Web Hosting Site | Just another WordPress site

  1. “Who Loves Money” Review

    March 29, 2012 by admin

    “Making Money Online is Easy Right? It Can Be if You Know What You’re Doing”

    “Who Loves Money” will teach you how to earn money online, and best of all, it’s free. We’ve reviewed all of the top “making money” programs online and have created this site to help you determine which products and services will actually help you make money online!

    Lesson #1: How Does Someone Make Money Online?

    There are many ways to make money online, but the most common, and most lucrative way to make money online is to sell products for companies willing to share the profits with you. The process of marketing to people online is called “Internet Marketing” and it is a multi billion dollar industry. Hundreds of thousands of people, just like yourself, are making money online everyday by partnering with companies who pay commissions based on sales that you help generate.

    This sounds difficult but it’s not because these companies have “Affiliate Programs” setup for their partners (Affiliates). You can partner with thousands of companies online and start selling their products in literally minutes. So how do you start selling a companies products as an Affiliate? Simple, all you need to do is send visitors to their websites. This sounds simple, and it is, but finding the right kind of traffic and enough of it is more difficult. Products like “Who Loves Money” can teach you how to find high converting traffic for VERY low cost and can actually teach you how to get started with Internet Marketing for nearly ZERO investment.

    Lesson #2: What If I have No Experience?

    The most common misconception about Internet Marketing is that only people with good computer knowledge and marketing skills can take part. This is NOT the case.

    You DO NOT NEED a website
    You DO NOT NEED your own product
    You DO NOT NEED any previous experience (none)
    What you will need is a guide to help you learn how to get started.

    Lesson #3: Be careful who you choose to learn from

    Everyone has heard of being “Scammed” on the Internet, and although this is only somewhat true, many people have learned about making money online from companies who do not have good reputations in the Internet Marketing world.

    There are many products out there tha offer old, rehased, and plajorized material that WILL NOT help you make money online. Anyone can tell you how to put up an advertisement on Google Adwords, but few people can tell you how to connect with the right customers. The problem with these so called “Guru’s” is that they don’t use the techniques they write about on their own Internet Marketing endeavors so they cannot explain how the techniques work. That’s the sad truth.

    There is no such thing as “Getting Rich Quick” on the Internet. It doesn’t matter what you hear, you will never make money on the Internet overnight. Internet Marketing is a real business and it takes time to grow your business to a point where you are earning $500 / day. If you are dedicated to learning the correct techniques and are willing to put in the work, you WILL achieve your goals of making big money online.

    Category Making Money Online | Tags: , | No Comments

  2. 1 Simple Secret For Small Busines Owners

    March 22, 2012 by admin

    This article is from your MYB Consultancy for small business owners, in fact any business owner

    Online Business Education – Operational Risk Management Training

    All you need to get going is 1 Simple Secret that gets you started towards achieving your goals…

    Small business Owners – Can you see what you want?
    Too many business owners just can’t see it…
    Do you see what happens to a business owner when they don’t know what they want?
    You wonder where they see the business going? Who is there anywhere that can lead them forward if they can’t see where they want to go.

    As a business consultant I have found that secret!!

    If you knew a very, very simple secret would you use it? I just bet you would…

    Here it is! …See your business picture…

    You must be able to see your very own business picture.

    You need to know what your business, your life looks like to you. How else do you know what you want or if in fact you actually get to where you want to go???? How will you know when you get there?

    We all do it – consciously and sub consciously – we visualise, we create that picture in our minds. Anything you have ever really wanted you could actually see it clearly in your mind, before you got it. That’s what drove you to getting it. Part of knowing what you want is being able to see what you want.

    If you can’t see it, you can’t reach for it….its so, so important to create that business picture. Sit there quietly, close your eyes and look for it. Create it if you haven’t already.

    Everything that you do is a product of what you see – like it or not. If you don’t see it you will be flat, without purpose and scattered. When the going gets a bit tough as it surely will at times, search your mind for your very own success picture and keep it in focus. It’s a great pick-me-up. But more than that – you have something to reach for. If your picture is somewhat blurred – tidy it up, make it smart and desirable.

