Priority Box

There is no doubt that blogging is qucikly becoming popular and there’s no stopping its popularity. The fight for supremacy heats on. The battle for the highest ranked blog or the most frequently visited blog is now at its peak. It is also no surprise that blogs now are becoming popular because of its use as a vehicle for earning extra bucks.

What do you need to increase your blog’s traffic? It requires no extra complication as a matter of fact, all you need to do is to maximize your networking skills. That’s right! No need for additional special skills - just plain old networking skills. So how do you start?

First you need to have a constant appearance online. You can visit other blogs as well, in that manner bloggers will see your blog entries as well. It’s more like a give and take relationship. You can also participate in blog forums and recommend your blog to those people who are seeking information which your blog provides. Aside from forums, you can also chat with other bloggers online.

Advertise your blog online. You can visit other blogs as well, in that manner bloggers will see your blog entries as well. It’s more like a give and take relationship. You can also participate in blog forums and recommend your blog to those people who are seeking information which your blog provides. Aside from forums, you can also chat with other bloggers online. Advertise your blog online. It requires no extra complication as a matter of fact, all you need to do is to maximize your networking skills.

That’s right! No need for additional special skills - just plain old networking skills. So how do you start? It requires no extra complication as a matter of fact, all you need to do is to maximize your networking skills. That’s right! No need for additional special skill, just plain old networking skills. So how do you start? First you need to have a constant appearance online. You can visit other blogs as well, in that manner bloggers will see your blog entries as well.

It’s more like a give and take relationship. You can also participate in blog forums and recommend your blog to those people who are seeking information which your blog provides. First you need to have a constant appearance online. You can visit other blogs as well, in that manner bloggers will see your blog entries as well. It’s more like a give and take relationship. You can also participate in blog forums and recommend your blog to those people who are seeking information which your blog provides.

All you need to have a constant appearance online. You can visit other blogs as well, in that manner bloggers will see your blog entries as well. It’s more like a give and take relationship. You can also participate in blog forums and recommend your blog to those people who are seeking information which your blog contains.

You can visit other blogs as well, in that manner bloggers will see your blog entries as well. It’s more like a give and take relationship. You can also participate in blog forums and recommend your blog to those people who are seeking information which your blog provides.

High-level conference reveals risks and opportunities for the sector and the world economy

The results of a recent Universal Postal Union (UPU) survey indicate that postal networks are increasingly trusted to further the growth of e-commerce and provide financial services. This trust is keeping this postal sector’s head above water as the financial crisis wreaks havoc on the global economy.

While operators are feeling the pinch, especially in the letter-post and express business segments, financial services and some areas of parcel post are showing signs of growth.

This is what the UPU reported today during a high-level conference on the impact of the financial and economic crisis on the postal sector, held at its Berne headquarters. More than 200 participants from 100 countries, including about 40 of the world’s postal CEOs and leading sector stakeholders operating in e-commerce, direct marketing, consulting and equipment and technology manufacturing, attended the special debate.

Results of the survey conducted among 15 of the world’s largest Posts and private courier companies show that the sector is certainly feeling the effects of the crisis, but it is not showing signs of an economic depression like other sectors. Surveyed operators account for 66% of total worldwide letter-post volumes, 88% of parcel-post traffic, and up to 75% of express volumes, providing a statistically valid sample to analyze market evolutions, according to UPU experts.

The worldwide postal sector employs more than 5.5 million employees and operates 660,000 post offices, making it one of the largest industry workforces and the world’s largest physical distribution network.

Strong competition in the parcels and express business segments prevents the UPU from sharing detailed information about country-specific mail volumes, but analysis of survey results provides positive and negative growth rates and thus a good overview of the worldwide postal sector’s situation.

Here are the key findings by business segment (unless otherwise indicated, all figures reflect same-quarter comparisons in 2007 and 2008):

Financial services

Postal financial institutions are experiencing tremendous growth since the crisis began. Some European operators, such as Swiss Post and Deutsche Post, are experiencing annual growth rates above 50% in the number of postal deposits and savings accounts opened in 2008. Interestingly, a similar phenomenon occurred during the Great Depression, according to UPU statistics.

