Android Vulnerabilities and Exploits in the Wild!

Time to Do what?

When I was researching this on the web I didn’t expect to find so much stuff, but I do think IOS has more vulnerabilities then Android but it isn’t as bad as Apple IOS problems!

I am not going to talk about all of them but just a few that have peaked my interest!

The ‘Master Key’ Exploit

A simple but yet easy way to fool your Operating System and gain more access than it should.  The name doesn’t mean they actually have the master key to your device.   It is using what all Android devices use in the APK.  The MANIFEST.MF, which if done right, will have two more copies in the APK (Zip file).   When the Android OS installs this APK it will use the the last MANIFEST.MF and thus it can gain more access than you once thought.   Be able to communicate with a server  or copy your contacts.   I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that 3rd party apps are dangerous now and I will not use anything but Google or Maybe even Amazon US app store!  

The ‘Webview’ JAVA Exploit

If you don’t use JAVA you will need to consider disabling it in Android.  While this one is a little more trickier and harder to avoid if you use Java, you best bet is to install Dolphine Browser, FireFox, and/or Chrome.   Then install a java an Addon or and Extension that does not allow Java to be used unless you specify.   This exploit can send SMS, or send out emails from you to spam your friends and family.   So this is one that you must start worrying about to a point.

The ‘Scarevertising’ Exploit

This last one I have seen become very prevalent and thus you should be on the lookout for this!   They claim in either a push notification or in some kind of inside application banner that basically tries to scare you into thinking you have a virus.   I’m not sure which advertising networks are being used but you can bet this will be a constant problem.   Some rules of thumb are install only from the Google App Store and never install any third party apps, which some call side along install.  

If your worried and you want to protect your Android Device, here are a few free applications that will help and hopefully keep you safe:

• Avg Security — They have several different types and even a paid app type so it is up to you!
• Sopho’s Free Anti-virus and Security App — I haven’t played around with this one but I do trust Sopho’s when it comes to Antivirus and Malware removal so they can be a great asset!
• Eset Mobile Security and Anti-Virus App — This is another one that I trust because of who they are.

The last thing I can say is there are more than 100 different anti virus apps out there but it all depends on the end user (you) to know and trust vendors who are reputable and you can trust.   If you don’t know the Anti virus Company than maybe they shouldn’t be used.   I do hope I have helped you find what your looking for and we will discuss more in the future on Android Exploits!

Scare advertising hitting android Devices!

androidantivirusfree.org

I Think NOT!

I was doing some stuff and this little advertisement appeared on my tablet:

Phone is Infected, Remove Virus Now! (Scare Tactic)

As you can see there is a lot to this that you can’t really, even though I know Androids aren’t immune.  This seems to indicate the advertising of malware is on the rise.  So I intend to help those who want to be helped.  Let’s by chance think you have a virus on your tablet or phone.   How do you get it off, there are a few ways.   One you can do a hard reset and restore you phone or tablet to factory settings.   Essentially wiping all information from the phone.  

Don’t install any 3rd party applications!

Use coupon code “Savenow15” and Save 15% off the lifetime of your account!One of my common rules is not to install any third party applications unless I trust the source and just because they look legitimate doesn’t always mean they are.   For example, the picture looks convincing enough but home site (androidantivirusfree.org) has nothing there which indicates to me that it is designed to install malicious software to make you buy there cure for their android virus or malware!

Although this is the beginning of this, I am just going to.  I have already talked about this in a previous post so I will just say this.  Don’t do anything without consulting a geek! 

Paul Sylvester

Best Advertising Practices for Affiliate Marketing!

Advertising is an Art form!

Not all things you do will be perfect and that goes along with Adsense.  Even the most professional blogger out there will tell you that how to put your Ad placements and which ones work.   It is after all more of person preferences than what works and what doesn't.   It is something that will take a lot of time and patients to find out how to make money with Affiliate Marketing.  I'm however going to give you tips and tricks to help you get the most out of Affiliate Marketing in terms of making money!  

What is a blogger to do?

When you think of a blog do you think it is people who are scheming to get your money.   Some would argue that this is the fundamental prospect of working on the Internet.   There by getting the clicks and the money for a link.  I am probably one of the few bloggers who want to be honest about my Affiliate Links but that is only because I think my readers should have the choice to click or not click on products that I recommend.   I will not recommend anything without at least doing all the research I can.   I have even tried some products out like the Glasses USA [Affiliate Link] and believe they are the best  choice out there for good quality frames and lens.

Recommendations for Other bloggers:

• Be Honest -- Honesty is the best policy!
• Be transparent -- Don't try to sneak a link here and there hoping you get a few extra bucks.
• Have Integrity -- Don't recommend something that you know anything about.
• Commitment -- Think of your readers and don't over do the ads placement.
• Create loyal readers -- make connections and try to keep them wanting to come back and use your links.