    Ask any successful business owner to tell you about their PICTURE, and they can and will tell you.

    In business it is called VISION – this is the very first step on your pathway to success.

    1 Simple Secret – Make your picture a beautiful one

    Take advantage of FREE online business coaching and masimise your Operational Risk Management Training Opportunity.

    More tips for becoming a successful small business owner can be found at my website: http://www.businesscoachingsite.com

    Know Your Business “Picture”
    Elaine Masters
    Business Consultant & Coach
    Master Your Business
    Online Business Education
    Operational Risk Management Training

    http://www.businesscoachingsite.com

    Category online business education | Tags: , , | No Comments

  3. 1and1 Hosting – Raising the bar

    March 15, 2012 by admin

    First, I have to admit. I’m a terrible customer. I’m a demanding perfectionist who rarely feels that he is getting his money’s worth. This is especially true of hosting providers. In the past four years, I’ve had to change providers at least six times because I felt that I was not getting what I paid for. This brief commentary is somewhat of a treat for me as I finally get to say something good about a hosting provider!

    A little over two years ago I was reading up on the latest technologies in one of my favorite publications, eWeek, when I ran across a nice, full-page ad from 1and1 offering an introductory offer of free hosting for three years. Wait! What! No way! This has got to be too good to be true! Off to the trusty computer I go…

    Sure enough, it was the real deal. 1and1 was indeed offering free web hosting for three years to introduce its new public sector hosting service. Well, like any good cash-strapped college student, I stepped right up and got me a piece of the pie. I’ve got to say, the pie was good too!

    After roughly two years of hosting with 1and1, with minimal problems I should say, I started to notice that I was getting dangerously close to the bandwidth allowance my free package had to offer. No big surprise there; these things happen when you’re trying to establish an online presence and you offer free downloads. It was time to upgrade my hosting.

    At the time, there were no great specials going on at 1and1 so I decided to shop around. That was a tremendous mistake! What I got was a course in how *not* to run a hosting service. I will be polite, this time, and not name and companies, but let’s just say stay away from cheap reseller hosting accounts! The uptime is nowhere near what they promise and every time you turn around some idiot is running a script that bogs the server down to a crawl.

    After a couple months, a chunk of wasted cash, and several moves back and forth between providers, I finally conceded that 1and1 was indeed the best host I had come across thus far. As luck would have it, I had received an email from 1and1 announcing a great promotion for their free preview package holders (obvious marketing trick, but good timing in my situation). They were offering their top shared Linux package for half the price. Ok, that sounds like a good deal, and it was, but what about next year? Well, this is where it gets even better. Not only did I get the package at half price, but they guaranteed that price for three years with free upgrades!

    I might not be the brightest light bulb in the box, but I know a good deal when I see one. So, as I’m sure you’ve already figured out, I signed up. What I got was a whole lot more than what I bargained for, and honestly, could have hoped for. Almost instantly after upgrading, I noticed that my sites were running faster. I’m assuming that paid customers are placed on less crowded servers.

    Then, the first upgrade came. My space and bandwidth were doubled at no extra charge. I thought to myself, cool, I’ll take it! A couple weeks later, I was browsing the 1and1 site comparing features for a potential client when I noticed that the package I have had been bumped to ridiculously high levels. Even though I was getting my money’s worth at the time, I felt a little bitter that I wasn’t getting the full package spec. After all, I was promised that I would get every package upgrade.

    Just like any other nightmare client, I promptly dialed billing to give them a piece of my mind. Apparently, the billing agent was no stranger to difficult clients like me. Within a few minutes of talking to me, he got me defused and assured me that my package would be brought up to spec within four weeks. That was two weeks ago. He explained that it was taking more time than expected to upgrade all their current accounts to the new account specs. He really surprised me when he said that I’d actually be getting more than what was currently listed on the site. What?! Ok then! Thank you for your time! Needless to say, I was left feeling very positive about that support call.

    Here’s where we get into the numbers… When I logged into my account today, I was greeted by some very generous numbers for the package I have. I discovered that I now have 30,000MB of storage and 1,500 GB of transfer on a shared hosting account that normally runs $19.99/mo! Wait! That can’t be right! Those are VPS specs! Yup, you read right. 30GB of storage and 1.5TB of transfer for under $20/mo. PLUS, with 1and1, I only pay $5.99 per domain, per year.

