Online Payment Options - Paypal Customer Service Downgraded
Paypal's recent inability to quickly repair two glitches has online merchants worldwide looking at other options. Paypal took 12 days (May 15 - 28) to repair the disappearance of the shopping cart handling fee. The other glitch prevented companies located outside the billing company's country from paying! Paypal did not issue a warning statement to merchants. Many companies lost money. In many forums and blogs, merchants vented their frustrations, provided each other with technical roundabouts and discussed other online payment options. Other more traditional options were also recommended; credit cards (merchant credit card service), checks, direct deposit.

Paypal has a 23% share of online payments and Google Checkout has a 4% share. Paypal's been available since 1998 and Google Checkout, a year at the most. Google Checkout was the one most mentioned but (at this time) the following prevents or limits the number of merchants willing to switch:
it is only available to US/UK merchants,
requires 3rd party shopping cart,
locked out of eBay auctions,
does not able recurring subscriptions.

Doug, on May 28, offered the following shopping cart option:
"Went looking last nite--to the wee hrs--for a reasonable alternative to the PayPal shopping cart. Evaluated dozens of shopping cart links provided by our merchant account (Echo Inc); the closest I found to the PayPal cart is designcart.com, a relatively simple secure cart hosted on their secure server, implemented with html buttons like PayPal, and reasonably priced at $15/month ($165 annual). Not sure about subsciption capabilities, but they do have the equiv of the handling_cart variable in PayPal. Also, the bonus of your customers able to pay via Google Checkout or PayPal or numerous other gateways of your choice if you already have one, like we did for over-the-phone orders. We're going for it."

Other online payment options mentioned were alertpay.com, 2CheckOut.com, Cybersource and authorize.net and Go Amazon FPS (flexible payment system). Amazon FPS is in beta and Cybersource, whose api is better for recurring subscriptions, has just bought authorize.net.

We learned about another payment method in mid-January at the ANCA Wholesale Workshop in Lake Placid. One of the participants uses a wireless laptop to process payments at their shop or at shows. They will be adding a cell phone plug in to the laptop to maximize their wireless access. They use Virtual Terminal available through Paypal. At $30/month with a transaction fee of $1.35 the convenience and minimum paperwork involved made this combination the most practical for the small business owners. Korths' information came mostly from Statcounter.com, pdncommunity.com and Techcrunch.

Introducing A New Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) Member:

Grillo’s Pillows & Specialties, a family owned business nestled in the village of Victory Mills, Saratoga County, has been in business for over ten years.

Gina Grillo specializes in creating and manufacturing unique products designed to relax and relieve various ailments. Refreshingly simple and pure aromatherapy scents, including lavender and Adirondack balsam are often used in Gina’s handmade soothing pillows and pampering essentials.

Grillo’s Bed Pillows have been featured on QVC, as well as sold in Marshall’s Department Stores and well-known catalogs. Grillo’s product lines are currently sold in upscale shops throughout the country.

Gina Grillo also offers retail sales through her website where you can almost smell the clean, fresh, relaxing bouquets in her pillows & specialty items. Visit grillospillows.com to get a "whiff" of the relaxing powers inherent in Grillo’s products and enjoy secure online ordering.

Gina Grillo, as a member of ANCA, receives a link and brief description at the most visited page at www.adknccrafts.com/lookingforagift.php and a selection of Made in the Adirondack North Country logo materials. To find out more, visit www.adknccrafts.com/Products.php.

Workshop “E-Marketing the Arts” on June 26th
LARAC will host the workshop “E-Marketing the Arts” on June 26th from 2 to 5pm in Lapham Gallery (in Glens Falls, NY). Sponsored by the Alliance of New York State Arts Organizations, this online marketing course is geared to both the individual artist and for those leading art organizations.
In this course participants will learn how to use the internet and email tools to build an online identity. Information gained from this workshop will be useful in building membership and new audiences along with marketing your services. Topics include; finding your audience, mailing lists, online stores, photo and video sharing, and marketing and development plans.
Instructor Chris Andreola will lead this informative workshop. Chris is the owner of adcstudio in Livingston Manor, NY, and is a graduate of the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles. He has worked in a wide range of interactive firms in New York City, Connecticut and Chapel Hill, NC. In 2000 he opened adcSTUDIO in Livingston Manor, NY. His clients include; The Apollo Theatre, Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, March of Dimes and Terminal Design.
Cost to attend this workshop is $15 for LARAC members and $20 for non-members. Refreshments will be served. Pre-registration is required. For information and to register contact Patrice Jarvis-Weber at 798-1144 Ext.2 or email Patrice at gallery@larac.org. Visit http://www.LARAC.org.

