1. Not everything runs in the cloud. I know Google has a web-centric, cloud-computing perspective on the world, but not everything runs from the cloud. Sure, Picassa and Flickr have some photo editing capabilities, but they're not Adobe Photoshop.
That is just one example, but the point is that there are applications that pretty much have to be run locally. An operating system that is essentially just a web browser on steroids designed to run on low-end netbook hardware will not be able to fill that need.
2. The cloud isn't always available. In order to run all of your applications from the cloud, you have to be connected to the cloud. Wi-Fi connections are becoming more ubiquitous, but there are still plenty of places I go where there is no Wi-Fi available.
An airplane is a good example. Airlines are beginning to implement wireless network availability in-flight, but usually for a fee. That basically renders a Chrome OS netbook useless while flying unless you cave and pay the exorbitant airline access fees.
3. Games. One of the driving forces behind PC hardware development and PC sales is gaming. Nobody needs a $750 graphics card to use Microsoft Office, and a 5.1 surround sound speaker system is a little overkill for checking email.
Sure, there are games on the web. Thousands of them. Facebook users waste spend weeks of time playing Mafia Wars and Farmville. But, Farmville is no Spore. Hardcore gamers want the raw horsepower that a PC provides.
4. Chrome web browser. Google's Chrome web browser has been around for awhile. It has received some good reviews and has experience a relative degree of success in a crowded browser market.
That is admirable, but the Chrome web browser hasn't exactly caught fire. It isn't steamrolling Internet Explorer, or even Firefox, to capture browser market share. If the world isn't tripping over itself to get the web browser, it seems safe to assume we also won't flock to drop our Windows or Mac based hardware for a netbook running a glorified version of the browser we weren't using in the first place.
5. We can do most of that now for free. Google doesn't intend to offer the Chrome OS as a free application like most things Google. The plan is to make the Chrome OS available pre-installed on netbook hardware by the 2010 holiday season.
We can already do most, if not all, of what Chrome OS promises to deliver. Using a Windows 7 or Linux-based netbook, users can simply not install anything but a web browser and connect to the vast array of Google products and other web-based services and applications.
Netbooks have been successful at capturing the low-end PC market, and they provide a web-centric computing experience today. I am not sure why we should get excited that a year from now we'll be able to do the same thing, but locked into doing it from the fourth-place web browser.
The Chrome OS is half Linux and half Chrome web browser. Netbooks built on the Chrome OS will basically be web appliances running an operating system that is really just a web browser on steroids.
Google is virtually synonymous with the web, so its hard not to get excited. The Chrome OS may have something to offer the netbook audience, but it is not a threat to existing desktop operating systems at all.
My PC World counterpart Jared Newman seems to agree that the Chrome OS will essentially be a niche operating system. Jared feels, though, that Google is not trying to take over the operating system market and that, relative to what the OS is intended to be, Chrome will be a success. Perhaps.
If it didn't have the word 'Google' at the front, nobody would care and most people would simply dismiss the effort. Chrome OS will be little more than a niche product and it begs the question 'why bother?'
Tony Bradley tweets as @PCSecurityNews, and can be contacted at his Facebook page .
Friday, November 20, 2009
Monday, November 9, 2009
How to remove double-spacing from the signature in Outlook 2007
Step 1
First, you have to open Microsoft Outlook. Then in Outlook, on the Tools menu, click Options.
Step 2
Next you have to click the Mail Format tab. Then select Signatures.
Step 3
Then the next step is in the Signature box, select the signature that you want to modify, and then click Edit.
Step 4
Here's where all of the action is. Place the insertion point after the last character in the line.
Press DELETE, and then press SHIFT+ENTER.
Step 5
Repeat Step 4 for each line of text.
When you have finished with all lines, click OK three times.
Send an email and view perfection.
First, you have to open Microsoft Outlook. Then in Outlook, on the Tools menu, click Options.
Step 2
Next you have to click the Mail Format tab. Then select Signatures.
Step 3
Then the next step is in the Signature box, select the signature that you want to modify, and then click Edit.
Step 4
Here's where all of the action is. Place the insertion point after the last character in the line.
Press DELETE, and then press SHIFT+ENTER.
Step 5
Repeat Step 4 for each line of text.
When you have finished with all lines, click OK three times.
Send an email and view perfection.
Monday, September 28, 2009
My Windows 7 upgrade experience
I recently upgraded my notebook to Windows 7. I had one glitch with a printer driver and that was it. No issues whatsoever and a very flawless process. I was very impressed. My impressions are that it is faster, seems quite stable and is very easy to use. Now to the official propaganda:
Starts up, resumes from Standby, and is ready to go in seconds.
Performance improvements include improved memory utilization and 64-bit computer support.
Works with the majority of software or devices that work with the Windows Vista operating system.
Windows Desktop Search, the Windows Aero experience, Jump Lists and Live Taskbar previews are just a few of the features that help find files and navigate open windows easily.
With longer battery life and features such as Location-Aware printing and Offline Files, mobile workers can be productive anywhere.
Improved networking options include Remote Desktop Host, HomeGroup, and Domain Join.
With Backup and Restore, customers can schedule a periodic backup to save their data or an entire system image to a network location or a local drive. This helps you quickly restore individual files or folders that get accidentally erased.
The Encrypting File System feature helps businesses protect confidential information with powerful encryption technologies that encrypt their files and folders.
Windows 7 is easier to use, more reliable, more secure, and faster than Windows XP. Windows XP is nearly a decade old, with limited support for new hardware or software. And with Windows XP Mode, you get the compatibility of Windows XP in Windows 7 Professional.
Windows 7 Professional is better than Windows Vista. Fundamentals were strengthened around performance, reliability, and security. There are User Interface improvements, better wireless networking and more comprehensive (and comprehensible) troubleshooting.
Starts up, resumes from Standby, and is ready to go in seconds.
Performance improvements include improved memory utilization and 64-bit computer support.
Works with the majority of software or devices that work with the Windows Vista operating system.
Windows Desktop Search, the Windows Aero experience, Jump Lists and Live Taskbar previews are just a few of the features that help find files and navigate open windows easily.
With longer battery life and features such as Location-Aware printing and Offline Files, mobile workers can be productive anywhere.
Improved networking options include Remote Desktop Host, HomeGroup, and Domain Join.
With Backup and Restore, customers can schedule a periodic backup to save their data or an entire system image to a network location or a local drive. This helps you quickly restore individual files or folders that get accidentally erased.
The Encrypting File System feature helps businesses protect confidential information with powerful encryption technologies that encrypt their files and folders.
Windows 7 is easier to use, more reliable, more secure, and faster than Windows XP. Windows XP is nearly a decade old, with limited support for new hardware or software. And with Windows XP Mode, you get the compatibility of Windows XP in Windows 7 Professional.
Windows 7 Professional is better than Windows Vista. Fundamentals were strengthened around performance, reliability, and security. There are User Interface improvements, better wireless networking and more comprehensive (and comprehensible) troubleshooting.
Best Buy's Bad Business
Best Buy made its name selling technology products at the lowest possible prices. Of course, the best prices don't always mean the best service.
To that point, Best Buy has always had trouble providing technology services to consumers, businesses or any class of customers. That's why the local solution provider channel has thrived from its inception in the early '80s. And it's why there will always be a place for the local solution provider.
With technology product sales plummeting, the retail giant is making a big push on services. In fact, Best Buy's new CEO, Brian Dunn, sees services as the future for the company. In the most recent quarter, Best Buy's comparable domestic store sales were down 4.9 percent due to what the retailer called a decline in customer traffic. Interestingly enough, the sales decline was partially offset by what Best Buy called gains in notebook computers, mobile phones and repair services.