    Now, let’s be real here. Those numbers are great and all, but other providers offer similar specs. What sets 1and1 apart? For starters, uptime! With every other host I’ve used, uptime was a major issue. This is not so with 1and1. I can count on one hand how many times in the past two years my site was not available and nearly every time it was related to an ISP router, not 1and1! Also, one of the things I’ve really grown to appreciate is their one-of-a-kind control panel. It’s a little slow, but it more than makes up for it in streamlined administration. This is especially true of the domain administration. Even complete n00bs have no problem navigating the 1and1 control panel and managing their package like a pro.

    Again, I’m not the easiest person in the world to impress, especially when it comes to hosting providers. Nevertheless, 1and1 has really raised the bar of what a good hosting provider is in my mind. They are now the benchmark by which I will measure all hosting providers. If you are in the market for a good, reliable, affordable hosting provider, I cannot say enough positive about 1and1.

    There is only one negative I’ve found with 1and1 and it’s not even really a negative. They’re a bit restrictive on script execution. If you think about it, in a shared hosting environment, this is a good thing, and this also explains why the only time I’ve noticed the server actually being down was during a scheduled hardware upgrade. Now, who’s going to complain about a free upgrade in performance?

    If you would like more information on 1and1 and the packages they offer, I encourage you to visit their site. Just as a point of reference, I’m running on the Developer Package. I think you’ll find that it’s a more than adequate package for moderate to heavy traffic sites.

    Category web hosting | Tags: , , , , , , , | No Comments

  4. ‘Tis The Season!

    March 8, 2012 by admin

    ‘Tis the season to begin gift shopping once again. But, rather than battle crowds, weather and fatigue, we have the greatest invention of our generation—online shopping!

    I love online shopping. I love the convenience of sitting in my robe, with a snack and drink close by, the TV on or a CD playing, and being able to choose any hour of the day or night to shop. And best of all, not having to battle traffic, rude crowds, or SNOW!

    I love pretty much all online shopping, but one of my favorites is gift baskets. Gift baskets have been around for a long time, but seem to have really come into their own with the popularity of online shopping. They are the ultimate in easy gifting! And they make it easy with secure checkouts, personalized gift cards, and time-sensitive to-the-door delivery.

    Whatever the occasion; whoever the intended recipient, there’s a fun and appropriate gift basket to be found. And for those of us with the spirit of adventure, some sites even offer customizable baskets. Many of the gift basket sites are really one-stop gift shopping—offering flowers and plants, wines, food baskets, corporate gifts and special gifts for kids.

    I spent about an hour recently on one of my favorites, and managed to clear my list of a birthday gift for my 10-year old niece; an anniversary gift for my sister and brother-in-law; flowers for my “adopted mom” who recently underwent knee-replacement surgery; and a congratulations basket for a dear friend who recently had twins!

    Being the frugal person that I am, one year I decided I would make and mail my own gift baskets. It was very time consuming, very expensive, but fun for a one-time activity. I created a home entertainment basket with microwave popcorn, Milk Duds and Raisinets, a few well-chosen video tapes (before DVDs became the in-thing!) and a few other items. Being of Italian descent, my favorite home-spun basket is called “A Taste of Italy.” It includes pasta, sauce, good Romano cheese, bread sticks, olive oil, wine and some delicious traditional Italian cookies!

    Probably the only thing more fun than shopping for or creating gift baskets is receiving one. Several years ago I received this huge basket of the most incredible English muffins. Thick, exquisite muffins in every possible flavor. Needless to say I shared my bounty – and the next year went to the site and ordered several baskets for folks on my list. Another basket that really impressed me was the one our realtor sent after we bought a house. It had all the fixings for an intimate housewarming party, including a lovely bottle of wine.

    I have to admit, the “gift box” from a well-known cheese company left me a little flat. I couldn’t get over that the entire box, which I know was not inexpensive, consisted of about four of those 2 ounce bars of cheese, a small jar of mustard, small package of crackers and a few hard candies. Definitely less-than impressive!

