http://www.free-articles-zone.com Morenos en 01/12/2009 When a search engine spider accesses your website, it will usually look first for a file in the root directory of your site (where your website begins) called "robots.txt." The robots.txt file tells the spider what it may spider (index/parse). The standard for all of this is called "The Robots Exclusion Standard." http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=64 2005-07-27 A lot has been written online regarding the magic of drop-shipping. It's true that drop-shipping has a lot of advantages for the retailer or online auction seller on the Internet. It's biggest disadvantages, however, are such that many consider keeping an inventory of products instead. http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=65 2005-07-27 In all of my reading of sales, marketing, and other materials that include the topic of customer service, I have noticed a trend. In my own business, I have also noticed a trend of things about which I receive comments or praise. These things are what I believe to be the key to great customer service. I've broken them down into six "steps" or "categories." They aren't in any sort of order as each is as important as the other. http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=66 2005-07-27 Any new website venture online will include a domain name. Sometimes the domain is purchased from a domain broker - someone who specializes in reselling domain names. The majority of the time, however, it will be registered through a domain registrar. No matter how it is purchased, in all cases, the domain name (or names) for a website should be carefully considered. The basis of the marketing for the website will be the domain name chosen. http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=67 2005-07-27 Many people have not considered the value of using online auction houses, such as eBay and Yahoo! Auctions, to promote their own businesses. No matter your business, with a little creativity, you can use this tool to market yourself. http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=68 2005-07-27 Current statistics show that e-commerce in online sales accounts for only 1% of the total retail sales in America. Surveys have shown that consumers still fear online fraud and consider this the number one reason they do not shop online, if they do not already do so. Fraud on the Internet is more common than offline, but current statistics show it only accounts for 1.14% of all transactions online (IT advisory from Gartner published November, 2001). http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=69 2005-07-27 The number one way a computer is exposed for nefarious uses online is by exploiting open ports on that system. http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=70 2005-07-27 Several people have asked me since I started in business on the Web what types of Internet connections are available and whether this connection is better than that one. For a good amount of time, broadband was the fastest-growing type of telecomm service in the world and especially in the United States. http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=71 2005-07-27 There are three major Web browsers contending for the Windows PC market: Microsoft's Internet Explorer, the open-source Mozilla (basis for the Netscape browser), and Opera Software's Opera browser. http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=72 2005-07-27 Several years ago when I was an Internet newbie, I had signed up for an AOL account. AOL was itself new at that time, having only been around for a year or two. One of the greatest benefits of joining was the instant community available: and the instant access to the file-swapping network that was built by its users. http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=73 2005-07-27 When you're trying to go online with your business, the most confusing part comes when you have to decide how to receive money once your customers have decided to buy. http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=74 2005-07-27 For those of us who consider ourselves to be computer geeks, the latest changes at eBay are very interesting to note. eBay users (both sellers and buyers) are commenting that the site seems to be working faster, no longer has a scheduled "maintenance period," and is indexing newly listed auctions more quickly. http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=75 2005-07-27 I remember when the term "hacker" referred to a computer geek who could transform a mundane electronic device, with a few modifications, into something completely different from what the manufacturer and designer had envisioned for it. In some cases, these were cool improvements and more than one of these hackers made a fortune selling the rights to them. In other cases, the transformation just made you wonder if the guy's horn-rimmed glasses were a little too tight. http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=76 2005-07-27 There are five ranks of PowerSeller on eBay: bronze, silver, gold, platinum, and titanium. The requirements for them are simple: maintain a gross sales rate of a certain number of dollars per month for three months of activity and you're in. The rates are: http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=77 2005-07-27 Have a problem? Unhappy with something on the site? You can contact eBay® about it…even on the phone! http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=78 2005-07-27 Anything Points (AP) are an incentive eBay has created as a way for sellers to motivate buyers. An AP is worth one penny towards anything on eBay, including: fees, items, etc. Since it is a straight one-to-one trade (one penny from the seller to the buyer), there is no money "created" for this incentive. http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=79 2005-07-27 I've been reviewing eBay's new "Want It Now" (WIN) service for the past couple of weeks. I'm fairly impressed. http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=80 2005-07-27 Quick: how many customers that buy from you on eBay are return customers? Not sure? Here's a fast way to get an idea of the percentage. Divide your unique feedback by your total feedback (total is usually higher) and that will give you an idea. The number isn't perfect, of course, because some of those extra feedbacks are from multiple-item auctions and the like, but it will at least give you an idea. If you have higher han 3 or 4 percent retention/return, you're doing pretty well compared to most eBay sellers. http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=81 2005-07-27 Recently I've been confronted with shipping. Generally, shipping on the things I sell at auction is either obvious or non-existent. Cell phone boosters, for example. I ended up with a huge stash of them and thought I'd experiment and see how they sold. Shipping those was obvious: put it in an envelope, slap a 37-cent stamp on there, and you're good to go. http://www.free-articles-zone.com/article.php?id=82 2005-07-27