So are Best Buy's Geek Squad techs being pressured into making repairs that are flat out just not necessary? It's a question worth asking given the experience of one of our esteemed editors, Scott Campbell, and a number of other consumers complaining about the Geek Squad. To get the full impact of the services shenanigans, go to Campbell's blog post on our ChannelWeb Connect community at community.crn.com. Here is a short summary:
Campbell's wife bought him a $700 Dell laptop in January for his birthday. She also decided to go the extra mile (better safe than sorry) and buy the Best Buy three-year, $300 "Black Tie Protection" warranty. How much margin, by the way, does Best Buy make on this "Black Tie Protection" warranty plan? My bet is it's a lot more margin than it is making on the Dell laptop.
The Black Tie black eye for the Campbell family came after only five months when the hinge on the Dell laptop came loose. Campbell brought his Dell laptop back to Best Buy, which agreed to ship it out and return it to him in three weeks. How in the world can you justify a warranty that does not provide a one- or two-day turnaround in this day and age? Three weeks. Are you kidding me? What exactly are you paying for if you can't get a repair done in 48 hours?
We've already proven that the $300 Best Buy "Black Tie" warranty isn't exactly a barnburner. Then Best Buy's Geek Squad replaced the hard drive without so much as even a heads up to Campbell. To top it all off, Campbell proceeds to get a phone call from another Geek Squad rocket scientist asking if he wants to buy data recovery services from Best Buy.
There is no way any local solution provider could provide this kind of service and last more than a month.
From this vantage point, it looks like there is a lot more bad business than best buys at Best Buy. And it's that bad business that is sure to lead more customers from Best Buy to solution providers.
- Steven Burke - CRN
To that point, Best Buy has always had trouble providing technology services to consumers, businesses or any class of customers. That's why the local solution provider channel has thrived from its inception in the early '80s. And it's why there will always be a place for the local solution provider.
With technology product sales plummeting, the retail giant is making a big push on services. In fact, Best Buy's new CEO, Brian Dunn, sees services as the future for the company. In the most recent quarter, Best Buy's comparable domestic store sales were down 4.9 percent due to what the retailer called a decline in customer traffic. Interestingly enough, the sales decline was partially offset by what Best Buy called gains in notebook computers, mobile phones and repair services.
So are Best Buy's Geek Squad techs being pressured into making repairs that are flat out just not necessary? It's a question worth asking given the experience of one of our esteemed editors, Scott Campbell, and a number of other consumers complaining about the Geek Squad. To get the full impact of the services shenanigans, go to Campbell's blog post on our ChannelWeb Connect community at community.crn.com. Here is a short summary:
Campbell's wife bought him a $700 Dell laptop in January for his birthday. She also decided to go the extra mile (better safe than sorry) and buy the Best Buy three-year, $300 "Black Tie Protection" warranty. How much margin, by the way, does Best Buy make on this "Black Tie Protection" warranty plan? My bet is it's a lot more margin than it is making on the Dell laptop.
The Black Tie black eye for the Campbell family came after only five months when the hinge on the Dell laptop came loose. Campbell brought his Dell laptop back to Best Buy, which agreed to ship it out and return it to him in three weeks. How in the world can you justify a warranty that does not provide a one- or two-day turnaround in this day and age? Three weeks. Are you kidding me? What exactly are you paying for if you can't get a repair done in 48 hours?
We've already proven that the $300 Best Buy "Black Tie" warranty isn't exactly a barnburner. Then Best Buy's Geek Squad replaced the hard drive without so much as even a heads up to Campbell. To top it all off, Campbell proceeds to get a phone call from another Geek Squad rocket scientist asking if he wants to buy data recovery services from Best Buy.
There is no way any local solution provider could provide this kind of service and last more than a month.
From this vantage point, it looks like there is a lot more bad business than best buys at Best Buy. And it's that bad business that is sure to lead more customers from Best Buy to solution providers.
- Steven Burke - CRN
Thursday, July 30, 2009
8 Keys to Internet Security
from Stepcase Lifehack by Dustin Wax
8 Keys to Internet Security
In a recent post, I recommended Panda’s Cloud Antivirus as a decent free antivirus program. Others have recommended different programs, and that’s fine – in the end, I don’t think there’s much meaningful difference between the various antivirus programs, at least in terms of security.
Much more important than which antivirus program you use (or anti-spyware, or firewall, or any security software), or even if you use one at all, are the practices that make up your online behavior. People who do risky stuff on the Internet will get a virus, sooner or later, regardless of how good their security software is. On the other hand, many security experts don’t use any antivirus software and still manage to avoid viruses.
I don’t recommend that you follow in the footsteps of the security experts – the nature of their calling demands a kind of paranoia that few of us can maintain. I recommend a solid package of security software (I run Cloud Antivirus and Windows Defender) but only as a safety net – something to pick up the slack when we make mistakes, not a first line of defense.
The thing with security, online or anywhere else, is that it’s always a trade-off between protection and convenience. I can tell you how to absolutely avoid any risk of computer virus, spyware, or trojan: stay offline and never install anything or use any removable storage media. That’s 100% perfect protection, but it would severely hinder your computer usage. It’s like securing a house: You could build a door-less, window-less titanium-sheathed reinforced-concrete bunker around your house and be absolutely sure burglars couldn’t get in, but you probably wouldn’t want to live there.
The tips below are sufficient to account for all but the most determined attacks against your computer. No amount of software or behavioral change can protect you from every possible attack (if the NSA wants to get on your PC, they are probably going to do so) but you can protect yourself from virtually all of the attacks you’re likely to face online.
I owe thanks for most of these tips to Leo Laporte and Steve Gibson, hosts of the TWiT netcast Security Now. If you’re interested in computer security at a very deep level, this weekly show is your ticket, and I heartily recommend it!
1. Use a router.
The very nature of the way routers works acts as an effective hardware firewall, preventing access to computers on your home network from outside the network. Put simply, when you request something from the Internet – say, you click a link, check your email, or enter a URL – the router notes which computer on its network the request came from so it can send the reply to the proper recipient. If a would be intruder attempts to enter your network, the router checks its list of outgoing requests and, if none is found correlating to the attackers’ IP address, it ignores it. It basically doesn’t know which computer to send it to, so it throws it out.
If you simply cannot use a hardware router, make sure your operating system’s firewall is turned on. This is almost, but not entirely, as good.
2. Do not open email attachments.
I know, who doesn’t want to see pictures of Anna Kournikova naked, right? Email attachments are a major vector for infecting computers, because it’s so easy to fake the sender so the email looks like it came from someone you know, and everybody loves opening attachments from people they know. It could be a funny picture of penguins, after all. But bottom line, don’t open attachments. If your email client automatically opens or previews them, turn that feature off. Even if it’s from your mom, and even if your mom says she opened it and it’s fine, still don’t open it. (By the way, next time you’re at mom’s, reinstall Windows. She’s got tons of viruses now.)
Now, I know that sometimes you have to open attachments, so here’s a simple test to know when it is most likely safe to open an attachment:
1. You know that the email is from the person it says it’s from. That usually means that either they said they were sending it, or they’ve written a note that only they could have written.
2. You are expecting an attachment from that person.
3. You know the person who created the file.
4. There is a compelling reason to open the attachment. I’m sorry, ma, but a good laugh isn’t enough to get me to risk my computer’s security.
If you can’t be absolutely, 100% sure on all these counts, trash it.
