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March 22, 2016

Notary: Get Thumb Relief

Filed under: Ken Edelstein — Tags: , , , — admin @ 11:46 am

Notary: Get Thumb Relief
For the record: I am not a fan of texting. Nor do I find using that same tiny keyboard much good for sending regular email. So, I hunted for solutions to replace the somewhat necessary use of my Galaxy S5 keyboard to type. I added to my toolkit a Jorno external keyboard. Now, with a quick Bluetooth connection I have a real keyboard in front of me. And, it both folds to being “tiny”, complete with a built in cover / stand (to hold the phone to a nice viewing angle). The Jorno (EZ to Google) also charges via USB with an industry standard (not proprietary) charging port. It works for Apple and Android, cost is reasonable, and in a word is “Precision-eered” = it’s just right.

Of course sometimes it’s not worth the effort to connect the Jorno. A quick “Confirmed” to an appointment is best done on the phone’s keyboard. But, sometimes it is necessary to explain that the notarization of the POA bound for France will probably require an Apostille. That is when I stop at a coffee shop, quickly setup the Jorno; and type in my (usually verbose) reply. If I have the option, I usually prefer email to texting, as the record keeping is more robust. And, on that this installment transitions to dealing with texting when at home / office.

I’m sitting in front of my PC, with a nice Logitech cordless full size keyboard in front of me. Mouse is also wireless, lest I snarl myself. Ding Dong, the sound of an incoming text. It was O so frustrating, having to work the phone keyboard, or set up the Jorno. Why was I being limited to those two choices? I wanted to use the big screen and big keyboard to reply to that text.

The solution was MightyText. After adding the FireFox browser support (works with IE too), lo and behold that text message was on my PC’s screen and I could use my big keyboard to respond! It gets better. I usually like to have a printout of the address I am going to. With the “text message” on the PCs screen, any screen print tool gives me the printout to take with me. No longer must I scribble notes or refer to the phone. There are several other nifty features in MightyText. It will also originate (on the PC) a text message, not just reply to one. You can also access the contact list on the phone to initiate calls and send texts. A “pop up” on the PC screen allows you to send text to incoming callers, or “decline the call”?

The ability to send a text to an incoming caller has a useful aspect. Using a “key generator” for a “canned” reply, a “one click” ad can be sent. I send my name, and contact information. This is most appropriate when they wish to contact me at a later date/time. I use Keyboard Express, and have several “macros” stored so it’s just a press of Ctrl/w to send my tag line, name, and contact info, and, of course my web site is formulated to be clickable: http://kenneth-a-edelstein.com

The software programs mentioned above are not free, they have a truly trivial cost; and do NOT flood me with ads. “Free” programs almost always have ads, and worse; consider you, and your email address – as something they can sell. Pay a few bucks and avoid an avalanche of junk mail.

Thus, it is possible to turn an annoying situation around. Not only around, but use the tools to further market your services and provide real convenience to your prospective clients. But, don’t overdo it. Sending your “blurb” to a wrong number is bad form – you would not want someone to do that to you. There are usually solutions to repetitive annoyances. You have only to research the problem and obtain the solution. Rarely are you alone with a technology annoyance!

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March 8, 2016

The Ones That Got Away

Filed under: Ken Edelstein — Tags: , — admin @ 5:53 am

The Ones That Got Away
It happens to all of us. We put time and effort into establishing an assignment, then it goes poof. Did we do something wrong? Possibly. If someone is fishing for the absolute lowest price for the “equivalent” of what you do; that may or may not be you. But the amount of your fee is not the central theme of this installment. It is the non-price issues that will be explored. So, assuming your fee is reasonable to the caller; why did that one get away?

Excluding walk in situations; virtually all of our notary assignments are initiated by phone or email. Some contacts are doomed from the start. Case in point: this evening I had a caller that needed two signatures notarized. It was for a “kiddie fly” (what I call the notarized authorization statement often required from parents for children to leave the USA). Both had good ID. One of the parents would be present; the other was far away. The flight was for 6AM tomorrow. “I have the ID of my partner and you can speak to and see them via picture phone”. Not an option in NY, personal appearance is always required. Add a bit of pressure: “Unless you do this the kid’s vacation with the grandparents will be ruined, we can’t reschedule and the tickets are non-refundable”. Nope.

Today I also had a “got away” that greatly pleased me. The request was from a distant county, with high tolls and heavy traffic. I goofed. I quoted a fee too low for the effort, I’m sure that pleased them greatly. The assignment was to go there, notarize, return to Manhattan, process an Apostille; then bring the completed job back to the distant location. Making it worse, the initial meeting time would have me traveling in the worst part of rush hour. The delivery trip would have been almost as bad. The good news: we had a conceptual agreement that would be confirmed with a follow up call with exact specifications. They never called back! Hooray.