These are what I call the simple truths to making money with your affiliate links.   I don't think this is something that should be overlooked.   You will be more happier and make far more money if you try to keep an honest commitment to your readers.

Don't be afraid to ask for support!

I occasionally like to remind my readers that supporting this site helps me keep this website alive and also helps to support my efforts.   So never be afraid to ask for help, you will be surprised what your readers will do to support your blog.   Don't underestimate your readers because they are a valuable asset and should be treated as such.

Got any more tips?  If so just drop a comment.   I'm sure someone will find that useful maybe I will find it useful.  

Paul Sylvester

How Small Business can increase profit in 30 days!

Google Chrome (Photo credit: thms.nl)

Always speak the truth, think before you speak, and write it down afterwards.     Lewis Carroll

Imagine yourself  wanting a certain item or service but you really don't want to waste gas looking around.   So you pull up you Ipad or your computer to Google for that particular subject.   If you want to get the most value of the item or services that you are going to pay for, then keep reading.     Most Small businesses aren't thinking that way, they are expecting people to walk in and buy their stuff without first seeing what is available.   I've come to the realization that 9 out of 10 small businesses in my local Evansville, Indiana aren't using their business to the fullest on the internet.

It begins with Thinking outside the box!

No small or big business will ever be making their true potential by being like everyone else.   I am not saying that you have to go to the extreme but there are ways you can make it more  accessible to the clients that your looking for or who are looking for you.   It takes 7 times for anyone to actually buy something from you or your company.   If your not doing the Rules of 7 right now, you are not going to make the most out of your business.   I recently found this out because I was looking for a job online trying to find business that I might be able to work for and I had a really good brain storm.   Most of the local business here aren't following the Rules of 7 and I am here to volunteer my services to anyone who might want help converting clicks into profit.

Social Media

If you haven't hired someone to do this then you are just asking for donations sort to speak.    Not having a Twitter account, a Facebook account, a Foursquared account, and a website promoting the products or services, just makes your work that much harder.  Just like Glasses USA [Affiliate Link], if you look at their website you will see they have a Facebook, Twitter, Email newsletter, and a Youtube account.   Each of them are making Noise and make sure people see there product to click and buy.  Just because you have them, doesn't mean you should ignore them or not use them.   You might have to pay someone to blog about your product or service but if you don't then you are loosing potential from your product or even service.   The harder someone has to look to find you the less likely they will find you, this is something that I've always believed in and will always blog about.

Customer Reviews

Another thing to consider when having a business is what are people saying about you on the internet. If your not monitoring these things then you are not going to fully understand your customers and that might hurt you in the long run.  It is essential to have customers who will proclaim your product, for example Glasses USA [Affiliate Link]. On their Customer Testimonials Page [Affiliate Link], you can see that their constantly putting up the good things people are saying about their products.  Thus they are showing potential customers just how well they are doing.  It is however a good indication also when it comes to employees and if customers aren't happy with someone's performance this is also a great way to re-enforce the idea of customer loyalty.

Customer Loyalty

This is something you must always strive for because without that you will not make any money or profit won't increase.  Customers who are loyal to you might pay a little bit more if they feel your company is working hard for them, whether it be groceries or buying a car.   If they feel like the company is the best they will go out of the way to tell people and also keep coming back, this I think is the best model to  strive for.   Nothing sells like word of mouth advertising but that also means you have to know your customers and make an effort to show them you are one of them.   If your just trying to push your product then you are just trying to make money but if your showing them you care, then you are showing your potential customers more than just wanting to make money.   Your showing them you care about your product or service and that you believe in it!

Know when you've done wrong!

Let's face it, no company in the history of time has ever been a 100% right.   There will always be times when a company did something or said something that makes them look EVIL.   If you ignore that then you are telling your customers you don't care, but if your acknowledged it and ask for forgiveness then you are telling your customers you really do care.  Most small businesses aren't hearing what is being said about them on the internet because they are blind to the idea that it isn't something they should worry about, but I tell you this if your not worrying about it then you are risking your business to the word of mouth customers.  There will always be two sides to the coin, even if you didn't know now.  You will know sooner or later because a customer might just bring it up when they call you asking why this other customer said that.   If your not prepared what people are saying then you can't possibly have a answer  to the question and might even loose a potential customer because of it.

Some Local business to mention are:

I'm going to share with you some of the local businesses that I see that could benefit from this web post and encourage them to contact me if they are looking to make even more profit then they are now.   I am willing to discuss in detail what they are doing wrong and help them improve their customer experiences for a small fee!