3. Do not download bittorrent files.
That sucks, I know, but since you’re never absolutely sure where the file comes from, where it’s been, or who might have altered it, bittorrent is risky. Downloading a Linux distribution from Ubuntu is probably ok; downloading it from Pirate’s Bay is a bit dodgy. Downloading Oscar screeners of movies that haven’t been released yet is super-duper dodgy. It’s a real shame to have to forego sticking it to The Man because of practical concerns, but you’re taking a big risk downloading an unknown file from an unknown person about whom the only thing you know is that they don’t feel any compunctions about breaking the law.
4. Do not download warez, porn, or other dubious files.
First they came for my bittorrents, then they came for my porn! It just gets worse and worse, doesn’t it. But really, think about it – people who distribute illegal copies of illegally hacked software a) are demonstrated lawbreakers, b) are familiar with programming code, and c) had access to the code you’re expecting to install on your computer. As for porn, while I’m sure there are plenty of Good Samaritans out there who distribute free pornography simply out of a desire for greater happiness in the world, some small number of them do it for financial gain. If they’re giving you free porn, they must be making money off you another way, and one of the easiest is to install a bunch of malware on your computer, run whatever code they want on it, and then sell the use of your computer to spammers, phishers, and other unsavory sorts. You want to know how bad these guys are? They don’t even care if they give pornography a bad name!
5. Do not download *anything* from sites you’re unfamiliar with.
Again, if you’re intending to install something you’ve downloaded onto your computer, you have to know that only people you trust have had access to it. Adobe, Microsoft, and other software manufacturers are generally trustworthy, as are sites like C|net’s Download.com. “Bob’s Free Software I Like a Whole Bunch” might not be quite as safe a bet.
6. Turn off Flash, Javascript, and other browser plugins.
Flash ads have been used to install viruses. So has Javascript code. You don’t have to do anything to get infected this way; you just visit a site with the malicious code on it and *bam*, you’re infected. Because of that, hardcore security folks turn off Javascript and either block or never install Flash. Personally, I think it limits the usefulness of the Internet too much; I’ve decided to risk running Javascript, and use the FlashBlock plugin in Firefox so I can select which Flash objects on a page I want to run (allowing me, for instance, to watch YouTube videos while preventing Flash ads on the same page from loading).
7. Do not click links in email.
It’s very easy to hide the real destination of links sent in email by using HTML where the text reads “www.perfectlysafesiteyouknowandtrust.com” but the actual URL is “www.reallybadsiterunbymeanpeoplewithnofriends.net”. This is how phishing scams work – you think you’re going to PayPal or your bank, but really you’re going to a page designed to look just like your bank’s login page but hosted on the mean people’s server. Also, bad guys often put unique tracking IDs into links, so that they know exactly who clicked on a link – which means that they know which email addresses out of the millions they sent spam to are valid, which makes them worth more money to other spammers. Um, yay?
7a. Do not click shortened URLs.
I don’t like this one, because I like Twitter and you lose a lot of functionality if you don’t use a service like bit.ly or is.gd to shorten URLs, but these links are scary. When you hover your mouse over a link, the URL appears in the email or browser’s status bar, meaning you can verify that the link heads to where it says it does. When you do the same with a shortened URL, it just says the shortened URL. There are Firefox extensions like UnTiny that will reveal the true destination of shortened URLs, and some Twitter clients do as well, but until a universal solution is standardized, these URLs remain a bit scary, security-wise.
8. Install all security updates.
Unless you’re a multi-national mega-corporation running oodles of mission-critical custom-designed software, you need to install security updates as quickly as possible upon release. If remembering to do this isn’t something you think you’d be likely to do, set your computer to automatically download and install updates. Increasingly, we’re seeing “0-day” exploits – viruses and trojans written to make use of security flaws before those flaws are corrected by – or, in some cases, even known to – manufacturers. Keeping up-to-date is essential to keep even marginally safe.
I know that, the world being what it is, someone will be thinking right about now, “Hey, why don’t you just switch to Mac OS X or Linux?” It’s true, those operating systems get far fewer viruses and other problems than Windows PCs, but most experts seem to agree that this is at least in part because there are so many Windows PCs and so few Mac and Linux PCs. (There are plenty of Linux servers, but those are under professional supervision, which goes a long way towards making up for any security weaknesses Linux has.) Bad guys program for the system that allows the greatest spread of their malware, and right now, that’s Windows.
But if you’re still not convinced, I’ve got an even better idea for you. Both Mac OS X and Linux have demonstrated security vulnerabilities, and as they become more common are likely to become targets for hackers. So they’re not really safe bets. Instead, try BeOS! It may be riddled with security holes and only run on Pentium 4 and earlier PCs, but I can guarantee you, nobody is writing viruses for it!
For everyone else, whether you use Windows, Mac, or Linux, make sure to follow the rules above and, chances are, you’ll be just fine.
8 Keys to Internet Security
In a recent post, I recommended Panda’s Cloud Antivirus as a decent free antivirus program. Others have recommended different programs, and that’s fine – in the end, I don’t think there’s much meaningful difference between the various antivirus programs, at least in terms of security.
Much more important than which antivirus program you use (or anti-spyware, or firewall, or any security software), or even if you use one at all, are the practices that make up your online behavior. People who do risky stuff on the Internet will get a virus, sooner or later, regardless of how good their security software is. On the other hand, many security experts don’t use any antivirus software and still manage to avoid viruses.
I don’t recommend that you follow in the footsteps of the security experts – the nature of their calling demands a kind of paranoia that few of us can maintain. I recommend a solid package of security software (I run Cloud Antivirus and Windows Defender) but only as a safety net – something to pick up the slack when we make mistakes, not a first line of defense.
The thing with security, online or anywhere else, is that it’s always a trade-off between protection and convenience. I can tell you how to absolutely avoid any risk of computer virus, spyware, or trojan: stay offline and never install anything or use any removable storage media. That’s 100% perfect protection, but it would severely hinder your computer usage. It’s like securing a house: You could build a door-less, window-less titanium-sheathed reinforced-concrete bunker around your house and be absolutely sure burglars couldn’t get in, but you probably wouldn’t want to live there.
The tips below are sufficient to account for all but the most determined attacks against your computer. No amount of software or behavioral change can protect you from every possible attack (if the NSA wants to get on your PC, they are probably going to do so) but you can protect yourself from virtually all of the attacks you’re likely to face online.
I owe thanks for most of these tips to Leo Laporte and Steve Gibson, hosts of the TWiT netcast Security Now. If you’re interested in computer security at a very deep level, this weekly show is your ticket, and I heartily recommend it!
1. Use a router.
The very nature of the way routers works acts as an effective hardware firewall, preventing access to computers on your home network from outside the network. Put simply, when you request something from the Internet – say, you click a link, check your email, or enter a URL – the router notes which computer on its network the request came from so it can send the reply to the proper recipient. If a would be intruder attempts to enter your network, the router checks its list of outgoing requests and, if none is found correlating to the attackers’ IP address, it ignores it. It basically doesn’t know which computer to send it to, so it throws it out.
If you simply cannot use a hardware router, make sure your operating system’s firewall is turned on. This is almost, but not entirely, as good.
2. Do not open email attachments.
I know, who doesn’t want to see pictures of Anna Kournikova naked, right? Email attachments are a major vector for infecting computers, because it’s so easy to fake the sender so the email looks like it came from someone you know, and everybody loves opening attachments from people they know. It could be a funny picture of penguins, after all. But bottom line, don’t open attachments. If your email client automatically opens or previews them, turn that feature off. Even if it’s from your mom, and even if your mom says she opened it and it’s fine, still don’t open it. (By the way, next time you’re at mom’s, reinstall Windows. She’s got tons of viruses now.)
Now, I know that sometimes you have to open attachments, so here’s a simple test to know when it is most likely safe to open an attachment:
1. You know that the email is from the person it says it’s from. That usually means that either they said they were sending it, or they’ve written a note that only they could have written.