Both of the above, thankfully, were resolved in the initial contact. Sometimes there are many, many contacts that also result in nothing. I’m starting to feel like a car salesman with an indecisive buyer. Unchecked this can go to ridiculous extremes. Some go back and forth, asking one at a time of their many questions. During slack times I have gone along with these charades. One actually constituted over twenty emails. It appeared that the contact was “pumping” me for procedural information and wished to do it themselves. I don’t like that, certainly not a bit at a time.

There are also requests from the land of Oz. These are the ones that ask for the notary to have supernatural powers. Can you be in my office within the next ten minutes? How come you don’t have an office; isn’t every notary supposed to have one open till 11PM? Please prepare the necessary documents for my divorce in Latvia, in both English and Latvian. Why would 25 notarizations cost more than one, you are already here? Can you open your office a few hours early, as I am working the early shift? The bank notary does it for nothing, what’s so special about you?

It’s silly to lament “the ones that got away”. Of course there are exceptional circumstances that require empathy and “over the top” professionalism – but they are rare. We should limit our acceptance to practical assignments; certainly only legal ones. Many have lampooned the low baller; with their tiny offerings. But, equally, perhaps even more important is the amount of effort that you will have to put into the project. Most charge an additional fee to fax. That usually involves a trip home to the scanner, only afterward can it be shipped. Consider all aspects of the request, even if the dollars are high. Will you get out of it more than you put into it?

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Don’t call title or borrower?
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=15066

A comprehensive guide to Notary Pricing
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=16504

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August 18, 2015

Notary – Your Signature – Needs Work

Filed under: Ken Edelstein — Tags: , , — admin @ 10:34 am

No, I’m not referring to that strange squiggle you have on file with your notary commission. I’m talking about your “other” signature. It’s the one that your email program adds at the end of virtually every email that you send. Jeremy hoots and hollers about having a good “notes section” in your profile on 123notary.com. Well, I’m willing to bet that at least a hundred times more people see your “email signature” than see your notes section. So, why is your email signature, either non-existent, or, to put it bluntly: junky?

The automatically generated “signature” is a great source of advertising. In addition to complete contact information, you should have a graphic; and a bit about the services you provide. This is totally free advertising, and it makes it much easier for people to call you. They don’t have to hunt thru several of your emails to find contact information – it’s in each and every one you send.

And, they can do much more than call. Your signature should have a link to your web site! A real “click here” (without those tacky words, of course). Mine informs recipients that I am available for: Mobile Notary Public, Apostille Processing, Embassy/Consulate Legalization & Fingerprinting. It’s the simplest thing to use, once set up. Just click “reply” to an incoming email and your signature is generated at the bottom – there’s nothing to it. MS Word allows for at least two different ones; one for a new outgoing email, one for a reply. Depending on your email program, the signature can contain various fonts, text, pictures, logos, and links. A goldmine!

Your email signature probably “needs work” and it will be a bit of work for you to configure the signature if you never accessed that part of your email program. Read the related help section, there are probably examples and/or step by step instructions. It’s also possible to get “fancy” and have a variety of signature files and select the appropriate one for each specific email. One processing tip, for users of MS Word: I found it easier to use the full “word facilities” to create the signature, then to just copy and paste it into the signature entry facility.

While most people will just click “reply” to your email, it’s a good idea to specifically put your email address in your signature. That helps people to edit copy, edit paste your email address when forwarding email if they did not add you to their address book. A further step is to include Filename extension .vcf, .vcard. Internet media type, text/vcard … vCard is a file format standard for electronic business cards. The .vcf allows instant addition of your information to the recipient address book. You can personalize the entry with your picture, logo or a graphic.

You only get one chance to make a first impression. That’s true in person, telephone or via email. When you include an informative email signature you literally “display” both enhanced technical ability and your desire to be easy to contact. If you also take the second and more complex step, the .vef; you stand a good chance of being added (permanently?) to your client’s address book.

It’s also common to include, as the last line of the signature, a thought provoking quote; with proper credit to the author. It should represent your beliefs and philosophy, select your quote wisely. I chose a classic by Joseph Joubert: He who has imagination without learning, has wings and no feet.

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The Signature Name Affidavit
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http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4695

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March 3, 2015

I was Forged

Filed under: Ken Edelstein — Tags: , , — admin @ 8:12 am

I was Forged
I receive an email, supposedly from Germany. I was asked to verify that I did the notarization on a Will and an Affidavit of Claim. The sender included PDF copies of the two documents. They were hilarious forgeries. The signatures of my name as Notary on the Will, and as Commissioner for Oaths were not even close. Oddly, the first letter of my last name was signed with a lower case “e”, not a capital “E”. I replied that the documents were not signed by me.