    I really do LOVE online shopping. And I really love the ease and convenience of gift baskets! So next month, you’re likely to find me in front of the fireplace with my laptop busily choosing and sending out lots of holiday greetings around the country without having to put on shoes!

    If you haven’t already joined the ranks of online shoppers, do yourself a favor and try going the online shopping/gift basket route. I guarantee you’ll enjoy the holiday season a whole lot more!

    Category Gift Ideas | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments

  5. “stop Educating Your Prospect!”

    March 1, 2012 by admin

    Companies spend thousands of dollars every year building product knowledge “Universities”. They send their sales people to these product schools to learn the features and benefits of their products. They have them go through the process of becoming “product” experts, with the hope that the expertise they gain will propel them to sales success.

    Unwittingly, they promote and fund a process that ends up creating “non supportive beliefs” in the minds of their sales people that can actually inhibit their success and lose them both sales revenue and profit margins. Those beliefs include the following:

    Disseminating product knowledge to my prospect will build my credibility and make sales.

    In order for the prospect to understand the value of my offer I must educate them.

    Unfortunately, we have found this type of thinking, or “non supportive beliefs”, end up creating very difficult selling problems. Once we understand the problems these non supportive beliefs create we can begin to change both our thinking and behavior that will lead us to greater success in sales.

    Although being credible to your prospect is important , we believe that having them trust you to provide a solution that will limit the risk they take in making a decision to buy from you is much more important. The way you build that trust is by demonstrating to your prospect, through a complete understanding of their problems, that you reduce the chance of making a mistake in the recommendation you make.

    Logically, to gain an understanding of what your prospect needs, would require us to ask questions. Through your questions, you gain a greater understanding of their situation and thereby lower the risk of making a recommendation that is inconsistent with what they need. Asking questions about typical problems and understanding the impact they have on your prospect is much more important than giving out information.

    Also, we have found that educating your prospect about your value allows them to use your information and recommendations as a way to “shop” you against the competition, frequently building RFP’s and RFQ’s around the unique value you have educated them about. This “shopping” model allows them to get competitive bids built around your recommendations that literally extinguish your value and end up creating sameness. This “free consulting” is particularly frustrating and damaging to our technology and intangible service customers.

    Educating your prospect may make you feel good but it will end up being your downfall. It’s a dead end street that will force you to define your difference by a low price!

    Category sales | Tags: , , | No Comments

  6. “Rub” Out Your Noise And Vibration Issues With Rubber Molding

    February 23, 2012 by admin

    Noise and vibration can be controlled in various ways, including blocking, absorbing, isolating and damping the noise source. The dictionary defines damping as “the dissipation of energy by conversion to heat.” Because rubber has such a low damping factor, it is one of the best materials for noise and vibration control. That’s why rubber molding is an effective means of controlling noise, vibration and shock.

    How exactly does damping with rubber molding work? By reducing resonant vibration, it effectively mitigates both structural and impact noise. In effect, it produces a reduction in the inaudible sounds that are carried by structural surfaces.

    If these sounds are inaudible, why do they need to be reduced? Because at resonance (increase in amplitude of oscillation), a considerable amount of audible airborne noise may be generated by that sound. While damping does not absorb the noise’s initial impact, in terms of both time and magnitude, it does reduce the “pinging’ or “roar” that results from that impact.

    Whether the environment producing the noise is nautical, electrical, computer-related, aeronautical, or business-machine-applicable, rubber molding can eradicate the offending sound and vibration. When considering a rubber molding noise and vibration solution, look for a line of isolators and mounts that come in a variety of styles and sizes. From one pound to one ton, the right type of mount for your application is vital. Also, keep in mind that the thicker the damping material is, the more noise and vibration it will control.

    No matter what the source of your vibration isolation problem, if you keep these recommendations in mind, the noise, vibration and shock you’re currently contending with can be efficiently controlled. Choose a leader in the rubber molding industry, one that’s established a long track record of producing custom molded rubber parts, and that noise and vibration problem of yours won’t be a problem for very much longer.