2. You are expecting an attachment from that person.
3. You know the person who created the file.
4. There is a compelling reason to open the attachment. I’m sorry, ma, but a good laugh isn’t enough to get me to risk my computer’s security.
If you can’t be absolutely, 100% sure on all these counts, trash it.
3. Do not download bittorrent files.
That sucks, I know, but since you’re never absolutely sure where the file comes from, where it’s been, or who might have altered it, bittorrent is risky. Downloading a Linux distribution from Ubuntu is probably ok; downloading it from Pirate’s Bay is a bit dodgy. Downloading Oscar screeners of movies that haven’t been released yet is super-duper dodgy. It’s a real shame to have to forego sticking it to The Man because of practical concerns, but you’re taking a big risk downloading an unknown file from an unknown person about whom the only thing you know is that they don’t feel any compunctions about breaking the law.
4. Do not download warez, porn, or other dubious files.
First they came for my bittorrents, then they came for my porn! It just gets worse and worse, doesn’t it. But really, think about it – people who distribute illegal copies of illegally hacked software a) are demonstrated lawbreakers, b) are familiar with programming code, and c) had access to the code you’re expecting to install on your computer. As for porn, while I’m sure there are plenty of Good Samaritans out there who distribute free pornography simply out of a desire for greater happiness in the world, some small number of them do it for financial gain. If they’re giving you free porn, they must be making money off you another way, and one of the easiest is to install a bunch of malware on your computer, run whatever code they want on it, and then sell the use of your computer to spammers, phishers, and other unsavory sorts. You want to know how bad these guys are? They don’t even care if they give pornography a bad name!
5. Do not download *anything* from sites you’re unfamiliar with.
Again, if you’re intending to install something you’ve downloaded onto your computer, you have to know that only people you trust have had access to it. Adobe, Microsoft, and other software manufacturers are generally trustworthy, as are sites like C|net’s Download.com. “Bob’s Free Software I Like a Whole Bunch” might not be quite as safe a bet.
6. Turn off Flash, Javascript, and other browser plugins.
Flash ads have been used to install viruses. So has Javascript code. You don’t have to do anything to get infected this way; you just visit a site with the malicious code on it and *bam*, you’re infected. Because of that, hardcore security folks turn off Javascript and either block or never install Flash. Personally, I think it limits the usefulness of the Internet too much; I’ve decided to risk running Javascript, and use the FlashBlock plugin in Firefox so I can select which Flash objects on a page I want to run (allowing me, for instance, to watch YouTube videos while preventing Flash ads on the same page from loading).
7. Do not click links in email.
It’s very easy to hide the real destination of links sent in email by using HTML where the text reads “www.perfectlysafesiteyouknowandtrust.com” but the actual URL is “www.reallybadsiterunbymeanpeoplewithnofriends.net”. This is how phishing scams work – you think you’re going to PayPal or your bank, but really you’re going to a page designed to look just like your bank’s login page but hosted on the mean people’s server. Also, bad guys often put unique tracking IDs into links, so that they know exactly who clicked on a link – which means that they know which email addresses out of the millions they sent spam to are valid, which makes them worth more money to other spammers. Um, yay?
7a. Do not click shortened URLs.
I don’t like this one, because I like Twitter and you lose a lot of functionality if you don’t use a service like bit.ly or is.gd to shorten URLs, but these links are scary. When you hover your mouse over a link, the URL appears in the email or browser’s status bar, meaning you can verify that the link heads to where it says it does. When you do the same with a shortened URL, it just says the shortened URL. There are Firefox extensions like UnTiny that will reveal the true destination of shortened URLs, and some Twitter clients do as well, but until a universal solution is standardized, these URLs remain a bit scary, security-wise.
8. Install all security updates.
Unless you’re a multi-national mega-corporation running oodles of mission-critical custom-designed software, you need to install security updates as quickly as possible upon release. If remembering to do this isn’t something you think you’d be likely to do, set your computer to automatically download and install updates. Increasingly, we’re seeing “0-day” exploits – viruses and trojans written to make use of security flaws before those flaws are corrected by – or, in some cases, even known to – manufacturers. Keeping up-to-date is essential to keep even marginally safe.
I know that, the world being what it is, someone will be thinking right about now, “Hey, why don’t you just switch to Mac OS X or Linux?” It’s true, those operating systems get far fewer viruses and other problems than Windows PCs, but most experts seem to agree that this is at least in part because there are so many Windows PCs and so few Mac and Linux PCs. (There are plenty of Linux servers, but those are under professional supervision, which goes a long way towards making up for any security weaknesses Linux has.) Bad guys program for the system that allows the greatest spread of their malware, and right now, that’s Windows.
But if you’re still not convinced, I’ve got an even better idea for you. Both Mac OS X and Linux have demonstrated security vulnerabilities, and as they become more common are likely to become targets for hackers. So they’re not really safe bets. Instead, try BeOS! It may be riddled with security holes and only run on Pentium 4 and earlier PCs, but I can guarantee you, nobody is writing viruses for it!
For everyone else, whether you use Windows, Mac, or Linux, make sure to follow the rules above and, chances are, you’ll be just fine.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
The Dos and Dont's of Naming a Business (how timely!)
from The Marketing Spot - Small Business Marketing by Jay Ehret
Dont use a generic name. Generic names equal generic brands. Advanced Glass & Mirror is just another place that installs glass.
Do use unexpected names. The most famous example is Starbucks, which took it's name from a character in Moby Dick.
Don't use initials. JWT could be grain and feed store, or it could be a famous advertising agency. It has no meaning. Business names that use initials are less memorable.
Do use your name. It's ok to use your name. It puts your personal stamp of approval on the business. Butler Graphic Design is the place that's owned by...yep Butler. Just make sure you have an easy name to pronounce.
Don't be too literal. The Ultra Fit Gym.
Do use synonyms and metaphors. Iron Hammer Gym.
Don't involve too many people. You are not going to find a name that everyone likes. The more people you try to please, the less interesting your name will be. It's called compromise. Keep the committee small, or better yet, just you.
Do test the name. However, don't go to the expense of naming your business with running it by some people. Remember the Chevy Nova? No va means "will not go" in Spanish. Also, sometimes people just don't get what you do.
Don't name your business too soon. It's exciting to name your business. It's more important to get it right. Take your time.
Do create your brand promise before you name your business. Your business name should be representative of your brand. If your brand promise is based on speedy response, you can use the above techniques to create a name that says speed.
Dont use a generic name. Generic names equal generic brands. Advanced Glass & Mirror is just another place that installs glass.
Do use unexpected names. The most famous example is Starbucks, which took it's name from a character in Moby Dick.
Don't use initials. JWT could be grain and feed store, or it could be a famous advertising agency. It has no meaning. Business names that use initials are less memorable.
Do use your name. It's ok to use your name. It puts your personal stamp of approval on the business. Butler Graphic Design is the place that's owned by...yep Butler. Just make sure you have an easy name to pronounce.
Don't be too literal. The Ultra Fit Gym.
Do use synonyms and metaphors. Iron Hammer Gym.
Don't involve too many people. You are not going to find a name that everyone likes. The more people you try to please, the less interesting your name will be. It's called compromise. Keep the committee small, or better yet, just you.
Do test the name. However, don't go to the expense of naming your business with running it by some people. Remember the Chevy Nova? No va means "will not go" in Spanish. Also, sometimes people just don't get what you do.
Don't name your business too soon. It's exciting to name your business. It's more important to get it right. Take your time.
