4 Things you must do before hit publish!

It's all about the readers!

I've not been one to say this much, but if your read my blog you know I care about my readers.  I'm not saying that I will make your jaw drop most of the time but there are times that I think a blog post and want to help others when it comes to writing your own.  In this article we will discuss some basic writing ideas that I've come to realize and want to share with you.  I'm sure others have said something similar but I'm hoping to make it more understandable for the common reader and writer.

Before we can start talking about writing and blogging which to me are the same exact thing, some others might think of them differently.   I wanted to at least ask you some questions that we will be exploring in this article.

• Why are you blogging?


• How to come up with a topic!


• Know your Audience


• Is there a Length limit?


• What are you trying to accomplish?

Who Influences YOU?

FOCUS ON ONE QUALITY BLOG!(Affiliate Link)
Guest post on related high quality blogs.
Collaborate with social-media savvy bloggers.

In all things you do FOCUS on RELATED collaborations!

Quantity Equals Failure. Success Focuses on Quality!

When you started blogging did you think you should have more than one blog, I did. I even tried that in the last year but I found that I didn't get any more money than when I was blogging by myself.  I love to read what Gail writes about on her blog when she does because I get the most insight into how to blog just a little more.  I must admit, I need to start having more RSS feeds and expand my reading to even more blogs.  I have started to create a bigger list of blogs that I think I will enjoy to read on a weekly basis and this is my hope that I become a better blogger for you and others.

Writing Topics

Having been blogging for a few years, I've come to understand that if you don't use the right topic, no one will come to visit your blog or read your blog post because it just doesn't interest them to click.   Some bloggers have done some great topics Like Shevonne, who writes about her new phase of life.   She tries to get the reader involved and make them see that their is more to her than just about blog posts.    If you read her blog post you will see that she actually does a great job at drawing the reader and making them think about their own life and what phase they are in.   It is more engaging to the reader to actually have something to relate to whether it be on a blog or in person.  Find a Topic and start typing, it really doesn't have to be a big blog post but it helps if you let your mind wander and keep it coming.

Try to limit the Length of Post!

 250 is enough
A long post is easier to forget and harder to get into. A short post is the opposite. 

Problogger

This isn't always going to work when it comes to writing those blog posts.   I usually like to keep it under 1,000 words per post but I've found that sometimes, the more you write about a subject the more you will want to add to it.  Sometimes, you need to experiment and see what your readers will read and what comments you get from them.  I've even tried that with some of my latest blog posts but that isn't always going to work for you and you should figure out what the sweet spot is for your blog.

Be Youself!

Trying to imitate someone is nice, and some may consider that flattery.  I don't know if it is me or if your here just to because your found this article interesting.   Nothing can change who you are and who you will become, so just writing about a subject without at least adding your own flair of personality will not get you any where in getting people involved.   People want to connect with you and see your flaws and your personality more than they want to read a HOW TO or reviewing an product.   I've found this to be very true, if all your doing is just reviewing products, you may never see the true potential of revenue but if your connect with your readers in a blog post they will come back again, and again just because they want to see what else that makes you human!

Summary of the Post!

I've given you a lot to think about when you write a blog post and I am sure this isn't going to be an easy article to digest but if your follow these rules then you will become a better writer and thus you will have people come to your blog more and more.   After all, if your writing about anything, you are wanting to connect with your readers in one way or another and that is the main reason for blogging for me at least.   Topics are only one way to engage the reader to come back time and time again.  I write to connect with my readers and If you liked this blog post please feel free to share it with your friends and family.   I'd love to hear your stories and comments because that helps me find out what I am doing wrong or what I am doing right.

If you like this post, feel free to subscribe to my RSS feed or Subscribe to my Email list.   I send one out every time I publish a blog post, so you can keep up to date on what is going on my website.

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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No SOPA for me thanks!

Image by DonkeyHotey via Flickr

Stop Online Piracy Act!

If you've been living under a rock lately, then your probably haven't heard about SOPA(Stop Online Piracy Act) and it just worries me.   It is like we would be living in China and that would mean less liberty for us bloggers and people who are the ones who may accidently infringe on copyrights.

SOPA(Stop Online Piracy Act) expands the ability of U.S. law enforcement and copyright holders to fight online trafficking in copyrighted intellectual property and counterfeit goods.

