Understanding Canada Postal Codes

So how do you read a Postal Code? We use them all the time, but most people have no idea what the numbers and letters really mean.

All mail must have a valid address with a Postal Code in order for you to sort it and deliver it to the client. The Postal Code, along with the address, is used by Canada Post to identify the point of call. It makes our mail operations more efficient, because we can quickly sort and direct incoming mail.

The Postal Code is made up of two distinct, yet very important parts: The FSA or forward sortation area, and the LDU or local delivery unit. The first character of a Postal Code is the first level of granularity in identifying an area of Canada.

It identifies one of the  major geographic areas, provinces or districts. Here, the first character of the FSA segment, “K,” identifies eastern Ontario.

The first letter of any Canadian Postal Code identifies the area of Canada to which the mail is going. This represents a specific province, a section of a province, a territory or a major metropolitan area.

Ontario and Quebec are the only provinces that have five and three postal districts respectively, because of their dense population.

Although Nunavut separated from the Northwest Territories in , they still share the same first letter of the FSA. Moving on to the second character of the FSA, we can distinguish the community within the major geographic area.

When looking at this number, ask yourself: Is this number a )? If the second character

is a 0, it’s a rural Postal Code.

Rural Postal Codes are serviced by rural route drivers or post offices. However, if the second character is a number from 1 to 9, then it’s an urban Postal Code serviced by a delivery agent.

When you add the third character of the Postal Code, it further subdivides a town or a city. This means that we now know the exact part of the city, town, or other area where the mail is to be delivered.

Again, these first three characters represent the FSA, and any mail that starts with these three same characters will be delivered to this region.

The last three characters of the Postal Code are called the LDU. The LDU is the smallest basic unit that represents a specific Point or set of Points of Call located within the FSA. The LDU helps with the final sortation. The LDU identifies a series of houses, businesses, farms, or apartments. It can also identify a single point of call that receives a large volume of mail such as an office building.

When a row of Points of Call have the same LDU it creates a block face. In our example, we now know the specific city block and even the side of the street for the address that is to receive mail.

Note that the LDUs are not necessarily consecutive like street addresses, and in a less densely populated area they can stretch out over a much larger area.

All of these elements of the Postal Code work together in order for you and Canada Post to quickly identify the customer’s point of call.

They also assist in identifying the processing and delivery facilities as well as the post offices where mail must be directed.

Your route is made up of many Point of Calls, all with unique addresses that you must read and interpret constantly and accurately.

This is a fundamental skill for a Canada Post delivery agent.

Know your postal code in Canada.

How to choose a web hosting company in Kenya

With so many web hosting companies in Kenya today, many people wonder what it takes to find the best.  Every company out there will harp about how they are the best and no one can beat them at their game. However most of that is just hype and does not mean they are worth your time. In fact some of those who claim to bring you heaven can actually take you through hell. You have to be very careful where you host your data. Choosing a web hosting company takes more than Google, you have to go deeper than that.
The first thing that will point you in the right direction is customer reviews. These are past or existing clients of a web hosting company who choose to share with the world their experience with a certain host. Whereas some web hosts may pay their clients or give free hosting for favorable reviews, some of them are very informative and can give you an overview of what your experience with a certain host may turn out to be. Be particular about the negative reviews as they tend out to be more honest.
The other thing you will need to check is web hosting space and bandwidth. You need a web hosting company that can match your needs. How much data do you need to host and how many visitors do you get in a month. Visitor count will help you in estimating your bandwidth usage needs. Avoid over sellers at all cost. If someone tells you that they can give you unlimited storage space and bandwidth, run for the hills.
Scalability is also another option you should take into mind. Will your web host handle your site growth? If your website grew large and was getting many visitors every day, would your web host handle that or you would have to change hosts again?
You need to understand the four types of web hosting and choose the one that suits your needs. First there is shared web hosting. This means that your websites share resources with other users who host their websites on the same server. It is the most affordable web hosting out there and is usually the best choice for beginners. Virtual servers are dedicated servers that are hosted in the same computer but in different partitions. A virtual server will be allocated its own resources thus providing better performance and stability than a shared server. They are ideal for small eCommerce websites or for those whose sites receive a decent amount of web traffic every month. There is also a dedicated server which is an entire physical server dedicated to your web site. Last there is cloud web hosting. This is a type of hosting where many servers (the cloud) are designed to act as one system. It is more secure as performance and uptime is guaranteed by many servers. Adding of extra resources such as RAM and disk space is also made very easy.
Not many web hosts in Kenya will provide all these services. Many of them are usually resellers of big web hosting companies. If your chosen web host can meet your requirements, the thing you will need to be concerned with is customer support. This is where the wheat is separated from the chaff. Web hosting is easy. Great customer support is rare. If your web host can provide excellent client support, you are in good hands. My web host in Kenya is Hostbora because I figured out that for a people who have managed web sites for the last five years, they were better placed to let me know how to solve things when stuff goes wrong. That will happen frequently if you are a webmaster. I therefore encourage you to choose a host that knows what they are doing.
There are many things you should consider but the above are the most important ones. Choose a web host in Kenya because you can call them and talk at very cheap rates. You can even arrange to meet should you need personalized support.
All the best in getting a web host for your business. Take your time to do the research. You will thank me for that.

