Integrated Communications, SMS messaging, Privacy, Contact Prioritisation, Email privacy, Instant web pages, WebCards, In-the-clouds Service, Database Marketing, Zero PC footprint, Text-to-Voice technology, Blog, Instant publishing, CRM

1.1 What is gem99?

Created for business, busy professional and personal users, the gem99 Privileged service is a fully web-based, in-the-clouds application that delivers a step-change in management your web messages and contacts through the fusion of contact relationship management (CRM), web and assured communications technologies. For business, the importance of your contact list cannot be overstated, it is the treasure trove that is crucial to your business and gem99 helps build and organise your contacts database enabling you to categorise and bestow privileged access to favoured contacts. At the same time, although gem99 enhances your web profile and your contacts’ access to you, gem99 has the facility to protect your privacy and deter unwanted communications. By enabling you to separate your most valued contacts from the crowd you both save wasting time and letting your most valued contacts – customers, suppliers, colleagues, prospects and friends – know that they are most important to you and thus have privileged status.

gem99’s innovative WebCard concept blends secure message-taking with self-publicising web pages. Linked to your gem99 account, your own uniquely addressed WebCards automatically capture new contacts, recognise existing ones and deliver s message content directly to your specified destination(s) via multiple communication options.

Two way communications with contacts are recorded as dialogue ‘threads’ and you can communicate securely with individuals or groups via gem99’s privileged email, Global SMS, “Text2Voice”, (g2g) instantaneous messaging /file transfer or even via your contacts’ own gem99 WebCards.

Why use gem99?

Ø Simplicity: create your gem99 Privileged starter account and you get an instant, web-based, pre-configured application that requires no installation, no maintenance and no hassle. You are up and ready to go within minutes of creating your account.

Ø Advanced Communications: you benefit from the gem99’s unique communications tool - the message taking gem99 WebCard which is your Internet “window” that is fully integrated with multiple communications methods.

Ø Adaptability: just edit and personalise your WebCard settings using the wizard and you are ready to capture contacts and messages into your contact manager database in minutes. You choose what information you wish to collect from new contacts and how and where your messages are delivered.

Ø Flexibility: Handle incoming and outgoing messages, display images, publish your files or blog. You direct messages received through your WebCard via one or more media of your choice to yourself or other specified destination.

Ø Privacy: Your WebCard will always eliminate spam and unwanted clutter but by setting a WebCard password you can separate your favoured contacts from the crowd. Create your own private communications networks completely outside email and grant your favoured contacts privileged access to you.

Ø Power Features: The powerful but simple-to-use built-in “contact management” features are a boon for classifying and grouping your contacts, broadcasting messages via different communications media and creating/managing contact lists. It makes Database Marketing easy.

Ø Integration: You can use gem99 either as a standalone system or integrate it with your existing website – instead of using “Contact Us” link your site to your gem99 unique WebCard address. Gem99 messages routed to you by email options can be posted directly into a gem99 folder in your standard email application.

Ø Cost: gem99 represents incredible value for money, providing your business with a communications / CRM facility that would normally cost you dearly in initial cost, set-up and on-going maintenance.

Ø Potential: Gem99 has a program of development to add a range of useful and simple-to-use business functions to the core service and we can provide bespoke add-on applications to tailor for your individual needs using our DevX applications technology.

Ø Increase your ROI & profits: Cost savings, time savings and the ability to create extra revenue from your contact database all help you make your business more profitable.

1.2 In a nutshell, what does gem99 give you?

treasure

Ø A Secure Contact Manager Database account and toolset

· An instant, on-line contact management account (CRM) accessible via any Internet connection either through our website or a desktop shortcut

· All your incoming and outgoing messages (emails, SMS, g2g, Text2Voice, WebCard messages) are logged as conversation threads against your contacts.

· Create reusable contact lists, sub-lists for Database marketing

Ø A Communications ‘Hub’

· Create your own private communications area separate from email

· Send messages and files to your privileged contacts via gem99’s secure g2Gg instantaneous messaging facility, track status

· Powerful CRM features including message broadcasting/distribution via email, SMS and Text2Voice text conversion (Mobile / cell phones and Fixed line)

· Integrates with Skype

· Gem99 brokers your messages so your can keep your email address private.

· Grant privileged access to your private communications area to trusted contacts

Ø WebCard(s) – Uniquely addressed, secure message-taking web page-forms

· Your own message-taking, contact-capture / recognition web page (called a WebCard) to provide a synopsis of you /your business.

· Optionally publish viewable / downloadable attachments such as press releases, photographs, articles, a blog etc. to your Webcard(s)

· Your WebCard(s) routes incoming messages, depending on your current settings, to your gem99 contact manager, to an email, by Global SMS to a mobile, by Text2Voice conversion to any telephone number. You need never miss an important message or enquiry.

· Configurable: change settings in minutes or even seconds – providing News updates, your whereabouts, special offers and turning messaging on/off/redirecting your messages.

· Built-in Spam blocking but an optional password-controlled gatekeeper to permit only favoured contacts to send you messages

· My Free Privileged accounts contains a generous number of message resources including SMS and Text2Voice credits

Ø Optional publicity for your WebCard(s)

· Gem99 is developing relationships with local and nationally-based business listing directories – reciprocal agreements whereby our users WebCards can be automatically included advertising lists – and be found by the public on the web. This will save our users time and money advertising their products and services.

· Gem99 has its own person / business WebCard directory for you and visitors to our website to locate and communicate with WebCard holders

2 Getting Started

Things you can do when you get your new gem99 account

An email will automatically be sent to you when you register for a gem99 account and your first WebCard. Using the details provided:

· Log on to your account with your username / password

· Create a convenient short-cut on your desktop (optional)

· Have a look around the gem99 menu

· Change your password to a more memorable phrase (optional)

· View your WebCard

· Edit your WebCard settings – upload an image or logo

· Experiment with your WebCard

· Experiment with sending emails / SMS from gem99

· Add some contacts (manually)

· Import contacts into gem99 from your email application

· Optionally, upload files (pictures / documents etc.) into gem99 and add attachments to your WebCard

· Optionally, add a folder in your normal email account for messages@gem99.com and set a rule to send messages here automatically

· Optionally add a link to your WebCard to your email signature

· Optionally, link your existing website “Contact us” hyperlink to your gem99 WebCard(s)

· Have a look around this guide to see how gem99 can help you and your business

2.1 Logging In to gem99

When you register for a gem99 Privileged account at gem99.com you will receive an auto-email with your default password and settings, you can then log-in to your new gem99 account. There are two methods of logging in and it is up to you which you find the most convenient.

A) Via the main gem99.com Website

Click on the LOGIN tab at the top right of the main gem99 website and enter your username / password. Through this method you will be using gem99 within a “frame” in the main website. It’s the most convenient if you are logging into a PC other than your own - in-the-clouds technology enables you to access your gem99 account from most browsers anywhere in the world.