Do create your brand promise before you name your business. Your business name should be representative of your brand. If your brand promise is based on speedy response, you can use the above techniques to create a name that says speed.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Pretty neat Windows 7 features
Watch these videos to learn more about Windows 7 which comes out in October. It uses less resources than Vista and User Account Control (those annoying popups) can be easily controlled or eliminated altogether.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Windows 7 Pricing
"Information Week has posted prices for Windows 7. From the article: 'The full version of Windows 7 Home Premium is priced at $199, with an upgrade from Vista or XP costing $119. The full version of Windows 7 Professional is $299, with upgrades going for $199. Windows 7 Ultimate is priced at $319, with the upgrade version at $219.' In a nod to the global economic downturn, it is interesting to note that prices are 10% lower than Vista."
Google adds method to retrieve password with SMS
Google just added an SMS option to its account recovery system, letting anyone who forgets their passwords, or finds it suspiciously locked, set up a mobile phone number to have a recovery password sent to. U.S.-only for now, but Google says it's working to expand the option. Want to add your phone number to an existing account? Sign into account management, then head to Change Password Recovery Options. [via Google Operating System]
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Nine Nasty Online Scams You Need to Be Aware of
from Fox News:
Internet scams have been around for years, but the Federal Trade Commission’s recent crackdown on robocallers pushing car warrantees has put a spotlight on the thousands of tactics used by scammers to bilk Americans out of millions.
So why are they so successful?
One of the keys to scammers' success is a constant flow of unsuspecting victims. Another, experts say, is that scammers are targeting specific demographics, whether it's by age, race or sex.
“The problem now is that so much information is available on the Internet,” FBI spokesman Richard Kolko told FOXNews.com. “Before [scammers] might have known your name. Now they [can access] your name, address, place of employment and parents’ names, because it is all readily available.”
And as fast as investigators try put a stop to the schemes, scammers are reinventing their tricks and staying one step ahead of authorities and the public.
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center has received 1 million complaints related to scams in the past three years, and the Federal Trade Commission received over 350,000 complaints about identity theft and Internet services.
“Everyone is a target,” said Kolko. “Whether you’ve been affected directly by the scams or not, everyone in this country is affected,” he said, pointing out that it drives up retail prices across the board.
Here's a list of nine of the nastiest scams in the business — some you've heard of, some you haven't — but none that you can afford to be in the dark about.
1. Asian Invasion: The "Asian Extortion Scam" targets business owners, mostly of Asian decent, with death threats and other violence. Scammers pluck personal information about their targets from online searches and use the sensitive data to make victims feel vulnerable. The extortionists, who appear to be calling from outside the U.S., generally demand between $10,000 and $30,000 — though the FBI says there have been no reports of actual violence stemming from the schemes.
2. Mystery Shopping Scam: Some companies pay "mystery shoppers" to act as sample customers and test out the service at stores, banks and restaurants. But scammers are now targeting stay-at-home moms with "opportunities" to be defrauded of thousands of dollars. Victims receive a letter in the mail from a company offering about $400 for shopping at a few stores, along with a check for thousands of dollars to fund the purchases. The victim deposits the check into their back account, stops by a few stores and is then asked to wire about $2,000 back to the company. But when the original check bounces, victims are out the $2,000 they wired back — plus all the money they spent to go shopping.
3. Hit Man Scam: In the Hit Man e-mail scheme, scammers send letters claiming that the boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse of the recipient has arranged for their death. "It would say something like, 'Your boyfriend paid $30,000 to have you killed, but if you pay me $15,000 it won’t happen,'" Kolko told FOXNews.com. Another version says a loved one will be kidnapped unless an advance ransom is paid out immediately, naming specific relatives (information found courtesy of — you guessed it — more online searches). Kolko said some recipients feel anxious when the sender names their loved ones, which can make them more apt to believe the threat is authentic.
4. Million Dollar Scam: If you're offered a shot on the "Oprah Millionaire Contest Show," you're not going to be the lucky winner of $1 million — you're the target of a new scam. In order to participate, recipients of the scam e-mail must first send their contact information and are required to buy airfare and a ticket to the show in advance. Victims are later asked to fill out questionnaires seeking detailed personal information, which can put them at risk for identity theft. Other scammers have been mailing counterfeit checks with a letter that claims recipients they have won the "Oprah Show Summer Sweepstakes" — a contest that ended in 2006.
5. Grandparents Scam: "Hi grandma, it's your favorite grandson," says a scammer on the line. "Tommy, is that you?" "Yes, grandma, it's Tommy. Listen, my wallet was just stolen and I've lost all of my money. Do you think you could send me some to make it through the end of the month?" Unsuspecting victims, momentarily confused or suffering from hearing loss, go along with the story and wire money out — up to $15,000 in the case of one giving grandmother who thought she was sending $15,000 to help cover an auto accident, according to the Better Business Bureau.
6. Military Wheels: People posing as U.S. troops have been posting to classifieds Web sites offering cars on the cheap that they have to sell quickly before being deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq. The scams typically claim there is a third-party protection program to ensure a safe transaction, but when payments are sent to the "secure" service, victims either don't receive the car, or get stolen vehicles or ones with a salvaged title.
7. Jury Scam: Victims of the Jury Scam get an e-mail containing a fake subpoena ordering recipients to testify before a grand jury, complete with seemingly genuine details like your name, a case number and court seal. But the e-mails contain malware that can ruin a computer. Another version of the scam involves a phone call in which the caller claims to be a jury coordinator and intimidates victims into revealing personal information. Once the caller gets a victim's Social Security Number and birth date, it's all over.
8. Border Bust: Spam claiming to be from a former assistant commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol says a foreign diplomat has been stopped with a consignment of thousands or even millions of dollars, which was found to be an inheritance for the recipient. Victims who get drawn in receive more e-mails claiming it is a crime to carry the consignment into the U.S., and demands personal information and a $250 fee to prove the recipient was not involved in a terrorist act. If they fail to do so, the spammers tell their victims they are proving they intended to smuggle the money into the U.S., which is a federal offense. Victims never receive a dime but will continue to get e-mails demanding more money for fees in connection with getting their "inheritance."
9. FBI Scams: The FBI says there have been "tons of complaints" about e-mails from people claiming to be FBI agents. Some appear to be from the Internet Crime Complaint Center and say the recipient has extorted money and must refund the money or face prosecution. Others, from the non-existent Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division, inform recipients that they are the beneficiary of millions in inheritance. To claim the money, recipients must supply their full name, address and bank account number. Scammers even incorporate the names of top FBI executives into their e-mails by reading authentic FBI press releases, lending an air of credibility.
Internet scams have been around for years, but the Federal Trade Commission’s recent crackdown on robocallers pushing car warrantees has put a spotlight on the thousands of tactics used by scammers to bilk Americans out of millions.
So why are they so successful?
One of the keys to scammers' success is a constant flow of unsuspecting victims. Another, experts say, is that scammers are targeting specific demographics, whether it's by age, race or sex.
“The problem now is that so much information is available on the Internet,” FBI spokesman Richard Kolko told FOXNews.com. “Before [scammers] might have known your name. Now they [can access] your name, address, place of employment and parents’ names, because it is all readily available.”
And as fast as investigators try put a stop to the schemes, scammers are reinventing their tricks and staying one step ahead of authorities and the public.
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center has received 1 million complaints related to scams in the past three years, and the Federal Trade Commission received over 350,000 complaints about identity theft and Internet services.
“Everyone is a target,” said Kolko. “Whether you’ve been affected directly by the scams or not, everyone in this country is affected,” he said, pointing out that it drives up retail prices across the board.
Here's a list of nine of the nastiest scams in the business — some you've heard of, some you haven't — but none that you can afford to be in the dark about.
