Notice to all customers of Bluewave Media Ltd and Ready Made Telecom.

To clarify, our current contact details are as follows:

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If you are a premium rate or telephony customer:

Call Ready Made Telecom on: 0844 736 2685

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For all other enquiries related to Bluewave Media Ltd

Please call us on 01637 879100 or contact us here

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All calls will be answered during normal office hours  (mon to fri, 9am to 5pm).

Thanks,

The Bluewave Team

PHONEPAYPLUS BEGINS CONSULTATION ON 12^TH CODE OF PRACTICE

24 June 2009

PhonepayPlus, the regulator for the phone-paid services industry, has today launched a wide-ranging discussion paper on the development of its 12th Code of Practice. PhonepayPlus is inviting response from industry, consumers and all other stakeholders in order to properly inform thinking as it develops its full Code consultation for later in 2009.

The paper takes into account recommendations made by Ofcom in its recent PRS Scope Review.

The Code of Practice is the document through which PhonepayPlus regulates the phone-paid services industry, enabling it to protect consumers from harm while providing reputable businesses with every opportunity to develop new, useful products and services for consumers to enjoy using their phones.

The 12^th revision of the Code will be among the most significant in the organisation’s 23-year history. PhonepayPlus intends to carry out a thorough examination of the current version to determine how it might be improved, especially with regard to developments in this technologically fast-paced industry, such as the explosion of mobile phone-paid services, which have changed the face of the industry in recent years.

Recognising it cannot regulate effectively in isolation from industry and other regulators PhonepayPlus is publishing this discussion paper ahead of an initial draft of the new Code, upon which it and Ofcom will consult later this year.

PhonepayPlus proposes, and explores the impact of, four main changes to its regulatory regime in the discussion paper. These are:

1. That the new Code is based on identifying desirable outcomes, and supporting them with rules where appropriate, rather than prescribing a step-by-step guide to compliance

2. That every business in the phone-paid services value chain will assume an appropriate degree of responsibility for the provision of compliant services and the delivery of consumer protection measures

3. The creation of a database on which all Service Providers (SPs) and Information Providers (IPs) will be registered for due diligence and risk management purposes

4. That providers must have in place adequate customer care facilities to ensure consumers are able to register a complaint and seek redress as quickly as possible

Commenting, PhonepayPlus Chief Executive, Paul Whiteing said: “Development of our 12^th Code of Practice is one of the most important activities we will undertake this year and it is imperative we get off on the right foot. We want to ensure the Code protects consumers in the ways it should do, while enabling reputable providers to offer innovative, compliant services. This is why we have published this discussion paper ahead of a draft of the Code; in order that we might canvass a wide cross section of views from industry, consumers and our peer regulators as early in the process as possible.”

Comments and submissions are invited from anyone with an interest in phone-paid services, industry, including peer regulators, trade associations and consumers. The closing date for comments is 1 August 2009.

Ahead of an industry workshop organised by Ofcom to discuss its PRS Scope Review, PhonepayPlus has prepared an initial assessment of the potential impact of the proposals on PhonepayPlus. To read this document, click here.

To read the Code 12 discussion paper click here.

To read Ofcom’s PRS Scope Review click here.

LEVY ANNOUNCEMENT 1 APRIL 2009 – 31 MARCH 2010

Following consultation with industry, PhonepayPlus reduced its proposed 2009/10 budget to 0.0% on 2008/9. This was subsequently presented to, and approved by, the Ofcom Board.

As a result, PhonepayPlus has announced that its levy for 2009/10 will be 0.48%. The levy applies to all outpayments payable by network operators to service providers in respect of revenue generated by premium rate services, and is calculated as a proportion of every outpayment to ensure that PhonepayPlus continues to receive adequate funding to carry out its activities, as required by Section 121 Communications Act 2003.

Although an increase, this levy reflects the levels that were in place from 2000 to 2006. The levy rate has only reduced to below 0.45% in the last two years. We are keen to minimise changes in the levy year on year but to do this will require stakeholder support for us to build higher reserves in times of market growth to be utilised when the market declines. Support for this proposition when we have tested it with stakeholders has, however, been limited.

The levy has been set following extensive consultation with the industry and other stakeholders with regard to the Business Plan & Budget to be allocated to PhonepayPlus for its operations.  However, the size of the levy is determined by a range of factors beyond just the PhonepayPlus annual budget. A declining market is also an important contributing factor as is the income we receive from fines, administrative charges and bank interest.

Arrangements as to the payment, adjustment and auditing of the levy are set out in Annex 1 to the PhonepayPlus Code of Practice.

MARKET TRENDS

As part of our business cycle, we asked network operators for data on their actual outpayments for the first three quarters of 2008/9. In previous years, the timing of the consultation on our budget has only enabled analysis of a half year’s data.