B) Via a short-cut on you desktop or a gem99 Log-in icon

For quick and convenient access (e.g. for frequent use) you can create a log-in shortcut on your desktop, which when clicked will take you directly to your account, by-passing the normal log in process. It also has the benefit of working at full screen width. In your welcome email from gem99 you will have a shortcut link which you can copy and paste onto your PC desktop. This is the most convenient way of accessing your account on an every day basis. For further information: Create a desktop shortcut .

Snapshot of a gem99 account:

2.1.1 The Main Screen and Menu

On logging-in you will see the gem99 menu on the left hand side and the “operational” pane on the right. Menu items are organised by the key headings and all options readily accessible. By default, the New Messages table/grid is displayed on logging in and whenever a function is closed. At the top of the screen are your log-in details and, if applicable any messages / reminders from gem99 admin such as “You are running out of SMS credits”. You can hide these messages by clicking the adjacent [Hide] button.

Clicking a main menu item will expand out the sub-items, click again and the sub-items will be closed.

2.1.2 Changing your Log-in Password

To change your password (e.g. from the default given to you at registration), go to Menu > My Account > Account details which displays your details and current resource settings. Click the change password button, enter (and repeat) your new password and remember to click the [Save changes] button before exiting.

You can change your name and address settings but not your username or email address.

2.1.3 Log-in Session duration

For security and performance reasons if your gem99 log-in session remains inactive for >20 minutes, your session will time out and you will need to log-in again.

2.2 Integrating gem99 with an existing website

If you don’t already have a dedicated website then gem99 can be the ideal way of creating your own instant Internet presence for extremely low cost – it does most of what you need – advertises, publishes and communicates. However, the majority of businesses already have a website which will contain all the key aspects that a website should have BUT, creating a contact management channel via a website is not a simple matter and the classic “Contact us” email link can be ineffective giving rise to all manner of junk and contact inefficiency. Instead of pointing your “Contact us” via “Emailto”, all you need to do to integrate with gem99 is create a link to a gem99 WebCard address - giving you the flexibility to reconfigure and highlight information you want to put across, specify the information you want to collect about the contact – and importantly make your existing contacts feel privileged and recognised. Use you gem99 account to manage your contact list or simply filter, prioritise and divert messages to your preferred email account(s).

A WebCard address link takes the form www.gem99.com?=MyWebCard

2.3 Integrating gem99 messages with your default email application

Messages routed to you via email options will be delivered to your email address via messages@gem99.com and the source / sender will be identified in the subject line. Emails will arrive either from contacts using your Webcard(s) or other gem99 users sending you emails via their gem99 account. If you wish you can separate and organise your gem99 priority emails into a separate email folder in your standard email application (e.g. MS Outlook) using the message rules facility.

2.3.1 Adding a link to your WebCard to your normal email messages

If you use a signature file to automatically add your name, contact details (and often corporate policy statements etc.) then you might like to add an icon pointing to your WebCard. The link is automatically sent to you when you sign up for an account and unmodified, presents as:

Click the link to send a message directly to me via my gem99 WebCard

$file://C:\Users\Peter Domanski\Documents\Personal\mailbutton2.jpg$

It can be simply cut and paste into your ‘email signature file’. If you do not have one already set up, use your email ‘Help’ button to assist you. In Microsoft products (e.g. Windows mail, Outlook) details can be found under the Tools > Options menu item.

3 Managing Your Contacts

“Contacts” are the key people and organisations in your contact database. The minimum you require for a contact is a name and an email address* but you can add more information as required. Each contact must have a unique email address and duplicates are automatically excluded. You can enrich contact information with a variety of data (telephone / mobile numbers, address etc.) and some gem99 communications functions you can add additional information (e.g. for sending SMS or Text2Voicemail). To see all or a selection of your contacts Menu > My Contacts > Open Contact Manager.

*If your contact is another gem99 user, they may choose to keep their email address private.

3.1 Creating contacts

There are three ways of creating (capturing) contacts in gem99:

1. Automatically when a new contact visits your WebCard(s) and sends you a message

2. Manually by entering them yourself Menu > My Contacts > Add an new contact

3. Imported from another application e.g. From MS Outlook or Windows mail.

3.1.1 Contacts Created via a WebCard visit

When a visitor wishes to send you a message via your WebCard he/she is required to provide an email address which we treat as their unique identifier (but can be their gem99 username). Gem99 checks to see if their identity is recognised in your contact list and, if not, the visitor is advised that this is the first time they have visited and invited to provide some additional details (depending what you have asked for on your WebCard set-up). The minimum required, in addition to the email address is their name. On completion of this one-off identity request, gem99 creates the new contact and saves the message as the first “thread”. Subsequent visits to your WebCard will not require the contact to provide further identification. Visitors to WebCards who are also gem99 users can enter their gem99 username instead of the email address and their account details presented automatically (which they may decline to send, if they don’t want to). Additionally, gem99 users can decline to reveal their email address – gem99 will “broker” their messages via their username without disclosing their email address. In this case “Hidden” will be displayed in the contact’s email address field.

Note, if you have set and enabled a password on your WebCard, your visitor is required to enter it correctly. The message will not be sent if they don’t have the correct password. If you have not set a password, a CATCHPA security code will be displayed in non-machine readable text which the visitor is required to enter correctly. This to ensure that automated “spambots” can send you unwanted messages. Note: for the password mechanism to operate you will need to have Privileged user status.

3.1.2 Contacts entered manually

To enter a new contact: Menu > My contacts > Add a new contact, the form enables you to add as much information as you have or want to put in about the contact and if your contact uses your WebCard there will be no request for identity validation. Note that the Send message option (Menu > My messages > Send a message) also gives you the opportunity to create a new contact.

3.1.3 Importing Contacts

If you already have a lot of contacts in another application (e.g. Outlook or Windows Mail) and would like to use them in gem99, you do not have to re-enter them all manually. Most systems (including Outlook) provide a contact export facility – usually to a “comma delimited” .csv file and gem99 can import and load unique contacts into your Contact Manager. To use the contact importer:

Menu > My contacts > Import Contacts

The format of the file comprises a header line E.g. Name, E-mail Address (+ other fields that can be recognised by gem99), subsequent lines are the contacts so a short file might look as follows:

Name, E-mail Address

Peter Piper, peter@pickledpepper.com

Janet Jones, Janet308@hotmail.com

The above file is the same as the MS Outlook export format. To export, say from Outlook go to File > Export > Address book, then select the text file option [comma separated values].

To use the gem99 contact importer you will need to upload the file into your File Resources Area.

3.2 The gem99 Contact Manager (CM)

treasure The gem99 Contact Manager (CM) is used primarily for “power” functions on contacts – e.g. Broadcasting messages (as in mail shots to selected groups of contacts by email, SMS or even Text2Voice.

To open the CM, Menu > My Contacts > Contacts Manager and you will see an unfiltered list of your contacts. You can narrow down your list by a search filter, e.g. enter a name (or part of a name) in the name filter box, the contact type you wish to look at or a List Name (if you have created one). Click the [Search ] button to see your selection.

To refine your selection of contacts further (e.g. to create a reusable contact list or broadcast a message) use the check / uncheck controls adjacent to the ‘Refine list’ label. You can tick-check individual contacts and reject unchecked contacts (click ‘keep checked rows’) or you can do the reverse, i.e. reject the contacts you have tick-checked (click ‘Discard checked rows’).