• Bucks and Jakes Outfitters -- Great website and Business location just needs to improve on what they are already doing!


• Baumberger's Furniture -- One of those business that had to shrink down because they were not doing some of this already!


• Penske Truck Rentals -- I've check them out and they are good but they could do better!


• Paradiseink -- This is a new site but seems they need a lot of different things to help promote their service and products!


• Desktopdoctors -- This business has some stuff already doing that but could do even more!

These are just a few that I've been looking at the last few hours and realized that they could be doing some stuff really differently and bringing in even more customers.   I think if you have read this article you probably are asking your self how you could make your business grow.   If you follow these tips you could make even more money but it is all how you do it.  If you like what you read please consider re-tweeting this and also posting it on Facebook and other social media sites!<

Paul Sylvester

Related articles

• Your Small Business: When to Expand, Sell or Close (Infographic) (noobpreneur.com)


• HUGE Mistakes Most CEOs, Small Business Owners & Managers Are Making - What to Do Instead (growmap.com)


• Why Having a Brand Evangelist Increases Conversions, Customer Satisfaction and Profits (growmap.com)


• Choosing a Domain Name for Your Small Business Website (bizfilings.com)

Adblock No more!!

If you are a returning visitor to my site you may notice that Adblock Plus isn't blocking my advertising.



Let me start off saying I use Adblock Plus and enjoy it when it comes to those Annoying Pop ups and Pop unders that happens when you visit sites that aren't that bright.  Even those annoying ads that come and speak to you saying you have won something.   These types of ads I am so glad to block.

When it comes to my site, I have worked hard on creating this content and it will help me pay for the server and domain name.   I fully understand why people want to block ads but on the flip side I also know about how they can help support a site.

Often times, I turn Adblock Plus off for places like HULU to make sure they stay free.   This is one way I can support having free shows is watching ads because there might be something I could be interested in.   This is how I show respect for advertising publishers.

I know how hard these places have worked to get people to use there service and respect the idea of having the service paying for it through ads.

I have learned how to prevent Adblock Plus from blocking my site and I intent to keep doing it.    As you know these ad blocking programs tend to break the site from showing properly.   This is one reason I decided I should bypass Adblock Plus and I will be doing more later on to tweak it.   I however won't be doing those annoying ads on my site, that is just tactless, in my eyes.  These ads will not be POP UP or POP UNDERS.  They will not be to flashy and annoying, but they will be there.

I ask if you like a product on my site to buy it to show your support, this will keep the site running.   I hope you understand, and thank you for your patronage.

Why website should Hide their Affiliate links

Yes you heard me right, lately I've been trying to figure out why some of my click were not used in my links. So I went to Google to find the answer. I found the answer to some of this. According to some other websites 40% of affiliate links are stolen or switched with spammers and scammer who are trying to make money. You see the virus writers have been trying to make money with there Fake Antivirus software and they will do anything to earn money. I have also though about how people would boost they have made Millions from Affiliate links and that is where this stilling would happen.

How to make your Affiliate links look like they come from your site:

I decided the easiest way to prevent link theft is create a directory called "go" and then used the program Profit Protector to encrypt and hide my affiliate links.  Then all you have to do is upload the created html file to the "go" directory. for Example:

http://www.affiliatesite.com/product.html?affid=1234

changes to

http://www.mysite.com/go/affiliatesite.html

Now all you have to do is change all your links like the example above and you would use the "http://www.mysite.com/go/affiliatesite.html" for your active link.  This would help reduce programs from stealing your affiliate links with there own.

Has this help my affiliate links?

I would say a most definately yes.   I have been watching the click through rates through my affiliates menu and see a drastic change of people downloading or having a user session with my affiliate links.   I also think this will increase my commission pay out because now people can follow through and buy a product without knowing they have left my site.

Now I won't argue the ethics of this system because I have worked hard at finding the right affiliates for my niche but in the end, I have no regrets.   I feel this is what I have to make sure my efforts pay off.   After all I've done the reviews and that is my payment for doing the reviews.   What do you think?  Is this something you have to do or have done?

[ad#SUPERAntiSpyware]

Misconceptions of Affiliate Marketing

Earlier today I was chatting with Mike Smith, from Miketechshow.com. Mike was saying how unreliable it is to have links being displayed on his site. He also talked about how he wasn't making a lot from those links. He also talked about wanting a sponsor and not affiliates.  I say if he could affiliate market on his podcast he'd start earning money.   So I figured I would offer some great tips to get the Click through conversion rates that work for me:

• Cater to Your Nich market -- If you don't know you audience how can you know what they are looking for.   Having a site for famous Gossip could cater to Clothes and Jewerly.  This is the first thing you ned to do to start making some kind of money from affiliate marketing.


