Encrypt your Email with VPN4ALL the Chrome Extension! (Chrome OS Also)

VPN4All does It again!

Since VPN4ALL is a Sponsor, any links in this article supports my efforts in blogging!  They told me about this new product they developed.   At first it was on their website and I liked it but I am glad they made it to where you can use it with any Chrome web browser or even the Chrome Net books!  I installed it on my Chrome OS laptop and it works just as easily on it as on my Windows 7 system.

It was easy and very easy to encrypt your emails to prevent people who don’t know the password.   I had no problems with it encrypting or decrypting emails.   I tested this with two different email addresses and each one sent and receive the email.   I just had to right click and either encrypt it or decrypt it.   

A Simple Test!

I have thought hard and long and here is the easiest way to tell if your extension is working right.  Send an email to a friend or family and see what they see or say.   It seemed to work really well for my purposes.  I used Google mail web site with my this extension and it worked like a charm.   Just highlight what you want to encrypt and it and past the encrypted text in place of the text your are wanting to encrypt.

The Meta Data!

This however will not stop people from getting the meta data as some would say.   This is simply the normal stuff like:

• Name and Email address
• IP of where it was sent from and to
• the Route the email went (Headers show all this stuff)
• Anything else outside of the encryption such as signatures!

As you can tell VPN4ALL has proven time and time again that they want to protect your privacy.   They even allow you to have your own password to prevent NSA or any others from getting the emails and decrypting them.   The only ones who can decrypt the email is those who have the password and you have to tell those who you are intending to send email to with this encryption the password and a way for them to decrypt it.

Last thought is that you need to remember to have the password pretty strong and a way to commnicate that password through another channel other than email to prevent someone from grabbing that email very easily.

How to Root a ZTE AWE phone! (Virgin Mobile)

Cydia Impactor rules!

After getting my ZTE AWE,  I’ve been looking for a way to use the tethering feature that can be useful where I am currently located at!   The only problem is that Virgin Mobile (VM) does not let me pay the 15 dollar tethering charge for using it has a wifi hotspotl  According to them, there is no way to enable this.   So I went searching for ways to enable it.  I have gotten closer to making that happen by BREAKING MY WARRANTY.   According to VM, if I root the device, it voids the warranty of the device.   I kind of think this a small ridiculous rule so it is up to you!

The way I did it was a very easy way to download Cydia Impactor to root your device!  It puts the Super USER binaries on your device and allows them to have any thing on it that you want.   

Steps to root phone:

• Install the ZTE AWE software from phone!  You can do this simply by System Settings —> Connect to PC and selecting Install driver!  (Only needs to be done on Windows or Mac OS!)
• Put the Phone on USB Debug :  System Settings —> Developer Options — > USB Debugging
• You will need to click on the USB menu on Cydia Impactor and select the N800 driver.
• Once your do that you can simply drop the SuperSU Binaries
• Install the SuperSU from ChainFire

Once your have done all this you will have ROOT access.   It is up to you what you want to do but I have found that you have several things that can help monitor your phone and speed it up.   In the coming weeks I will tell you about a few of my favorite apps that work to help keep your phone running smooth!

Google pulls a very vital App off their store and says we didn't mean to release it! (Apps Ops)

Google removes a Hidden Privacy feature!

If you haven’t heard, the last week Google removes a hidden privacy feature in the new upcoming Kitkat build to help keep apps such such as this flashlight app that sold users data without your permission!  I am quite concerned with what happenes when another app does this or something else and you have no way to deny it or not use it.   Some of the things that I am sure your wondering like I am are the very things that come to mind.  Then Google tells it users that this was an accidental release of the feature and that it isn’t ready for public consumption.

Keep in mind the privacy feature wasn’t well known or even that easy to get to.   You had install another app such as App Ops to even get to use this little known menu in Android 4.3+.

App Dev

The people behind the apps are probably up in arms because they worry that they won’t be able to make money on their apps that are using advertising to help pay them for each time someone sees an advertisement or when a users clicks on an advertisement they get some kind of revenue.   This isn’t the only reason but I am sure it is one of the top reasons why the development gurus would be up in arms over this new way to control what permissions an app can have and who ultimately has control over what they can and do with your app.   It was and probably soon will be the customer who decides what the app will have permissions for and that worries them.

Google apps will become paid!

The one thing that will happen for sure is that we will either have to pay a monthly service or a one time fee for an app because once this starts to be released or if it is released then the app developers will have no choice but to go to a pay wall model to get the money they probably think they deserve and/or want for their work.   I am sure we haven’t seen the last of this and or other apps that do something similar.   I would just like to have Google be more upfront to their customers about why.

Google Wallet tries but fails!

It’s a Mastercard with NO Fees! But not very useful!

Got my Google Wallet Card!

Wasn’t really that impressed with it.   I was hoping the Google Wallet card had a NFC chip in it but that was really not the case.   It comes with as a way to load money through your Google app or through the website.   There is no way to deposit money from a Adsense or for that matter from job.   You have to use another credit card to transfer money on to this card.  It seems redundant and not very well received around the tech community.   Even Android Police was thinking it was going to have an NFC Chip in it, but the functionality of this card was to me a lot under whelming.   It has so much to be desired for.   