Explore these selection facilities to provide a highly effective means of preparing contacts for bulk messaging (broadcasting) and creating/maintaining contact lists.

3.2.1 View and edit contact details

To view or edit individual contact details click on the View/edit field (left hand side) of the contact table grid to open contact details:

Use this form to manually update contact details. In particular ensure the telephone numbers are up to date if you want to use SMS / Text2Voice messaging facilities. It is also useful to designate contact type so that contacts of a particular type can be selective displayed in the contact list grid.

Note: gem99 endeavours to ensure that contacts are not duplicated (an important factor if you performing message broadcasts / bulk messaging). To make this effective we treat the email address as the ‘unique identifying’ data item and in this version of gem99 you cannot edit the email address for a contact.

Telephone numbers: The gem99 SMS / Text2Voice service provider makes an assumption that telephone numbers without an international prefix is a UK number BUT as gem99 is an international service, please prefix your contact numbers with the appropriate country prefix.

3.3 Contact Tips

3.3.1 Database Marketing (DM)

dm1 Everybody is used to receiving emails (and even SMS messages) from companies and organisations with news of events, sales offers or even just a note to say that they haven’t heard from you for a while (and you are still regarded as a “valued” customer). In most cases the message will go straight in the bin but there will be the occasion when there is something of interest to hold your attention – and you might even respond to an offer. The company concerned has included you in a ‘mail shot’; you were probably one amongst thousands of contacts emailed. It is a very powerful marketing tool, once you have done business, if you are contacted again there’s a significant chance that you will buy again. In fact, it’s a well-known marketing rule that creating business from existing, happy customers is a lot easier than trying to drum up business from new customers – so treat your contact list as the treasure it is and it will pay you dividends.

You can use the gem99 CM for Direct / database marketing mail shots. Select the contacts you want to communicate with, put them in a reusable Contact List and broadcast them a message – it could be sales offers, product announcements, company News or whatever. You can attach a document (e.g. a pdf) to your email, however, as your WebCard link will be at the bottom of your gem99 email, you could also publish your latest offering as a WebCard file attachment.

3.3.2 Skype

skype If you have installed Skype on your PC with the Outlook extension set, (for Internet Explorer 7 and above), your contact names and telephone numbers are automatically recognised as “Skype-enabled” in gem99 and synchronised with your Skype account so you can click highlighted contacts to make low cost/free telephone or video calls and send messages. Mozilla Firefox users will need to ensure that their version of Firefox has the correct Skype extension installed to synchronise with gem99. If you are not a Skype user already, visit www.skype.com for further details.

3.3.3 Deleting contacts

bin Using the contact selector, select the contact(s) you wish to delete and click [Show all actions available] and select [Delete Contacts]. Click [DELETE listed contacts]. You will be asked to confirm whether you want to delete all the listed contacts by clicking [Confirm Delete]. If you do so ALL the contacts listed on your page will be deleted + all their associated messages and any entries they may have in your Contact Lists. Note that this command will delete ALL the contacts shown in the grid below not just those that have ticks in their check boxes.

3.3.4 Make use of Contact types

privivilege Gem99 provides you with a couple of ways to classify your contacts. Firstly you can assign a contact type (e.g. Customer, Friend, Board member etc) so you can use the contact selector to just pull-up the contacts you want to see by type. When first captured using WebCard, the type will be defaulted to GENERAL. If you need to add more types that the ones provided Menu > My Account > Manage ref. Codes > Contact types.

3.3.5 Create Contact Lists

Most businesses create sub-lists of contacts – e.g. for mail shots, email circulars, closed communication lists. To create a re-selectable list Menu > My Contacts > Open Contact Manager to use the Contact manager / contact selector to list the contacts you want to put in a list. Click [Show all actions available] and select the [Create / Remove Contact List] action and [Create a Contact List] command. Make sure the selected contacts are exactly the ones you require and enter a new Contact List in the box shown, click the [Create New Contact List] button and your list will be created. From then on you will be able to bring back this reusable contact selection by selecting your Contact List and click [Search].

Note you can create as many lists as you want (club member list, notification list, brochure send list, etc.) and contacts may be present in as many lists as you want.

To remove a contact list click [Show all actions available] and select the [Create / Remove Contact List] action and [Remove Contact List name] command. Use the pull-down list to select the list you want to remove and click [Remove Contact List name]. Note that only the list is destroyed not your contacts!

4 Sending and Receiving Messages

Messages are always associated with a contact and exist as conversation / dialogue “threads”. In gem99 we classify them as either IN (incoming from your contact) or OUT (sent by you to your contact).

By default new messages are always displayed when you close a menu item. New messages appear in bold in the “Inbox New” pane, once opened they will disappear from view and can be seen in the “Inbox All” folder.

The “All my messages”, as one would expect displays all messages, both IN and OUT and also include messages pending deletion as “Recycle” status

4.1 Reading Messages

Your messages both in and out are accessed through the Menu > My Messages > menu items and whenever you close a menu function the New messages grid will be displayed so that new incoming messages will be brought to your attention. New (unread) messages are displayed in bold. Old inward, sent and All messages are viewable as separate options. To read a message click on the message line to open up the message text and details.

4.1.1 Replying

Click the [Reply] button in the View messages form to be presented with the reply options (see below)

4.1.2 Deleting messages

bin To delete a message in the View message screen select the RECYCLE option and then click [Move to Folder] and exit the form. Your messages sent for recycle will be viewable in under Menu > My Messages > All messages until the recycle folder is emptied. To empty the recycle folder Menu > My Account > Empty recycle bin.

4.1.3 More about Inward Messages

IN messages arriving in your CM are derived from the following sources

· Your WebCard(s)

· “G2G” contacts

WebCard messages

These are messages from visits to your WebCard(s) enabling visitors to send you messages and their contact details. In order for messages to be captured and stored in your CM ensure that the Save contacts / messages in the gem99 database option is ticked for WebCard settings.

g2g Messages

Trusted contacts can communicate directly with you via their gem99 log in (without using email). Conversation threads are written directly into your contact manager message database. Messages sent this way are both secure and instantaneous (they are more reliable than emails because they cannot be delayed by traffic through mail servers or trapped in the increasingly ‘aggressive’ anti-spam filters that can affect even innocent emails. They comprise a subject line and a message body and can include a file attachment. g2g is only permissible if yourself and your contact are gem99 users and explicitly enable each other’s contact details with a tick in the “allow g2g link” box. Either party can disable the link to prevent further communications by this method. g2g communications are guaranteed and are not subject to the vagaries of email servers, wayward anti-spam filters and other network delays. Likewise a g2g attachment file delivery is also instantaneous, private and protected.

4.2 Sending messages from your gem99 account to a single contact

On clicking the “Send a message” a list of contacts is presented to you which you can scan through, you can also click on the column headings to sort. You can also use the Find function (Control + F keys), enter a keyword and all occurrences will be highlighted. You can create a new contact from this screen by clicking [Add a new contact]. Once you have found the contact you want to send a message to, click the Send field on the left hand side of the row.