Economic Downturn in Vegas Indicates Visitors More Likely To Vacation Closer to Home
"Executives (in Vegas) worry this recession could be different from the last two - in 1990-91 and 2001 - when consumer spending was propped up by easy credit. Now credit is drying up. And high gas and food prices, declining home values and rising unemployment are keeping many Americans closer to home." The Gazette, Montreal, Friday, May 9, 2008. Article by Clifford Kraus originally published in NY Times.

Associate Adirondacks to Your Product or Shop to Appeal to Broadest Audience
Businesses can change their keywords on their websites and in their advertising to appeal to the most visitors traveling to the Adirondack North Country. To maximize the appeal to the broadest audience, for businesses or communities located in or near the Adirondack region, it is important to include terms identifying their relationship to the Adirondacks as well as what is unique to the business or community.
As an example, the just released market study executed by Longwoods International for the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitor's Bureau indicates that potential visitors show more interest in the image the term Adirondacks conotates than the image of the Olympics that Lake Placid presents. As a result of the study, Lake Placid will most likely include descriptive terms about the Adirondacks in its marketing copy as well as the descriptive terms describing the community to appeal to the broadest audience. The 2,000 surveyed for the market research were from the Northeast.
Out of 50 possible motivators, the ones most likely to commit visitors to coming to the region were family atmosphere, exciting activities, worry-free visit, unique and sightseeing. Again, if your business or community uses these descriptive terms indicating those are found at your location, it will more likely appeal to the broadest audience. The complete Longwood Market Research 600 page pdf is posted at http://lakeplacidmedia.com/generalPDFs.cfm?category=longwoods. Public presentation, Lake Placid, May 8, report by Korths

New Artisans Group Forms Along the St. Lawrence River
The first Studio Tour for this new group from the Morristown/Ogdensburg area is scheduled for August 16 and 17, 2008 at 7 to 9 locations. Debra Monteith, painter, is the main driving force. Others being contacted or already involved are Mary Ann Evans, potter; June Ross, Ethel Slocum, painter; Melanie Connor, lampwork, jewelry; Wayne Brown, iron sculpture; Don Morley, duck decoys; Marty Snye, John Miller, miniature painted canoe paddles; Sally and Kyle Hartman, Ladies First Gallery of Art; Steve Chambers, Steve Kroeger, Slyvie Kring, Jack Taylor, Tim Tiernan, glass works; and John Morrow. FMI: contact Deb Monteith at 315.375.4869 or at dmonteith@hotmail.com. Email from Karan Cross, The Wild Inside, 1.28.2008.

Rustic Living Series on Mountain Lake PBS
"Hosted by Mountain Lake PBS award winning Producers and Hosts, Derek Muirden and Aubrey Bresett, this 13 half-hour series features the homes and handiwork of skilled designers and builders, as well as weekend crafters at the forefront of the Rustic Living movement. From twig rocking chairs, to river rock fireplaces, to hay bail houses, Rustic Living presents the endless possibilities in the fusion of nature's gifts and the creative mind. Mountain Lake PBS (presents) Rustic Living on Tuesdays at 9:00 p.m., (since) January 8th." http://www.mountainlake.org/programming/our_series/rustic_living.html

Life as a Full-time Artist and Making Ends Meet
On North Country Public Radio - Open Studio: Life as a full-time artist and making ends meet. Featuring poet and publisher Michael Czarnecki, spring haiku from youngsters in Canton, and songwriter Roy Hurd. http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/. Show aired Thursday, April 24, 2008.

New Shop Woodland Spirit Gifts and Workshops in Jay
To the right of the Evening Hatch on Rt. 86. Great space for classes and a gift shop. Kelly is looking for crafts people to put stuff on consignment in the gift shop (25% commission). She will be running the shop, teaching yoga and meditation and doing Tepee ceremonies. Free classes on opening day June lst. FMI; k.lindsay1@verizon.net, put crafts for consignment in the subject heading, or call 518-891-2001.