not share, sell, lend or lease any of the information that uniquely identify a subscriber (such as email addresses or personal details) with anyone except to the extent it is necessary to process transactions or provide services that you have requested.

How Can You Access and Correct Your Information?
You may request access to all your personally identifiable information that we collect online and maintain in our database by emailing us at the usual address.

What About Legally Compelled Disclosure of Information?
We may disclose information when legally compelled to do so, in other words, when we, in good faith, believe that the law requires it or for the protection of our legal rights. We may also disclose account information when we have reason to believe that disclosing this information is necessary to identify, contact or bring legal action against someone who may be violating our Terms of Service or to protect the safety of our users and the Public.

What About Other Web Sites Linked to Our Web Site?
We are not responsible for the practices employed by Web sites linked to or from our Web site or the information or content contained therein. Often links to other Web sites are provided solely as pointers to information on topics that may be useful to the users of our Web site.

Please remember that when you use a link to go from our Website to another web site, our Privacy Policy is no longer in effect. Your browsing and interaction on any other web site, including web sites, which have a link on our Website, is subject to that Web site's own rules and policies. Please read over those rules and policies before proceeding.

Your Consent
By using our Web site you consent to our collection and use of your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy. We reserve the right to amend this privacy policy at any time with or without notice.

Our Commitment To Data Security:

Please note that your information will be stored and processed on our computers in the United States . The laws on holding personal data in the United States may be less stringent than the laws of your Country of residence or citizenship. To prevent unauthorized access, maintain data accuracy, and ensure the correct use of information, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

Choice/Opt-In/Opt-Out
This site allows visitors to unsubscribe so that they will not receive future messages. After unsubscribing we will discontinue sending the particular messages as soon as technically feasible.

Surveys & Contests

From time-to-time our site requests information from users via surveys or contests. Participation in these surveys or contests is completely voluntary and the user therefore has a choice whether or not to disclose this information. Information requested may include contact information (such as name and shipping address), and demographic information (such as zip code, age level). Contact information will be used to notify the winners and award prizes. Survey information will be used for purposes of monitoring or improving the use and satisfaction of this site.

A Special Note About Children

Children are not eligible to use our services unsupervised and we ask that children (under the age of 14) do not submit any personal information to us. If you are a minor, you can use this service only in conjunction with permission and guidance from your parents or guardians.

Acquisition or Changes in Ownership

In the event that the web site (or a substantial portion of its assets) is acquired, your information would be considered part of those assets, and may be part of those assets that are transferred.

Policy Modifications
We may change this Privacy Policy from time to time. If/when changes are made to this privacy policy, we will email users who have given us permission to do so. We will post any changes here, so be sure to check back periodically. However, please be assured that if the Privacy Policy changes in the future, we will not use the personal information you have submitted to us under this Privacy Policy in a manner that is materially inconsistent with this Privacy Policy, without your prior consent.

The second example is from an SBI site

Carla Vaughan (www.professional-resume-example.com)...

Here is a privacy policy example that you can tailor to meet your own needs...

Draft

We recognize that your privacy is important. This document outlines the types of personal information we receive and collect when you use (website/company name), as well as some of the steps we take to safeguard information. We hope this will help you make an informed decision about sharing personal information with us.

(website/company name) strives to maintain the highest standards of decency, fairness and integrity in all our operations. Likewise, we are dedicated to protecting our customers', consumers' and online visitors' privacy on our website.

Personal Information

(website/company name) collects personally identifiable information from the visitors to our website only on a voluntary basis. Personal information collected on a voluntary basis may include name, postal address, email address, company name and telephone number.

This information is collected if you request information from us, participate in a contest or sweepstakes, and sign up to join our email list or request some other service or information from us. The information collected is internally reviewed, used to improve the content of our website, notify our visitors of updates, and respond to visitor inquiries.

Once information is reviewed, it is discarded or stored in our files. If we make material changes in the collection of personally identifiable information we will inform you by placing a notice on our site. Personal information received from any visitor will be used only for internal purposes and will not be sold or provided to third parties.

Use of Cookies

We may use cookies to help you personalize your online experience. Cookies are identifiers that are transferred to your computer's hard drive through your Web browser to enable our systems to recognize your browser. The purpose of a cookie is to tell the Web server that you have returned to a specific page. For example, if you personalize the sites pages, or register with any of our site's services, a cookie enables (website/company name) to recall your specific information on subsequent visits.

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies by modifying your Web browser; however, if you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of the site.

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act

This website is directed to adults; it is not directed to children under the age of 13. We operate our site in compliance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, and will not knowingly collect or use personal information from anyone under 13 years of age.

Non-Personal Information

In some cases, we may collect information about you that is not personally identifiable. We use this information, which does not identify individual users, to analyze trends, to administer the site, to track users' movements around the site and to gather demographic information about our user base as a whole. The information collected is used solely for internal review and not shared with other organizations for commercial purposes.

Release of Information

If (website/company name) is sold, the information we have obtained from you through your voluntary participation in our site may transfer to the new owner as a part of the sale in order that the service being provided to you may continue. In that event, you will receive notice through our website of that change in control and practices, and we will make reasonable efforts to ensure that the purchaser honors any opt-out requests you might make of us.

How You Can Correct or Remove Information

We provide this privacy policy as a statement to you of our commitment to protect your personal information. If you have submitted personal information through our website and would like that information deleted from our records or would like to update or correct that information, please click on this link and/or use our Contact Us page.

Updates and Effective Date

(website/company name) reserves the right to make changes in this policy. If there is a material change in our privacy practices, we will indicate on our site that our privacy practices have changed and provide a link to the new privacy policy. We encourage you to periodically review this policy so that you will know what information we collect and how we use it.

Agreeing to Terms

If you do not agree to (website/company name's) Privacy policy as posted here on this website, please do not use this site or any services offered by this site.

Your use of this site indicates acceptance of this privacy policy.

I am not a lawyer so I will not make any recommendations about any privacy policies.  Use your own judgment or pay an attorney to approve your policy.  Just remember that it is important for you to have a well defined privacy policy.  

That wraps up our issue for this week.  Until next week, stay tuned.  

John and Linda Howe  

www.boomer-ezine.com

http://www.entrepreneur-ezine.com

www.boomer-guru.com

www.boomer-entrepreneur.com

www.boomer-marketplace.com

Boomer’s Amazon Store

       (http://www.boomer-ezine.com/Amazon_Page.htm)

Administrative Details …………….  

If you are changing email addresses in the future, put a note on your calendar to send us a blank email after you have changed your address.  Send the blank email to: boomerezine001@aweber.com.  We want to remain in contact with you!

It is OK to go ahead and join our subscriber list with more than one email address.  You never know when an email will be blocked by those tough SPAM filters.  They are getting tighter and tighter and are blocking many legitimate emails.

If a friend sent you this newsletter and you would like to receive your own issue next time, send a blank email to boomerezine001@aweber.com and we will send you your own copy on the next issue.

Copyright 2007 John Howe , Inc.