4.2.1 Making an Outgoing Message

Menu > My Messages > Send a message This takes you to a contact grid where you can select [send] or [edit] for the contact you want to send a message to. You are then invited to choose the means of sending your message (Email, SMS, Text2Voice-Mobile, Text2Voice-Land line). Additionally, if the contact is also a gem99 subscriber you will be able to send a message via their WebCard OR, if g2g has been established, send a g2g message. All messages sent will be recorded as a conversation thread against the contact (except a Skype voice call).

As a gem99 user you have a number of ways of communicating with your contacts and the options currently available for a given contact are shown on the row of command buttons at the bottom of the send message screen. The options are:

· Protected email, gem99 brokers the message and your contact receives your email from messages@gem99.com on your behalf, therefore your email address is not revealed unless you explicitly add it to your out-going message.

· g2g, with all its advantages above, you can even check whether your recipient has opened or deleted your message!

· Contact’s WebCard, gem99 automatically recognises if your contact is also a gem99 user and gives you the option of sending them a message via their primary WebCard. Note that this method is a simple means to establish a ‘handshake’ i.e. you will be automatically created as contact in your partner’s account to commence g2g.

· SMS, low-cost texts recorded in your Contact Manager so you have a record of messages sent and can follow their delivery status (i.e. pending/phone off, delivered to recipient)

· Mobile voicemail, 300 characters of text2voice sent to a mobile/cell phone as an alternative to SMS, if your recipient prefers it

· Landline voicemail, 300 characters of text2voice sent to a landline number - excellent for alerts to phones which cannot handle SMS messages

Please note : Every message IN or OUT, is recorded and the SENT message box lists the method of sending explicitly, EMAIL, g2g, SMS, and Voice2Text. Having all your communication messages in one place(a hub) means your can keep track of all your outgoings and incoming messages important if you have to know what you have or have not done (e.g. an audit trail).

– depending upon urgency, your preferred means of communication and the information you hold about a contact. You can send messages to a single contact or to a number of contacts (broadcasting). OUT messages can be the following:

· By email: You initiate a conventional-style email message (with or without an attachment). It is sent not from your email address but from messages@gem99.com – thus you can keep your actual email address private if you wish. The foot of the email will be a hyperlinked icon that will take the recipient of your message directly to your WebCard, for a reply

· By g2g – as described above. For you to send a g2g message you must fulfil the following criteria:

o You must be a Privileged user

o Your contacts details must include a tick in the “Allow g2g” box

o You must be registered as a contact in your correspondent’s account – also with the “Allow g2g” box ticked

· By SMS message delivered to a Mobile / cell phone or an SMS-enabled number (up to 160chars)

· By Text-2-Voicemail conversion. Gem99 can automatically convert the text of your message to a quality synthesized voice message of up to 300 characters long. The message can be delivered to a mobile / cell phone OR to a fixed-line number.

In all cases the outgoing message is recorded in your contact manager message database as an OUT message with the text and the type of communication made.

Note. You will be advised if your particular resource credit balance has run out before you send your message.

On selecting the form of message you wish to send, the message composition box is presented with the appropriate format: E.g. an email.

4.3 Sending messages from your gem99 account to multiple contacts (message broadcast)

For this style of messages you need to use the Contact Manager: Menu > My Contacts > Open Contact Manager to select the contacts you want to send a message to and choose the appropriate message button to present a message creation box of the right format. SMS and Text2Voice have set size limits so clicking [Send] will analyse you message for length and the cost in SMS credits.

You will be asked to confirm that you really do want to send messages to multiple contacts to prevent accidental broadcasts. Your resource credits (email forwards and SMS credits) will also be checked to see that you have enough to make the broadcast.

For SMS & Text2Voice, gem99 checks to see if you have the relevant mobile / telephone numbers to send the message. Contacts without these numbers will not be sent a message and your SMS credits will not be deducted for these contacts.

Each contact sent a message will have a message thread attached as a record of the message sent.

A Text2Voice message of up to 300 characters will consume 1 standard SMS credit.

4.4 Message Options

4.4.1 Emails from gem99

email2 If you send an email from gem99, it will be sent via messages@gem99.com but you will be identified as the sender inside the message. The email sent from gem99 contains a standard subject and message body construction with option to attach a file. To respond to your message, the recipient clicks on the image icon which takes them direct to your WebCard so any reply is captured as a thread in your gem99 account.

Note: Messages sent via are messages@gem99.com non-reply messages, i.e. the recipient cannot click the email application’s [reply] button (you may of course put your normal email address inside your message which the recipients email app will recognise as an email address.

What a gem99 email looks like to the recipient:

Your Privileged icon will be placed at the bottom of the message which, when clicked by the recipient, will open up your primary WebCard so there’s the opportunity for you to make sure that the information displayed on your WebCard is up to date and any relevant files / downloads are attached (e.g. a press release or new brochure).

If the recipient is also a gem99 user (as in the example above), the phrase “Click here to reply via your gem99 account”, will appear at the foot of the message. This gives the recipient a short cut and opportunity to reply quickly via, say, g2g or SMS or whatever gem99 communications methods are required.

4.4.2 g2g Messaging

vip1 For two gem99 users who want to send messages and files instantaneously the g2g method is ideal. In order to do this both users have to have the other party as a contact. If you have a contact who is also a gem99 user you can invite them to add yourself as one of their contacts either by them manually creating you as a new contact or by yourself accessing their WebCard (there is a send message option via your correspondent’s WebCard). If this is the first time you have contacted them by this means, your contact’s WebCard will automatically ask for your details and add you as a new contact. As a gem99 user yourself, you can simply enter your gem99 username rather than email address. The WebCard will populate your details for you (which you may wish to remove). You my also decline to give them your conventional email address and gem99 will broker your messages without revealing it to the other party.

For the link to work these mutual contacts must both have a tick in the “Allow g2g messages” tickbox (See View/editing a contact’s details). If you want to discontinue this relationship and prevent further g2g, simply unclick this tickbox and save the changes. Equally, your contact may do the same.

Note, if you are an Assured user, you will be able to receive g2g messages but not send them. Both parties must be Privileged users to both send and received g2g messages.

The key advantages of g2g over email are:

· Both parties must enable the other to send messages either party can terminate the relationship

· g2g messages, including file attachments are instantaneous (no wait, no spam folder traps)

· You do not need to reveal your email to the other party to correspond via g2g

· You can tell at anytime from the sent status whether your contact has opened or deleted your g2g message

· You can dissolve the g2g relationship at any time, preventing further messaging by unclicking the “Allow g2g messages” tickbox in the contact record.