    Category noise control | Tags: , | No Comments

  7. "The Secret" To Working From Home

    February 16, 2012 by admin

    By now, you have probably heard about “The Secret.”  Oprah Winfrey and Larry King have interviewed the people who contributed to the creation of “The Secret” DVD and book.

    So if you do not know what “The Secret” is, I am going to tell you.  “The Secret” is the “Law of Attraction.”  This means that everything that happens to you, good or bad, occurs because you have attracted it by your thoughts.  In other words, you will attract what you think about most.  For example, if you think that you are going to fail at something, you most certainly will.  These thoughts also cause our feelings.  So if we think negatively, we will also feel this way.  This attracts more negative experiences and more negative people into our lives.  But if we feel good, we will attract more things that make us feel good.  Therefore, whatever you are thinking and feeling today, is creating your current and future situations.  Unfortunately, what most people do not realize is that what they are thinking about most is what they do not want.

    Now, you may be asking yourself what this has to do with your life.  The answer is that it allows you to control your life’s destiny, rather than life’s events controlling you.  So if your goal is to be a work-at-home mom, there is a way to do this.   Instead of thinking that you have to go to a job that you do not like, begin to think about what you do want.  Stop focusing on what you don’t want.  Then, believe that what you want has already come to pass, even if you do not yet know HOW it will.  Then imagine how it would feel to be a successful work-at-home mom. Focus on the feeling of walking away from your job and what it would feel like to attend your daughter’s first day of preschool, for example.

    Another important concept is that you need to take on an “attitude of gratitude,” in being grateful for all that you already have.  Until this occurs, the creators of “The Secret” say that nothing new can come into your life.  You need to see your past as a positive experience of things learned, before you can move on to fulfilling your goals and dreams.  This is especially true if you have tried other work-from-home endeavors that were not successful.

    As quoted by James Ray when interviewed by Oprah Winfrey, “Success is when you’re living the gifts and talents within yourself.”

    In summary, success is not for the elite.  It’s for everyone.  And if your dream is to work from home, you can do it too by applying the principles from “The Secret.”

    Category work from home | Tags: , , , , , | No Comments

  8. “Please” & “Thank You” . . . Still The Realtor’s Best Tools

    February 9, 2012 by admin

    The gurus vary a bit on the exact statistic, but all will tell you: Top salespeople in virtually every industry become that way because they have developed the habit of sending personal, heart-felt “Thank You” cards to their customers. As a result — they get more referrals (a lot more referrals) — and consistently out perform their competitors by as much as 10 to 1.

    Most Realtors (and Lenders, Insurance Agents, & Financial Advisors for that matter) know this — but fewer than 5% do it consistently. Fewer still, actually use this simple strategy to ask for referrals.

    For these categories particularly, REFERRALS are the lifeblood of their business. In my town (Atlanta), the President of any given networking organization (BNI, Le’ Tip, Power Core, Freedom Builders . . . you name it), is almost always from one of these fields. It’s a good strategy. It works. But that’s just it — It’s one good strategy.

    One good strategy — that can easily be 10X more effective by putting a new twist on the proven discipline of sending “Thank You” cards.

    STEP ONE: Re-dedicate yourself to consistently sending “Thank You” cards to your customers. Even if you do it the old fashioned way (There’s a better way — a completely automated, yet incredibly personalized way — and it costs a great deal less) . . . but even if you do this the old fashioned way of going to the local card store, sitting at your desk to write each note, stuff and stamp the envelope . . . the ROI is phenomenal.

    STEP TWO: Send “Thank You” Cards to the people you buy from.

    ALMOST NO ONE DOES THIS (maybe 5% of the 5% who do anything with “Thank You” cards at all) — and it’s Pure Gold !!!

    STEP THREE: Send “Thank You” cards to people from your networking groups when they give you referrals. (I sometimes include a Starbucks gift card.)

    STEP FOUR: Use personalized greeting cards for “cross promotion” with your networking group members — to their expanded network.

    Buy cards that are blank on the inside (or use the “better way” Referral System my clients & I do). On one side: a note from you, briefly explaining that (Jerry) suggested (Don) might be interested in knowing about you and your product / service. On the other side: a brief note from (Jerry) endorsing you. The card is addressed from (Jerry) and sent to people he knows and likes . . . people who know & trust him.