Possibilities are endless!

The Possibilities for this card are endless if you step outside of the box.   You could put it in a museum and see if anyone can guess card number by looking just on the front of the card, and not the back.   You could give out a full 20$ if someone figures out all the required information to use the card.

Other than that, here are what I see you can do with this card.   If you don’t have a NFC device and that is like 85% or more devices who don’t use NFC than you can at least use this as a way to make payments to a shop that accepts credit cards.   It however has that possibility.   

Online Purchases!

If your planning to use this for online purchases it.   I haven’t tried this but can’t see any reason why it wouldn’t work.   Just turn the card over and use the back 16 numbers that are on the card, they are divided into 4x4 sections ( EXAMPLE: 1234 1234 1234 1234 ).   You would use all those numbers as your credit card number and then you will need the 3 digit code that should be right beside where you sign your card.   It was the number you needed to verify you got the card.   Then you would be all set to use your new Google Wallet card online.  Again you can try this yourself but I don’t see any reasons why it wouldn’t work!

Other than that, you really don’t have much else you can do with this card.  So much for it standing out and creating even more buzz.   If this service survives it will need to be more useful in the future.   I guess you could say this is still in beta but I am not impressed with it and disappointed with the product myself!

Why Porting your Mobile Phone Number is Obsolete!

No need to transfer your number!

A few years back you would need to worry about keeping that number of yours for your friends and family, so they wouldn’t have to worry about updating that number of yours.   In today’s time we have a great option for everyone to keep your number where ever you go.   You no longer have to tell people to update there numbers for you.   After today, you will have a number that you can keep and use where ever you go.   It is only available in the USA, so please keep that in mind.

Google Voice Features

Google Voice is the one thing that I recommend to my family and friends, to have a number that you can give out to anyone, and keep your cellphone account private.   It is almost like Ring Central but it is virtually free for any Google user.  I have had my number for over 2 years and that is the only number I give out to anyone I know.   It helps me because I am using prepaid and it allows me to try different phones on different prepaid networks.   I also get unlimited calls and text messages when I use this service because most cell providers like Virgin Mobile US gives you unlimited data on all accounts.   So you no longer have to worry about how many minutes you have used.

Choosing your Number!

In order to get started with Google Voice, you will need to Choose your Number through Google.   This part is free, unless you intend to change the number later on.   Which is a 10$ one time charge for everytime you change the number   Unlike Ring Central, which cost your a monthly service fee for using their service.

Benefits of Google Voice:

• Number Forwarding 
• Number Filtering
• Voicemail Transcription (Experimental)
• One Number for the life of your account!
• SMS to Emails
• Do not Disturb feature!

As you can see there are many benefits to using this service.   It is also avail for the Google Android and Apple IOS devices such as Iphones, And Samsung Galaxy Smart Phones.   I have been using it on the ZTE AWE from Virgin Mobile USA and it works flawlessly without using any minutes!.

Now that you have seen the benefits of this service, I am sure you are going to go check it out.   If you decide you want to keep from giving everything to Google, you can always go to Ring Central and pay for their service which has many to all the same things you can do with Google Voice but that is up to you!   It just depends on what you want to do!  

How to Secure your Chromebook from threats!

When I first started this journey to find a way to use my chrome book to blog and keep it safe, I just didn’t know how hard it was to switch from Windows or even the Linux system to this! It wasn’t as if I had any choice in the matter. It was in my price range, under 300$ and thus I decided I was going to overcome some of the obstacles of the OS. I’m not saying you shouldn’t buy it but I am saying you need to know what your getting into before you try some of these things.

Click to read more ...

Google Glass: The New Smartphone!

Thanks to smartphones, we are able to carry the universe in our pockets. But the next big advancement in technology could take us beyond the horizons reached by smartphones and tablets, allowing for the full integration of the virtual with the real world with Google Glass.

How Does Google Glass Work?

Google Glass is a lot like a smartphone or tablet in that it allows for constant connectivity. But instead of having to fumble with a hand-held gadget, this device allows you to simply look through a pair of glasses perched on your head. Those with Google Glass are able to utilize a variety of apps and Internet functions through use of voice commands.

Google Glass For Fashionistas

Although the very development of Google Glass is impressive in and of itself, the technology currently is not without significant problems. One major concern voiced by a number of prospective users surrounds the wearability of the device. Many worry about the aesthetics of the glasses, which are, admittedly, pretty far from fashionable. While proponents of the gadget argue that those concerned with fashion can simply take off the glasses in situations where they are not appropriate, others feel that, if the device needs to constantly be removed, its accessibility really isn’t much of an improvement over that of the already existing smartphone.

Google is beginning to address these fashion-related concerns with the help of glasses designer and manufacturer Warby Parker. Once Google Glass and Warby Parker are able to develop a design that is functional, comfortable and reasonably stylish, users should truly be able to integrate Google Glass into every aspect of their lives.

