There's so much action that happens behind the scenes that only the Virtual Hired Hand Team is privvy to. I thought it'd be a great idea to start sharing the information we learn or share with clients right here on the blog as our Thursday posts. It's called VHHLive: Week in Review.
This name was selected because I think it would be fun to be a radio disc jockey and that just sounds like a radio station name. What do you think? Okay, maybe it's just me. I like it. Have you noticed our twitter handle is @tiffanydparson; Virtual Hired Hand was too long.
Welcome to the very first post of VHHLive: Week in Review!
WordPress New Release!
3.0.23.0.3A new version of WordPress has been released and is considered a mandatory security update. It appears a freelance developer discovered the potential vulnerability of our user access and WordPress.org was quick to respond. You'll also notice an even newer release was issued today right as I was updating this post. It's now WordPress 3.0.3. An update to the update!
Before updating the current version be sure and backkup your WordPress site. If you're not using a regular backup plug-in, I recommend Online Backup for WordPress. You can read more about it on a previous post Are You Treating Your Web Safety Like Airline Safety Instructions?.
1ShoppingCart
Did you know 1ShoppingCart has global settings for shipping?
What does that mean?
It means if you want to ship something to Canada and charge based on the Canadian postal code, and also charge a flat rate for US bound shipments you can't.
You can only select one shipping type either weight-based, flat rate, realtime calculations, order-based, quantity-based, or product-specific shipping/handling.
This doesn't fair well for businesses that ship both stateside and internationally. However if you're delivering digital products and only shipping based on one shipping method for all products, there are no worries.
Also note, if you use Website Payment Pro, a service offered through Paypal that allows your customers to make purchases directly from your site without going to PayPal for checkout, you cannot use the real-time shipping method.
1ShoppingCart is great if you're offering digital products and using one shipping method. If you're just starting out and have a few products, use PayPal buttons within your website instead of a shopping cart. As you add more products then consider a more robust shopping cart system.
Integrating AWeber and PayPal
Connecting your AWeber email list with PayPal allows you to send immediate messages also known as autoresponder messages to your purchasing customers. You can also deliver products they've purchased as well using this method. However, before messages can be delivered, AWeber requires email confirmation when someone makes a PayPal purchase.
Your customer will need to confirm their email address to receive your Thank You page, digital product links, or autoresponder messages following purchase.
Can you tell it's been quite an eventful week around here?
If this has helped you in anyway, please add your comment below. Also, if you know of a shopping cart that allows multiple choices for shipping please add to your comment as well.
Make it a FABULOUS one until next time!
