News In Brief

Groom courts sponsors

theirs was a matrimony of marriage and marketing - and it paid off for a young Philadelphia couple to the tune of a free $34,000 wedding. In return for such "gifts" as a honeymoon week in Cancn, Mexico, Tom Anderson and Sabrina Root provided their corporate sponsors with advertising space at the ceremony and the reception, in their wedding invitations and thank-you cards, on their reception menus, and even in his verbal thank-you following the first toast. Two things they insisted on choosing and paying for: his ring and her dress.

Correction:

An item in this space Aug. 16 contained a typo in the Web-site address for Nabisco's referendum on the pineapple flavor in Life Savers. The correct address is www.lifesavers.com.

Tips for the college student doing business on the Web

College students are dealing with steadily increasing opportunities to make purchases online. To safeguard their finances and credit, VarsityBooks.com, an online college bookstore, has compiled a list of security tips to help students enjoy safe and secure shopping on the Internet:

1. Only provide a vendor with information that is relevant to your purchase.

2. Look for the TRUSTe name, showing sites follow data-collection and -distribution practices that protect privacy.

3. Look for posted privacy policies that spell out data-use and data-sharing policies.

4. Look for credit-card guarantees. Consumers are seldom liable for unauthorized credit-card purchases in excess of $50. Make sure the site you are on will refund the $50.00 should such charges appear.

5. Ensure that your credit card data will be encrypted before transmission.

6. Check out a site's return-of-purchase policies.

7. Look for "opt-in" or opt-out" e-mail features. Responsible sites offer opportunities to remove personal information from databases and block all further communications.

- PR Newswire

(c) Copyright 1999. The Christian Science Publishing Society