• Keep reminding your Audience about your Market -- Like Me I keep reminding people about all those good [intlink id="2205" type="page"]Anti-virus software[/intlink] that can be valuable.  To get people to click on your link you sometimes have to remind them that it is there.   This helps get a residue income from your niche audience.


• Recommendations do create sales --  if you recommend a product that creates click through and creating a trust between the writer and the Readers.  This gives the readers a reason to come back and stay a while.   If they start trusting you that means they will may click on other recommendations.


• Create a affiliate sneeze page --  This sounds nasty but having affiliate links on specials in your niche market helps drive traffic to your links.   Like I have a page for [intlink id="2740" type="page"]Cricket Specials[/intlink], it helps keep people coming back and buying through you because it makes it easy to find what they want.

These are just a few that have worked for me there are vast number of websites talking about Affiliates and why they will not work or they talk about making millions.   There are truths in everything you read weather you read comments that affiliate don't work but that is a misconception because those who say that are people who don't really understand it or grasp it.    If you aren't seeing the big picture or thinking a few years down the road then you will never make any substantial amount of money from Affiliate marketing.

There are a lot of techneaks that people use to get more affiliate sales or commision but it is something you have to do and consider the reprocutions of some of these actions.   I talk about email spam, although, 12 percent of people  have opened this is bad practice for affiliates because this create a bad taste in consumers mouth.  This also hurts other people who are trying to get clicks because of the bad taste that prevents those consumers from clicking and maybe create a negative public relations.

Do it right and you could create a great market place for your audience and also create income that keeps coming every month.

Mac Malware on the Rise drive by Downloads

Photo by Incase Designs

More and more there seems to be a building trend with Malware writers are developing ways to find both Mac systems and PC Systems. In a diary talking about that one mans journey leads to a site that can detect which system you are on and offer up Malware for that system. He also has some other examples of this on a Mac Trojan in the wild.

Now more and more[intlink id="2173" type="post"] Apple users think they are not vulnerable[/intlink] to the types of antics that the PC users have to deal with day by day.  This however proves they are "WRONG".   I will keep telling people whether PC or Mac that you need to have [intlink id="2205" type="page"]Anti-virus and Firewalls[/intlink] installed to help protect yourself from be victim to this type of stuff.  Just a last week Sopho's issued the OSX/Tored-Fam worm to their databases.   Sopho's even talks about this in detail on their blog.

[ad]Though admittedly it is the people who are searching for Porn that will most likely install this malware.  It however begs the question, hasn't this been done on the PC systems before?  I have to think this is because the Apple is getting a bigger share of the systems in the world.   For the one reason people still think they will never get Viruses or Worms on there system.   I on the other hand know that this is just the beginning and in the near future Apple will have to recommend to people to have Anti-virus software on your system.  They did that in the past but changed their minds.

Apple's stance on malware and their systems are one that will be their downfall.   I've talked in the past about [intlink id="694" type="post"]Mac\'s getting viruses and other such Malware[/intlink].  Although to Apple's benefit they do offer ProtectMac AntiVirus for the OSX.   I don't know how good this is but I do think they need to change their advertising and not make it seem like the Macintosh has can't get viruses.   I think it would be really funny to see Justin Long in the Mac ads get a Virus, although I don't think that will happen it is something that I would love to see.

Blog Success Spam -- What not to Do!!

Lately I've been getting spam emails with the titles:

• Earning thousands blogging? You could be.


• Bloggers Paid for Posts


• Bloggers Wanted


• Learn to blog for paychecks using this freebie video.

Each link sends me to blogsuccess.com, and looks like this:

"Blog Success founders Jack Humphrey and Peter Lenkefi created this to help bloggers make money."  This is what I read in searches.    I've got to wonder if this is so successful they why do an email spam?   [intlink id="2833" type="post"]Most emails lately have been about scams and virus exploits[/intlink].   I am going to stick to the only way you should advertise by getting people to click links to come to my site.

According to Symantec:

Symantec reported that nearly 58 percent of spam is now coming from so-called botnets --networks of hacked computers that can be misused by criminals to steal financial information, launch attacks or send spam.

90 Percent of E-mail Is Spam, Symantec Says

Now if we do the math at least half of these emails sent to me are from hacked computers and are coming from so-call botnets.   If they are so caviler about using hacked systems to spam people do you really think they are making enough money with this website of theirs?   The old tried and true method for any blogger is TIME, Research and building your community.   Other than that there is no really easy way to make money quickly.   I just hope they release this and start doing it the right way.    This just makes there company become a dark site, in which all you do is bring people in who want to earn money in the bad way.

Hijacked Accounts being used to spam

I just read this from Security Fix and Thought I should talk about it some to better help people fix this:

Dear Friend,

New shopping new life!