The information received suggests the market has reduced in size by 6% for these first three quarters, compared with 10% for the year 2007/08 , and will continue to remain flat or in decline as a consequence of global, European and UK economic forces. We have therefore based the levy on a full year decline of 8% in 2008/09. We recognise however that there is considerable macro-economic uncertainty in the UK market and we will therefore keep this levy under review during 2009/10.

PhonepayPlus will shortly publish its full statement following its consultation on the 2009/10 Business Plan & Budget.

Comment from Bluewave Media

At this present time, we do not pass this levy cost on to our customers. Instead, this cost is factored into our pricing structure. Therefore, the vast majority of our PRS and SMS customers will remain unaffected by this announcement.

Link building is a tried and tested method of promoting a website on the internet. It is not as simple as getting hundreds of links from any kind of site though. You need links that are relevant and themed to your website. The days of getting high rankings by getting thousands of spammy links are quickly coming to an end. The search engines are getting better at analyzing your links so keep them relevant to your visitors.

Here are a few of the different techniques used today

1) One-way link building

A one way link to your website is likely to be given higher weight. There are various ways to get these links, such as directory submissions, link baiting (where you provide outstanding and unique content that others want to link to naturally) and even paid links.

2) Reciprocal link building

A traditional and common method of  link building is reciprocal linking. This is where two websites effectively “swap” links. This is still a valid method of building links if the sites are relevant to each other and provide value to the visitor. There is a chance that the search engines, will not place as much weight on this type of link though.

3) Article submission

Writing and submitting articles to sites such as ezinearticles.com is a good way to get natural inbound links and can help identify you as an authority in your chosen niche. Obviously the better the content, the more chance there is of someone using your article on their site or newsletter. They will then credit you with your link back to your site – a win-win situation. Other sites that use your articles also provide one-way link to your site from other websites.

4) Press release submission

Press release submission in various press release directory and leading news site is a best way to get natural back links from your press release articles. You need to write press release article about your new product launches or news releases in your industry.

5) Triangular links (three way link exchange)

This is related to reciprocal linking and effectively gives you a one way link to your site by linking back to a third website. Eg. Site A links to Site B, then site B links back to Site C

6) Social bookmarking

Social bookmarking is a more recent way to get back links and more visitors to your website. This involves submitting your sites content to services such as digg.com. This can be an effective way of generating traffic to your site.

There are more methods that havent been listed here but the main point to take away is that quality is nearly always better than quantity and you should always think about adding value and keep your visitors in mind, avoiding spammy techniques.

Live Services

The caller speaks directly to professional in their chosen subject and benefits from a live 121 reading over the phone. These services can include Live Psychic and Medium Service, Angel Readers, Love and Romance Psychics, Mediums, Psychic Detectives Team and Tarot Readers.

Recorded horoscopes

These are where a professional horoscope reader has recorded their weekly or monthly reading for each star sign and the caller calls and listens to the reading for their start sign.

Interactive Joke Services

This is a great way to wind up your friends. The caller chooses the prank they wish to play on their victim from a selection of around 8 or 9 different pranks. Then they input the victim’s telephone number into the interactive joke service and the service calls the victims and plays the prank call on them. Usually the prankers can listen in on the victim getting prank called, which makes it even funnier.

Recorded weather services

These are recordings of weather forecasts for local, regional or national weather reports, they are updated automatically.

Recorded Sports Services

For example, horse betting tips. Bookies recorded their tips for the days’ races and callers can listen to the tips for the day and decide to make a bet or not.

For more details on various premium rate services, contact Bluewave Media or see www.premium-rate-business.co.uk

Firstly you should find a reputable Premium Rate provider. There are absolutely loads of services to choose from so be prepared, I will let you have some insider information on the most popular services.

Here are the types of services in order of popularity:

1. Live 121 adult services
2. Live non adult services like, psychic, horoscope.
3. Recorded adult / interactive adult services.
4. Recorded non adult services.

I would recommend you start your premium rate number portfolio with at least one live service. Normally you will need to complete a registration form and sign a standard contract, detailing the terms and conditions of the business. Be wary of companies that do not have contracts and strict processes. A good detailed contract is normally a sign that your provider takes this business seriously, will protect your interests and give good guidance.

Payments

Some companies charge simple one off payments and some have a monthly payment system, make sure you get all the information and choose the set up that works best for you. You should either be able to pay for your new premium rate services on their website or over the phone with a credit or debit card. And the majority of companies can have your services set up and ready to advertise within 72 hours from receiving your payment and documentation. You will normally have to provide the premium rate company with details of your bank account so you can have the revenue paid directly into your account. Most companies make their payments this way; however some will use PayPal or other similar system. Not many companies send cheques out now.