The “notarization” of the will did not include an image of my notary stamp. In NY it’s required to either type or print the notary information under the signature. Also, notaries who are not attorneys are not allowed to notarize the signature of the person who the will is for. The will had my name as also notarizing the witnesses. Each name in the notary section was written with a different handwriting. An image of the seal of New York State was copied onto each document, presumably to replace a proper notary seal. It was a mess.

New York City does have a Commissioner of Deeds office, similar to the much more useful statewide Notary function. However, the forger replaced “Deeds” with “Oaths” – clearly this was not the work of a dedicated professional. The amount involved was in the tens of millions, in US dollars. Even stranger: these were to be used to settle in a German court. Usually, US notarized documents bound for other countries receive an Apostille; but it was not present. Of course it could not be. Part of the Apostille issuing procedure (in NY) includes notary signature verification.

So much for the actual forgery; I thought my reply ended my involvement. However, the next email from Germany raised the alarm bells. I was asked if the named beneficiary to the Will was “a fraud” and if the Affidavit of Claim was a fake. Now I was being asked IMHO a legal question. The second reply was very carefully worded. “The determination of fraud and fake are issues to be determined by the courts”. You never really know who is sending the email and if they have a hidden agenda. Write emails in such a manner that they can’t be used against you in litigation.

US currency is designed to thwart counterfeiting. But, if the recipient does not make an effort to examine the cash; even the most inept efforts are successful. In a similar manner, the recipient of a notarization should make some effort to verify its authenticity. An attachment issued by the NY State County Clerks, the Authentication; specifically mentions the signature being verified. Their form is “overstamped” after being affixed to my notarization. The issue of a “cut and paste” of a valid notaries signature onto a document fails under close examination. It might “look good” but a crime lab will find toner not ink in that signature.

As my name is “out there” on the internet it was easy for the person in Germany to obtain my email address. I can only wonder how many other forgeries are out there. Thankfully the forgery was legible and that gave access to me. Which is worse? An illegible signature that does not “point” to the notary, or a clear one that specifically spells your name? Perhaps the legibility was to permit the recipient to “look me up” to verify I was really a notary. What can be done to stop this abuse? Nothing I can think of. Sticking to my registered signature, using stamp and embosser (always) makes it easy to spot a forgery. If you have actually had to appear in court to contest a forgery please leave a comment detailing your experiences.

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Fraud & Forgery in the Notary Profession
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2294

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March 2, 2015

2014 excerpts from great notes sections

Filed under: Popular on Linked In,Your Notes Section — Tags: — admin @ 3:21 am

Here are some of the most interesting excerpts from notes sections on 123notary.com that I found in 2014. If you want to nominate other excerpts, I can add them after the fact!

(1) Look at all the services this notary advertises. He/She/They must be smart!
I have served XYZ County notarizing: commercial and residential loans, reverse mortgages, first and second mortgages, refinances, helocs, medical records, foreign adoptions, power of attorney, and so on. Apostille, authentication and certification services are also available.

(2) Check out the client list this notary has!
My clients range from attorneys, hospice, social workers, inmates, bail bonds, doctors and hospital patients.

(3) Here is a thorough notary
I stay in constant contact with whomever hires me, keeping them updated immediately upon receiving documents, contacting the signers, completing the assignment and supplying tracking numbers when documents are dropped off.

(4) Look at the long list of docs this guy does!
* Durable Power of Attorney/Healthcare Advance Directives
* Business/Personal contracts and agreements
* Credit Checks
* Landlord/Tenant issues and resolutions
* Collections
* Identity Restoration of Your Good Name
Legal Plans for:
* Estate Planning
* Consumer Finance
* Bankruptcy (Chapter 7,11, 13)
* Corporations (S corp. or C corp., LLC, or Non Profit)
* Unlawful Detainer
* Small Claims
* Divorces
* Child Custody/Child Support
* Name Changes
* Real Estate (contracts, deeds, quitclaims, foreclosure)
* Wage Garnishments (Disputes)
* Summons & Complaints
* Civil Suits (Being sued or sue someone)
& plus those not listed

(5) Give a call and your signing will go off without a hitch! LAX FedEx location late night drop 8pm.

(6) Don’t Move I’ll Be Right There! Fidelity National Title and First American Title approved Notary

(7) My motto is “Never say NO to a signing”.

(8) I give a one line explanation of every single document in the package.