How are u doing these days?Yesterday I found a web of a large trading company from china,which is an agent of all the well-known digital product factories,and facing to both wholesalers,retailsalers,and personal customer all over the world. They export all kinds of digital products and offer most competitive and reasonable price and high quality goods for our clients,so i think we you make a big profit if we do business with them.And they promise they will provide the best after-sales-service.In my opinion we can make a trial order to test that.

Look forward to your early reply!

According to Security, they are advertising the Easylifeing.com domain and have compromised GMAIL and Yahoo Mail.  This resembles the ones that happen to some other Accounts.   Check [intlink id="3330" type="post"]Yahoo article[/intlink] and the [intlink id="3233" type="post"]Hotmail Article[/intlink] for other example of compromised accounts.

I must keep reminding people that you shouldn't have a easy password for those account it shouldn't be anything someone can guess like a name or place or even a word.   It should be something with Letters and Number, both lower and higher case.  You should also consider not writing it down where people can see it just in case you have visitors.  Probably best to use a [intlink id="2646" type="post"]password manager[/intlink] to keep your passwords from prying eyes.

We know that this all comes down to either a dictionary attack or a phishing attack.   You can decide which, but I am going to assume it was someone Phishing for your password.  If you only use one password for several accounts that can be very dangerous, you should not keep the same password for each account.  Just like people phishing for your [intlink id="2650" type="post"]Twitter account[/intlink] or your [intlink id="3008" type="post"]Facebook account[/intlink], if you use one password for all then he has that password for every account.

I can see why spammers are going to be using this heavily in the the coming months to years because these will not be thrown into the spam folder, being that you know the person or persons sending the email.  You probably have it set up to not put it in the spam.  The more eyes who see this more chance that they will get someone to buy something, and the more people who see it the more money they make.

Your best bet is if you see someone doing something like this you should contact them by phone if possible, or you should email them back and tell them to change there password.  This I am sure will be an even harder job for the IT guys because they will have to start monitoring this type of traffic more often then not.    Although it isn't a bad idea to have a[intlink id="2205" type="page"] Free anti-virus or a Free Firewall[/intlink] installed just to be on the safe side.

Hotmail accounts get compromised!!

I received an email on a list and wanted to warn people:
[ad]

Dear friend,
i would like to introduce a good company who trades mainly in electornic products. Now the company is under sales promotion, all the products are sold nearly at its cost. They provide the best service to customers,they provide you with original products of good quality,and what is more,the price is a surprising happiness to you! It is realy a good chance for shopping.just grasp the opportunity,Now or never!
The web address: http://www.nekcn.com

Seems this is being sent from Hotmail accounts. There are a number of ways someone could be getting a hold of your email address. According to Microsoft forums this seems to delete your email contacts and also send out this in the same time. This seems to be a new spam campaign for this one company. I would guess someone bought advertising from this company and the advertiser is doing some really unmoral things.

There are several ways someone hotmail account could be sending out these emails. It could be a [intlink id="2650" type="post"]phishing attempt like they did with Twitte[/intlink]r. They could of done a dictionary attack on each account to find the password, that I why [intlink id="2646" type="post"]I suggest having a password generator[/intlink]. It could of been a virus, and if that is the case you would need to [intlink id="2205" type="page"]check your system out for the virus[/intlink]. I would guess it is the first two, because I am unsure of if you can have pop3 account or not. I don't use Hotmail but people seem to be using it.

If you recieve this email, I'd email the account responsible to let them know that they have sent this.  I would also like to know if it was a virus or how they account got compromised.   Remember only you can prevent from getting a virus, nothing else works better than yourself.

5 Steps in Finding the right Affiliates!

So you want to make Money with your blog but don't know how? I thought I would share with you what I've learned in the past few months to earn enough money to pay for the space and web address. I'll go through each step talking about steps:

First you will need to explore all the great Affiliate programs like OpenX, TMIWireless, Adsense,  Converseon, and Commision Junction.   There is of course even more out on the Internet, but these are ones that I like and have given me some insight as to Commission and Affiliate marketing.  I have been using TMIWIRELESS and Converseon more and more.  I still have Adsense but you have to get a balance on Advertising and what people are wanting.

Find the right fit for you blog and talk about the products you like the most.  I like TmiWireless because you give out free phones and still get money in return and Converseon for recommending Cell Phones. You should figure out what does better, and always keep looking. There are more than a few out that will work for you better. If you know one that I should look into let me know.

[ad#ad2-right]Remind readers about the affiliate programs so others can find them and blog about them.  It can also help with people coming to your site because the will encourage other people to check out what you've written and your recommendations.  You should come up with ways to promote your affiliates and encourage users to click on them and buy stuff from them.   This has brought in money by having them searched and indexed by Google.  You should find a niche that you have very little competition in, that way you get most of the traffic in for your self.

