Lesley Harrison´s profile
Reviews (6)
Grab Media
Puts your video posting on autopilot
I started using GrabPress recently to auto-post video content to some of my blogs. I have been really impressed with it so far. This isn't the first auto-poster that I've tried, but it is the first one that has "just worked" out of the box. Using it really is as simple as installing it and picking the categories / types of videos that you want to have appear on your blog. You can set category, post author, update frequency, and content providers.
Of the blogs that I tried it on, it worked perfectly on most of them - there were a few issues with the positioning of the video on one that had an old, heavily edited theme on it - but I blame the theme. All it took was a few CSS tweaks and it looked fine.
I use this plugin to queue up a couple of video posts per day - it keeps my blogs looking fresh and interesting, and I've already seen a boost to traffic from it.
Identityguard
Identityguard saved my sanity
Back in June, I was the victim of a robbery, and among the things stolen were my phone, laptop, wallet and several personal documents. It was easy enough to change all my logins (not that I store passwords on my devices anyway, but it pays to be paranoid!), and I was able to cancel all of the cards before they were used, but I was still nervous about the fact that someone had their hands on my personal information, especially since I travel so much these days - I was worried that I'd come back from a business trip and discover someone had ruined my credit rating while I was blissfully unaware of what was going on.
A friend of mine who had picked up IdentityGuard through the offer for Comcast Xfinity users told me how simple and useful it was. I'd never been concerned about identity theft before, but now that I thought there was a genuine risk of it happening, I picked it up. So far, I've been lucky, there's been no suspicious activity. I plan to keep the service for at least a year just to be on the safe side.
Bodybuilding
Expensive shipping but great variety and community
Bodybuilding.com has a huge range of supplements in their store; far more than any local store. I use them for products that I can't find locally. Shipping and delivery is expensive and a little slow, but the prices are good (especially if you wait for special offers and stock up then) so it's worth it in my opinion. I also like spending time in the community sections - tracking workouts on bodyspace, reading the articles, and posting on the forums.
Paypal
Painful fees, but getting better over time
I'm self-employed, and most of my clients pay me via Paypal. Over the last few years, the service has improved massively. I appreciate being able to cash out with the Faster Payments system and get access to money in my bank account almost instantly (and with no fees), but I hate the rest of the fee structure. It costs me a lot each month to receive payments, but my clients won't pay by BACS so I don't have much choice.
I've had a lot of problems with payments being held for review, and my account getting locked "for security reasons". Sadly, Paypal is pretty much universally accepted/used, and I have yet to find a good alternative.
Scan Computers
Unreliable, Poor Customer Service
When I'm in the UK I buy most of my computer hardware and gadgets online, but since there's only a handful or large vendors, I find myself alternating between the same few companies, one of which is Scan.
The "Today only" deals look so tempting, but they're a gamble I'm getting sick of taking. I've had orders arrive with parts missing (or the wrong parts), I've had several poorly packaged orders where the hardware was DOA, and I've had numerous billing issues. When things go wrong, support is slow to respond, and it can take more than a month to get the issue corrected. I'd rather shop elsewhere and pay a little more to have things go right first time.
Amazon
Great for odd gifts and niche items, not so good for books
I rarely buy books on amazon these days (my local book store is better value for all but the hardest to find titles), but I love it for odd gifts, executive toys, and even food items that are hard to find where I live. I just wish the delivery estimates were more accurate.
Lesley Harrison´s profile
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