Google Glass And TV

Just as smartphones and tablets have had a major impact on the world of entertainment, it’s expected that Google Glass would also make its mark. But would the new technology harm TV or add to it? Arguably, the latter option would have the greater impact. After all, while many people have begun to watch their favorite shows on their tablet computers, more have opted to use mobile technology as a means of supplementing the viewing experience while still utilizing the TV as the primary medium. The same could easily be true for Google Glass.

Google Glass could easily determine the direction of the streaming, cable and satellite market in years to come. New packages are likely to develop alongside current HD and premium channels. These future TV packages might include live news and sports feeds integrated with the wearable Google Glass, explains Install-direct-tv..

Will Google Glass Just Be A Passing Fad?

The current excitement related to Google Glass has led many critics to wonder: does this technology have the potential to stand the test of time, or will it just be a passing fad? The answer to this question will be determined by a number of factors. First, in order to truly make its mark, Google Glass will need to be kept affordable. Right now, the introductory price is listed at $1,500, which, for many, is way out of reach, according to PC World. Factor in questions of the gadget’s limited durability and you have some critics positing that Google Glass will die out in a few years.

Sarah Davenport believes quality and relevant content is the future of the digital age, which is why she is happy to write about all things pertaining to SEO and social media.

Google Stores only for Google Glass

Since the beginning of this year we have been hearing a lot of news and rumors regarding Google’s new device Google Glass. Recently we have been hearing that Google will be opening their new stores just to sell one product and that is Google Glass. The stores are touted to not only sell the Glass but also customize each one according to user’s needs. Experts will be there to guide users how to set-up and use this portable device.

And the above speculation can be corroborated as Google recently recruited 40 advisers who will help guide the developers who bought Explorer version of Google Glass last year at Google I/O developer conference. And let’s not forget those 8000 people in “IfIHadGlass” contest who won the Google Glass specs, they would also be needing help in properly using the Glass.

The developers purchasing the Google Glass will go through a process of personalization and customization where Glass would be customized to ease the use of device for developers. At the same time they will be taught how to use the Glass and set it up. All this would be done with the hope that developers will add up to the Google Glass experience as they will later develop apps for the device. Some apps have already been developed for instance there is one that allows you to upload videos to your YouTube channels.

As for now nothing official has been announced but we anticipate that Google Glass will be merged with the larger Google retail operation that will not only sell the Glass but also include Nexus franchise selling phones and tablets as well. Contrary to this, judging by amount of attention each Glass sale would require, perhaps opening a separate store for Google Glass in not a bad idea at all.

Fahad Majidi is a Paid Contributor for the Paulstechtalk.com website.  Any views of his is his own and not of the website.   Any Links in this article are affiliate links to products mentioned to help support paying for the contributor.

Zeus and Spyeye Malware coming to the Google Android Platform.

Tablets and Phones Getting Sick??

Mobile operating systems, particularly Android, are not particularly difficult to make malware for, says Blasco, and there are signs that criminals are working to adapt methods used to target PCs. “We have found samples of Zeus and SpyEye on mobile,” he says.

Technology Review

We've talked about App Policies in the past, and you wonder what is in store for you in the coming years with Google Play and Malware.   We can't always be secure with this platform.   I could preach to you the reason why we will most likely have this but I am sure I am not the only one on this subject.  Even clicking a link on your phone could give your phone malware!  

Antivirus is A Joke!

I already talked about the Android Antivirus apps.   I am not sure if they are there just to make it look like they are doing something.   I can't tell which apps are truthful and which are just like a comfort blanket!  So When I started talking about Malware in Google, no one really believed me and I know it isn't a very popular subject so I understand.

So you asking what can I do to protect myself?

Here are some tips to help you not get the malware in the first place!

• Don't install new apps -- if they are new they haven't been reviewed or on the Google Play store long enough.   I won't install an app unless they have 100 reviews or more.   It is just my way.
• Permissions -- Checking the Permissions of an app can help you not install malware before it is to late.   Remember if they want something that they shouldn't then it is probably something you shouldn't install!
• Install Trusted sources -- do no ever install 3rd party applications, your just asking for trouble!  Only install from the Google App Store and nothing else.  This will help prevent from getting Malware!

Although these are simple things most people don't even do these.   If you know some way to prevent Malware then lets hear it.   I have already told you some of the stuff I do but maybe you have something else to help others.   Why not share it!

Paul Sylvester

What can scare you to death with Google Application Updates!

Retrieve Running Applications

Why would an Application need this?

It isn't like we ask for much but it does seem a little peculiar and a little scary. The Game in question right now is Subway Surfers (Kiloo Games).  I emailed the developer to try to find out what this is but I can only imagine what they are using this data for and why they would need it in the first place.

So far I received this:

Hello,

Thank you very much for your email. Our support team will get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Please note that this is an autogenerated response.

Have a great day!