    This costs you next to nothing, and will generate referrals for you and Jerry both. Include Jerry’s picture above his note, and this card will live on his friend’s desk or refrigerator indefinitely. People don’t throw away cards with their friends’ pictures in them.

    STEP FIVE: Send just 2 unexpected cards a year (Thank You, Congratulations, Happy New Year **, whatever) to each customer, vendor, and networking contact in your database.

    ** I sent Happy New Year’s cards this year — with Stone’s 2007 Resolutions . . . Huge Hit !!! Several in-bound phone calls, often starting with “Thanks for the card, I’ve been meaning to call you . . .”

    FINAL TIP: If you periodically attend those more general networking events (like Chamber and Association meetings) — you can (and should) let the other person do all the talking. All you need is their business card after the conversation. (Sometimes I’ll write a little note on the back — one specific thing from the conversation.) Send them a “Nice Meeting” you card. Again, precious few in your field or any other do this. Include your picture, and you’ll be amazed at the response.

    Yeah — Great Ideas, but now the cat’s out of the bag. Everyone will start doing this.

    Think again . . .

    No, what “everyone” will be doing (if anything) is the same old tired company sponsored newsletter / postcard program (I get ‘em every week).

    Fewer than 5% — the 5% who consistently source articles like this to explore ideas for growing their business — will see this article. Fewer still will take the actions I’m recommending. (For some, it’s just too simple and too inexpensive to work.)

    That leaves you . . . the less than 1/4 of 1% of Realtors who will start applying this simple, effective 5 point strategy — and begin generating more referrals than you can handle.

    Enjoy ! . . . and please share your Success Stories with me.

    Category realtor | Tags: , , | No Comments

  9. “Phishing” On The “Pharm”: How Thieves Combine Two Techniques To Steal Your Identity

    February 2, 2012 by admin

    Bob squinted at the email and began to read:

    “Dear eBay User, as part of our security measures, eBay Inc. has developed a security program against fraudulent attempts and account thefts. Therefore, our system requires further account verification…”

    Security Measures. A threat to suspend his account to prevent “fraudulent activity”. The email went on to say that there were “procedural safeguards with federal regulations to protect the information you provide for us.”

    Bob clicked the link and was confronted with an authentic looking logon page, just waiting for him to input his user name and password and confirm what ebay supposedly didn’t know.

    He almost did it. The page looked absolutely authentic, and he had already been “set up” by the email message. His fingers were poised over the keyboard when he happened to glance at the URL.

    There was something very, very wrong with it.

    “PHARMING” TO FLEECE SHEEP

    The art of “pharming” involves setting up an illegitimate website that is identical with its legitimate prototype, for example the ebay page Bob was almost suckered into using, and redirecting traffic to it.

    “Pharmers” can do it in two ways:

    1.By altering the “Hosts” file on your computer. The Hosts file stores the IP address of websites you have been accessing. By inserting a new IP address into the database field corresponding to a website, your own computer can be redirected to the pharmer’s website. Any information you give the bogus site is immediately hijacked by the pharmer.

    2.Hijacking the DNS (Dynamic Name Server) itself. A DNS matches the names of address with their IP addresses. If this server can be coerced into assigning new IP addresses to traditional names, all computers using the name resolution provided by the DNS server will be redirected to the hijacker’s web site.

    Once that happens, it’s time to be fleeced.

    DOWN ON THE PHARM

    “Pharmers” hijack your “hosts” file or DNS servers using Spyware, Adware, Viruses or Trojans. One of the most dangerous things you can do is to run your computer without some form of Internet Security installed on it.

    Your security software should be continually updating its virus definitions, and be capable of warning you if something has been downloaded from a web site or through email. It should be able to remove it, “quarantine it”, or tell you where it is so that you can remove it by hand.

    You should also have Spyware and Adware programs installed, and be aware of any change in Internet browsing patterns. If your home page suddenly changes, or you experience advertising pop ups (which may pop up even when you are not hooked up to the Internet), you should run a Virus, Spyware or Adware scan.