[Wikipedia]

I don't like that you will not be "Innocent until proven guilty" but you will be "Guilty" with having a chance to fix the problem.

I will be Protesting January 18th!

On the 18th, I will be blacking out my website, and you will see a screen on how you can help.  This is an attempt to show Congress that I am not happy with this bill.   I will support any website that wants to join me in t his.  I believe this bill will not make piracy go away and thus this bill will do more damage then good.   Some of the websites that will be doing this are:

• Reddit


• Cheezburger sites


• MLG(majorleaguegaming.com)


• and more

What will you do on the 18th?

I am showing my support and would love to hear what you i will do on the eighteenth.   Will you do your site like others and black it out or will be talking about it all day?

Paul Sylvester

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• Rupert Murdoch critical of White House stance on SOPA (digitaltrends.com)


• SOPA Blackout (mentalitysmind.co.uk)

 

Pay it forward Friday (January)!

Image via Wikipedia

Pay it forward Friday!

We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

Walt Disney

It is times like this that I am really feeling blessed.  I thought this would be something that I wanted to inspire people.   If you'e not heard the saying, I'll explain it to you.

"Pay it Forward" used to describe the concept of asking that a good turn be repaid by having it done to others instead.

Wikipedia

It really is something that I would like to explain why I am asking people to help make someones day a little nicer.   I'll explain why later on in this post.   I thought this was a good idea when I had something that just made me believe there are good people in the world after all.

 Acts of Random Kindness

Those of us who have fallen on hard times know how hard it is to get some of the basic things in life.   I am not saying that it isn't always going to be easy but I do know that a lot has happened in my last few months and if it wasn't for the support of my family, I don't know where I'd be or what I would be doing.    That be said, I do have a small story I'd like to share with you to demonstrate just how much people need to help others right now.

Driving along in my small car, nothing says economy like a manual transmission car, I happen to stop to get a hair cut.   After 3 months of not having a hair cut, I knew it was about time.   My hair was constantly in my face and nothing I could do to it was to get it out of my way.  I decided to go to a nice little out of the way Barber shop and get my hair cut, but unbeknownst to me was the price of the hair cut.    I really thought I had enough money for the hair cut but when I walked into the shop, I found that I only had ten dollars and the hair cut was twelve dollars.

I tell the owner I don't have enough money to pay him the twelve dollars, after all this out of the way shop doesn't accept anything but cash.   One of the patrons told me relax and sit down, he'd probably not take the whole ten dollars.   I didn't know if I could believe him but I sat down.   After the patron that told me to sit down was done, I was next and the next thing I knew he gave me a ten dollar bill, saying here this will help you today with your hair cut.

I only had to pay two dollars for the hair cut directly.   I know I'm blessed but I also believe that others should profit in his actions.   So I thought about asking people to do something good for a friend or relative.

Have you done something Good Today?

If you feel like sharing this post, I made it really easy to share. Just tell them to go to:

http://bit.ly/pttpiff

Paul Sylvester

 

 

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How I buy a Prepaid Cellular Phone without worrying!

Image via Wikipedia

"Will this matter a year from now?" -- Richard Carlson

Let's face it, sometimes I often wonder if buying a cell phone will survive a couple of years.   You really don't want to have to replace every year and thus you try to find that one cell phone that will stand the test of time.

You walk into any phone store or grocery store and you will find either phones or cards to put more money on the account.   That makes me worry how effective the cell phones are going to last and the quality.

Buying prepaid cell phones can be even more hassle because of not knowing which network they are on or the capabilities of the cell phone.   If you been looking at their online store say for instants Cricket Wireless, you will see that there are many phones but yet no important information.    It's is like they left stuff out intentionally that should be there.

Looking Under the Hood!

Sometimes when I am looking for a cell phone to buy, I start my process off going to a wide range of sites like:

• Amazon


• Ebay


• Cnet


• Google Search

Let's face it, if you know the phone you are most likely wanting to buy then you will at least know the model number and thus you can use that to find the information your looking for.  Although that will provide the significant amount of the information, there will still be a few things that they will be able to tell you.    Which Network is that Phone one?

Network Usability

Most carriers have a limited amount of coverage around the US and the World and thus can be quite confusing going to their website and trying to determine if you are under their coverage area.   Why do they make it so hard?   I can't answer that but I know how I solve that problem for me.    I'll share a trick that probably no one else has thought of.   Just let your fingers do the walking.   Is this some kind of Joke?

