In this era of technology, with the world becoming smaller each day, and with the internet becoming one of the more essential parts of our life, having an online presence of your business is highly advisable and we would even say “a must”. Although we do visit many business websites each day, but we sometimes do not realize their importance, or the fact that we could have an online presence of our own business. Infact, many businesses have even taken a start online and have grown online.
We know that millions of people browse the internet for different purposes these days. Acquiring your products/ services or coming to know about your business might well just turn out to be one of those reasons if you have an internet presence.
Making a business presence on the internet can be in any form, from an online store to a website containing your catalog, a page on facebook or a community on orkut, or even your signature on one of the blogs/groups/communities/forums you are a member of.
Imagine, if you are a regular user of the internet, you interact with atleast a few people online each day, and more people, who may not even know you, atleast see your personal online presence, even though they may not interact with you, e.g. people visiting your profile on facebook, orkut or some community or forum. If alongwith your personal presence, you could introduce your business, there would be more people knowing about it. This kind of presence goes for a small personal business.
On a larger level, you may want to have a business website, or maybe an online store.

A recent research shows that even though the murkiness for small businesses continues, they are deciding to restart investing in their businesses and to hire people. The survey results show that most small business owners are planning to hire part time employees to start with.
Owners still are not happy with the economic conditions though and acknowledge that it is affecting their businesses very negatively. Similarly, compared to a similar survey last fall, lesser entrepreneurs now feel that the economy will improve in the immediate future.
Most of the entrepreneurs are spending on technology these days, reveals the survey. It further reveals that most of the growing companies these days are in business and personal services while the ones in deeper troubles are either retailers or construction companies.
Many of these businesses may and can survive these hard times well by acting prudently and doing SWOT analysis of their businesses. The companies still growing in these circumstances are the ones who have identified the threats and opportunities surrounding them and have tried to utilize their strengths and weaknesses in capturing the opportunities while trying to minimize the risks.
Many businesses have revealed that they are investing less in their marketing because of the economic situation. This means that some companies may capture this opportunity to grow their market share by investing more in marketing in this situation.

1. Advance Payment but Delivery Later
You better use a credit card in case you buy stuff now but the delivery is scheduled a few days or weeks later. Even though you trust the company you buy stuff from, but things can go wrong anytime. Credit cards have more protections than the debit cards if something goes wrong. However always remember that cards companies offer the protection within a specific time period, so the sooner you settle the problems the better it is.
2. Recurring or Frequent Payments
You might have heard the stories about the gyms billing their ex-members’ credit cards. Well, what if you use a debit card to pay your charges at the gym? It is your bank account they are withdrawing funds from. Using a credit card for recurring payments is always a better option.
3. Future Travel
Try to use your credit card while buying travel that you will use after a few weeks or months. The point is that you don’t want to run out of money for something you won’t consume for weeks or months. Moreover, you can have peace of mind as you won’t be giving out your debit card information to anyone for weeks or months.

in the previous blog, I mentioned two places where you should not use the debit cards. Now I would like to continue the same topic, as I find it important to share with you the problems associated with using debit cards at wrong places and situations.
3. Avoid using Debit Cards at the Restaurants
It is potentially dangerous, at least to me it definitely is. When you put your debit card on the bill, you never know how many people are going to deal with your debit card. It is very much possible that your card security pin or number gets stolen by someone at the restaurant. You won’t even be able to find out the actual culprit.
Moreover there is also a possiblilty that the restaurant management charges you slightly more than your actual bill, presuming you intend to leave a tip or something. The other problem with using a debit card at restaurants: Some establishments will approve the card for more than your purchase amount because, presumably, you intend to leave a tip. To avoid all these problems, don’t reach for your debit card to pay your bills at the restaurants.
5. Don’t Pay Through a Debit Card if You’re a First-Time Customer
Never use your debit card for any kind of payment if you are a new customer. Whether it is an online store or a real brick shop, avoid using debit card while you shop in the beginning. Once you get a better idea of the type of business they are running, the quality of their services or merchandize and the credibility of their business, you may feel more comfortable while handing over your debit card to them.

in the previous blog, I mentioned two places where you should not use the debit cards. Now I would like to continue the same topic, as I find it important to share with you the problems associated with using debit cards at wrong places and situations.
3. Avoid using Debit Cards at the Restaurants
It is potentially dangerous, at least to me it definitely is. When you put your debit card on the bill, you never know how many people are going to deal with your debit card. It is very much possible that your card security pin or number gets stolen by someone at the restaurant. You won’t even be able to find out the actual culprit.
Moreover there is also a possiblilty that the restaurant management charges you slightly more than your actual bill, presuming you intend to leave a tip or something. The other problem with using a debit card at restaurants: Some establishments will approve the card for more than your purchase amount because, presumably, you intend to leave a tip. To avoid all these problems, don’t reach for your debit card to pay your bills at the restaurants.
5. Don’t Pay Through a Debit Card if You’re a First-Time Customer
Never use your debit card for any kind of payment if you are a new customer. Whether it is an online store or a real brick shop, avoid using debit card while you shop in the beginning. Once you get a better idea of the type of business they are running, the quality of their services or merchandize and the credibility of their business, you may feel more comfortable while handing over your debit card to them.

To many people both debit and credit card look almost the same. However, there are very important and big differences between them. The main difference is the way the transactions are carried out. Moreover, the protections provided to the users also differentiate a credit card from the debit card.
Both debit card and credit card have many advantages. However, each should be used for specific purposes. A debit card is the key to your bank account, so it is better not to use it everywhere even if you feel safe to. Here I identified a few places where you should avoid using a debit card.
1. Avoid using a Debit Card Online
Though Fed provides protections to the debit card consumers in case of fradualent use or theft of a debit card number, but it is still wise not to use your debit card online, or even while ordering something on phone. It links directly to your checking account, so you better be more careful while handling the debit card.
2. If Sizeable Deposit Required
When you buy some big electronic appliances or renting something big, you are often required to submit a sizable advance deposit. Always go for your credit card instead of debit card in such cases. Using debit card for a security deposit is never a good idea.

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