How to get paid globally- Send and receive funds globally with ease

The world has become a global village that is no doubt. With technologies like the internet, it is now possible to work for people a thousand miles away, sell goods across continents with ease and do much more. The global village scenario is likely to grow everyday as people invent new ways of communication as technologies advance. Did you know that you can get paid by people from over 200 countries? Did you know that you can pay people in those countries too, and with relative ease? Now you know.

The Payoneer Debit MasterCard has revolutionized the way people pay and get paid world over.  Let me tell you my experience as an affiliate marketer. Most of my activities online revolve on marketing other peoples’ products and getting paid commissions for it. I make good money when the year is good and the pay comes every two weeks, month or so. The thing is that I hate cheques. Where I come from cheques take forever to get processed. If you work hard for your money you would understand me when I tell you getting paid quickly is always better. Money is always sweet when you are spending it.

I was very happy when I came across the Payoneer Card. Now I could get paid instantly and get my money in two days, or two hours depending on how badly I needed the money and whether I would be willing to part with an extra three dollars. That is pretty quick considering PayPal takes 2-8 days to process and it is a relatively new service offered by only one bank in my country. The charges charged by the banks don’t match their services either. Before we were like many other countries and there was no way of withdrawing money from PayPal. Payoneer has changed all that. In fact, it has increased the number of products I can promote as an affiliate since I can now get paid by companies worldwide with relative ease.

What is the Payoneer Card and why must I have it?

The Payoneer card is a Debit MasterCard offered by Choice Bank Limited in the U.S. Being a debit card means that you only use the money that is loaded into the card. It is also a payment card meaning that you will mostly use it to receive payments.  Anyone from any part in the world can apply for it. Indeed they are living to their motto of enabling global commerce.

Some leading companies that pay to Payoneer include Elance, Odesk, Freelancer.com and other popular freelancing sites. If you are an affiliate at Amazon you can also get paid using the card. Other companies include: Adorika, Admob, FriendFinder affiliates, PayPal among a host of other U.S companies. 

What about the U.S. Payment service?

Once you have your card, you can apply for the U.S payment service that allows you to get paid by any U.S company. This service allows you to operate a virtual U.S bank account where companies can deposit your money and it is loaded into your card. 

Being able to get paid by U.S companies is going to increase your chances of making more dollars by the day as you work online.

How do I use the money on the card?

Good question right there. You can access cash at the ATM. However, if you work hard for the money you want to spend it in a better way. The reason I am saying this is because you get charged $3.15 plus ATM charges for withdrawing your money. A better way of spending your money would be to shop with your card. You swipe free at hundreds of thousands of MasterCard points of sale worldwide. You can even get cash while you shop. Know of a better deal? I don’t think so.

Can I refer my friends to Payoneer?

Once you start using the card, you will surely want to spread the word. Payoneer actually gives you an incentive. For every friend you refer to them and they get approved to get the card you will receive $25 to your account. Even better is that your friend will get $25 too. It’s a win win all the way.

If you have done affiliate marketing then you probably know that products that don’t cost anything sell like hot cakes. The Payoner card is very popular among guys who make money online. If you know a friend who does that then they will probably need the card. You can make lots of money referring friends.

How do I get my card?

You can apply for the card by clicking this link. You will be taken to the Payoneer website where you will fill in your details. After your application is approved your card will be send to you in the mail. Activate it in your account and start using it immediately.

If you would like to know more check out my Payoneer Friend blog where I share more about the card. You will love it nonetheless. I only hear of positive remarks from friends and acquaintances worldwide. I recommend it for you. In this day and age anyone who is serious about making money online should have one.

How to receive PayPal payments in Kenya

Many Kenyans were very happy to know that PayPal now pays to Kenya. You can withdraw your money to a local bank without running the risk of your account being disabled or losing your money to fraudulent money exchangers. Equity bank delivered another first becoming the first bank in Kenya and the second in Africa to allow PayPal payments. The bank estimates that there are at least 100, 000 PayPal users in Kenya currently. Honestly I did not know that there are so many Kenyans dealing with online financial transactions. Very impressive.

You may also have heard about Nation Hela. It is a Visa debit card that allows you to withdraw your money from PayPal and use it for shopping or withdraw from Visa branded ATMs countrywide. The money in your card will be held by the Diamond Trust Bank. Considering the Nation claims to deliver the truth and have been trustworthy all these years, you can trust them to deliver your dollar. You can sign up for your Nation Hela card from Diamond Trust Bank branches all over Kenya.

These two services have made life very simple for the many freelancers, online entrepreneurs and many other people who may want to receive payments from abroad. Kenya is slowly becoming digital in many ways and I am happy these companies are ready to help our fellow citizens receive their hard earned cash in a trustworthy way.  The only problem I have with these services is that they do not provide real time payments like Payoneer. Your money will take 2-5 days to arrive. Sometimes money may be held for up to 8 days.

