« September 2007 | Main | November 2007 »
October 29, 2007
How To Backup Your Computer
Have you ever had your hard drive fail?
You will, it's only a matter of time. Mine failed in March of 2006, and it took me 3 weeks, and over $500.00 (over and above the cost of a new machine) to recover and restore my data. Although I now have a huge external hard drive with many of my files backed up, I must confess - I don't take the time to back up my files often enough, I just don't think of it.
I just discovered a solution so easy and inexpensive that I signed up right away. It's completely hands free, and all your data is backed up on autopilot to a remote and secure location for about $5.00 a month. If your hard drive fails, no problem, just login and download all your files to your new hard drive. They have a 15 day free trial, so you get to see how it all works before you buy, backup your computer now!
Posted by billenross at 09:49 AM | Comments (0)
October 22, 2007
VoIP Explained
Who would ever imagine that Graham Bell's invention would one day be on computers networked all over the world. VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol as the name suggests, uses the Internet to call anyone of your friends in any part of the world.
What makes this technology appealing is the cost. VoIP is a cheap alternative to complex phone systems that you have never really fully understood. How many times have you looked at your phone bill and just shrugged off the number of calls charged to you. VoIP is a good alternative for small businesses and offices that want the most out of one kind of savings.
So what do you need to look out for when applying for a VoIP service especially for those who are not technologically savvy? Here are some helpful tips that you can consider when looking for a provider that offers a cheap but reliable service.
Compare the price range from various providers first. There is nothing like doing your preliminary homework. Make sure that you are choosing from trustworthy and tested providers.
Always look carefully into the inclusion of hidden charges and if there is a payment for termination of service and/or activation of service.
Ask if they offer e911 emergency service and find out how you can apply for the service.
Do not sign up for a provider that requires you to have an entirely new phone system. The reason for getting VoIP in the first place is to save some money.
Check online about the VoIP company background and business tenure. Check if they’ve had complaints about their service.
Try using service providers that have already established a mass appeal.
You should look closely at what you need for yourself and your family. If you are the kind of person that makes a lot of calls to other countries, then you should look for a package that offers really cheap international rates. If you get the bulk of your personal calls from just one city, look for a package that will provide you with your own phone number that people can call you with also at local rates.
When you have finished making your checklist and have looked into all the factors, you will suddenly realize that you managed to find the cheapest and most appropriate VoIP provider who can offer you the maximum number of services at the minimum rates that you want.
Posted by billenross at 08:50 AM | Comments (0)
October 14, 2007
Google and Yahoo Local Search
Even if your business is done completely online, you may benefit from getting listed in Google Local or Yahoo's local listings. People often feel more comfortable doing business with someone who is local; and potential customers may stumble across your business while searching for other things. Submission to Local Search at both Google and Yahoo are free, and may bring you more business than you expect.
Here are the URLs for the signup forms below, but before you get started you should have the following information ready at hand:
1. The first thing they will ask for is the physical location of your business. If your business is in your home, that is no problem, just use your home address. You shouldn't, however, use a post office box, as Google doesn't accept them.
2. The telephone number(s) of your business - If you use your home phone number for your business, be sure you have an appropriate answering machine message, and that your phone is answered in a professional manner.
It is best to get a separate telephone number for your business, even if it and your budget are very small. Check with your phone company and the VOIP companies, you may be pleasantly surprised at how cheaply you can get a second number. Many people use VOIP for their business, and pay just $25 per month for unlimited local and long distance through their broadband internet connection. If you have a fax number, have that ready also.
3. A business email address - Use an email account at your business domain. If you don't have a website for your business, buy a domain for your site from a registrar such as registerfly.com who gives website space with a domain purchase, or at least put up a "one page business card" website on the free space Yahoo offers to local listers. In any event, don't use an America Online address or a "freebie" email service such as Hotmail or Yahoo for your business. This is considered very unprofessional.
4. Your business website address - Get a site if you honestly mean to have an internet business. Yes, a website is not strictly required in order to earn online, but to anyone with online business experience you will appear as a rank amateur without one.
5. A description of the services or products you sell. This should be a short 1 to 3 sentence summary such as:
"Your Business Name provides widgets to all widget users, with special emphasis on blue widgets for widgeteers. We also offer widget payment plans."
Don't make it a blatant advertisement, just an explanation of services.
6. Categories your business falls under - You'll be able to choose up to 5 categories for your listing.
7. What types of payment can you accept? (Cash, credit card types, etcetera)
8. Your business operating hours and days at your location.
9. Contact Name - likely yours.
Google users will need to setup an Account. Fear not...if you have Gmail, Google Sitemaps or any other Google service requiring an email address you are already registered.
When you have your information ready, go to http://www.google.com/local/add/businessCenter.
Sign into your Google account and follow the onscreen instructions. Once you have finished, Google will telephone or send you a postcard (your choice) with a confirmation number. When you receive the pin number in the mail or by phone, you will then need to go back to your account and enter that pin number before your entry can be activated.
After that, just wait for the phone calls from new customers.
For Yahoo, the information needed is nearly the same, and they will give you a free 5-page website for your business to boot!
Sign up at Yahoo here: http://listings.local.yahoo.com/
Get going and boost your business into areas you might not have thought of trying.