Support@kiloo.com

Although this isn't surprising to say the least it isn't helping their case.   I am sure they are quite busy with this new update.   I really don't mind the game for my kids but that was the only reason I had that on my tablet. 

The Dangers of it all!

I hate to be a worry wort and have people worry to much but when an Application needs to "Retrieve Running Applications", this really worries me because you don't know what else they are doing on your tablet.   Could be monitoring your emails and even get your credit card information.   I know I like to us my tablet more and more.  

Although I am sure I'm the only one on this, I do not want to see people get taken advantage of by any developer or game.   Unless they tell us in their privacy settings what they are doing and why, it makes me concerned every day of the week.   I don't know what they are collecting or why they have to have to collect this information in the first place.   I urge everyone who uses this game to contact them and also check with them about your privacy settings.  If we don't make noise about this then they win.  Tell you friends and family and let them know what to look for when you update your games or applications on your tablet or phone.

When I get the response email from them directly I will be sure to post it and let you know what they say!

Paul Sylvester

Chinese Market Over-ruled by Android, iOS Faces Adversaries

Android has certainly become predominantly the operating system with the largest market share. Informa Telecoms, an analytic firm, presented us with much bigger and clearer picture. According to their report the only OS that stands out in the overwhelming competition in China is Android, accounting for two third of all the handsets sold so far in 2012. One out of every three Android devices that was sold in 2012 was sold in China, certainly a big hub of Android lovers.

But to be more specific, out of all the Android devices sold in China 41 percent were the ones that did not run on authentic Android rather had the imitation of the Google’s original operating system. So if we right them off China still holds 20 percent share of all the Android devices sold in 2012 which is pretty impressive.

Statistically speaking, Android holds 85 percent of the market share in China and still growing where as Apple’s iPhone accounts for only 5 percent of the market share and Windows Phone a minimal of 1 percent. Although, the release of iPhone 5 last week in the country was very much promising, selling over 2 million units in the first of week of its release and setting a milestone of best launch of all time of Apple’s smartphone in China. Apple was not only able to establish the pre-ordering process but is now also available on two carriers for the first time.

If Apple is to increase its market share in China it needs to come forth with TD-LTE because the only reason China Mobile, world’s largest carrier, has not been successful in selling iPhone is because of its 3G network. We anticipate iPhone based on TD-LTE to be offered by China Mobile in 2013. And as for Microsoft’s Windows phone, Informa anticipates that its market share will be double to 2 percent in 2013.

As for the US, Informa believes that Apple needs to come up with a better iOS otherwise it will face further decline in its market share because it is not meeting the standards that other high end Android devices are offering. The principal analyst Malik Saadi at Informa Telecoms anticipates that next year around 50 percent of the handsets sold in US will be Android based devices. The report also depicts that Apple might have to go for margin cuts in order to sustain its market share because the even the most diehard fan is realizing that Apple needs to upgrade its iOS. Inform forecasts that in 2013 Apple will be able to sell almost 34 million units which a million less than this year’s sale. Whereas Windows Phone will be accounting for 6.5 percent of the US market as Nokia and HTC are augmenting their marketing strategies and they are also in close relationship with US carriers.

According to an estimate by Informa Android will account for 50 percent of the global market by 2015. But 2016 Android market domination is anticipated to be decline because of other operating systems in the market specifically Windows Phone.

Fahad Majidi is a Paid Contributor for the Paulstechtalk.com website.  Any views of his is his own and not of the website.   Any Links in this article are affiliate links to products mentioned to help support paying for the contributor.

Nexus not as hot as you think, Chitika

Google’s tablets really made the news after the release of Nexus 7 [Affiliate Link] and one might consider Nexus 7 to be bought by almost everyone but when it comes to the web traffic the results are not that much convincing. According to the Chitika’s current web traffic report Google’s Nexus tablets hardly make a difference. Chitika compared Nexus tablets with Microsoft surface and examined the web traffic for a week in November and surprisingly Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 [Affiliate Link] together accounted for almost 1% of the web traffic.

Well, part of the reason Nexus tablets have accounted so less of web traffic is because Google has not been able to cope up with demand of their devices. No doubt the demand for Nexus tablets is skyrocketing but Google has not been able supply with enough units or perhaps the supply was not enough from the get go. And to aggravate the situation, there is no official figure regarding the sale of Google Nexus devices.

As for Nexus 7 things have settled down in terms of demand and supply and Google is trying to take care of Nexus 10’s supply as well. But if supply has leveled out for both devices and still they lack behind in web traffic then it means that Nexus tablets are not that much of hit of hit among masses as we thought. There are other factors to be taken under consideration.

For those who do not know Chitika is one of the research firms that play a significant role in mobile advertising space. Also we are not aware of any official report manifesting the exact number of units of Nexus Google has sold. Nexus tablets may be hot among the techno geeks but when it comes to average masses it might not be as much demanding as the Apple’s iPad.