Parcels

After dropping from 0.5% in the first quarter of 2008 to 3.4% in the third quarter, compared to the same periods in 2007, domestic parcel volumes recovered 1.1% on a year-to-year basis in the fourth quarter. Experts say the increase could be due to record e-commerce sales during the last quarter of 2008 or strong resilience of online sales to the crisis observed in several countries. The news is not so positive, however, on the international parcels front. After experiencing growth in the first three quarters of 2008, volumes decreased by 4.5% in the last quarter among surveyed operators. Experts again believe that international parcels are not benefiting from e-commerce as cross-border sales remain challenging.

Letter post

Domestic letter post is feeling the brunt of the crisis’ impact. In a year-over-year comparison, operators reported a 5.9% decrease in volumes in the last quarter of 2008, due in part to less direct mail being generated, especially by the financial sector as credit thresholds have increased, experts believe.

As direct mail is less developed in the international arena, international letter post is showing more signs of stability. In a year-to-year comparison, Posts reported volumes varying between 3.7% and - 2.8% in the last quarter of 2008 in terms of quarterly growth rates.

Express services

Survey respondents reported a 4.4% decrease of domestic express service volumes in the last quarter of 2008, compared to the same quarter in 2007, while international volumes went from a 7.1% increase in the second quarter of 2008 to a 2.2% decrease in the last quarter. In last-quarter comparisons of 2008 and 2007, express revenues declined by 7.9% worldwide. Experts explain this drop as a consequence of consumers and businesses moving more towards low-end express services.

Stock-exchange listed Posts

Five Posts – from Austria, Germany, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Singapore – are listed on stock exchanges as well as two express courier companies, Fedex and UPS. A comparison of the evolution of their share price with their reference index from August 2008 to January 2009, the six months covering the worsening financial crisis, shows that, while the share prices of some operators were closely correlated with their reference index, those of others evolved much more positively than the market (see graphic in main report; link indicated below). Considered defensive stocks, listed postal services’ shares tend to resist better during a crisis and can even gain value, say UPU experts.

Comparison with the Great Depression

To compare the effects of this crisis with the worst performances achieved during the Great Depression, UPU experts also looked at historical postal statistics from the 1930s. Here’s what they found (all statistics from the UPU, unless otherwise indicated):

• So far, the sector has not reached performance levels recorded during the Great Depression, when postal revenues decreased by 12.3% in the United States between 1931 and 1932.

• Between 1928 and 1934, franking revenues in the United States decreased by 21.9%, with the highest drop (12.3%) occurring between 1931 and 1932; postal employment dropped by 17.6%; and the number of post offices fell by 7.8%.

• Postal savings account deposits multiplied eight-fold in the United States in the 1930s, reaching 1.2 billion USD (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs).

• In France, the sharpest decrease in franking revenues (24.8%) occurred between 1931 and 1932, following a 15.5% drop between 1929 and 1930.

• In Germany, the largest decrease in letter-post traffic reached 16.6% between 1930 and 1931.

The Greenville News reports on dozens of cases of mail fraud in South Carolina

Federal postal inspectors said that more than 50 people in South Carolina have been arrested for stealing mail or documents and committing mail fraud and identity theft. Postal inspectors say decline in the economy and increase in unemployment in Upstate South Carolina has added to the problem of mail fraud and ID theft.

KEY POINTS IN THE STORY, originally reported here:

• Criminals stole mail to commit identity theft
• Postal inspector says down economy has caused increase in “financial crimes” like mail-identity theft
• Range of charges include ID theft, mail fraud, mail theft, embezzlement, fraud and forgery
• Mail thieves are drug users who steal identities to support their habits
• I-85 Corridor has more high prevalence of meth users
• It is easy for criminals to steal from a mailbox and create an identity
• Residents shouldn’t leave mail in mailboxes

District Attorney, Nola Tedesco Foulston, is pleased to announce completion of an investigation involving a nationwide marketing company, US Work Alliance, Inc., a Georgia Corporation d/b/a Exam Services, and one of its principals.