Tip: If you don’t want to disclose your email address, enter your gem99 username as your identifier in your contact’s WebCard

4.4.3 Sending / Broadcasting SMS

smsphone gem99 uses a Premium Global SMS Text service provider that enables short message delivery to mobiles (and SMS compatible numbers) to be sent to the widest range of international mobile / cell networks. We use a single anywhere-to-anywhere provider giving you a low unit cost due to our advantages of scale. If you want to send an SMS to a single contact use Menu > My messages > Send message and you can send a message of up to 160 characters (including your account identifier). However, if you want to broadcast a message to multiple contacts, use the CM broadcasting options (Menu > My Contacts > Contact Manager) you can send individual messages that can span up to 3 SMS long. Note that the CM will always advise you the cost in credits of your broadcast (number of SMS units to be used x the number of contacts).You will be advised if you have insufficient credits remaining to send your broadcast.

4.4.4 Sending Text2Voice

voicemail Gem99 also gives you the option of sending voice messages converted automatically from written text of up to 300 characters in length. These ‘talking texts’ can be sent to any telephone handset (mobile / cell or Landline) making them a useful alternative for sending messages to people who either don’t have SMS-compatible telephones or are unable to read SMS texts. Please note that messages currently only operate for English Language translation of text to voice. Like SMS, Voice2Text has a global coverage. As with SMS use Menu > My messages > Send message to send messages to individual contacts and Menu > My Contacts > Contact Manager to broadcast a message to multiple users.

4.4.5 Message Tracking

SMS and g2g messages sent from your gem99 account are tracked, that is you can determine whether your messages have been delivered and even read. To see the status of a sent message, go to Menu > My messages > Sent messages and open (click on the message line) the message you want to check and review the “message status” box. For SMS messages the status values are:

· Message sent / not sent

· Pending / Phone off

· Delivered

· Could not deliver

For g2g messages, messages are ALWAYS delivered but you can determine the following statuses:

· Down Arrow Callout: Message delivery status Message Unopened

· Message Opened

· Message Deleted

The information provided about the g2g status is particularly useful if you need to know / need an audit of whether your message has actually been read / deleted by the recipient contact.

5 Using Your WebCard(s)

The gem99 WebCard is your public face on the Web and the interface to your gem99 account. It is a simple process to both publish information and acquire contact’s details and messages into your contact management database. With gem99’s smart communications methods, messages entered into your WebCard will be delivered to you in a variety of ways and you can choose those which are most convenient and advantageous to you and your business. A basic WebCard is created for you when you register for an account (based upon the limited information you provide at that stage).

5.1 View your WebCard

To see the current state of your WebCard Menu > My WebCard > View WebCard and it will be displayed in your gem99 window.

5.2 WebCard Examples and Scenarios

penknife WebCards are hugely multi-functional offering an extremely adaptable and flexible means of combining publicity and communication. At one end of the spectrum it can be used just to convey messages to you with the maximum amount of access control and discretion. At the other end of the spectrum you can invite unrestricted contact and publish information, articles and media files for download / viewing and because it is so simple to change your settings, you can change emphasis and level of ‘exposure’ in just minutes. There’s no coding, no ‘IT’, it’s a simple administrative task.

Here are some examples of how the combination of WebCards and gem99’s contact management can be used:

· I’m high profile, I’m very reluctant to give out my email address and telephone number. I use my WebCard to provide friends and colleagues a means of contacting me. I set a password so that only those associates and contacts who I choose can contact me.

· I’m on the road a lot and I need to let the office / my customers where I’ll be today / this week. I use my WebCard to publish my whereabouts. Customers can contact me and I route messages via email and SMS alerts.

· We are a new company brokering specialist parts. We only have a small admin team. Our stock and prices change frequently. We are constantly getting enquiries from existing, new and potential customers. We need to re-publish our stock list and special offers frequently. We need to send out wholesale and retail price lists to two different groups of people. We use gem99’s WebCard auto-contact gathering and publishing features. We also use the list management and message broadcasting facilities.

· We have a small team of people who take it in turn to handle the ‘Hot-desk’. We use our WebCard to divert Email and SMS messages to the person on duty. We need a record of all incoming messages and how they were dealt with. Gem99 configurable WebCards and contact manager handles this for us.

· We are an action group, we need to publish events, invite new supporters, receive comments and email out forthcoming events / news to our members.

· We are event organisers, often we have to arrange / cancel events at short notice. We use our WebCards to publish the latest news and we use the broadcast functions to inform people of last minute changes.

· I spend a lot of time travelling abroad but I need to keep in touch with urgent messages. I use my WebCard to update www visitors but divert my messages to SMS which are picked up globally. I often divert my email messages to my colleagues if I’m in meetings / do not want to receive messages.

· All of my team have gem99 accounts and keep there WebCards up to date. Each has named their WebCard the same as their email address so that it acts like an on-line business card. Each WebCard holds a potted profile and ‘whereabouts’ notice. When on leave, messages are diverted to colleagues covering for them.

· I only want urgent messages at weekends from people I know so I set a password on my WebCard on a Friday night (or when I go on holiday).

5.3 Changing your WebCard Settings

When you log in for the first time, one of the first things you should do is to open the WebCard wizard at Menu > My WebCard > Edit WebCard and review / configure your WebCard to your more precise requirements. You will most likely want to replace the default image at the top right hand side of the screen. Remember, it only takes a minute or so to adjust your settings so you can update them at any time and changes come into immediate effect.

Changing your settings may seem a bit daunting at first because of the range and extent of the controls at your disposal to configure your WebCard but you will find that they are logically laid and once set require little adjustment.

First part of the WebCard Wizard screen

5.4 Key features and settings for your WebCard configuration

Maintaining your basic WebCard settings is very easy but to get the most out of it, it is worth becoming familiar with all the things you can do with it. Here is a detailed description of what you can do.

Main settings

Feature	Description	Comment
WebCard Name	You can rename your WebCard (it’s also it’s address)	E.g. you could make it the same as your email address: myname@domain.com , note the address (url) then becomes www.gem99.com?=myname@domain .com
WebCard active indicator box	Indicates whether your WebCard is on / offline.	Make it offline if you don’t want to receive messages from anybody through this route and you don’t want people viewing your details.
Email forward address	Where you want your messages delivered by email	Click the tickbox to have emails sent and set the destination (usually your email address but it could be another address say, if you were going on holiday).
Save contacts / messages in the gem99 database	The normal mode is to have this box ticked	If it’s ticked your contacts and their messages will automatically be stored in gem99.
Forward your messages as SMS Texts	Needs to be ticked to turn service on and the mobile number needs to be valid	If selected, gem99 will forward the first 160 chars of a message to the nominated mobile / cell phone. It is advisable to put the full international code prefix in the tel no.
Forward your messages as Voicemail	Needs to be ticked to turn service on and the telephone number needs to be valid	If selected gem99 will convert and forward the first 300 characters of message text to a voice message and deliver it to the nominated telephone no. (mobile / cell phone or fixed line). It is advisable to put the full international code prefix in the tel no.
Send SMS alert msg only	The sender’s msg is not sent, only that a msg has been received from the sender	Your message takes the form “New message from <name> at <date / time>”
UK Users Network coverage choice	Only available to UK Users	UK users have th UK SMS Premium network as default. All other countries use gem99’s global Premium network service. UK users can opt to use Global – e.g. if they are travelling overseas and require their messages delivered to them by SMS

Headings and Descriptions

WebCard Heading	Large font up to 200 characters of text	Use this to display your top heading – E.g. Your business/organisation name. For most impact keep it short
Sub-heading	Smaller font up to 250 characters of text	Smaller font size for the sub-heading
Extended Description	Up to 2000 characters of 10pt text	For more extensive descriptions about the business etc.
Footer	Small font text at foot of WebCard	E.g. your telephone number
WebCard Image	A logo or other image (e.g. your mug shot)	Use a stock photo or upload your own personal image to appear in the top-right-hand corner. The image will automatically be scaled by it’s width. If you have a very tall but narrow image it may be worth resizing it for optimum appearance.