    Thanks to the efficacy of these protection programs, pharming is a lot more difficult than it used to be. It isn’t as easy to hijack a computer as it once was.

    So, the “pharmers” have teamed up with the “phishermen” to get you to visit the bogus web page yourself, and enter all the information they need.

    PHISHING TO CATCH YOU ON THE PHARM

    As Bob discovered, the page he had been taken to by the bogus email message was identical to the ebay logon page. Identical in every way except for the URL.

    Out of curiosity, he checked the URL for the ebay logon by accessing ebay directly and clicking on the logon link. The two URL’s were nothing alike, except the bogus one did have the word “ebay” in it twice – just enough to make it look authentic.

    By combining the two techniques, the phishermen/pharmers had avoided the high tech problems associated with downloading a Virus that could get past his protection software. They had gone straight for the throat.

    Bob’s throat.

    YOUR ONLY REAL IDENTITY THEFT PREVENTION AND PROTECTION

    The only real protection against the pharmers and phishermen is YOU. There are three things you must consider when you read any email demanding information:

    • Why do they want it? Be extremely skeptical when they say they have to “update their records”, “comply with federal regulations”, or prevent fraud. They are the ones initiating the fraud.

    • Why can’t this be done at the website? Why not invite you to access the website directly and provide this information? The answer is because the bonafide company doesn’t need an update.

    • What does the URL look like? Is it a series of subdomains some of which have the name of the bonafide company? Most likely the subdomain is set up with a free hosting company.

    • Have they provided partial information about you as a guarantee that the email authentically comes from the legitimate source? Be very careful of this one. This technique is effective for “pretexting”, impersonating a person or company, and was used in the Hewlett Packard scandal to collect information. Just because they know your first and last name (and any other information – known only to the legitimate source) doesn’t mean the email is legitimate. They probably hijacked the information off the server.

    THE BOTTOM LINE

    The bottom line is: don’t provide any information at the behest of an email, no matter how authentic it looks, or how authentic the page it directs you to looks. If you must log in, do so at the parent site itself.

    Your Identity Theft prevention and protection is, in the final analysis, up to you.

    Don’t be the next sheep fleeced by the pharmers who caught you with the phisherman’s hook. Being dropped naked into their frying pan is NOT a fate you want.

    Category Identity Theft | Tags: , , , , | No Comments

  10. 4 Things Everyone Ought To Know About Promotional Products

    October 10, 2011 by admin

    The unique power of promotional products is the ability to place targeted marketing messages in front of people during their everyday lives in a manner which produces less waste than traditional marketing methods, but keeps the messages top of mind with prospects.

    A broad definition of a promotional item is as follows: any useful item which contains branding (like a logo, marketing message or contact information).  The meanings of ‘useful’ and ‘branding’ have been stretched and expanded over the years, but the idea remains relatively simple.

    For example, Google typically gives out tech-y items which are not necessarily related directly to their business.  Some examples include: a mini-fridge, a lava-lamp, or a digital picture frame.  These items are intended less for direct-response generation, and more to enforce their brand as a chic, retro-cool organization.

    There are four attributes that your promotional products must possess in order to be successful:

    Your promotional gifts must have four specific attributes to be successful:

    1.  They must feature an effective marketing message:
    The call to action is one of the most overlooked attributes of a promotional product.

    2.  Audiences must be carefully selected for targeting and qualification:
    Businesses just can’t afford to market to everyone.  The goal is to get your promotional gifts into the hands of trusted and prominent industry personas.

    3.  Promotional items must be audience-appropriate:
    The best case scenario of a mismatched product is no response, and the worst is negative PR!  Imagine sending a sausage and cheese gift basket to a vegan group…

    4.  Timing is everything:
    Even if your product, message and audience selection are perfect, it all falls apart with improper timing.  The only difference between a grandfather clock and a log is timing!

    Partnering with a person or firm who is experienced in the world of promotional products is a great shortcut to making sure these four objectives are fulfilled.  Experience is the key to producing a well-timed, targeted, appropriate and effective promotional gift.

    Category Uncategorized | Tags: | No Comments