I've found that just calling the local providers let's you know if they are reliable or not, if your really search savvy you can find out what others are saying about that carrier your local area.   This can be a great tool to judge if that phone or carrier is going to be a head ache or a really jewel.    Most times carriers will try to hide some of this so you may have to dig down deep to get to the good stuff.

What are your steps to buying a Prepaid Cell phone?

Paul Sylvester

Shop at Amazon.com!

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The Novatel Mifi 2200 is coming!

Image via Wikipedia

It's Been ordered!

I ordered a Novatel Wireless MiFi 2200(Virgin Mobile) from Amazon and was it a deal.   Normally Priced at $129.99 to $149.99, I paid $69.99 and that was Half off the price.   I am just waiting for it to come!  I don't know how well it will work but I am quite eager to try it out.   I even got free shipping with this deal.

What does that mean to you guys, I will be looking into the connection speeds and actually maybe even testing the 2.5gb limit to see how far I can go before they start complaining to me.

I won't expect much!

This isn't going to be a mifi killer but it will at least help me do what I have needed.   You will need to pay $20 to $50  per month for a top up card or have them charge you credit card directly.   I never really like doing that, they always seem to include sales tax.   It is always best just to go buy them at the store and use them that way.   I have always found them to be cheaper than charging my credit card.

I'll review this later on!

I think this will be a good alternative for people who might need occasional internet.   I don't expect to be able to stream videos and such all the time or even a lot.   I will review this later on for a complete assessment of it's capabilities and critic how well the batter last and such.    I don't know a lot about it but you can be sure, I will dive in and give it my best!

Paul Sylvester

Got Backups? Try Crashplan!

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Four Phones/Devices that Straight Talk might release in 2012!

Let’s talk Straight Talk Phones!

Although this isn’t going to be anything major, I do think we will see more devices that will come to Straight talk next year and I have a few predictions on which ones will come but again, I’ve been wrong in the past.

I’ve not see very many predictions about Straight Talk but I wanted to at least try to help people anticipate what may come and what may not come.   Remember, I do not know anymore than anyone else but I do understand the market and what may happen in the future.   So nothing I say should be consider as being set in stone or that they will do this or that.   It is going to be another prediction on what they may bring out.

What Might come to Straight Talk!

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 inch to 10.1 (Affiliate Link)i— There is a good reason why this will probably happen and I know why.   Cricket Wireless (Affiliate Link) and T-mobile(Affiliate Link) are doing this right now.   The idea of having a tablet like the Kindle(Affiliate Link) fire is going to be a real big deal to have for Straight Talk.   I don’t know how they will do this but I am sure it will be an exciting time.

Nokia Lumina 710 (Affiliate Link) — This is one of those possibly that may happen but also remember this is a Windows Phone and thus is going be the first time Straight Talk tries the waters, if they do this.   I am real optimistic about this being a real possibility and thus I can not see them not doing this.

Mifi Hotspots (Affiliate Link)— I can see this as another Real Possibly because this would be a great idea for students and people always on the go.   I don’t know if they will do this but If Straight Talk wants to compete with other prepaid wireless networks they will have to get their feet wet.

Samsung Galaxy S (Affiliate Link) — This is after all another Android Phone but is possible on the Sprint Network thus will probably be ported to the Straight Talk Network because Straight Talks uses Sprint with Android.   So I see this as another good possibly and I think more customers are going to want to have more Android Devices in the coming year.

As you can see these are all just speculation and thus could possibly come true but only time will tell.   I thought I would at least try to have a little fun and tell you what I thought was going to be most likely.

Paul Sylvester

Need Glasses? Try GlassesUSA! (Affiliate Link)

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My Top Five Favorite Posts for 2011

Image via Wikipedia

It's that time again!

I know this blog has been up and down this year and thus I want to discuss some of my more popular and ones that I am really proud of.   We all know that is isn't going to be easy for me but I thought we could at least talk about some of more favorite posts and let people who just found my blog see some of my other posts!