Privacy /Passwords

Password	Security password (up to 20 characters long)	Privileged users may enter a ‘gatekeeper’ password that must be entered correctly by visitors to send their message. Visitors arriving at your WebCard via a Privileged icon link will not be challenged for the password as it is included in the link. ‘Assured’ users please note, although you can set a password, it will not be implemented in your WebCard processing.
Password enable	Toggle password set on or off	If no password is set, for both Privileged and Assured users, a ‘catchpa’ security characters string will be shown which will need to be entered correctly by a visitor. This ensures that ‘spambots’ are foiled and spam is prevented from being sent by your webcard.
Extra privacy	Tick box	If selected only visitors entering your WebCard via the Privileged icon will be able to send you a message.

Other Settings

Collect Contact’s full address	Tick box	The default is not to collect a full address from your contact. If ticked, when a new contact is identified, the full address will be requested.
Customer / membership no.	Option for a reference	If you want you contact to supply a customer / membership number
Join mailing list request	Optionally join your mailing list	Allows the visitor to select the option and for yourself to set the text.
Urgency Indicator	Tickbox	If selected, a contact’s message is prefixed with Urgent
Web address	Display a hyperlinked web address
Visitor message copy	Tickbox	If selected, visitors can elect to receive a copy of their message by email (e.g. as a receipt)
Display attached items automatically	Tickbox	If selected, any attached items (published materials, blog etc.) will automatically be opened on arrival – without the need to click a button.
Text in Items button	Text	Choose the text you want to display in the attached items button. E.g. “My Blog” or “Press releases”, “Specification documents”
User Defined field 1	Text of label to display	For you to gather information of your specification
User Defined field 2	Text of label to display	For you to gather information of your specification

5.5 Setting WebCard message forwarding options

You can easily and quickly change your WebCard settings using the WebCard Wizard and changes are implemented the moment you click [Save changes]. How you receive your messages from your WebCard is up to you, they can be delivered by one or more of the following transmission methods which are set in the ‘Main Settings’ section above:

· By email forwarding: Your WebCard is set to forward a message to a given email address (usually yours, but any can be set). Your WebCard message, or copy of it is sent to your normal email address box from messages@gem99.com.

· By gem99 message record in the Contact Manager (CM): A conversation “thread” is inserted into your contact messages – these are what you see when you sign on to your gem99 account. A message from a new contact results in a new contact being inserted as well as the message itself.

· By SMS text message to your* mobile /cell phone. Enter your phone number (with the international country prefix) and tick the activation box to turn on the facility. The service is worldwide. To turn the service off (e.g. temporarily) untick the box. If you only want an alert rather that the message itself, click the Send SMS alert msg only box.

· As a Text-to-voicemail message to your* mobile or fixed-line telephone number. Again, enter a number with the full international dialling prefix and tick the activation box (NB. The first 300 characters of your message, including who from, is converted to voice).

*or any number you nominate

Please note that both SMS and Text2Voice messages will consume 1 SMS credit each when used. When you are running low in credits you will be advised at Log in and if you run out, your messages will not be sent by these methods but the other methods will continue if selected.

5.6 Uploading an image or logo onto your WebCard

To change the default / insert your own image (e.g. photo or logo) into the top right hand corner of your WebCard it needs to be uploaded into your gem99 file resource area. You can do this directly from within the WebCard wizard as follows:

1) Click [Upload your own Image or Logo]

2) The Upload form appears, [Browse] to the folder image file you want to upload and click the [Upload] button. The image should be a .gif, .jpg or .bmp file.

3) In the Wizard, click the [Refresh your images selection] button, then you can use the “Select webcard image: choose an image / logo” pull down list above. Select your image and [Save Changes], then [Test WebCard] to see your image displayed.

Your image is scaled to fit the allotted image area on your WebCard based on a width setting. If you use an image whose aspect ratio is particularly tall or wide, it may detract from the overall impression of your WebCard. If this is the case, try altering your image to better suit. An optimum aspect ratio is 5:7 – typically used for photographs.

5.7 Gem99 WebCard Register (Coming soon)

You can if you wish make your WebCard searchable on the gem99 Register. Enter details about yourself/business with the area criteria which will enable visitors to be able to find your WebCard. To search the register, there is a tab at the top of the gem99 website “WebCards” where you can search for a colleague or business.

5.8 Publishing other items on your WebCard (e.g. a blog)

webpublish Besides creating contacts in your contact manager and routing messages you can use your WebCard to make information available to your visitors. You can publish items with or without file attachments at the bottom of your WebCard. You will find this feature useful to quickly publish articles, specifications, diary items and other documents that you want to make available to your WebCard visitors. Note you can indicate the nature of your attached items by setting the text in the “Text in Items button” of your WebCard (see above).

Items are placed in a record grid format and each record entry can hold a reference to the following:

Column	Description
Status	Make the entry visible / invisible to the visitor (ie take an entry offline without actually deleting it)
Type	We have provided a number of types (categories) General, Blog, For Sale, My diary (others my be added in time).
Text	Your text of up to 1000 characters
File	You can enter the name of a file you have uploaded into your File Resource Area. This will be readable / downloadable to your visitors.
Hyperlink	You can specify a hyperlink (e.g. to a specific page in your min website).
Picture	You can publish a picture of the formats .gif, .jpg, .bmp
Date	The date is set when you insert the entry (added automatically)

Note: Please ensure that you own the copyright or have explicit permission to use files you make available for viewing /download or they are not subject to licence/copyright infringement.

To add an item click the [Add a Display Item] button, to remove an item first open the Add / amend items form and change the status to “Remove”, save the changes and exit the form. Clicking [Remove a Display Item] will then make permanent your deletions.

5.9 How does a WebCard work?

Your WebCard has a unique address (www.gem99.com?=<MyWebCardName>)

e.g. http://www.gem99.com/?=South Australian Wine Importers

<MyWebCardName> is the unique name you give your WebCard in the Wizard. WebCards are “generated dynamically” when requested by a visitor and the appearance and functions performed are determined by how they are set up in the Wizard. To send a message a visitor must provide identification to you – normally with their email address, or in the case of another gem99 user, their username and the message they want to send. Additionally, depending on your set-up, they will have to enter a security code (commonly called a Catchpa code needed to ensure the sender is a person not a machine) displayed in slightly distorted text to avoid you receiving unwanted messages from ‘spambots’ OR a “gatekeeper” password, which you have set (see above).