As for Microsoft Surface the results were even worst. It only accounted for .13 percent of the web traffic even lower than Nexus’s .91 percent. Again, there is no official figure regarding the sale of Microsoft’s Surface so in situation like this third party analytics for instance Chitika provides a much vivid story. The people at Microsoft might be happy with the figure Chitika has presented since Surface is first of its kind from Microsoft.

In a nutshell, if it isn’t Apple it is not on the top of food chain. iPad is the only tablet which in enjoying the healthiest share in the tablet market and even the iPad mini was able to make its mark the despite the tough competition it faced because of the reasoned price it offered.

Other tablets such as Amazon Kindle fire and Samsung’s Android based tablets may also be enjoying a healthy share because of their strong marketing campaigns. For now we cannot say anything and it would be better to wait until the early 2013 when 2012’s Q4 reports will be out. But according to the numbers now, we anticipate not more than 10 percent of the market share of both Microsoft’s Windows and Google’s Android together. 

Fahad Majidi is a Paid Contributor for the Paulstechtalk.com website.  Any views of his is his own and not of the website.   Any Links in this article are affiliate links to products mentioned to help support paying for the contributor.

How to Figure out if you have a Virus on your System!

Series picked up!

Few years ago, I did a post called What is a Virus and why do I have one. It spawned someone wanting to find out more about the virus but I have been really busy with my personal to finish the series. I thought this would be a great place to pick it up because of my personal life has slowed down and I wanted to at least finish this excellent series that I was so determined to write about.  Even though I have an Excellent resource for Anti-virus tools and tips, I still feel I could expand on the subject just a little more!   In this series we will talk about a few things like:

• Where does the Virus and malware usually hide!


• How to determine if a file should be there!


• Which anti-virus software is the best, in my opinion!


• How to warn you friends of Family!


• What steps you should take in the Future!


• Windows isn't the only system that can get infected!

As you can see there is going to be a lot to talk about in this series because I am sure most of you have these types of questions that you would love to get answered.   I won't say I will cover the topic a 100% because there are always going to be Rogue Viruses and malware that will do something different.   This is after all going to be a generalization of a typical virus!

Where does a Virus and Malware Like to Hide on my computer?

I'm sure you've asked this question before and I'm going to help you out a little.  Having removed several different viruses off my own system and others, I will tell you where you should look and what you should look for!   Note: You should look but don't hit the Delete key.   You just might crash your system and have to restore it.   Sometimes these viruses like to latch on to a system file and you will need an Antivirus software to remove it!

Most of the time they are in the Windows directories:

• C:/Windows/  (look for names that should be there and either Google the file to see what is being said about it!)


• C:/Windows/System32 (Do the same as above but also look for .DLL and double check)


• Make sure there aren't any Hidden Directories by going to Control Panel / Folder Options / View.


• Check the Registry for Anything Suspicious!  (The quicked and easiest way for this is to just use Hijackthis and Let it make a TXT File and then let One of the Log Analyzers  check it out!)


• Check your Windows Program Files C:/Program Files/ and C:/Program Files(x86).   Each directory has files that are going to be Essential to run Windows but that doesn't mean you can look and search for a file or program.  You will however need to still Google the program when you want to know if it should be there or not!

As you can see there are many places where this like to hide but that doesn't mean you can't protect yourself.

How to know if I have a Virus or not!

This has been asked by many people on the internet.   I'm no exception because sometimes you just don't know, and thus you will want to protect yourself.   I will however tell you some of the more common signs of virus infection and then let tell you my opinion on which is better.  For Right now, though let's  explore some of the more common signs of an infection:

• System seems slow -- Although this isn't always meaning a virus, it can be a good indication.


• Network Slowness -- Again, this isn't always a virus because you could be downloading updates to Windows or other Window files.  It however should be kept an eye out for.   If your interested to see what might be hogging your connection you can always use NETSTAT to see what is being used on your computer.   Remember to make sure you Wifi is not being used by your neighbors.


• Unusual Website Popups -- This is pretty much showing something is being done without your permission.   So you can usually attribute this to Malware but not always.


• Hard Disk is constantly on -- This isn't always about a virus but something being accessed to much and thus might mean someone Malware is using your computer to store data that they want to hide.

These are the usual tale tale signs of something that shouldn't be there and thus you should do a system scan to make sure!

Which Software is the Best, in my opinion!

I might be a little biased when it comes to removing viruses and which Antivirus does the job.   I've even talked about some of them om my Antivirus page, so you can see I do know a little more than the average Joe.  This doesn't mean I am a expert on the field but I do know which software seems to run best for removing viruses.   I'm still under the opinion that the free antivirus, which is Malwarebytes [Affiliate Link].   They are constantly updating their virus definitions and have always been there when I had a question.  I have no problems with them in any way and thus I tell people who I remove viruses from to go and buy it [Affiliate Link] because once you have it you are set for life.   No need to buy a license every year, you only have to buy once and you are set.

If your worried about having a virus, just go check out Malwarebytes [Affiliate Link] and they do have a free version that you can try before you buy.