If you have never heard about Payoneer, they are an American company that is making global payments easy. You can receive money not just from PayPal but Skrill (Moneybookers), Apple, Amazon, Odesk, Freelancer as well as a host of other U.S. companies. If you are serious about making money online then you need to sign up for the card and the U.S. payment service because you are going to use it at some point. That is for sure.

Withdrawing money from your favorite freelancing site is easy and takes minutes. Paying $2 dollars is way much better than the money banks around here charge for wire transfer. Last time I was charged a whooping Ksh. 600 to withdraw a little over Kshs. 2000. Unlike bank wire transfer which take days, Payoneer pays you immediately. In a few minutes you can be shopping with your card or withdraw your money from Mastercard branded ATMs countrywide.

Payoneer has simply changed the way I get my money from majuu. Now I know that I can spent the money I have just been paid because I can withdraw it immediately. I can also pay so many other card-holders using my card. This makes making money online so easy for me. With the card you can operate a virtual U.S. bank account and get paid just like someone from the U.S.

You can sign up for the card here or take some time to learnmore about the Payoneer debit Mastercard. Simply put, I have found no easier way to withdraw money from Paypal or get paid internationally.

How to get paid like a U.S. citizen

Many people who make money online do not necessarily come from the United Sates. It is better for you if you are for you get paid in real time. For those of us who live outside the states, you have to wait for several days for your payment to be processed. It will be worse for you if PayPal does not offer payments to your country. All these challenges can be very disheartening for anyone who is trying to make money online.

Many people nowadays know how to make money online.  When I started back in college, nobody would take you seriously if you told them you were making money on the web. Today even old, technologically challenged people know that the web offers a very great opportunity to make an honest living.

There are many ways to earn money on the internet. The easiest way is to offer a service for a fee or sell goods. If you do not have your own goods, you can do affiliate marketing.  In all these cases most people get paid through PayPal.  The only problem is that PayPal is not available in many countries for withdrawals.

 So what to do?

Have you ever heard of a Payoneer Debit card?  It is a prepaid card that allows you to pay and get paid just like you were living in the United States.  You are able to withdraw your money from anywhere you see the Master Card sign. That is thousands of ATMs and points of sale worldwide.  

With a Payoneer Debit card, your money is available as soon as you are paid. If you are paying somebody who just worked for you, this card is the best payment solution out there.  You will never have to worry about carrying cash or paying your freelancers who come from different countries. Considering the popularity of the card, they will be having one too. That makes work easy for you.

The U.S. Payment service

After you have applied for your card and it’s available, you can apply for the U.S. payment service. It enables you get paid from a host of U.S. companies such as PayPal , Skrill(MoneyBookers), Amazon among others.  This is a working method of moving money from Skrill or Paypal to your card. You can themn withdraw it from any ATM with the MasterCard sign. If you are serious about making money online, I would recommend you apply for the service as you will use it at some point.

A Payoneer debit card is your friend when you are working on the internet. It ensures that your payments are processed seamlessly.  While other people have to wait for days to receive their payments, yours are complete in a minute. Most payments usually take 2-5 days. Yours will be processed faster.

You can apply for the card by going here. For those of you who would like to know more about the card, here is a post about Payoneer DebitPrepaid MasterCard.

Work from Home Jobs that Pay

For many people, working from home is a dream come true. It is very convenient especially if you have been used to commuting every day to work. Most people have to beat the morning rush every day for all their career life just to earn a pittance.  What if you could earn a full income without having to leave the comfort of your home?

Working from home has many advantages. For one you save a lot of time that could have been lost in traffic jams on your way to and from work. This translates to more work hours and subsequently more time to recover and rest in readiness for another day. So effective is this arrangement that some companies are willing to let some of their staff who do work that requires a lot of thinking like programmers to work from the comfort of their homes.

Money is another factor to consider. If you want to improve your financial ability, you spend less and make more. By working from home you cut on food expenses, commuting expenses, impulse buying and many others small things you spend money on when you leave your house.  From the time you gain, you could do other activities that improve your income.

Some work from home jobs that pay include:

Freelance Writing

This must be the most popular of all online jobs. By signing up with a freelancing website you are able to sell your writing skills to interested clients who outsource for content. You can also do research essays and write theses for pay.

Computers and the Internet

The most popular job in the internet today is HTML 5 programming. Web designers who are well versed with designing websites using the current standards can make lots of money by offering their skills to interested clients. You can set up a web design company and work from home too. This not only saves on rent for office but also enables you to work in a comfortable place. Software development is also another job you can do from home for your clients.

Call Center Jobs

Small companies are constantly outsourcing for people to handle their excess clients. All you need is a phone, language and public relations skills and you are good to go. The company can direct their excess phone traffic to you and you get paid for handling that.

Reseller Jobs

This type of a job allows you to make money marketing goods. The good part is that you do not need to have any goods for sale. You sell other peoples merchandise for a commission;say ten percent of the profit. If you are a good marketer and the demand for the goods is high, then you are in for some good money making.

You can do many jobs that are not listed here in your house. Family members can even help you up to get the job done. You just have to make sure that professionalism is maintained and you deliver on your promises and deadlines.