Create a Sneeze page, although this sounds rude, it is really a page talking about having helpful topics around your products or have them for people to find even more information about your affiliates.  Just like I have a Malware Resource, and Cricket Resource, also Cricket Reviews.  These will make it much easier for people to find what they are looking for and make it more enjoyable for the reader.  It also encourages people to come back and stay a while.

Although this is overlooked it is sometimes necessary to remind your readers about affiliates and talk about a product in detail by asking them to comment on a articles and encourage them to link to you.  This will bring in even more people to look at your blog and your reviews to get your page views higher and get more people to click your affiliate links.

I've not followed these steps very well in the beginning of starting my blog but I have learned a lot since then.  I've also learned that you need to update your blog on a weekly or even daily to basis to keep readers to come back.  You should always keep searching for even better affiliates to make your blog better.  You can also start advertising your blog by yourself without the middle but that is of yet I've not done enough on.  I will in the future when I get more experience under my belt.  I hope this has helped you in some way.

Twitter Spammers are getting more smarter

I got an interesting email about someone following me. I went to go check out there profile and Guess what I see:


As you cann se this account only had one post but people seem to be following back due to the picture and the bio.   I checked the account about 30 mins later and here I will show you:



[ad#ad2-right]It seems that if people see it has a picture and a bio that doesn't sound like it is is advertising anything, they will simply follow them back.  That really isn't a good idea.   Sooner or later they will start sending out spam to people who are following just because they haven't been caught.   I also checked out the Web site they have new there bio and it leads to http://www.squidoo.com/twittertipstricks. I hope the website knows their link is being used by a spammer. Although this could be a 2 for one deal for having there link also being used for spammer so they can get traffic to there site. I would be worried my ISP doesn't cut my website due to THE TOS. Although I serious doubt it would happen I do know it could happen. So users are being fooled by spammers, and people aren't looking hard enough into the account. Users should be warned they shouldn't just follow back if it looks like it is a person. I know this is a robot and expect it soon to start sending out spam to all those people who are following.   I just thought I'd share what I found out.  If you clicked on the tinyurl.com it sends you to Partnerwithpaul.com website which talks about making money like all other spam.   Just be careful you don't end up having regrets on following people who are bots.

Understanding Adsense for the Beginner

So you have a website and you'd like the site to pay for itself. That can be arranged it however depends on your website performance. You see you won't make a lot of money if you don't have several things going for you. I thought I share with you my experience with making money through Adsense. As you saw, I made enough money to pay for the website for 5 years. It isn't hard to make money it is however very difficult to keep getting the money. Most people don't know the tricks to making money with Google's Adsense.

I'm here to help you out a little with understanding it and getting even more money from your adsense.   So here we are 3 months into to putting Adsense seriously on my site and let's take a look shall we:



As you can see I started off quite slowly as I figured out how to best do it but gained momentum after that.    First Month I made $17.19 and the Second Month I made $45.57, the last month I made $64.99 totaling $127.75 leaving me with 16.75$ from the few previous months that I tinkered with Adsense.   So where do you start?  I found that to be the hardest part, because of the complexity of where I could put the ads.   I tried having strips breaking up the text in my blog post that really didn't get me hardly any clicks.  Then I started to incorporate the Adsense into the posts.  I learned how to do it through a great blog post and I'll talk about that later.   Here's what you need to know right now though:

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• Create good content --  This goes without saying that if you don't have good content people will never find your site.   There are a multitude of ways to create content.   Some of the most useful for me is How-to, finding a Niche, and Also just blogging about what you passionate about.   These will often draw people to your website.


• Gjaylaramieet people to link to your post --  This will help with search engines because they do some math to figure out if your a real site and how trustworthy your site is on the internet.


• Use Microblogging --  It is well known people use Twitter, Friendfeed, and others a like to tell people what they post about.   It can be great place to help promote your blog and get people to come more and more to your site.


• Try not to annoy the users with Ads -- This is the most important if you want people to come back to your site you should make sure you don't send people away from your site.  People will not want to come back if you annoy them to much.   So it is essential that you keep them happy.


• Find a good blog theme -- A good theme helps bring people to your site by making it easier to read and find what they are looking for.  You might also consider making a sneeze page to keep people coming back to your site.  This will help your readers and make it more of your own.  You might also want to buy a theme for your blog sooner or later.

With These tips and tricks you too could be on your way to having a great blog.   I would be willing to bet that soon I will be triple that amount if I keep up with what I am doing.   I hope you tell people about this blog and let people know how good this blog is for you.   Remember only you can prevent virus infections.