Paul Sylvester

Related articles

• Scareware sites being sent through email! (paulstechtalk.com)


• Protecting your personal information! (paulstechtalk.com)


• Techniques to remove malware from your domain! (paulstechtalk.com)


• Androids aren't immune because of people! (paulstechtalk.com)

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

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Why I use Google Affiliate Network!

Google Affiliate Network Summit 045 (Photo credit: Affiliate)

There's More than one way to skin a cat!

When all said is done, you have a big selection of affiliate networks that you can choose from.   You might even wonder which affiliate network is the best for your situation.   In this blog post, we will talk about some of the things that you can do to choose which one might be the best for your situation.   Not all Affiliate networks will be the same but this will at least let you understand which ones are right for you.

An affiliate network acts as an intermediary between publishers (affiliates) and merchant affiliate programs. It allows website publishers to more easily find and participate in affiliate programs which are suitable for their website (and thus generate income from those programs)

[Wikipedia]

Finding what works for you!

There are so many different networks you can use that you may have trouble knowing which one will work for you.  I will say before we go on that I do not know every single affiliate network but I have tried all the major affiliate networks and I will give you my opinions on each of them.

 Google Affiliate Network -- I've been using this network from the get go, I will say that I've had some modest luck with this network.  I've made some money with network because of Glasses USA (Affiliate link).   I've always got paid for my commissions and they do actually care about your website and helping you get your commissions.

Commission Junction -- I've tried this network and gotten some commissions from this network but it hasn't really been a good relationship for me.  I didn't really feel like they had my own website in mind.  I had to apply for all the merchants and never really had any luck with merchants wanting to have their advertising on my site.

Linkshare -- Another good network that I didn't have any luck with.   I know they have a wide variety of things that might be good for you but I really didn't find anything that fit well with my website.  It always seemed to be more about page views then commissions.   They would always be someone wanting to be on my site that was unrelated to my blog.   I really didn't feel that was a good fit for my website.

Linkconnector -- I recently signed up to find out which programs they have on this site.  I haven't been on their long and have already been offered to be part of merchants that are unrelated to my blog again.   These sites that were offered are nice for blogs or advertisers who is related in one way or another.   I bet these guys don't even check the website they are offering to.

 Mal-Advertising!

Malware Advertising is something that I have come to understand just a little more and thus it is always going to be a problem for the affiliate networks because someone will come along and offer a service but are rarely understood because of the nature of advertising.   I am not saying that every time you sign up for a new advertiser that you are going always going to have one when you sign up but that doesn't mean you shouldn't at least do your research before you start using their ads.   I've been happy with my selection of using Google Affiliate networks but I would love to hear which ones you use and why.   Just leave a comment and tell me and others who you recommend.

Paul Sylvester

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Why Auto blogs aren't the way to make Money!

Image via Wikipedia

What is an Auto Blog?

Autoblog is a neologism and misnomer used to describe a particular type of website which uses software designed to automatically add content in a blog format.[1] The owner of an autoblog is generally referred to as an autoblogger. Engaging in this practice is called autoblogging.
Autoblogging does not require a site owner to create original web content. An autoblogger merely installs the necessary software, and configures its settings to collect the type of content desired. The automated software handles the rest.

[Via Wikipedia]

Autoblogs are basically just programs designed to publish other people's stuff. Now I am not going to explain some stuff that you might not know. Plugins for Wordpress like WordPress Magic, WP Robot, MultiPress Content, Commission Cheat, and  other autoblogging software are sometimes considered Auto Content Stealing programs. I know more about this then people who are just starting off.  I'm here today to talk about these programs in detail.

Make Money While You  are Sleeping!

You've probably heard that one a lot or Hidden Secrets to commissions in advertising. Most of them do somewhat what they say. I was using one in particular for almost over a year and I didn't see any noticeable amount of money coming in from having that run day in and day out.

I've even seen those advertisements on YouTube and other video places claiming that you could make Millions and not do anything more than install a plugin that takes just 10 minutes install.   These programs however most of the time cost money and that is where the catch is.   I have no problem paying for something that works but most of the time if you claim I can set it and forget about it, I just say no thanks.

Does these work?

I know most of you who are asking this question, and probably saw something on another website and you are quite curious as to if these work or not.  I will give you the short answer "NO", they aren't really a scam because you make money but you really don't make money like you've seen on the advertisements.   You basically just make enough commissions to pay for the product in one year.   I may have made more but you get the gist of that.   You also have to remember that you have to have a really high Google PR to even get the traffic that is needed to make any kind of money.

Just creating a new domain, will not help you because it will have no Google Juice for quite some time and that is if you get any at all.   Most of the time, Google looks down on this type of stuff and stops you before you even get going.

Is this Stealing content?

Most of the time you aren't really taking anything that you shouldn't but that doesn't mean you could be doing that.   Most Auto Blog plugins will allow to you pick what you want to use as content and it will publish what you tell it.  The content that you will most like get are from like Amazon, Clickbank, Commission Junction, and other such Affiliate programs.   They usually allow you to use their content for your website and thus you can use them on your site.   The Kicker to this is, Google and other SEO, they will rank you lower just because of that.   They consider scraper sites to be nothing more than spam and thus you might go down in ranking if your not careful.