Advertising and Promotion

Once you have received your number(s), you need to think about advertising and promoting your new premium rate services. While you are waiting for your services to be made live and ready to use, get in contact with some advertising companies, agencies or try publications direct. Some of the places you can advertise are local newspapers, national newspapers, glossy magazines, free ads and on the internet. You may even choose TV advertising (this may be cheaper than you think too!). Whether you choose adult or non adult services you will need to go through most of the same companies to get your services advertised. Most of the advertising houses cater for adult and non adult publications although some only specialise in adult publications. You can do an easy search online for advertising agencies and get in contact to find out what their adverting costs and packages are. We can also advise on this if required.

If you are not happy creating the adverts / artwork yourself, you can ask the advertising agency to add it to your package, most of them will do it for free, so it’s worth asking, although some will charge you for this service. Alternatively your premium rate number provider may be able to offer you print ready adverts that you can just plug your number into and submit them directly to the magazine or newspaper.

When you get your numbers through from your company, check them. I know this may sound really obvious but just make sure they are working and the numbers are mapped to the correct service. Once you are happy that the numbers are live and correct you can give all the information to your advertising company to get the advert made into proofs. Please ensure you advertise all the correct terms and conditions on your promotional material as it is strict requirement from PhonepayPlus (formerly ICSTIS) regulations.

Make sure you check your advert proofs properly, as once they go through for printing, cannot be amended. And it will be a complete waste of time if something in the advert is wrong. The same applies to advertising in the newspaper; make sure you see your proof.

So now your services are live and your advertisments are out there, you are well on your way to generating your first month’s revenue. Now all you have to do is sit back and wait for the calls to come in.

For more information on print advertising, see our guide “Profit from Premium Rate using UK Print Advertising“

To comply with PhonepayPlus regulations you may be required to include the following information in promotional material. Promotional material may include print advertising, website and flyers or cards, basically anywhere that your premium rate number appears to entice people to call:

• Contact information, such as a PO Box address and/or customer service telephone number.
• Cost of the call. E.g. “Calls cost £1.50 per minute unless otherwise stated”
• The cost of the call is charged in addition to their normal call costs. E.g. “Charges from mobile and other networks may vary.”
• You must be over 18 to use these services (if applicable), be the bill payer or have the bill payer’s permission.
• Live call may be recorded in compliance with PhonePay Plus.

This information above is a guideline example only. You should make sure you have the latest information from PhonepayPlus and make sure you are complying correctly at all times.

We can provide advice on these matters where required.

Once your website / advertising is in place, all the work is done. All you really need to maintain things is an internet connection and a UK bank account. This works best for internet promotion which can literally be done anywhere you can find an internet connection

We have some clients who spend most of the year working from remote beaches in the Phillipines. Not a bad lifestyle we think!

This lifestyle choice becomes even easier when you consider outsourcing your promotion to other people. Once you have gained the knowledge you need to succeed, you should be able to formularise it and outsource, perhaps to India or the Philippines.

So, if you’re fed up with the typical British weather, its worth considering your lifestlye choices and looking at what is available out there for you!

Realistic Earnings Example

Here is a rough idea of the type of money you could earn from the advertising and promotion of premium rate telephone numbers.

From information gathered from premium rate companies, we know the average call time is around 6.5 minutes. If you are receiving 80p per minute in revenue, that works out at £5.20 per call, on average. Have a look at this earnings potential table to find out how much money you could make on a daily, monthly and annual basis. With the correct advertising and promotion of the premium rate services, these figures are very achievable.

So we have illustrated the earnings potential with one single number. Now imagine you have a whole portfolio or different services with different themes, advertised all over the web or in many magazines and newspaper. You can work out those sums but it is a very good way of generating revenue and is easily achievable with the correct information and advertising.

Print advertising is a great way to get your numbers out there

Many people who make money from advertising premium rate services invest heavily in print advertising as it is a proven winner. You do need to have a decent advertising budget to get a healthy start and for the more modest budgets you may need to wait a few months before you get into the big figures. Basically, the more you spend on advertising, the more calls you should get. The benefits of print advertising are that you pay the money, submit the artwork and it’s done, you just sit back and wait for the calls to come in. With the daily national newspapers, it is usually an instant response and you can funnel you money back into a bigger or longer advertising campaign next time round.

Get chatting to some publishers and let them know you have money to spend on advertising your premium rate numbers. The better your relationship with the publishers, the better deals you will have and ultimately, the more money you will earn.

Advertise your premium rate numbers on a website.

The internet is a very popular place for the public to search for premium rate services and it is a great way of promoting your services. You can get your own website and promote, or have someone promote it on your behalf. We can help with the design, build and promotion of your website. It is a really great way as the costs are so much lower than print advertising. After all, your website is a permanent advert with minimal cost! If you have web experience, you are already a step ahead and you can cash in on this knowledge.

Highly ranked websites offering UK phone sex have been known to generate in the region of £60,000 per annum. What’s to stop you doing the same?