(9) I specialize in last minute signings & off-hour signings

(10) Getting married or need a passport?
Services performed: PTT’s, PAP’s, POA’s, Acknowledgements, Jurats, Subscribing Witness, Copy Certifications, Affidavits, Trusts, Quit Claim Deeds, Refinance, Purchase, HELOC, Reverse Mortgage, Witness Only, Debt Settlement Agent, Notary & CPR Certifications, Pass Port Photos, LiveScan Fingerprinting, Field Inspection, Process Servier, and Weddings.

(11) This is my second career, after retiring in 2005, to fight a long and draining battle (18 surgeries) with Pancreatic Cancer, I am one of 4%, that survive this deadly cancer. Given a second chance at life, I decided doing nothing was not an option

(12) A former stripper decided to go into eSignings and offer “Laptop signings” (sorry for the bad joke)

(13) I am the only Mobile Notary in (name of city) with an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau

(14) In addition to notarization’s I have conducted over 1,000 field service inspections: door knocks, merchant/site/business verifications, asset/collateral/lease inspections, and commercial loss control inspections.

(15) My references include Bank of America, Discover, Well Fargo, Quicken, Citi and many others. With all my career life spent in customer service, I know people! I will treat you and your clients with respect and honor, because that’s how I would want to be treated.

(16) I’m a transplanted New Yorker with Southern Charm. When your closing is crucial, you can count on me to be there on time and conduct the signing just as you would, if you could.

(17) 1500 loans signed; We cover 19 counties in the Western NC mountains with two notaries two 4wd drive vehicles, both with GPS. We go places you don’t even know are places and get your loan closed!

(18) Have something that’s a little “outside the box”? Strange hour? Specific or unusual instructions? Signer w/ special needs or requests? Not a problem, I can, and do handle it with no muss, no fuss, and no drama from the outset. I do it right the first time.

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2011 excerpts from great notes sections
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=1043

Unique Phrases from the Ninja Course
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February 19, 2015

Websites from some of our best notaries!

Filed under: Advertising — Tags: — admin @ 10:51 pm

Many notaries email us to ask if they should start a website. The answer is always that creating a website is like a marriage. It is expensive and time consuming, but if you are committed to it, there can be many rewards! Not all notary web sites look the same, but here are a few of my favorites for notaries who advertise with us!

Frank Tabacca
Frank is certified by about nine different notary agencies. He is a top notch notary and loyal client of 123notary. Additionally, he is an estate planner and has a background in the insurance industry.
http://www.marinprecisionnotary.com/about/

Palm Desert Notary Services
Here is a well designed notary website that describes their notary services, legal services, and more. They seem to be very familiar with all of the major legal documents.
http://www.thedesertnotary.com/notary-public-services/

Shannon Ziccardi
Shannon is a very active mobile notary and has multiple Twitter profiles as well. He is a loyal customer, and you can see his very unusual web page on active rain. Getting a web page on someone else’s platform is a lot cheaper than starting your own website, and his looks well formatted too.
http://activerain.trulia.com/profile/aquicknote

Stockton Mobile Notary
This site ironically did very well on Google if you looked up 123notary in Jan 2015. They explain identification requirements very thoroughly as well.
http://stocktonmobilenotary.com/

Tim Gatewood
Tim is a member of the NNA, GoGetNotary, NotaryRotary, 123notary, National Mortgage News, and the American Society of Notaries. If you want to impress clients, have lots of professional memberships. It proves that you are serious and dedicated!
http://freepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~timgatewood/notary/notarylinks.html

After Hours Notary
This notary organization is very active on all sorts of social media channels and blogs herself!
Read their interesting article: How to get started as a Notary Signing Agent which explains the process thoroughly and explains SPW standards as well. Then, she goes on to introduce a handful of large notary organizations including 123notary.
http://afterhoursva.com/how-to-get-started-as-a-notary-signing-agent/

Houston Mobile Notary Service
This Notary is 123notary Elite Certified, and also a member of many other well known notary organizations. See how they write in detail about their memberships and experience.
http://www.houstonmobilenotaryservice.com/accreditations.html

Joe Ewing
Joe is one of the most sophisticated and experienced notaries on our site. His site explains his Notary & Apostille services.
http://www.anotary.com/

A Notary on the Go
This company has several notaries working for them and a site that shows their certifications.
http://www.anotaryonthegoflorida.com/about-us/notaries/

Fred Herrera
It is very sad, but I heard that this Notary passed away recently. He was one of my favorite clients and a real trooper. He survived Pancreatic cancer for many years. His website has a lot of information on it. More graphics and formatting would have been nice though.
http://www.fredgherrera.com/

Joyce Walters
This notary site is easy to read and navigate
http://www.waltersnotaryagency.net/about-us/

A1 Mobile Notary & Bookkeeping
Another interesting notary site of a customer of ours.
http://www.a1mobilenotary.net/links.html