In documents filed with the District court, the District Attorney alleged the company violated the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, by deceptively soliciting consumers to purchase postal exam preparatory materials after falsely implying such materials would help consumers obtain jobs with the United States Postal Service.

The District Attorney reached a settlement requiring Defendants to pay $90,000 in restitution to approximately 781 Sedgwick County consumers at an average recovery of $119 each.

Specifically, the District Attorney alleged that Defendants placed advertisements under the “Employment and Business Opportunity” section of local papers, such as the “Penny Power,” announcing purported job placement opportunities along with various other representations regarding salary, benefits and vacation associated with a job opening with the United States Postal Service. The ads also invited consumers to call an 800 number and provide a reference number when inquiring.

When consumers called this number, Defendants utilized a telephone script asking for a reference code from the advertisement, the consumer’s name, and whether the consumer would be willing to take a drug test before starting work. Once a consumer answered the questions and indicated a willingness to submit to a drug test, they were told, “Congratulations, you are eligible for positions with the United States Postal Service.” Defendants did not disclose they had no affiliation with the United States Postal Service and could not actually place applicants with the Postal Service.

Utilizing the phone scripts, Defendants led consumers to believe they were eligible for a position with the Postal Service and that it would provide materials to help them gain such employment, including exam preparation materials. Defendants charged consumers $119.45 for preparation materials that had the appearance of coming from the Postal Service, as the booklet was blue and white with a postage stamp and American Flag as symbols, and titled “Postal Battery Exam Study Guide.” preparatory materials. Defendants’ materials were similar to other postal exam preparatory materials available in book stores for significantly less money and from the United Postal Service for free.

The District Attorney’s Office is sending letters out to consumers who are eligible to receive a refund. If you do not receive a letter and believe you may have been a victim of this business, please contact Charles Rutter, Prosecuting Attorney, or Andrea Souders, Senior Investigator, assigned to the case at (316) 660-3600.

Remember, the alleged misrepresentations were made over an approximate two year time period, from January 2005 to October 2007. Consumers purchasing materials before or after these dates would not be eligible under the terms of the settlement. Furthermore, any consumer making a claim under this settlement must provide proof of purchase of such materials from U.S. Work Alliance and have received no refund/credit from the company, bank, or credit card issuer.

As rumored the USPS has announced they will not accept the 6014 as a legal document.  The original purpose of the document was never meant to serve as a transfer of liability from the mailer to a 3rd party.  Basically, the 6014 will not be accepted as proper certification of Move Update Compliance, and the mailer paying the postage will be held liable for a failure.

The USPS will treat detection of Move Update Compliance like any other verification test.   The same rules will apply to a Move Update Compliance failure as a barcode failure or presort error.  The presenter will have the options of paying additional postage or taking the mail back to resolve the problem.

This doesn’t change the fact that the document signed is a legal document.  The 6014 or any similarly signed document would hold as an agreement between the mail preparer and their client.  The document was never meant to serve as an agreement between the USPS and the client of the mail preparer.

The options for Move Update Compliance are:

• OneCode ACS™ (Address Change Service) in conjunction with an Intelligent Mail barcode and a mailer ID or Address Change Service used with an ACS participant code and an appropriate on-piece ancillary service endorsement

• NCOALink™ processing.

• FASTforward® MLOCR processing (letter mail only).

• Ancillary Service Endorsement.

Input Technology is asking clients to use one of the above methods for all mailings.  Most of our clients simply take advantage of our cost-effective 48 month NCOA processing service.  We require all clients mailing through us to sign a PAF (Processing Acknowledgement Form), if not using an alternative addressing format or one of the above methods.

The Processing Acknowledgment Form is required by the USPS to adhere to the Privacy Act of 1974.  The purpose is to assure that the processing and returned data isn’t used for any purpose other than updating a mail list.

Alternative addressing includes using simplified addressing such as “Current Resident” or “Postal Customer”.  It can also be exceptional addressing such as “Or Current Resident” as well as “Or Current Occupant.”  If the client uses alternative addressing, we require nothing additional from them, since Move Update does not apply.

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