Superbowl 2009 Ad's are on HULU

Now I don't have to watch the Superbowl to see all the ads. The Day after the Superbowl, Hulu releases the ads that were at the half time. So here they are:



So what ones do I like:

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• Firestone : Taters


• Star Trek Trailer -- I can't wait for the movie to come out.


• Monster's VS Aliens (3D Glasses required) -- Dreamworks is now only doing 3D.


• Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen Trailer


• Race to Witch Mountain Trailer


• Alec in Huluwood -- Hulu gets even more people to come to their site.


• Up Trailer


These where the ones that I liked, they had some other ads for like Monster.com and Cars.com, and also Careerbuilder.com. I see they had some Budweiser advertising in there too but really don't get me interested as for trailers and the really funny ones. Hope you get a laugh like I do.

Is Hulu encouraging people to watch shows illegally?

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I've been scouring Hulu for the last few days and come up with some interesting observation.   I wanted to talk about Hulu's commitment to its users.   I don't say that lightly but just recently the distributors and the copyright holders only have been putting up a few episodes here and there on old shows like:

• The Pretender


• Stargate Atlantis


• Naruto


• Babylon 5


• Angel


• Sliders

Some of the comments I've seen have been talking about watching the rest of the shows from other sources:

• The Pretender - watch Season 3 for free
  


• Stargate Atlantis - Buy it through Itunes


• Naruto - Suggests that this user might of downloaded episodes
  


• Babylon 5 - AOL Video has Season 3


• Babylon 5 - Talks about Alternatives


• Angel - Suggest buying it


• Sliders - Netflix it

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Now let's start off saying that it really isn't Hulu's fault, because they can only make available what the publishers says are available for the public.   Some of this suggest to me that the publishers are trying to make us go buy the DVD's.  Hasn't it been said that DVD sales are dead?   So why are the publishers doing this, they want the money and what they want usually happens unless we stand back and take a stand.    I am encouraging everyone to write Hulu and Tell them what you think.   I would like to see these shows come more quickly and be more available.   If not what other choices do the people have?

So here are a few links to better help you understand Hulu's rights and why they do what they do sometimes:

• Understanding Hulu


• How to Improve Hulu's Advertising


• Hulu United States Only -- FAQ

Are you asking to be scammed?

As we go further into the economic death, we are faced with the most undesirable aspect of the human culture.  That is to say, scammers are going to use the chance to find people to scam.  I don't say this lightly because scammers have become more cunning and dubious through the years.  They are actually using the internet as well as most companies.  They are going to sites like Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, and other hiring sites to get people to apply for jobs.

<<See Previous Post -- Nationwide Marketing Scam

Having said that, I recently had a problem with being tried to be scammed.  I applied to a job posted on Careerbuilder and that is how they got a hold of my home address.  I did not think about the security problems associated with applying for jobs on line, until recently.

As you can see that is how they got a hold of my information and have made myself vulnerable to scams and also, other potential problems.  I am talking about Theft ID and also spam.  Although spam is to be expected with anything we do online.  I've come to the conclusion that we will always have to deal with spam.   I wanted to talk about how to be careful when you apply for online jobs and  put your information out on the internet.  I've started taking some steps to prevent this from happening again.

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• No Longer am I going to apply for any more private companies -- if I can't see who they are then they have something to hide.
  


• To prevent spam -- I am going to make an email address just for my resume.  That way I don't have to worry about spam on my main account.


• If it's too good to be true, it is probably not --  I am going to start using that philosophy when I'm about to apply for a job.  See picture above, advertising way to much money for a Customer Service rep.


• Don't ever put your Social on your Resume --  That is the most crucial part, if you want your identity stolen that is one sure way to get it stolen.  Even though that should be painfully obvious it is sometimes overlooked.
  

I am sure there are more but that is the basic idea of the whole thing.  I will probably come up with even more ideas later on but this was one thing that I have been thinking about all day.    I also think we have to starting asking the questions before the seriousness of the scammers come to bear.   They will never go away but until we get serious, they will always be there to taunt us and laugh us.   I am not sure how to do it,  Do you?   Are we  just supposed to sit here and take it or do we fight back and how?   These are importantquestions  for anyone to consider when you are faced with the possiblity of fraud or being scammed?  How do we deal with it in the future? Should scammers be punished serverely or moderately?

5 ways to improve your chance of getting hired.

Having seen the economy this week, I've come to the conclusion that it is time to redo all the important essentials and get all my ducks in the order as they say.   I've been thinking of how best to be ready in case the dreaded day comes when my employer no longer needs my assistance and what could I do to be prepared.