1. Asian Invasion: The "Asian Extortion Scam" targets business owners, mostly of Asian decent, with death threats and other violence. Scammers pluck personal information about their targets from online searches and use the sensitive data to make victims feel vulnerable. The extortionists, who appear to be calling from outside the U.S., generally demand between $10,000 and $30,000 — though the FBI says there have been no reports of actual violence stemming from the schemes.
2. Mystery Shopping Scam: Some companies pay "mystery shoppers" to act as sample customers and test out the service at stores, banks and restaurants. But scammers are now targeting stay-at-home moms with "opportunities" to be defrauded of thousands of dollars. Victims receive a letter in the mail from a company offering about $400 for shopping at a few stores, along with a check for thousands of dollars to fund the purchases. The victim deposits the check into their back account, stops by a few stores and is then asked to wire about $2,000 back to the company. But when the original check bounces, victims are out the $2,000 they wired back — plus all the money they spent to go shopping.
3. Hit Man Scam: In the Hit Man e-mail scheme, scammers send letters claiming that the boyfriend, girlfriend or spouse of the recipient has arranged for their death. "It would say something like, 'Your boyfriend paid $30,000 to have you killed, but if you pay me $15,000 it won’t happen,'" Kolko told FOXNews.com. Another version says a loved one will be kidnapped unless an advance ransom is paid out immediately, naming specific relatives (information found courtesy of — you guessed it — more online searches). Kolko said some recipients feel anxious when the sender names their loved ones, which can make them more apt to believe the threat is authentic.
4. Million Dollar Scam: If you're offered a shot on the "Oprah Millionaire Contest Show," you're not going to be the lucky winner of $1 million — you're the target of a new scam. In order to participate, recipients of the scam e-mail must first send their contact information and are required to buy airfare and a ticket to the show in advance. Victims are later asked to fill out questionnaires seeking detailed personal information, which can put them at risk for identity theft. Other scammers have been mailing counterfeit checks with a letter that claims recipients they have won the "Oprah Show Summer Sweepstakes" — a contest that ended in 2006.
5. Grandparents Scam: "Hi grandma, it's your favorite grandson," says a scammer on the line. "Tommy, is that you?" "Yes, grandma, it's Tommy. Listen, my wallet was just stolen and I've lost all of my money. Do you think you could send me some to make it through the end of the month?" Unsuspecting victims, momentarily confused or suffering from hearing loss, go along with the story and wire money out — up to $15,000 in the case of one giving grandmother who thought she was sending $15,000 to help cover an auto accident, according to the Better Business Bureau.
6. Military Wheels: People posing as U.S. troops have been posting to classifieds Web sites offering cars on the cheap that they have to sell quickly before being deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq. The scams typically claim there is a third-party protection program to ensure a safe transaction, but when payments are sent to the "secure" service, victims either don't receive the car, or get stolen vehicles or ones with a salvaged title.
7. Jury Scam: Victims of the Jury Scam get an e-mail containing a fake subpoena ordering recipients to testify before a grand jury, complete with seemingly genuine details like your name, a case number and court seal. But the e-mails contain malware that can ruin a computer. Another version of the scam involves a phone call in which the caller claims to be a jury coordinator and intimidates victims into revealing personal information. Once the caller gets a victim's Social Security Number and birth date, it's all over.
8. Border Bust: Spam claiming to be from a former assistant commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol says a foreign diplomat has been stopped with a consignment of thousands or even millions of dollars, which was found to be an inheritance for the recipient. Victims who get drawn in receive more e-mails claiming it is a crime to carry the consignment into the U.S., and demands personal information and a $250 fee to prove the recipient was not involved in a terrorist act. If they fail to do so, the spammers tell their victims they are proving they intended to smuggle the money into the U.S., which is a federal offense. Victims never receive a dime but will continue to get e-mails demanding more money for fees in connection with getting their "inheritance."
9. FBI Scams: The FBI says there have been "tons of complaints" about e-mails from people claiming to be FBI agents. Some appear to be from the Internet Crime Complaint Center and say the recipient has extorted money and must refund the money or face prosecution. Others, from the non-existent Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division, inform recipients that they are the beneficiary of millions in inheritance. To claim the money, recipients must supply their full name, address and bank account number. Scammers even incorporate the names of top FBI executives into their e-mails by reading authentic FBI press releases, lending an air of credibility.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Intel figures out how to recharge wirelessly - pretty cool
from Slashdot:
"Last Thursday researchers from Intel demonstrated a way to recharge electronics from about meter away using a 'resonant' magnetic field. At an event held at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, the researchers showed off a pair of iPod speakers connected to a 30-centimeter-wide copper coil that received power from a similar, but larger, copper coil about a meter away. The recharging technique relies on a phenomenon called resonant coupling, in which objects can exchange energy when tuned to resonate at the same frequency. A similar approach was developed by researchers at MIT in 2007, and spun off into a company called WiTricity. This company has already developed a few products that use resonant coupling to recharge, including a car battery."
"Last Thursday researchers from Intel demonstrated a way to recharge electronics from about meter away using a 'resonant' magnetic field. At an event held at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, the researchers showed off a pair of iPod speakers connected to a 30-centimeter-wide copper coil that received power from a similar, but larger, copper coil about a meter away. The recharging technique relies on a phenomenon called resonant coupling, in which objects can exchange energy when tuned to resonate at the same frequency. A similar approach was developed by researchers at MIT in 2007, and spun off into a company called WiTricity. This company has already developed a few products that use resonant coupling to recharge, including a car battery."
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Add a drop cap to your document in Publisher 2007
Do you want to add a classy touch to the publication that you are working on in Publisher 2007?
A drop cap is a great way to do that. For those that don’t know what a Drop Cap is… it is one of those big letters you see at the start of a paragraph.
In Publisher 2007 it is easy to add a drop cap.
1) Click on the paragraph of text you want to add the drop cap to
2) Click on the “Format” menu
3) Click on “Drop Cap”
4) Select the drop cap style you want to use. If you want to make something really special, click on “Custom Drop Cap” and select the letter position, size, font and colour
5) Click “OK”
A drop cap is a great way to do that. For those that don’t know what a Drop Cap is… it is one of those big letters you see at the start of a paragraph.
In Publisher 2007 it is easy to add a drop cap.
1) Click on the paragraph of text you want to add the drop cap to
2) Click on the “Format” menu
3) Click on “Drop Cap”
4) Select the drop cap style you want to use. If you want to make something really special, click on “Custom Drop Cap” and select the letter position, size, font and colour
5) Click “OK”
Five Ways to Boost Your Performance - Outside the Office
from Dumb Little Man by Ali
Unless you’re just counting down the days till you can quit, chances are, you want to do well in your job. Perhaps you’re making an effort to manage your time well in the office, to network with colleagues, and to bring energy and enthusiasm to your projects. If you’re self-employed, you might be working long hours, pushing yourself to get the boring tasks done and figuring out where your next motivation will come from.
You’re doing all the right things during the workday. But, are there actions you could be taking outside work in order to boost your performance? No, I’m not talking about checking your Blackberry every few minutes and responding to emails within seconds, I am talking about taking some time to improve you.
Here are five things you might like to consider. Admittedly, you will have to find some time in your schedule to work on these, but many times, the payoff for accomplishing just a few of these is greater than the payoff you'll receive for having a tidy desk or being an email guru.
1. Take a Public Speaking Course
It’s not exactly a secret that most people hate public speaking. Whether it’s delivering a presentation to a roomful of clients, or simply speaking up in a meeting, being confident and competent at public speaking really will get you noticed at work.
People often think that public speaking is either something you’ve “got” or you haven’t – but it’s just a skill, like any other. You can be taught public speaking skills and you’ll also find it becomes much easier as you practice.
