Another thing to be aware of are scams. There are numerous scams around, from people sending out emails pretending to be from PayPal asking you to confirm your credit card numbers, to hackers going in to your account and spending all your money.

Other negative aspects of PayPal are that it is not available in all countries and you can only receive payment in a few currencies.

By using PayPal you take a large risk compared to using normal banking system. The chance of loosing your money is there. At moment there are several lawsuits filed against PayPal and a lot of people who have lost money and not received any compensation. Have a look at these web sites:

http://www.paypalwarning.com http://www.aboutpaypal.org/

A few tips for using PayPal

The majority of people having problems with PayPal are people selling items via auctions etc. Some examples: Payment is cashed from buyers account and not transferred to sellers account. A buyer uses a stolen credit card number to purchase items from you and your account risk being frozen for being involved with criminal activity.

As long as you use PayPal to receive money and don’t connect you PayPal account to a credit card risk is relatively low. In worst case you could loose money available on you PayPal account, threw whatever reason: hackers getting in to your account, PayPal freezing your account etc.

Having read a few of horror stories about PayPal, I am very cautious using their system. But I still use it for receiving small payments. Basically out of lack of alternatives. PayPal was first company to offer this kind of service, and for a long time it was only company providing this service.

In last year or so a few other companies have started providing same service or very similar services. Most of them are very new companies and still not industry standard. When I ask agencies if they pay via Moneybookers for instance, they have never heard of this. But many of them can offer payment threw PayPal.

I am sure there soon will be very good alternatives. But for now it seems we are stuck with PayPal whether we like it or not.

Guidelines for using PayPal

The only advice I can give is to be careful using PayPal. Here are some tips to help minimize risk of loosing money threw PayPal.

1. Only receive smaller amounts threw PayPal. 2. Never leave large amounts on your PayPal account: Withdraw your money as soon as you have a couple of hundred Euros/Dollars. 3. Log in to your account and check that everything is ok each time you expect to receive payment. 4. Be prepared to loose money on your account.

These answers are your red meat, input you need to create public relations goal. For example, clear up a misconception, kill that rumor once and for all, or fix that inaccuracy. Each of which can lead to target audience behaviors you won’t like one little bit.

Reaching that goal is another story. You need a strategy to do it and you have just three choices as you deal with your opinion/perception challenge: create perception where there may be none, change existing opinion, or reinforce it. But take care when you identify your strategy that it compliments your goal.

The heavy lifting in your public relations problem solving sequence will be done by message you prepare designed to correct negative perception you identified during your perception monitoring session. You must be very clear about offending perception, particularly why it is untrue. Remember that you want to change what people believe and, thus, their behaviors so that you can achieve your unit’s objectives. Which is why message must be both believable and compelling.

Getting message from your organization to attention of members of your target audience is your next challenge. Luckily, there is a long list of communications tactics standing ready to help you do just that. They range from media interviews, personal meetings and speeches to press releases, newsletters, facility tours and many more. But check carefully that tactics you employ have a proven record of reaching people similar to those who make up your target audience.

Inevitably, questions will be asked as to whether all this smoke and flame is producing any results. A question that can only be answered back out in field interacting once again with members of your key outside audience.

While you’ll be using same questions used during your first opinion monitoring drill, this time you’re looking for indications that hurtful perceptions are actually changing, as will inevitable follow on behaviors.

Incidentally, you can always put pedal to metal with additional communications tactics, as well as using them more frequently.

What you have, finally, is blueprint you need to help persuade your most important stakeholders to take actions that lead to your success as a business, a non-profit or an association manager.

And your cost was “bagging” a PR effort that simply couldn’t deliver key external audience behaviors you need to achieve your unit objectives.

end

Bob Kelly counsels, writes and speaks to managers about using the fundamental premise of public relations to achieve their operating objectives. He has been DPR, Pepsi-Cola Co.; AGM-PR, Texaco Inc.; VP-PR, Olin Corp.; VP-PR, Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Co.; director of communications, U.S. Department of the Interior, and deputy assistant press secretary, The White House. mailto:bobkelly@TNI.net Visit:http://www.prcommentary.com