How do I know?

I created a Website called "unlocked cell phones blog" trying to test this out.  I created that last year about this time and set up using WP Robot, as my autoblog plugin.   After that year was up, I checked my Amazon Account tracking ID and guess what.   I only made "$56.45".   As you can tell I pretty much made what I put into it, I bought the software for $75 and I got half that back.   I made a little more money on my other Domain Tech-linkblog.com but I couldn't tell you for sure if it was all the plugin or if some of those was because of my old content.

Recommendations!

Here is what I recommend, if your really wanting to do this, do as much research as you can and know this.   There are websites that are specifically designed to waste your time to prevent you from finding your answers.   I know if you look on Google and others you will see that you find all these Glowing reviews and people who are just posting Videos of this type of stuff so they can make a little money.   You really have to go 3 to 4 pages in to find some truth in these AutoBlogging software.   You will find your answers if you ask the right questions and search for what makes sense.   I will not say I am totally against Auto Blogs, but I am not going to waste my money on another one of those in the future.  I now know that making money overnight isn't always going to be possible without at least working for it.

It's not how you do it but what you do that can make your blog a success.  You never know if your going to write the best article in your life or the worst article but until you try.  This I hope has told given you what you have been wondering or asking.   I'd love to hear your comments and your experiences, I might be the only one who hasn't done so good but I'm willing to bet there are others out there.

Paul Sylvester

 

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How to hack without hacking!

Anyone can Hacking!

I must admit this post will be one of those that you really can eat.   I'm not saying that you should hack but lately it has been so easy to discover some website to help enable people to hack.  After watching to Security Now Episode 339: ScriptNo for Chrome, I found out about the "Trend Netcam Problem" where if you have a Netcam on the internet all they would have to do is add "(IP address)/anony/mjpg.cgi" and you can find out some IP's that have Netcams.  The fun part is if you just Google "/anony/mjpg.cgi" you can find a list of IP's that might have netcams on them!

Pastebin can be useful!

I like to occasionally check the trends for Pastebin every so often because they usually have something of interest on them. I have found that Pastebin is an excellent source of hacking information. So many hackers are using this service that you never really know what you find from day to day.   You   can easily search the Pastebin site for stuff that you might want to check out.   I'm always trying to find stuff that I can use to help the community.  Sometimes though you find scripts that people have made for some reason or other but you get to see the script, so you don't run the script but you can see the meat and bones.   If your a programmer, you will know what some of this is all about and what it is doing.

Finding Gems!

I never once said that keeping up to date is something that you should not do but it is something that you could do.   Every So often I see something that strikes my fancy and it should be announced to the world.   If your looking to learn how to hack there are of course places on the internet that will show you just that.  I on the other hand will not show you but tell you when something is going on that you should do for yourself rather letting the hackers have all the fun!

Paul Sylvester

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How to recover you blog posts!

Source: singingthroughtherain.com via Kathryn on Pinterest

If I'd Only backed up!

That's probably what you are thinking right now. Most hosting providers like Hostgator will allow you to backup your content for free but do we ever really do that every week. I've learned my lesson on this because of what happened last week. Let's go back in time shall we!

The Back story.

After some really hard considerations with both my tech-linkblog site and this site, I recently decided I need to merge them into one BIG site because I felt that the ones who were coming to my old site were not really seeing the potential of my new site. So After searching bing on how to merge two domains, I found some articles that would help me do that!

I started off merging!

Yep you guessed it, I thought why would I need to worry about having backups when all I am going to do is merge two different databases into one. The Problem with that is that you never quite understand that doing that is a risky situation and thus you won't know how to fix it until it is too late. That is where we come to this article for. I lost like 100 articles that were REALLY important I don't say that lightly, people who have websites for SEO traffic know all to well the importance of some BIG articles. I'm no exception because it helps your ranking and Authority.  These articles actually are the ones that bring in some good links and even helps support my blog.  So you can imagine how I felt and my horror when I found out some of my blog entries were GONE and couldn't get them back!!

How did I get my blog posts back?

You're probably wondering how I got some of my really important blog posts back.   I know your really curious as to how I got them back without a backup.    In this article I will give you two or three sites that can help you get your blog posts back, but remember it is going to be a long process.   If you had a lot of blog posts then you may never get all the back but you can at lease get some of them back.     Before i begin though, I must tell you that if you are worried about your hard drive you should try Crashplan [Affiliate Link], they give a free trial and can run on Windows/Mac's/and Linux. I don't want anyone loosing their Photos, Videos, or Anything else that is important to you.

Google Cache

If you can grab the cache page before it gets erased then you can use that to replace the content that you've lost.  You'll have to search for it then once you find it, just click the Cached link.   It however isn't going to be a good solution if everything get's removed.   Nothing in the article will prevent that unless you do a complete restore and thus you need to keep backups.