We've all seen those post each year on different blogs and I am sure I am not the only one who does this but it is something that I like to do.   It after all is about community and sharing with my friends.  I know I consider my readers like close family because I am always thinking what I can do to better my life and yours.   This is my biggest reason for blogging, to make life better for everyone and make it much more enjoyable for me also.   You don't know how nice it is just to sit down and write to my family(readers) and not have to feel like there is pressure to post.   This is my goal every time I write a post to share and hope it makes people think about how to work smarter and not hard.

Top Five Favorite Posts!

I will start off with my Five favorite posts and discuss them in length.   You can always feel free to look around and click any article on my site without worries.

1. How to Get a Free VPN for Ubuntu/Kubuntu! --This is was one of those that I did because it was essential for me to find a free VPN for when I go to hotspots and not have to pay.   When you are on a limited income and trying to get to your next paycheck, then you know why I couldn't afford to pay for a VPN service.  Also I use Kubuntu and thus couldn't use the Windows only free VPNS that were available.


2. Three ways on how to NOT waste your Money! --  This one is a supposedly a recruiting job from (crmglobalresources.com) but after doing my research it looks to be like my other post "Why do I need to pay for recruitment?" So I was really proud of this one to tell people about it! So don't always think there will be easy money.4


3. Apple Needs to Worry about Security and Virus! --  This one was of my favorite post also because I am always tell people that there will always be Apple viruses and that their advertisements in the past will always haunt them because Apple can and will be targeted now and in the future for virus attacks because they are getting a larger share in the Marketplace.


4. My Reasons why Amazon will make an Android Tablet!  --  This is another one of my favorites because it was one of those that came true.   Just look at the the Kindle Fire to verify it, that is after all an Android tablet.   I think they have more to come in the future but only time will tell!


5. Android Malware, Ridiculous! --   Let's face it, most people think that Androids can't get virus or have malware.   I discuss this in length and tell you that even Linux can have viruses and you should count your eggs before they are hatched.  I am not going to say that they will or will not but I discuss why hackers and virus writers would love to do it.   Once the market gets saturated enough with Android devices they will start to develop viruses and malware for them, I am sure it.

As you can see that there were some really good posts in 2011 and I hope to get even more post done in 2012. I am going to be resolute to doing a better job of posting but that could be a futile effort.

Paul Sylvester

Need Glasses? Try GlassesUSA!

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Android Malware, Ridiculous!

Image via Wikipedia

Malware for Android??

Nothing I have read from what people have said or done indicates that it is actually malicious in being installed.   Yet, Everyone keeps saying it is malware!

Software is considered to be malware based on the perceived intent of the creator rather than any particular features. Malware includes computer viruses, worms, trojan horses, spyware, dishonest adware, scareware, crimeware, most rootkits, and other malicious and unwanted software or program.

[Via Wikipedia]

What is with people saying Android has Malware!   I don’t understand that and I have been scratching my head when I read this.   It really burns my buttons on my computer when I read it.

Use your Head!

If you haven’t been keeping up with my blog, you will know that it isn’t really unwanted.      Most programs you download using your android device is something that is being sought out but yet it isn’t going to be truthful when it comes to something you don’t know.    I can’t understand for the life of my why they are trying to scare people into thinking that you need antivirus for Android for security.   I’ve talked about this in past post but I will say it again:

This is something I tell my friends and family when buying an Application on the Market place from anywhere there is usually a bunch of reviews of it from various users and thus will help you determine if this application is worth the money or could be a problem.

My Underware!

I’m calling anything that is unwanted and stuff you didn’t know what is being rune’d on an OS.   I call this underware due to the fact that is programs that you installed on your OS but didn’t know that it is doing something it shouldn’t.  This is something that I called it because when you say malware, it makes me think of software that is being forced to be installed and running under the radar.   You really don’t know it is running and thus that is why you call it malware, but if you install a program accepting the consequences then, it should just be called underware.

What should it be called?

I’m really not sure what else to call it but the idea of underware is UNDER the radar programs.   If you can come up with something better please let me know but I don’t want it to be called malware.

Paul Sylvester

Have you tried Glasses USA!   

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What is Tech Talk and What does it mean in day to day life??

Image via Wikipedia

When I say I want to talk about Technology what does that mean to you?

This is one of those really good questions that I've come to see is something that needs to be explained.   Technology to me is anything that revolves around anything electronic from a car radio to an IPAD but that doesn't mean that if you talk about a Blackberry that you aren't doing talking about technology.     To me tech talk is something that is yet undefined but yet always in the lime light.