Look for an evening class or course in your area that relates to public speaking, or find a local Toastmasters group (these can take you from absolute beginner to expert paid public speaker).
2. Attend Meetings of a Professional Organization
# Whatever your field, there’s a good chance that there’s some sort of organization related to it that meets regularly. Look for opportunities in your area. In many cases, you will need to pay a membership or attendance fee.
The advantages to getting together with other professionals include increased knowledge and building up contacts. If you’re self-employed, this can be particularly valuable, as you may feel that you miss out on the “buzz” that comes from being around like-minded colleagues.
It’s worth asking your line manager whether you can claim back any meeting costs on expenses.
3. Spend Time Improving Your Skills
Most of us find that there are one or two areas of our job where we don’t feel very confident. Perhaps you’ve never really got to grips with a particular software package. Maybe you’re perfectly happy writing emails and reports, but the thought of writing a press release is enough to make you want to hide under your desk.
Whatever your particular weak area, it’s worth considering how you might be able to spend some time improving it outside the office. The typical workday, whether as an employee or a freelancer, doesn’t allow much room for reading, training or learning.
There are books available on any topic you can imagine (and you can often get DVDs on subjects which are best shown visually). Check out what’s around, find something that comes with good recommendations or reviews, and give it a go.
4. Get Enough Sleep - And Watch the Caffeine
How often have you struggled through the day at work, feeling like a zombie, because you’ve not had enough sleep? If you’re working a typical 8-4 or 9-5 job, you can’t stay up till 2am partying or playing computer games like you did in college and not suffer for it.
Getting into a good sleep schedule can make a big difference to your motivation and productivity levels at work. Turning up tired and cranky isn’t doing you or your colleagues any favors. Try forsaking your weekend lie-in, and get up at a similar time as you normally do for work. This ensures that you’re not struggling to reset your body clock on Monday.
Don’t use coffee as a replacement for sleep, either! You might get a brief jolt, but it’s likely to be followed by a deep slump in productivity. Try cutting down on the amount of coffee you drink, and see if you feel a more sustained energy at work.
5. Take a Look at Your Appearance
5. Have a look in the mirror. If you were a client or manager, would you be impressed with what you see? What messages does your appearance send?
Think about your clothes – depending on your industry, it might be appropriate to wear a smart suit, or you might find that a suit says “stuffy” and “too formal” for your particular field. Aim for a “smart” look rather than “sexy”: no-one wants to have colleagues who seem to have dressed for a night out on the town. (This goes for both men and women.) If you’re self-employed, you may need to dress up a bit when meeting clients.
If you’re seriously overweight, you might want to take action too. I’d urge this purely for your health’s sake, but there’s also the unfortunate fact that overweight individuals are often discriminated against in the work place:
Workers who are heavier are paid an average of $1.25 less per hour, and overweight women make about 24 percent less than their thinner counterparts. - (Fat chance: Obesity in the workplace, Colorado Springs Business Journal)
Other aspects of your appearance to consider are personal hygiene: this is one where asking a close and honest friend might help!
What kind of things have you done outside your 9-5 job that has impacted how you perform on the job? Have you used those experiences to your advantage? Are they on your resume?
Unless you’re just counting down the days till you can quit, chances are, you want to do well in your job. Perhaps you’re making an effort to manage your time well in the office, to network with colleagues, and to bring energy and enthusiasm to your projects. If you’re self-employed, you might be working long hours, pushing yourself to get the boring tasks done and figuring out where your next motivation will come from.
You’re doing all the right things during the workday. But, are there actions you could be taking outside work in order to boost your performance? No, I’m not talking about checking your Blackberry every few minutes and responding to emails within seconds, I am talking about taking some time to improve you.
Here are five things you might like to consider. Admittedly, you will have to find some time in your schedule to work on these, but many times, the payoff for accomplishing just a few of these is greater than the payoff you'll receive for having a tidy desk or being an email guru.
1. Take a Public Speaking Course
It’s not exactly a secret that most people hate public speaking. Whether it’s delivering a presentation to a roomful of clients, or simply speaking up in a meeting, being confident and competent at public speaking really will get you noticed at work.
People often think that public speaking is either something you’ve “got” or you haven’t – but it’s just a skill, like any other. You can be taught public speaking skills and you’ll also find it becomes much easier as you practice.
Look for an evening class or course in your area that relates to public speaking, or find a local Toastmasters group (these can take you from absolute beginner to expert paid public speaker).
2. Attend Meetings of a Professional Organization
# Whatever your field, there’s a good chance that there’s some sort of organization related to it that meets regularly. Look for opportunities in your area. In many cases, you will need to pay a membership or attendance fee.
The advantages to getting together with other professionals include increased knowledge and building up contacts. If you’re self-employed, this can be particularly valuable, as you may feel that you miss out on the “buzz” that comes from being around like-minded colleagues.
It’s worth asking your line manager whether you can claim back any meeting costs on expenses.
3. Spend Time Improving Your Skills
Most of us find that there are one or two areas of our job where we don’t feel very confident. Perhaps you’ve never really got to grips with a particular software package. Maybe you’re perfectly happy writing emails and reports, but the thought of writing a press release is enough to make you want to hide under your desk.
Whatever your particular weak area, it’s worth considering how you might be able to spend some time improving it outside the office. The typical workday, whether as an employee or a freelancer, doesn’t allow much room for reading, training or learning.
There are books available on any topic you can imagine (and you can often get DVDs on subjects which are best shown visually). Check out what’s around, find something that comes with good recommendations or reviews, and give it a go.
4. Get Enough Sleep - And Watch the Caffeine
How often have you struggled through the day at work, feeling like a zombie, because you’ve not had enough sleep? If you’re working a typical 8-4 or 9-5 job, you can’t stay up till 2am partying or playing computer games like you did in college and not suffer for it.
Getting into a good sleep schedule can make a big difference to your motivation and productivity levels at work. Turning up tired and cranky isn’t doing you or your colleagues any favors. Try forsaking your weekend lie-in, and get up at a similar time as you normally do for work. This ensures that you’re not struggling to reset your body clock on Monday.
Don’t use coffee as a replacement for sleep, either! You might get a brief jolt, but it’s likely to be followed by a deep slump in productivity. Try cutting down on the amount of coffee you drink, and see if you feel a more sustained energy at work.
5. Take a Look at Your Appearance
5. Have a look in the mirror. If you were a client or manager, would you be impressed with what you see? What messages does your appearance send?
Think about your clothes – depending on your industry, it might be appropriate to wear a smart suit, or you might find that a suit says “stuffy” and “too formal” for your particular field. Aim for a “smart” look rather than “sexy”: no-one wants to have colleagues who seem to have dressed for a night out on the town. (This goes for both men and women.) If you’re self-employed, you may need to dress up a bit when meeting clients.
If you’re seriously overweight, you might want to take action too. I’d urge this purely for your health’s sake, but there’s also the unfortunate fact that overweight individuals are often discriminated against in the work place:
Workers who are heavier are paid an average of $1.25 less per hour, and overweight women make about 24 percent less than their thinner counterparts. - (Fat chance: Obesity in the workplace, Colorado Springs Business Journal)
Other aspects of your appearance to consider are personal hygiene: this is one where asking a close and honest friend might help!
What kind of things have you done outside your 9-5 job that has impacted how you perform on the job? Have you used those experiences to your advantage? Are they on your resume?