Jacqueline’s High Desert Mobile Notary Public Services
This notary specializes in a long list of types of documents.
https://www.jacquelinemobilenotary.com/about.html

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What’s the difference between getting 16 clicks/month & 100 clicks/month on your listing?
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March 4, 2014

Choosing a name for your business license

Filed under: Business Tips,General Articles,Loan Signing 101,Marketing Articles — Tags: , , , — admin @ 12:18 am

Many Notaries get business licenses. They choose names for their companies. Often they want to use their property management company’s name on their notary advertisement. I think it is a bad idea. A good Notary business name should have the word “notary” or “signings” in it or at least sound attractive to somebody searching for a Notary Public.

Types of Notary business names to think about

“Polly The Notary”, would be a good business name. It makes it clear who you are and what you do. We have a handful of Notaries on our site who use similar sounding business names such as Ellen The Notary.

“Joseph’s Notary & Apostille”, is good because it lists two of your services and who you are. Apostille service is less common, so it makes it easier to identify that you provide this rare service.

“Sepulveda Signings”, let’s people know that you do notarizations or loan signings (probably) and ties you into a particular geographical location that makes you unique.

“Cranston & Cranston”, is not as good because you sound like an Attorney’s office, and NOT a notary service.

“JP Management”, might be good if you are in the Real Estate business, but not an effective name for a notary service.

“Accurate Signings” is attractive, but other companies already took this name. Some people feel it is good to use an attribute in the name of your company, while others feel that companies that use attributes in their name don’t always deliver the highest quality of service. This is a judgement call on your part!

Think from the perspective of your clients
The name you put on your business license that you get at your county clerk’s office is up to you, but think from the perspective of prospective clients! Choose a name that is pleasant and easy for them to keep in their busy and distracted heads! Registering a business name only takes a few hours, and costs less than $200 in most cases. It involves standing in line in the county clerk’s office, filling out a few forms, paying for a newspaper advertisement to display your new business name. It is not hard. You only have to register your notary service once. Good luck!

Is your name unique enough?
Another factor in choosing your business name is sounding unique and not being confused with one of those other Notary companies that is behind due paying their bills. The fastest way to ruin your reputation is to pick a business name that sounds similar to someone else’s. So, do lots of queries on Google to see what other people are doing before you pick your name.

They change their business name every month!
Ironically, we have a handful of Notaries on 123notary who change their business name on our site every month. One month it is JC Notary, the next it is JC Notary & Apostille, then the “&” becomes an “And,” and it keeps changing. The only thing that crosses my mind is — what is the name on your official business license, and do you even have a business license?

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You could get sued if you don’t have a business license
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=7100

Silly names for notary businesses
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=4231

Registering a business license
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=742

Operating without a business license & getting put out of business by the state!
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2804

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March 2, 2014

Analytics for TECHNICAL posts… graded!

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: — admin @ 11:25 pm

The (A) list:
ID, POA, APPS, SUED, JOBS, TUTORIALS, INTERVIEWS, BEST PRACTICES, POINT & SIGN, OUT OF BIZ, FREE, DIFFERENT DAY, LATE DOCS, PAYMENT, WILLS
CALL: Don’t CALL the Title co, or borrowers
ACCEPTING certifications
PAID: Getting PAID usual or unusual ways.
QUALIFICATIONS (background check & CSS)
JOBS: More jobs, less jobs, taking jobs away, taking bigger cut of money from jobs.

The (B) list:
Consumer financial protection, Loom them up, Stay here until PAID, why use middle INITIAL, Boss PAYS for COMMISSION, Industry STANDARDS, BEGINNERS, what makes a mobile notary, I-9, won’t sign disclosure, following directions, more specific tutorials, JAIL.

TUTORIAL on documents idea.
DOCUMENTS: Late, don’t call until ready, document dates, foreign language docs, witnessing docs, common mistakes w/particular docs, which docs recorded.