Technology presumes there's just one right way to do things and there never is.  ~Robert M. Pirsig

This is something that has always been a problem when do we assume we know what technology is.   Although, I am sure others will say technology is the usage and knowledge of tools, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or serve some purpose. It just means they are quoting from Wikipedia but that doesn't necessary mean a lot does it?

Technology as small as a nanite!

When I say Nanites, I am really talking about nanorobotics or in simple terms these are robots that are small and could fit several thousand on a head of a pin and you would never see them.   That is how small these guys are.   These little guys are basically a research vessel and are not being made to the public just yet but we've come a long way.

So Tech Talk is Anything?

I won't say that it isn't everything but it could be anything.   If you like computers, you could come to talk about what might be going on in a couple of months to years.   Just like I talked about the Amazon Android Tablet that might be coming, you just never know what will be around the corner.   It just depends on if you want to talk about XBOX 360 games or the latest controls for console games.   This is what it means to tech talk in my opinion, basically to speculate what is coming down the road or what I like about a certain product or idea.

What do you consider Tech Talk in todays societies?  I'd like to hear!   Is it something that you don't understand?

Paul Sylvester

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TINYURL being used by scammers and hackers -- How to prevent it!!

With Phishing attempts going on with the TINYURL redirect website, I thought I would show you how you could prevent from going to a site you don't want. Tinyurl.com has a great little feature, although it is a feature based on your cookies. It however will help prevent you from going to a site that you don't know anything that about. It's called the Preview Feature, and is available to any user who wants to use it.



As you can see if you enable it and you go to a click on a tinyurl, you will see this:

http://tinyurl.com/6t7ukk



[ad#ad2-right]As you can see, if you click any TINYURL links you will automatically be told where that link is redirecting you to. This however only works with there being a cookie left behind in your system to let tell Tinyurl that is has to show the link first. So if you clean your cookies out from time to time, you will need to enable it every time after you clean the browser cookies. This will help prevent you from being phished because you will be able to tell if it is the right site in the first place. If not then you don't have to visit that site. This should be enabled on all Short URL Sites, I hope they make it a mandatory for any site that redirects. This would help stop phishing and scammers because they can't hide behind unknown url. Only time will tell though, these sites are always going to have problems but this would solve so many problems.

Spammers defies Bill Gates 'magic Solution'

Sopho's published statistics and I thought I would talk about it here.   Bill Gates promised to have a Magic Solution 5 Years ago.   Sophos Also provide a Chart of the Dirty Dozen:



Sopho's also is claiming that "US retains its crown as spam king".    I don't think so because of the the Other 32.4%.   The US can't be the main culprit to spam.    So What was this 'Magic Solution' that they promised 5 years ago?

Microsoft has two techniques in mind for solving the spam issue, both based on the premise of changing the economics of email to place a greater burden on the sender.

[Via CBR]

Microsoft did have some good ideas but they wouldn't work for right now because the first part of the 'magic Solution' was to add  mathmatical question to each and every email we sent out.   I know that this wasn't going to work because hackers have already created a systems to get around the captcha verification.

[ad#ad2-right]Spammers of course are the ones  who is sending out the spam but they have people who write virus software, which I consider a hacker.  You see they want to infect systems so they can easily send out even more email.  When a system becomes a Botnet they usually are used to send out email.  If your curious as to what a Botnet is Check out the Wikipedia entry for further details.  So they need these systems to be able to send out spam, and other types of email phishing.   Most of the time a spammers  spam just for money because they make money by spamming people.   I hate spam because it clogs up our email accounts with unwanted emails.

So Did Microsoft come up with a fix?  According to Sopho's they seem to be dropping percentages from 2004 to now in the US.   I have to wonder if Microsoft proclomation made them worry and go outside of the US.   I don't think it will stop in fact, I suspect with the economy like it is we will undoubtedly start seeing even more spam and even more computer infections.

In order to prevent yourself from viruses and computer infections, you will need to install Anti-virus software and a Good firewall, not just the Default Windows Firewall.  This will greatly increase your chances of not getting a virus and possibly help prevent some of the spam.   You should also tell your associates or customers the benefits of preventive updates.  You should also remind people about not clicking links in emails and also not everything you read is true.