Posted by billenross at 12:56 PM | Comments (0)
October 02, 2007
Spyware Protection And Removal
As we sail through 21 century, the Internet becomes a way of living for many people around the world. No matter how you access the Internet to check emails, read news, do shopping, or conduct business, there is no doubt that Internet becomes a big part of our daily life. However, statistics shows that more than 80% of the Internet users experience slowdowns in their computer performance in the past even if there is only one or two programs running on a T1 connection.
The most likely cause of loss of computer performance is called malware (spyware, adware, key-loggers, or drive-by downloader, etc.) that enter your system by various means, slowing things down to a crawl. This malicious software can gather your surfing information and send it to places you don't want sent or track your personal information for future use. Unfortunately, these malicious software programs are everywhere on the Internet, including some "friendly" websites such as websites run by the government and the large, reputable companies.
As the web technology advances, viruses and spyware get smarter and harder to detect and kill, too. In order to protect your computer from malware you need to understand what they are and how they work.
Basically, there are three types of malware presented in this article because they are the most common problems we encounter:
1. Viruses
2. Spyware
3. Adware
Let's take a look at viruses first.
Viruses not only can damage your system but can be contagious to other people's system through yours. Through duplication, viruses can be sent to other people in your Microsoft Outlook mail list. Sometimes, virus can be embedded in other programs, such as the notorious Trojans, or hidden in an executable file through a well-wrapped email. Since viruses can be very dangerous to your computer, their entry should be prevented before they damage your system.
Unlike viruses, spyware usually is not an executable file and doesn't damage your system or wipe out your data; instead, they "spy" on your personal information, such as your web-surfing habits or even worse stealing your credit card information, then install tiny software, called cookies, to your computer without your permission when you download information from a website. They silently hide all over the system, usually in registries, cookies, or temporary files.
Similar to spyware, adware primarily gathers information about your surfing behavior so they can provide the ads and other related information you are interested in when you surf the web. This can be viewed as personalized marketing and can be very helpful if you visit a certain site frequently. It becomes a problem when too many cookies installed in your system and slow down your computer performance.
So what we can do to solve the problems with viruses, spyware or adware?
The best way to minimize and eliminate damage from malware is to frequently update anti-virus and anti-spyware software, properly set browser options, and surf wisely with common sense.
For anti-virus software, most ISPs offer some kind of virus protection but most of the time it is inadequate for proper computer security. Therefore, investing in good anti-virus software is a must for the health of your computer.
Norton is by far the most well known anti-virus software on the market. Its new version includes virus and worm protection along with spyware protection. It allows owners to set the "Live Update" to automatically make timely downloads of the so-called "virus definitions". Since new viruses are continually developed almost everyday, the anti-virus software uses "definitions" to identify and handle viruses. Frequent updates of the "definitions" is highly recommended.
McAfee is another leading brand for anti-virus software. Many of the features in this software come defaulted to fit the users' needs, including preset updates and weekly virus scans. It is a great software for novice users.
Other anti-virus software such as Shield Deluxe is also good for prevention of virus attack. This software is easy to use for anti-virus and anti-spyware. It updates and scans on a weekly basis with a pre-scheduled interface. It is also cheaper than the leading brands.
In addition to software, applying common sense to avoid your computer's exposure to viruses is also important. These include, but are not limited to:
* never open emails if you don't know where they come from
* don't run an executable file in your email or downloaded
from a website unless you know exactly it is safe
* don't click "Yes" for a popup box when you surf the web
unless you know exactly what it is for
With regards to the anti-spyware software, PCTools Spyware Doctor has long been a PC Magazine Editor's choice for anti-spyware protection. It is a freeware/shareware with very thorough scanning. With its latest version, Spyware Doctor added anti-virus function as well. However, Spyware Doctor doesn't remove the spyware it identifies. It just prevents them from harming your system. Unless you buy the full featured software, spyware gets to stay in your system forever.
Webroot Spy Sweeper 5.2 is another piece of anti-spyware software that gets good ratings. Spy Sweeper 5.2 has similar functionality to Spyware Doctor 2007 but its user interface is more clear and concise. It is a good idea to supplement Spy Sweeper 5.2 with one or two free programs since no single anti-spyware software can catch every threat.
The free version of Ad-Aware by Lavasoft is also a good choice to supplement the primary anti-spyware software. It is not as robust as Spyware Doctor 2007 and Spy Sweeper 5.2 but it doesn't offer real-time monitoring in free version so it doesn't take many resources from your system.
At the browser level, you can minimize downloading certain types of spyware by going to Tools-->Internet Options-->Security-->Custom Level and selecting disable for
1. "Download unsigned Active-X controls"
2. "Initialize and script Active-X controls not marked as
safe"
and set Java permissions to "High Safety"
If this does not solve your spyware/adware problems, you can also disable the following two options:
3. "Active scripting"
4. "Scripting of Java applets"
The drawback is that you will limit the functionality of web surfing and may make your favorite sites unavailable. To overcome this, you can manually add your favorite site URLs to "Trusted Sites" under Security and uncheck "Require server verification (https:) for all sites in this zone".
Frequent updates and full scans of anti-spyware software should be performed on a regular basis. It is also recommended for a monthly Windows update to apply latest patches to your system. You can set up an automatic update through Windows Control Panel or within Internet Explorer under Tools menu.
This is the solution I've used for several years now, and it's been terrific.
Posted by billenross at 08:50 AM | Comments (0)