5 Components Needed on Your Business Website
from an article by by Susan Baroncini-Moe:
1. Opt-in box
If you’re not capturing your visitor’s details with an opt-in box, you’re missing one of the greatest marketing tools available online today. An opt-in box is a place where people enter their name and e-mail address (or just their e-mail address, but I’ve found it’s useful to have more information), and then they subscribe to your e-mail newsletter or e-zine (pronounced “EE-zeen”). You can start building a relationship with your subscribers with regular, useful contact (defining “regular, useful contact” is a separate article in and of itself).
2. Who You Are
Generally speaking, if you’re selling either a product or a service, you’ll want your customers or clients to trust you. Part of building trust is sharing a bit about you and how your company got started.
3. What You Do
Obviously, if you want to sell your products or services, you’ll need to talk about them. This is where good marketing copywriting comes in handy. If you’re not good at writing marketing copy that converts visitors into buyers, hire someone who knows how to do it well. Investing in good copywriting can make all the difference.
4. Sticky content
Sticky content refers to any content on your web site that attracts people and keeps them there, kind of like flypaper. Consider your blog, articles, audio and videos, and other resources, to be the flypaper that keeps visitors “stuck” to your site. The longer they stay at your site, the more likely they are to convert into buyers. There is, however, a point where your content will hit critical mass and can be too sticky. If you give too much away, your potential buyers won’t need to buy. They’ll settle for the freebies and never convert into sales.
5. Contact information
Potential clients and customers will want to know how to contact you for several reasons. If they can contact you, they can buy from you with the assurance that if they experience any troubles with the product, they’ll be able to ask questions or process returns easily. Also, they can ask you questions before they buy. There’s a long list of other reasons customers and clients may want to contact you, and they’ll feel safer buying if they can contact you easily. So provide at least phone and e-mail, and if you can, provide a physical address as well. If you work from home, don’t post your home address. Instead, get a P.O. box or a box at the UPS Store and post that instead.
If you’re selling products or services online, in addition to these five components, you’ll do well to invest in a shopping cart system and a payment processing system. Forcing potential buyers to contact you to get purchasing information ensures that those buyers will go elsewhere most of the time. We live in a high-demand, instant gratification world. If someone is shopping in the middle of the night or on a Sunday and they want what you have to offer but they can’t get it when they want it, they’ll buy it from someone else who can deliver instantaneously. Don’t give your potential buyers a reason not to buy from you.
So how do you implement all this stuff? How do you get a web site with these components, plus good design, good usability, and strong SEO? Next week, I’ll talk about how to hire a web firm to design your site. I’ll tell you how to educate yourself so you know enough to ask the right questions and know when you’re getting the right answers, how to balance value and price, and what red flags to watch out for.
Take a look at our new website at www.itauthority.us.
1. Opt-in box
If you’re not capturing your visitor’s details with an opt-in box, you’re missing one of the greatest marketing tools available online today. An opt-in box is a place where people enter their name and e-mail address (or just their e-mail address, but I’ve found it’s useful to have more information), and then they subscribe to your e-mail newsletter or e-zine (pronounced “EE-zeen”). You can start building a relationship with your subscribers with regular, useful contact (defining “regular, useful contact” is a separate article in and of itself).
2. Who You Are
Generally speaking, if you’re selling either a product or a service, you’ll want your customers or clients to trust you. Part of building trust is sharing a bit about you and how your company got started.
3. What You Do
Obviously, if you want to sell your products or services, you’ll need to talk about them. This is where good marketing copywriting comes in handy. If you’re not good at writing marketing copy that converts visitors into buyers, hire someone who knows how to do it well. Investing in good copywriting can make all the difference.
4. Sticky content
Sticky content refers to any content on your web site that attracts people and keeps them there, kind of like flypaper. Consider your blog, articles, audio and videos, and other resources, to be the flypaper that keeps visitors “stuck” to your site. The longer they stay at your site, the more likely they are to convert into buyers. There is, however, a point where your content will hit critical mass and can be too sticky. If you give too much away, your potential buyers won’t need to buy. They’ll settle for the freebies and never convert into sales.
5. Contact information
Potential clients and customers will want to know how to contact you for several reasons. If they can contact you, they can buy from you with the assurance that if they experience any troubles with the product, they’ll be able to ask questions or process returns easily. Also, they can ask you questions before they buy. There’s a long list of other reasons customers and clients may want to contact you, and they’ll feel safer buying if they can contact you easily. So provide at least phone and e-mail, and if you can, provide a physical address as well. If you work from home, don’t post your home address. Instead, get a P.O. box or a box at the UPS Store and post that instead.
If you’re selling products or services online, in addition to these five components, you’ll do well to invest in a shopping cart system and a payment processing system. Forcing potential buyers to contact you to get purchasing information ensures that those buyers will go elsewhere most of the time. We live in a high-demand, instant gratification world. If someone is shopping in the middle of the night or on a Sunday and they want what you have to offer but they can’t get it when they want it, they’ll buy it from someone else who can deliver instantaneously. Don’t give your potential buyers a reason not to buy from you.
So how do you implement all this stuff? How do you get a web site with these components, plus good design, good usability, and strong SEO? Next week, I’ll talk about how to hire a web firm to design your site. I’ll tell you how to educate yourself so you know enough to ask the right questions and know when you’re getting the right answers, how to balance value and price, and what red flags to watch out for.
Take a look at our new website at www.itauthority.us.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Is Google Wave a Facebook killer?
Well, Facebook is deeply entrenched but Google is the juggernaut. Are you using Facebook? How about for business? For more info about Wave, click here.
IT Authority launches managed security services through partnership with MX Logic
IT Authority launches managed security services through partnership with MX Logic
Managed Email and Web Security Services Provide Customers with First Line of Defense to Prevent Threats from Entering Managed Networks
IT Authority today announced that it has finalized a partnership with MX Logic® a leading managed security services provider. This partnership will allow IT Authority to provide managed email, web security and message archiving services to its customer base.
IT Authority is adding MX Logic Email Defense Service and MX Logic Web Defense Service. These new hosted offerings provide customers with an effective first line of defense at the network perimeter to prevent vulnerabilities and threats such as spam, worms and spyware from entering a managed network. In addition, IT Authority will be offering:
• MX Logic Message Archiving to allow businesses to store, monitor and retrieve all inbound, outbound and internal emails for compliance or general storage/retrieval purposes.
• MX Logic Message Continuity to allow customers to continue using email during planned or unplanned outages through a Web-based email client. The service provides 60 rolling days of storage to protect against prolonged outages.
• MX Logic Fail Safe Service that provides five days of rolling email storage to protect against the loss of emails during planned or unplanned outages.
"MX Logic’s managed security services fit well with our current offerings and our business philosophy – provide solutions that enhance customer productivity and profitability," said Paul Brian, owner. “MX Logic is an ideal business partner for us. Their simple, smart managed security services are highly effective and affordable – a perfect fit for our customer base which ranges from Small-to-Medium Sized Businesses and Enterprises.”
The implementation of MX Logic products will assure a better IT experience for IT Authority customers. By thwarting spammers and spoofers, utilizing web defense to restrict surfing, and generating internet usage reports, MX Logic products keep bandwidth available for data applications.
“By offering managed security services we are helping solution providers break into the managed services market so that they can build recurring revenue streams and identify new product and solutions sales," said Pete Khanna, president and COO of MX Logic. “Working with companies like Interworks to offer smart security solutions, we are ensuring that end user customers can improve employee productivity and limit liability, while decreasing network bandwidth and IT costs.”
About MX Logic
MX Logic is a leading provider of managed email and Web security services that deliver enterprise-grade performance without enterprise-level complexity and cost. Our easy-to-use, award-winning services reduce risk and liability, lower overall IT costs, and increase productivity. MX Logic services are available through our industry-leading partner network. For more information, visit www.mxlogic.com.
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