Are you worried about your identity?

So after the fiasco of the other day, I decided I will talk about security and why you should worry about new websites that you have never heard of.   People are not worrying about there identity and keeping there identity safe.   You see whenever someone signs up to a service without thinking about their password being stored or even used maliciously.   You see when most people don't use more than one or two passwords for all there accounts and then you use the same password with a new website.  Are you asking for your identity to be stolen?  In one of my previous blog posts I talked about not having any privacy on the internet.

So How can you protect your privacy?

When ever I come across a site that I don't know about and I want to protect my account from being compromised I find out what I can from several places:

1. [ad#ad2-right]Google -- Yes this is quite common to use to find out about what people are saying asking the keywords like is it a scam or what people are saying about the site?  This can be very useful to make sure I don't get scammed by a company for instants the Nationwide marketing scam.  Although this is really important when you get things that sound questionable.  This can be very useful with regards to keep your wallet safe.


2. Whois Network -- If there is a site you've not heard about and have a question about it you can always do a whois lookup.   This is a great resource for finding out how long the site has been up and who owns it?  The problem with this is most people who have a website aren't worried about security and privacy.   So you make sure this site isn't a phish site or to make sure the site isn't being used improperly.


3. Sitetiki --  a good site to do some research.   It's a wiki like Wikipedia but for websites and if they are good or bad.  It also has a spammer list for people to watch and make sure not to go to.  These sites are usually redirect spam sites uses for email.

What about Personal privacy?

With this I also want to talk about security online to prevent people from gaining access to your accounts online by guessing the password.  Some sites also like to phish for your account information and use the information gained to take control over your account so here are some useful links to help protect your account information:

• [ad#cricket-right-ez]Roboform -- This is good for generating a really good random password and remembering it.  This will keep people from guessing the password and also make it easy to come up with another good password.  This will also fill out the required site forms that usually use to sign into website.


• A good VPN Service --  If your like me and you have to use free wifi from time to time and want to make sure you have privacy on the net.  This is good for security on any open wifi network and you don't want to have anyone watch you while your browse online.  In case someone is interested what VPN's are used for here is the link to let people understand it better.


• Perfect Paper Passwords -- This is coming from Security now Episode 115 and he talks about this to better help people make the best possible passwords.  Listen to it and it will help you understand more about security.

These are just a few ways to prevent people from gaining access to an account.   After doing some research on this and thinking about this in bigger detail.   I would like to make a public apologies about the fiasco yesterday and what happened.  In all truthfulness everything didn't seem right with the doings of the going on with website.   I also was worried about the twitter spam it was sending out as you started the service.   I didn't know until later that it was a real person trying to make a product twitter users could really use.   I have learned from my experience and I will work harder next time and not be so quick to act next time.   If I was the company that bought that site, I'd also offer a job to both of them for being intuitiveness on coming up with a really good product.

You tracking Santa, here's how!

So as Christmas is almost upon us we are faced with the problem of tracking Santa.
Norad decided to start tracking Santa Clause, Here's the Wikipedia information from the site:
[ad#ad2-right]

In 1955, a Colorado Springs-based Sears store ran an advertisement encouraging children to call Santa Claus on a special telephone hotline. Due to a printing error, the phone number that was printed was the hotline for the Director of Operations at the Continental Air Defense (CONAD). Colonel Harry Shoup took the first Santa call on Christmas Eve of 1955 from a six-year old boy who began reciting his Christmas list. Shoup didn't find the call funny, but after asking the mother of the second caller what was happening, then realizing the mistake that occurred, he instructed his staff to give Santa's position to any child who called in.
[Via Wikipedia]

So how can you track Santa, here are a few ways to keep up to date on where he is around the world:

• Twitter : noradsanta


• You can call : 1-877-446-6723


• Norad tracking Santa Website 2008


• You can even track  Santa Clause at Santaclause.net

These are just a few good website to watch him travel around the world.   Are you tracking Santa?  Because I am!!

Disaster preparation 101 -- Data backup

In this one I will talk about Disaster, it happens to all of us from time to time. A fire, a earthquake, a stolen laptop or any number of ways. So what happens to your data, is it stored on the laptop? Is it important very sensitive data? Could you get fired if you lost that data?