If the contact is already in your contact list, their message is sent to you automatically by the means of your choice (and usually the message added as a thread). If, however, it’s the first time they have contacted you, they are asked to provide their identification. This might be as little as their name …or it might be a full address – if that’s what you have asked for; a new contact is created and their message becomes the first thread. Of course you can edit contact information at will. For example, their default contact type is “GENERAL” – you might like to change this to “Customer”, “Friend”, “Club Member” – or indeed any category you want that makes it easy for you to select all contacts of that type (see Contact Manager).

5.10 How many visitors to my WebCard?

The number of visitors who have viewed your WebCard (but not necessarily sent you a message) is displayed at the top of the WebCard wizard.

5.11 Creating Extra WebCards

All users have a “Primary WebCard*” that is created when their accounts are set up, however, there is no limit to the number of WebCards that a user may have within the same gem99 account. Some will find it useful to have multiple WebCards to fulfil different purposes – e.g. For Product surveys, different departmental uses, multiple campaigns, project and personal use. If you have remaining unused WebCard resource, you can create a new one by visiting Menu > My Account > Create a new WebCard. Select an example WebCard (template) to copy, then select it and enter the WebCard Wizard. The first thing you should do is rename it (with a unique name).

*Your primary WebCard is the default that will appear when you click through Menu > My WebCard > View/Edit WebCard, it is also the one that is accessed when sending a message via a contact’s WebCard via your gem99 account. If you want to edit subsidiary WebCards use the Create a new WebCard option to view your WebCard list.

6 Your gem99 Account details

To view / update your registered account details and see your current resource status click Menu > My Contacts > Account details

Note that your current resource status is shown at the foot of your account details. If you are running low on resource, gem99 will put a reminder message at the head of your log-in screen. To top-up on resources or subscribe to the Privileged account after your initial free allowance of resources have expired, click on the Menu > gem99 Shop option.

6.1 Keeping your details up to date

When you access someone else’s WebCard for the first time (say because you want to communicate via g2g), the WebCard will use the details you supply in your account as the default details supplied in the WebCard – saving you time form filling. You can of course change / withhold them if you prefer.

7 Uploading Files to gem99 (Resource Files)

As a gem99 user you can upload files to your “file resources area” These could be for the image/logo that you wish to display on your WebCard(s), files that you want to publish and make accessible to your visitors / colleagues as attachments to your WebCard – as a list, publicity documents, sales brochures, publications or even as part of a blog (See WebCard file attachments). You might even want to put your files for safekeeping on gem99 or as part of the file attachment process for sending messages through gem99 by email or g2g*.

*To attach a file on a message you must first upload it to your file resources area.

To list your uploaded files click Menu > Extras > Manage my files :

7.1 Uploading a file

From this form you can Upload a new file, delete and rename files. To open/view a file, click the Viewfile link on the left side of the file you wish to see. Note that the file will open in the application of its suffix but you will not be able to save any changes directly on the gem99 resources area – you will need to make a copy on your PC. To upload or delete a file, click the [Upload or delete a file] button. And a new panel will open.

Note that file space on gem99 is a chargeable resource and if you run out of your quota you will need to delete files to recover some of your quota or purchase more at the gem99 shop. To upload a file, lick [Browse] and select a file on your PC and then click the [Upload file] button. Files for uploading are subject to a maximum size limit and some file types are prohibited for security / licensing reasons.

8 Increase your profits with gem99

Gem99 is a business tool so if you run a business just how does it help your bottom line?

8.1 It saves you money

save1 Most businesses have a website – without one they will fail to provide a shop window or contact point to customers who increasingly use the Internet as the first point of call to look for services or products. If you don’t have a website, then perhaps gem99’s instant WebCards with the ability to attach features, brochures, press releases and other information will be more than adequate for your needs. However, if you do have a website you will know how long it takes to implement small changes – even if you have people working for you to do this. If you are reliant on external web designers there will be time and cost involved – gem99 cuts this out as changing your settings is a simple admin task – particularly if you are used to ‘social networking’ sites.

gem99’s sophisticated integration of communications with its contact management database gives you immediate functionality with no capital outlay or ongoing maintenance. The cost of using gem99 is very reasonable and incremental – if you don’t need to use 1000s of SMS/voice messages and are only likely to have a few 1000s of emails per year then the modest subscription will cover most of your needs.

Of course you can set up bulk email lists in your regular email application but once you start building selective contact lists and start broadcasting messages, you will need a more sophisticated tool for administration and control. You could outsource your broadcasting or you could buy a service or application to do this for you – but gem99 already has this built in and is included in its service package. Furthermore, we have a programme of development that will make gem99’s “Database Marketing” an even more powerful and flexible feature of our service.

Low cost phone calls: gem99 integrates with Skype* – telephone numbers and Skype contacts are automatically highlighted and with a simple click you can save money using Skype’s low cost / free calls service in conjunction with your gem99 contact database.

*NB Provided your browser version has the Skype extensions installed – likely if you have kept your browser and Skype application versions up to date

8.2 It saves you valuable time

Organisation: By automatically capturing and cataloguing contacts their messages as they arrive with your other electronic correspondence, you save administration time – time which you can better spend on the more productive side of your business. By directing your external messages through your WebCard and organising your cross-media correspondence in one place the savings in minutes will soon add up!

Contact prioritisation: we all know that some contacts are incredibly valuable to you, some have potential whilst others, quite frankly, are not very high up on your list of people you want to maintain a dialogue with especially when you are “off duty”. Gem99 has inherent Spam barriers to save wasting your time but also it allows you to apply password filters so that only your closest and most valued contacts have access to you. You might want to maintain this ‘filter’ full-time or apply it, say, at weekends, holidays or during important events – you can switch on your password control in seconds. For high valued clients and contacts you can use the g2g messaging facility which allows you to transmit message and files instantly, avoiding the increasing numbers of email traffic and unpredictability of spam-filters.

Message anywhere: The ability to be able to send and receive messages by multiple communications channels with a record of all correspondence means that your urgent messages are far more likely to get through and with a standard rate, global coverage for SMS there is no cost penalty for priority.

8.3 It helps you make you money

ampersand1I How? By realising unexploited ROI in your contact list – sometimes phrased as unlocking your hidden wealth potential

Hidden Wealth? For you and just about every business owner, your customer book or database is your greatest asset - without it you would have no business. But, unless you treat it as an asset, as a resource and know how to look after and exploit it, you will continue to sit on a potential source of untapped wealth.

So what is this hidden wealth? Any marketing or sales manager worth their salt will tell you that it is far easier and more profitable to create additional business from existing, satisfied customers and known contacts than it is to find those elusive new customers. Finding new customers, of course is vital to your business but is usually expensive, time consuming and frequently very frustrating. In particular, small businesses - typically just one to five people, often don't have either the budgets for advertising or time for active marketing. Therefore, the customers and resources that you do have should be nurtured to the most practicable and rewarding end.

Here are some examples of were your extra revenue is locked up:

· The customers you don't call for repeat business

· The letters or email you don't send following up enquiries or informing of your special offers, new products, services that you can offer.

· Customers who don't thank you for the promptness and quality of your service.

· Customers who take their business elsewhere rather than contact you for repeat business.