=====================================
1003 trouble (F)
1099 too high (C)
ACCEPT certifications (A)
ACKNOWLEDGMENT (D) optional ack cert.
APOSTILLE nightmare (D)
ATTENTION paying (D)
ATTITUDE > JOBS (C)
ATTORNEY GENERAL (F) UR not an attorney (F)
APR (C) to non-borrowing spouse.
BACKGROUND Screening (A)
BAG; carry all (F)
BAR: GA association (F)
BEGINNERS info (B)
Birth Certificate (A)
BLOG she learned more (F)
BOOKS top 5 (F)
BORROWERS at ease (C)
BOSS pays for comm. (B)
BUSINESS NAMES (D+) Biz names (C-) Choosing a name (D+) Grow biz first then register (D-)
CALL (A) don’t call title co;
CERTIFICATION or skill (D); Uncertified not a single all (D) If not certified (D) Just do it (D) Obamacare (F); not cert (F)
CLOSING bank branch (A)
CONTRACT (F)
CREDIT CARD afraid (F)
CROSS-OUT happy (C); story about cross-outs (C); Cross out and initial (F)
CREDIBLE witness (D) what is (F); Charge for (F);
CRIMINALS (B)
DIRECTIONS following (B)
DATES (B) doc, sig, notarization date
DOCS ready (A)
DOCUMENTS ready (A)
DUE: getting what is (A)
E&O (D); Supersize (D)
EATING on road (C)
EMBOSSERS (F)
EXPERIENCE gain (C)
ELITE: does it help? (C) Elite certification (F)
EXPLAIN (C)
ERROR-FREE (C)
FINGERPRINTING (D) difficult
FREE 3rd signing (F)
GETTING more work (A) 3jobs/day
eNOTARY overall score (D) ; which states (A); pros/cons (D); state specific (F); what can enotary do (F); 10yrs garbage (D); AZ (F);
eJOURNAL (B)
ETIQUETTE borrower (D) thanks, sorry (D)
FAMILY (C) Making family leave the room.
FEAR, anger (F)
FIND 24 hour notary (D)
FINES & PENALTIES (C)
FOREIGN lang doc (B)
FREE certification (A)
FUZZY (F)
GUNS borrowers w/ (F)
HIRE other notaries (C)
HOLD HARMLESS (C)
HOSPITAL signings (D)
HUD (C)
IDENTIFICATION (bad) (A)
INTERVIEW (A)
HOURS (F) of operation
IDENTIFICATION (D) 2nd ID requirement
INCOME: (C) Notaries who make more than Attorneys
I-9 Notarizing (B)
iCLOSE (F)
INITIAL middle overall (C); Why use middle initial (B) wouldn’t use middle initial (D)
INSURANCE (F)
INTERVIEW / advice (B) interview w/title (C) Title source (B); timios (A) Advice from AZ; Veteran Notary inteview (C)
JAIL overall (D); Pay at (F); Hubby in jail (B) Notarization at (D) Jail one phone call (F)
JOBS (A)
JOURNALS (D)
LATE docs (A)
LOOK them up (A)
LOWBALLERS (B)
MINIMUM competency (D)
MINORS overall (C); Minors rules (B) Notarizing a minor (D)
MISTAKES w/ Title (C); common mistakes (C) I also make (D) When you goof (D) types of (F)
MOBILE NOTARY (B) what makes?;
MOBILE OFFICE (D) warrantee
MORTGAGE borker (F) sniffing out the right notaries.
NNA (D) NNA-care (F)
NOTARIZED overall (D); w/o sig (C); Notarize 2x (D); Notarized statement (D) How to get (F)
NOTARIES (F) Industrial strength (F) unleaded (F)
NOTES (D) factual or personal? (D); Represent (F)
NOVICE (D)
OBSTACLES creating (C)
OATH (F) of two 2 witneses
OVERSEAS (D)
OUT OF BIZ bank br. (A)
OWL icon (D)
PAGE every page? (C)
PASSPORT (C) Notarizing passport (F) How to notarize copy of passport (A)
PAYMENT responsibility (C) getting what is due (A); Stay until paid (B); How to get paid (D) Fees at door (F)
PERJURY arm twisting (D) Perjury vs. Oaths (D)
PAY: does xyz pay? (F)
PHONE overall (C) ; Who answers? (A); Why answer (D); Phone interaction tutorial (D); Call back can’t talk (D)
PHONE #’s (F)
POA / Nursing home (A)
POINT & SIGN (A)
POLICE enotarization (D)
PREPAYMENT penalty (D)
PROTECTION (A) Consumer Financial protection bureau.
RAMBLE (D)
REAL ESTATE exp. (D) RE prices (F)
RECORDED which docs (D)
RESOLUTIONS (F)
ROCKET SCIENCE (F)
REVIEWS technique (F); signing co. reviews = payment (D+)
SIGN overall (B); Sign on different day (A); Sign disclosure (B); Get them to sign (D);
SIGNATURE BY X (F)
SPAM contacts (D)
STANDARDS: industry (B)
STAMP missing F()
STATES bordering (F)
STRANGE funny haha (D)
SUED: biz lic, e&o (A)
TAMPERING stapler (F)
THUMBPRINT overall (B); Thumbprint necessary (A); Asked NOT to thumbprint (C)
TIPS; overall (C) 12 tips (B); tips for notaries (F)
TOOLS for notary (F)
TRANSLATE (F)
TRENCHES for notaries (D)
TROUBLE (D)
TUTORIAL (B) general (A) other (B) too obscure (C)
VAGUE (F)
Webcam Notarization (B)
WILL notarize a (A)
WITNESSES (B) notary witness (B); expert witness horror (B)
WORK getting more (A) 3jobs/week to 3jobs/day; took biz away (A)
UNIQUENESS (D)
WARRANTEE (D) for mobile office
X on search results (D)
X: Signature by X (-) See Signature by X

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March 1, 2014

Humorous Posts: What is popular and what is not?