[ad#ad2-right]These are all questions you must ask yourself when you have laptop. How do you backup your data or even do you have a backup? Having seen this with my own clients, I must wonder if there are people out there who just don't care. I had a client the other day who gotten a virus and this was a really mean virus. Deleted some very important files when you tried to clean the virus out. She called me in a panic because she couldn't load up windows? I asked if she had any backups, she said "what's a backup" . So I sat there discussing this with the client for over 20 minutes. Finally she started to understand, she said she had the OEM Backup DVD but nothing else. She also said she needed help with getting data off the computer. I told her that I would be able to come the next day and I was lucky the virus didn't do anything else to her data. We were able to retrieve the data from her system. That is where I start my rant , Why would anyone not have backup of there most important data?

So How do you backup your data? This is controversial and somewhat depends on how much people want to spend to keep there data safe and not loose pictures or music. There are several ways to do it, each way has it's pitfalls or short comings and requires a little more effort:

Kinds of Backup

Hard Medium - DVD, CD, External Hard drive

• Wikipedia's List of DVD backup Software -- This is good for beginners who want to explore how to backup options.


• Free Hard Disk Backups and Restore Software -- Gives you a list of great free backups and restore software to help you backup your system.


• GoodSync Backup --  This isn't free but helps you backup your software to an external drive and makes sure you have the most current files on your system.


• Some other Backup Software -- This is a variety of good backup software from Amazon.

Although,  The hard medium is usually used that doesn't mean you can have a backup other than hard.   Here are some ways to back up on the internet.

Internet Medium:

• Jungle Disk -- Provides online storage through the Amazon s3 service.   Only pay for what you use.   It works well with most Operating system.  I've used it on Vista so it is really nice.


• Carbonite Online backup --Another good Online storage.


• Some Other Online backup -- Here a list from Amazon to better help you find the type of software that you might need.

These are just a few options, if you want to look for other you can.  The important thing to do is BACKUP because if you need some data that gets wiped or destroyed.  You will be kicking yourself for not backing up.

What is a Virus and Why do I have one

After seeing more and more the updates coming from the net.  I wanted to talk about what a Computer Virus or Trojan is and how you get it.   So how did  you could of gotten a Virus in the first place.   So here are some information to consider:

The vulnerability of operating systems to viruses

So what does that mean to you?  Most of the times when you get a virus you have a vulnerability in some place in your Operating system and it is either something that has not be known by Microsoft, Apple, and Linux or is know as a Zero-day Exploit. [ad#ad2-right]

A zero-day (or zero-hour) attack or threat is a computer threat that tries to exploit unknown, undisclosed or patchfree computer application vulnerabilities. The term Zero Day is also used to describe unknown or Zero day viruses.

[Via Wikipedia]

This is one of the most used because if it is an unknown exploit by the Operating System creators then they have a longer to us the exploit.  Most of the time hackers like to use this because that means there is a possibility of finding even more vectors to infect other systems.  You see if they can get on one system they can then find ways to get on other systems.

In the Old days, you'd ask

How Did I Get This Virus, Anyway?

You get a virus when you copy infected files to your computer, then activate the code inside by running the infected application or opening an infected document. How you copy the infected files is irrelevant: Viruses don't care if you get them as an e-mail attachment, a download, or via a shared floppy disk, though e-mail attachments are the most prevalent (and easiest) mode of transport.

[via PcWorld] (Dated Oct 13, 2000 11:00 pm)

That was before hackers wanted to infect for more personal gains.   There is a list of things that hackers want to get when they Infect a system and it is usually very few things.   In the Old days they wanted the fame but now they want money and to take control over the internet.  They usually want to infect for Money or to have computers become botnets.  Now We aren't talking about the Movie, I Robot.   Once a system becomes a bot it doesn't think for itself but follows a line of command from the Command and Control center.  So lets say we have  several hundred bots on one net, and the hacker blacked mailed a server saying if they didn't pay up they'd get DoS attacked.  With enough bots going to one site at one time can slow or even bring down a site, that is how A hacker sometimes uses a virus or trojan to get into a system.

Viruses & Trojans try to Avoid detection

So you have a virus, it wouldn't do a virus any good to be detected right after getting onto a system.   More and more, viruses are trying to avoid being seen and heard.  Most hackers who program are wanting to infect more than one system so they have to make really sure that you don't find out your infected.    So with that said there are several ways  and I won't try to explain them because I think the link talks about it better than I could.   It however will give people something to think about.