· New business that you don't get from referrals from your existing customers.

· The incentives that you don't offer.

· The relationship of care and attentiveness that you haven't nurtured.

· The referrals to other businesses that you don't make ......based on the intelligence and knowledge you haven't built up from your customers.

· The prospects that you haven't followed up effectively.

· The changes to your products and services portfolio you haven't made based upon objective analysis of the profitability and performance of your sales.

· The marketing initiatives that you haven't launched to sell more products that you believe your customers will be interested in.

......and the list goes on, there is nothing radical or new about this situation, plainly the above points identify missed opportunities. This is the unexploited wealth that is inaccessible to you unless you have the organisation, discipline and tools to unlock your potential. This is where gem99’s advanced contact management can help your business!

Being quick off the mark: we have already said that your messages will get through to you quickly and by the means you set. Speed and reaction time these days can be critical as with so much business being conducted through the Internet and with so much choice available to customers, competition is fierce and timing can be critical. If a customer doesn’t get a quick response to an enquiry, their business will go elsewhere so your gem99 WebCard is the ideal way of both communicating your goods and services AND creating fast and privileged access to you – you won’t be caught lacking on communications!

9 Appendix

“In-the-clouds”

The new generation of Internet technology enables us to move applications away from your desktop and office networks on to web-servers. This means that you do not need to go to the expense and trouble of installing and maintaining software on your personal computer or business network, instead your applications run on remote servers through your web browser. This introduces a new freedom to business users who require sophisticated computing applications without the overheads of IT departments and capital expenditure. Gem99 is one such example of the new generation of in-the-clouds applications. It’s available to you immediately via a simple account creation process with no installation or “footprint” on your PC. It’s available via any internet connected PC – anywhere in the world. You can try it without any obligation to buy a license and if you do decide to purchase a subscription you have use of your own powerful private communications / CRM system and costs that will make your Finance director dance for joy.

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gem99 Paid-for resources

Our basic gem99 ‘Assured’ service is free, however, gem99 is a business-based service with the serious purpose of:

a) Publicising our customers presence on the Internet and providing a prominent mechanism for providing a two-way communication service and publishing files and information belonging to users.

b) It is a powerful ‘always-on’ CRM application that can be accessed by users world-wide.

c) It provides a mechanism for busy professionals to ensure that their valued contacts – customers, colleagues, and business associates have direct access to them without compromising their privacy.

We have the advantage of scale and efficiency BUT there are some costs in using the service which we provide at the very best prices we can. Why do we charge? By making a small charge for the service we are able to fund the gem99 system without the need to distract our busy users with advertisements and other revenue-creating clutter. Neither will gem99 Ltd compromise your privacy by selling or otherwise making available your email address or other details to other companies.

Resources which we make a charge for are as follows:

Resource	Charge structure
SMS / Voicemail credits	As low a price as is practical, volume discounts
Email fwds	Small charge based on 1000s of transmissions
g2g messages	ditto
Extra WebCards	Small charge
File resource space	Small charge per Mb of extra allocation
Number of contacts stored	Small charge, discounted by volume
Subscription for Privileged users	Low cost annual subscription to give access to privacy feature, a generous resource allocation and lower prices for additional resources.

For current resource costs see our Pricing page on the website.

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Differences between Privileged and Assured Accounts

When you first register for a gem99 account you will become a Privileged Trial user, and be allocated a number of gem99 resources for trial purposes. When a key resource is exhausted your trial period comes to an end and you have two options: 1) purchase a Privileged account subscription from the gem99 shop (on the main menu) or 2) Reduce your account to Assured status which is the Free non-subscription service. Note that you can opt to increase your status from Assured to Privileged at any time

Differences between Privileged and Assured Accounts

Feature	Privileged	Assured
Passwords on WebCards	Yes	No
Receive g2g messages	Yes	Yes
Send g2g messages	Yes	No
Number of WebCards allowed	No limit	1
All other features	Yes	Yes
Annual Cost	£30*	FREE
Resource Pricing	Privileged rate (approx 25% less than Assured rates)	Assured rates

*Includes a resource bundle

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Telephone number formats

If you intend to use the SMS / Text-to-Voice communications methods, it is advisable to use the international dialling formats including the country code prefixes: e.g. the UK number 01554 245981 should be held as 441554245981. You can see the international prefixes added to the list of countries.

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How to create a gem99 shortcut

To create your own shortcut, here are the steps (example shown is for MS Vista but it is similar in XP and other operating environments)

1) On your PC desktop, right click your mouse > New > short cut

In the location box type:

http://www.gem99.com/?=loginas username password

2) Click [next] and in the next box enter you shortcut name e.g. My gem99

That’s it; you will have a shortcut icon that will take you straight to your gem99 account.

Please note, you may have created a desktop shortcut from the log-in hyperlink on your “welcome” email when you created your account (copy link, save as shortcut). If you changed the initial password (or whenever your change your password, you will need to amend the shortcut properties to account for the password change. Right click on the shortcut and go to properties to amend it.

The screen you see if you log in through the main gem99 website.

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CRM?

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management. Most medium to large sized companies have some form of CRM system either as a standalone application - or integrated with their other systems. The more you know about your customers and prospects the better your business is placed to provide the service that they need. The main purpose of a CRM system is for:

· Keeping an accurate record of contacts' details (name, address, contact methods etc.).

· Recording communications / correspondence with customers - their requirements and preferences

· Recording additional 'intelligence' about customers and prospects such as their interests, enquiries, responses to direct mailing, etc.

gem99's CRM capabilities also include marketing capabilities:

· Produces filtered, targeted contact lists for mail-shots, e-mails, phone calls, etc.

· Gives you the means to do mail shots with your contact lists - by post, email, SMS and even voice messages

· Providing the means to record the feedback from marketing exercises - e.g. by creating gem99 WebCards to gather responses.

CRM isn't just for bigger businesses. Small enterprises, particularly those with one or two members are often so busy rushing around getting on with the job that it's difficult to deal with new enquiries or messages from existing customers. Email is OK but messages soon get lost in the noise of your in-box. gem99 automatically organises your messages by contact and provides an easy means of keeping up with your communications.

Useful Tips

Tip 1: You can create a WebCard for yourself or colleagues to record non-web correspondence (e.g. a phone call). The contact / customer / prospect's details and any short note can be entered directly into gem99's Contacts Manager (CM). Once in the CM the contact is available for selection for mailing lists, mail shots etc.

Tip 2: You could create another WebCard to act as a response form to your mail shot. All you have to do is quote the address in a mail shot - or embed the WebCard's hyperlink in an email. If a contact replies using the response WebCard you are immediately alerted and the reply is automatically added to the contact's correspondence.

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Text2Voice?

Gem99 can convert the first 300 characters of a text message into a “talking text”. The message is either derived from what a contact enters into your WebCard or a message you send from gem99 (individually or in bulk). The cost of a Text2Voice message is just the same as a gem99 SMS message – i.e. just one credit and is sent out on the Premium Global (or UK) SMS network. Unlike SMS, Text2Voice messages can be sent to any telephone number – fixed or mobile / cell.

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