Filed under: Social Media — Tags: — admin @ 11:39 am

I spent an hour analyzing which types of humorous posts are popular, which are not and why. My comedy writer enjoys working with movie and sit-com themes. Some of those themes turned out to be popular while others did not. We also had other random ideas. The trick was to categorize these ideas in a logical way. the themes below are fused with notary context in some way to make the plots more interesting to notaries. Here is my conclusion of what works, what doesn’t, and perhaps why.

GOOD: Sitcoms, movies, relationships, virtual topics, tabloid material, illegal things, acupuncture for notarial schlerosis
BAD: Hi-tech, Politics, Haunted, UFO’s, Family Guy, MTM,

Signing Companies
A long list of MOST ACTIVE was very popular in 2011 with 4000+ views based on tag & link clicks.

Sit-Coms

(B) Cheers
(C) Seinfeld
(C) Two & a half notaries; 1st one: what do you want to be when you grow up? (A) Intercontinental (D-)
(D) I Love Lucy
(D) Talk Show Themes
(F) Family Guy
(F) Notary Trek
(F) Jay Leno

Movie Themes
(A) Honey, I notarized the kids
(C) Notary Bond
(C) Notarize This
(C) The Man with the Golden Seal
(C) Ali Baba
(D) Dye another day
(D) License to Kill
(F) Wizard of Oz
(F) Luke Skywalker has Chinese food
(F) Notarizing Yoda

Virtual themes
(A) Notary Heaven
(A) Notary Hotel
(B) Strange Notary Phenomenon
(C) Signing with invisible ink
(F) Time machine for backdating
(F) Planet of the notaries

Illegal themes
(A) Kidnapping
(A) Notary arrested for accidentally robbing a bank
(B) The Notary, Mafia and the Fedex Drop Box
(B) Marijuana on the table
(D) Sex Offenders
(F) A Notary Bank

Relationship themes
(A) Mannequin
(A) The signing & the mistress
(B) 2nd date with Jeremy
(B) Social Media site for notaries
(C) Gay Lovers
(C) Notary brings girlfriend to a signing
(C) Jeremy doesn’t want to be 44 (real life people you know)
(D) Notaries are from Venus, Signing companies are from Mars
(D) Notary Mingle
(D) Speed Dating & Speed Notarizing
(D) A dating site for notaries
(F) Notary Pick Up Lines
(F) Mating rituals
(F) Men & Women (war between & comparisons)

Tabloid themes
(A) Signs you’re a notary workaholic
(A) The homeless Notary
(B) The woman who couldn’t find a notary
(C) Is this man a notary?
(C) Demolition loans

Celebrities
(A) Notarizing Celebrities 2012
(B) VIP Notary
(D) The Stars and I
(F) Celebrity glossies
(F) Star’s signatures at the Manns

Health
(A) Acupuncture for notarial schlerosis
(D) Coma Notarization
(F) Teens forced to get notarized for STD tests
(F) Obamacare

Real Estate
(A) Alaska Real Estate
(D) Realtor
(D) Evil Girl Scouts & Realtor
(D) Real Estate Run-Ins
(F) Real Estate with Insane