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• Get Someone to Critique your Resume -- This is the most important step because this is the first place employers look when they want to hire someone.  So how do you get it critiqued?   Here are some good links to help you start off with:  Careerbuilder Critique, Mind of Root Peer Critique(Last until Oct 30, 2008).


• Have your Resume Ready to upload to Resume sites --  You should always register at all the important resume sites just in case.  The Sites that I recommend are : Monster, Career Builder,  Hot jobs, Dice, US jobs, Best Jobs USA, Computer Jobs, and Nation Job.


• Use your website as a place to put your Resume -- Have your resume available in case some contacts you and tells you they know someone who is looking to hire people.  Have this resume hidden and only give it out to people you know.   This is also known as networking.
  


• Network as much as possible --  There are sites out there that have made it easier to network.  Sites like linkedin.com, this site is great because of the 6 degrees of possibility as I call it.  You know someone, they know someone, and then you will both know the same one!!   This also will greatly increase your chance of an employer finding you.


• For those who want to be Self employed --  I wanted to say that most people who want to be self employed know just how hard it is to begin with.  So I've got some interesting links to help start you on your way.   First link is Technibble.com Computer Business Kit,  This has Maintenance Sales Letter, Work Order, Marketing Analysis and Payment Overdue Letter. It is also a good idea to have an MP3 Advertisement that you can give to podcast and throw them the link to it.  You will need to market yourself to the public in ways that no one has thought of.   You will on an occasion have to spend money in order to get money, it's always been that way but it seems to work.

These are some great tips that will greatly improve your chances of landing that job or becoming even more chance of you making money.   If you have any tips or want to suggest ways to improve upon these tips please email me.   If you like what you see discuss it on the blog or click on my ads to help offset the cost of this blog.

How to Improve Hulu's Advertising :

Lately I've been looking though Hulu and seeing what else they have done.  I've found a secret that most people don't know or haven't look at just yet.  If your tired of some of the ads that come through Hulu.  You have the chance to improve the ads by making your voice heard.



You can pick "Like Ad" or "Dislike Ad"

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Although this isn't anything new with some stuff.  This however can create even better ads for hulu.  You see if they can get the right demographic idea of what people like, then they will understand what we as a viewer likes.  I simply love this idea.  This is a tramendous step for Hulu, this means we have control over advertising, and we can make or break an ad depending on who likes it.



You can pick "Like Ad" or "Dislike Ad"

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As you can see these are poping up on all or most of the ads.  If you would like to make your voice be heard.  All you have to do is when an ad comes to you and you like it or hate it just get out of full screen mode by hitting esc (only one time) and you too will see the choices when you hover over that area.

A Blogger Has Dreams

Those who knows someone who has a blog, also knows what the dream of a blogger is. On this case I will go into 5 areas where most bloggers should improve on. Although these aren't going to be major, you to can create a good blog and encourage users to come back to you all the time. Having dreams isn't a bad thought or a bad wish. Sometimes having been blogging the way I have been. I see the challenges of coming up with content for the blog. I've figured out some important points in making content and full filling the dreams that you have.

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Sometimes, I think, bloggers get the bad wrap. They are considered undesirables to the big magazines and the popular medias. You see, in the mind of the big companies, they don't understand the small guy and how they impact the big companies. A bloggers dream is to impact there inspiration to write something with content.

1. Content is the Key – Having seen content grow my blog from nothing to something means a lot. It means having content draws people to the small guy. You see not all the Honey comes from the big guys, but by the small guys. You will need to figure out where you want to go with your content. Understand this, content alone will not draw people to your blog and keep them.


2. Create Loyalty – Unlike content, if you don't have loyal readers, you do not reach others with your ideas and understanding. Finding out how to make readers become loyal to your content has to be frustrating to some but I found it rather easy. You have to come up with Loyalty by giving people the chance to comment and creating a way for people to discuss there believes. Having loyal readers isn't all that is cracked up to be, you do from time to time have the reader who wants to protest or complain. That is normal, because you will never have what that one reader wants, and sooner or later you will replace that one with someone who enjoys reading your content.[ad]


3. Bloggers want Advertising – Not just bloggers but podcasts want advertisement because it offsets the cost of buy web space and the effort of making content. Some would say it makes people run from your blog. I say different because having a dream is having people click your ads to support their blogs. Bloggers want you to make there dream your dream.


4. Plan for the Future –Having an idea of how the future will effect your count and content.  Gives you a better edge for the future and a understanding of the past will better help you get the most out of your blogging experience.

Although this isn't all or even 10% of the whole picture for blogging.  You have to work through the fine details of getting people to come to your site.  It will however start you off in the right direction.  Finding inspiration is sometimes the hardest part of blogging because there are times when writing isn't easy.  In another post of mine in the future I'll talk about how hard it is sometimes to come up with content.

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