Now this is good to point, if you use the Internet Archive, but remember they will not index all your pages and if you only have excerpts on your home page then you really can't use this service but it is something to consider if your do have one or two posts that might need to be replaced.



I however think if your are smart, to have your web hosting provider like Hostgator to keep backups.   That is why I like Hostgator when the next time I have a problem with my SQL database it will be backed up with Hostgator and all is good!

If you don't have a backup, you should start backing up and if you have a back up then you need to come up with a good restoration plan for when you need it.   I've begun to do that with this site and I hope this helps others with the problem I have had!

Paul Sylvester

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Techniques to remove malware from your domain!

Image by Sam Howzit via Flickr

Websites and domains!

I recently had to help my favorite club remove some malware off their website.   My club, Starfleet-command Quadrant One website, was one of those sites that didn't see this coming.   As a website owner, I've seen many of things come and go but experience has taught me that it will always come back.  I will be watching for this again in the near future but hopefully it won't come back!

The back story was something that I have to at least talk about because this is how the site got infected.

One reason that this site got infected was by being hosted with the same hosting server.  They were both using the Goddady shared hosting account to display their webpages or forums on the internet.   Thus Godaddy, with their infinite wisdom tried to explain it away as that.    I don't know if I buy that reason or if there was something else that might of been the culprit but I do know this website had urls redirects and such to malware sites.  I much rather keep with Hostgator, then have Godaddy anyways.

Another Reason is that it was probably some kind of key logger, or something that was sending back the important password information to a Command and control server and thus the website owner was infected or someone in the organization that had access to the account was unintentionally allowing a hacker to gain access to the website.

Removing the Malware off your Site!

Nothing in the world is ever going to be easy, but it is necessary to get into the guts of the website.   Your probably thinking, websites don't have guts.   You'd be wrong, when I thought about having to go through each part of the code and remove the html malware redirects that is what I mean by guts.      Many people will come to understand that as a programming language but I like to think of it as a doctor who does surgery to remove an infectedc limb or something like that.

So I'm going to give you a few areas to look at if your having this problem with Malware being on your site or domain.   It won't always be the same place for the same infection but it will at least help you find it and remove it.

.htaccess -- This is one place where they will first make changes to redirect traffic to the domain that they want your visitor to. If you have had much experience with what it does.   It is a good time to learn what they do and how to use them.

index.php or index.html-- This is something that the hackers have learned to use but most often is over looked.   This is something that I haven't seen before until now.   Certain browser will display the virus or malware warnings and others will not even see it or have any problems!   See example for more information, because I couldn't do a better job then them!

Check Subdomains and subdirectories --   This is something that is also needs to be looked at.   even if they aren't showing the signs of being being infected it is always a good idea to at least make sure they stay uninfected.   Check them for the .htaccess and index code and remove what you need or change it to where it should be going to in the first place.   I found the .htaccess redirect code all in subdomains and sub directories on the one that I helped to remove the infection from.

Change ALL passwords -- This is a MUST, if you've been infected then your passwords are at risk of being the source of the infections.   Change your FTP Password, your log in information password, and anything associated with the site in question and possibility the subdomains passwords.

Limit the number of people with the new passwords -- if your like me, you don't want to many people to have the ftp password and thus you should consider only allowing a select number of people having it.   Like the organization I have, they have people left and right who use it to upload files and stuff that is needed.   It also might be required to just have a server that is used for nothing else but to upload files for publications and other things like that.

Disclaimer

Nothing in the article is a must do or will get rid of your site being blocked by Google and other such search engines but it will at least give you a place to start looking to find culprit and maybe get your site running again quicker.   I will not make any guarantees that this will fix the problem or that it will solve your problem 100% but this is to be used as a tutorial on where to look and what you should do to prevent re-infections with malware.

 Paul Sylvester

SUPERAntiSpyware

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Google doesn't care about the small blogs!

Google Does it again!

I don't know why Google is so hard to understand.   I don't know if they are good but Gail over at Growmap thinks they may be evil.   I don't know if they are but I am quite concerned what happened to my blog over the last weekend!  It all started with a dramatic drop in people coming to my site.   I had a dramatic drop of people who were coming to my site.   This is always how it is, when a blog starts to get popular, Google drops them in popularity.

Google Plus World without me!

I don't know what happened but after all this has happened, people around the blogosphere are recommending an FTC Probe over this.   I know I am not the only one but this was a real drastic drop of people coming to my blog through Google.   I have decide that I will switch to Bing and still use Google's Chrome.  This is after all a means to tell Google that I am not happy with there search results.

Google No more!

I encourage everyone else that reads this to change to another default search engine in your Web Browser and show Google that we are unhappy with there choice.   The Bloggers are what made themnd we can who they are today a we can make some other search engine better or bigger than them.  Until they change their tune and goes back to "DO NO EVIL" then maybe I will encourage people to go back to them.   I've worked hard for this blog and I support Gail's Attempt over at Growmap's site and I encourage others to go visit them and tell them I sent you!

Paul Sylvester

Save 70% on Eyeglasses

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