Other themes
(F) 1099
(C) 12 things to do on hold
(D) Airline Captain
(D) Apostille
(F) Appidavit – a new app
(D) Armageddon
(F) Asylum
(C) Bar: Bartender Notary (D); 3 notaries walk into a bar (A) 2012 bar (C)
(C) Carrot & Stick
(A) Celebrities
(B) Cheers
(F) Children
(F) Christmas, Christians & Jewish themes
(F) Con Artist
(D) Crayons & Dog Treats
(F) Cursive
(C) Demolition
(F) Dentist
(C) Driving & Notarizing
(F) Dr. Quack
(F) Drunk [intoxicated 2012 (F)]
(D) eNotarization 10 years in garbage
(F) End of the World
(F) Extra Terrestrials
(F) Family Guy
(F) Falling asleep
(F) Food
(D) Ghosts
(D) Grandma’s Paralysis
(D) Guns
(F) Haunted
(D) Her Magesty
(A) Heaven
(A) Hell
(F) Hillbilly
(D) Hippies, Hippie, Hippy
(D) Hi-Tech
(D) Homesless – Live in Car
(A) Hood – notarization in the hood.
(A) Hotel
(?) Horror… see nightmare on ermer street
(D) Immigration
(D) I Love Lucy
(C) Invisible
(F) Karma
(D) Kim Jong Ong
(A) Kidnapping
(F) Leno
(C) Lightbulb joke
(D) Locked In
(D) Lost
(?) Marriage — see relationships
(A) Mannequin
(C+) Meao Notary Service
(D) Messy House / Pigsty
(D) Middle Initial
(C) Monopoly
(C) Movie reviews
(A) Naked (hai-zi)
(C) Nightmare on Ermer Street
(D) Notary Day
(A) Notes – excerpts from great notes sections
(D) Novice
(D) Obituaries
(D) Passport
(D) Pigs
(D) Pit stop
(F) Planet [in charge of the planet (D)]
(F) Politics (includes Palestinians & Israeli Job)
(D) Predict the Future
(B) Printing: free printing service
(D) Quotes
(A) Ready to JUMP
(D) Robot
(D) Rock Climber
(C) Santa
(C) Seinfeld
(D) Self Service Notary
(D) Sex Offenders
(C) Shopping for notaries
(D) Siamese Twins
(D) Social Media
(D) Snowden
(D) Songs
(D) Southern Hospitality
(F) Spiderman
(D) Spy
(F) Star Trek
(C) Stamped – Reality Show
(A) Starbucks Notary ***
(B) Strange Notary Phonomenon
(D) Streetwise
(C) Suicide Hotline
(D) Swat Team
(D) Supermarket
(D) Super Notary / Superhero
(F) Therapist
(F) Time Machine
(C) Trick Questions
(C) Two and a half notaries; 1st one (A) Intercontinental (D-)
(A) Two notaries, same job!
(D) Towles booth
(D) Value menu
(B) Vampires
(F) Voice – notarizing a voice
(F) Yearbook
(F) West Side Story
(F) UFO (based on extra terrestrial post)
(F) Zen (being at one) (zen and the art of)
(F) Zoo

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January 18, 2014

You could get sued if you don’t have a business license

Filed under: Legal Issues,Popular on Facebook (comments),Popular on Facebook (shares),Popular on Facebook (very),Popular Overall,SEO,Technical & Legal — Tags: , , , , , — admin @ 12:16 am

Legally, you might need to get a business license
Did you just get your Notary Commission? Good for you! Do you want to start a business doing notarizations? unlikely unless you have gotten huge without a business license. However, there is a small chance that someone else might register that business name somewhere in your state or county and sue you for damages. After all, you were Legally, you might need to get a business license. But, most notaries don’t get one until they want to use a particular business name. Some even advertise in the yellow pages without having a registered business name. What is the risk in not doing so? Will the state government come crashing down on you? That is using THEIR business name and they could claim to have lost money!

Changing or removing your business name
The problem is that once you put your business name in print on the internet or in printed advertising, you might find it very difficult to get change it or remove it. Google keeps a cache of old pages for months as well, so that information you posted on the internet could haunt you long after you remove it!

Notary Business names that change every month?
We have notaries on 123notary who change their business name every month. Each time it is a different variation. In October it is MG Notary Service, and then it changes to MG Properties, and then in December it is Mary’s Notary & Apostille. Which one is it? Notaries cannot change their personal or business name on our site without my intervention. But, when I see that they are changing their business name every month, I begin to think that “perhaps” their business name is not really registered, and that they don’t have business licenses. Hmmm. Once I asked someone to send me proof of their business license and they sent me a copy of a newspaper ad they had used to publish their business name. The text was different sizes and on different lines, and I couldn’t tell which part of the name was commentary and which part was the name on their business license. Good God!

Be safe and get registered
It is better to think long and hard about what your business name should be. Then, register your business name, and get a company bank account. Then you can advertise, and do business as a DBA without “as much” risk of being sued due to your business name. There can always be some clown who still wants to make trouble with you who has that same business name registered in another county, but if you are playing by the rules, it will be harder for someone to question the legitimacy of your business name and probably less likely that they can sue you for “business name infringement”. Your name on your notary commission is registered, why shouldn’t your business name as well?

Tweets:
(1) Did you just get your notary commission? Good! You need to get a business license now.
(2) Once your business name is registered & in print, it is not easy to change it. Think it over first.
(3) We have notaries on 123notary who change their business name every month. Doesn’t sound very legal.
(4) You might be held liable for “business name infringement” if you don’t register your biz name.

You might also like:

Stealing a business name
http://blog.123notary.com/?p=2660

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