In the next few days there will be another post on How you will be able to figure out if you have a virus.  I had to talk about this first so people could understand how to figure out if you have in the next post.  So stay tuned for more

How to disable autorun the easy way!!!

I read a report from Cnet about USB devices spreading Virus and I will quote:

The bad guys are intentionally developing new flavors of malware designed to propagate through USB devices," said Gunter Ollmann, chief security strategist for IBM's ISS security division. "They are today's floppy drives."

[ad#ad2-right]An infected computer can spread a virus to a clean USB thumb drive that is inserted. That USB drive will then be spreading the virus onto other computers if the operating system on those machines has an AutoRun-type feature enabled. The AutoRun function in Windows launches installers and other programs automatically when a flash drive or CD is inserted. The Mac has an equivalent function, according to Ollmann.

[Via Cnet]

In order to disable "autorun", which in Vista is called Autoplay. In order to disable Autoplay from starting when you insert media into your computer here is how you do it:

You will need to be Logged in as Administrator before this can be done:

Next click start and type "Autoplay" without quotes. It will bring up a screen but all you have to worry about is this:



You will need to make sure there  is no check mark for "Use AutoPlay for all media and Devices".   Click save and close.

[ad#ad2-left]Once that is done, you will have no more Autoruns from USB devices.  If you want to disable Autorun in XP, I'd suggest reading some of these articles for XP.

• Wikipedia - AutoRun


• How to Disable Autorun

These are just a few and are really nice to articles but there are others out there that might be more to your liking.  I suggest searching Google for them.   I hope this helps you out!!!

Obama Wins with McCain Leading the 2nd!

[ad#ad2-left]With Obama wining the Presidential Elections and McCain giving his concession speech.  We see a lot of potential going to be coming along.  I see the Democrats take charge of the US Senate.  I also see the House seats have gone to the Democrats.  So what is next for the next President, with the inauguration coming soon, what will the new president pick for the Chief of Staff.  I know he has some choices but which one will it be?

In some of the sites with his Bio, they talk about him being the First African American President:

• Biography.com


• Wikipedia.com

[ad#ad2-right]Some thing to consider with the Vice President is that it will be Joe Biden.  Now I don't know very much about him but what I do know comes from the internet.  I wont't say much because I don't know much but I will direct you to the pages that I know about:

• Huffinton Post


• Wikipedia.com


• CNN Election Profile


• Joe Biden Delaware Page

I will find out more in the coming weeks, but right now we are making history.  What is your responses on what happened?  Are you happy or angry?  Is the signs of even more economic instabilility?  These are all questions that we have to consider in the time to come!!

With Black Friday for 2008 quickly approaching!!

Since Black Friday is approaching next month, I Figured it is time to point to places where you could find them.  Now that being said, I don't think people should take some of these ads serious because of all the possibility.  Where these ads are being placed is not going to be the absolute final end all price.   Knowing these competitors like I do, they are going to have an ace in the hole.  You will probably not find out until a week or a few days before black Friday.

They will of course try to keep the really juicy stuff out of the hands of people who blab about this on the net.

Why do they have Black Friday?

The term "Black Friday" originated in Philadelphia in reference to the heavy traffic on that day. More recently, merchants and the media have used it instead to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit).

[via Wikipedia]

Now that being said you can expect to save a lot on Electronics, maybe even laptops.  You could even save money buying a Playstation 3, or an Xbox 360.   That it why there is so much hype in this so called black friday.   With the possible recession looming over our heads, everyone is worried about being laid off.

Here are some great sites to watch to see what might be coming your way:

[ad]

• Black-Friday.net


• Bfads.net


• Black Friday Info


• Toy's R Us Big book


• Black Friday Ads


• Deal Taker - Black Friday


• theblackfriday.com

With these links you should start to find the deals and plan out where you want to be in the coming future.   If you have any other websites just put them in the comments section for all to see.

I want to hear what people think about Black Friday ads.  Is it right to to have this information early, or is it wrong?  Do you think they will stop this in the near future?  These are all the questions I have been wondering?  Is this right for them to hide this information or do they have a real need to hide it?  Why not come up with another Black Friday date?  I want to hear you comments and your ideas on this and other post.