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Three Things You Need To Know Before You Hit “Send”

It’s everyone’s favorite application. Since its introduction, it has revolutionized the way we communicate, both personally and professionally.

It has had a major impact on how companies market themselves, communicate with vendors, and send out press releases, rally employees and alert clients to their latest and greatest promotion.

The ease, low-cost and speed of e-mail in marketing are the biggest reason why our inboxes are overflowing with spam.

In response to the ubiquitous outcry, “I hate spam,” governments have crafted new regulations surrounding the use of e-mail; and if you are one of the millions of companies using it for marketing, then it’s important that you familiarize yourself with these laws, but the danger doesn’t stop there.

Even if you don’t get caught by the feds for violating the rules of e-mail usage, you can still end up blacklisted with the major ISPs such as Yahoo!, AOL, and MSN.

Once you get blacklisted, you are considered guilty until proven innocent, and ALL the e-mail you send won’t go through, even to people who want to receive it – a consequence that could end up hurting your business more than a fine.

So what are the basic guidelines of e-mail marketing?
First and foremost, make sure you are only sending e-mail campaigns to people who have solicited (requested) to be on your distribution list.

This is called “opting-in” or subscribing, and e-mails sent to this folks are considered “solicited e-mail.”

You are perfectly within your rights to send them messages; but if you got their e-mail address by any other means and they did NOT specifially request to be on your list, that’s considered “unsolicited e-mail” or spam.

Sending promotional e-mails to people who have not requested it is not only illegal, but annoying..so don’t do it!

Next, make sure you provide directions on how a person can remove themselves from your distribution list in EVERY e-mail.

The best place to put this information is at the very bottom of your message. You should also include your full company name and contact information at the bottom so no one can blame you for cloaking your identity –another legal “no-no” of e-mail marketing.

Finally, when sending an e-mail, we recommend using a service such as iContact. Check it out at http://www.icontact.com/?cobrand=310189

These web based applications will help you manage your e-mail distribution list with automatic opt-out and opt-in tools and will keep your e-mail server off ISPs blacklist.

Naturally, you want to make sure the information you are sending is interesting and relevant.

No one wants more junk filling up their inbox so the better you are at marketing, the better your results will be.

E-mail is not a magic marketing bullet that will solve your marketing problems, but used correctly, it can certainly help you reach more customers and build stronger relationships with the people you already do business with.

Fall In Love With Your Computer All Over Again!

“This computer is driving me crazy!” Have you ever shouted at your computer because it froze up, crashed, and caused you to lose work? Have you ever whacked it with your hand, kicked it, or smashed the keyboard out of frustration?

If so, you’re not alone. Problems with a computer, cell phone or other gadget can be so frustrating that it has been called “computer rage” by some psychologists, and it’s on the rise.

How Violent Do They Get With Their Computer?
According to a recent poll, three quarters of computer users have admitted to shouting, swearing, or committing acts of violence towards their computer (we think the number is much higher).

While some simply curse the darn thing, others have admitted to hitting it throwing it across the room.

One computer user was quoted saying, “You feel so helpless. All you can do is sit there and watch the stupid thing freeze up and there’s nothing you can do about it. Errors may only cause a few minutes delay, but it feels like a lifetime when you need to get things done.”

Deadlines are missed, work is lost, customers angered – all because of computer trouble.

And the vast majority claim that problems like this happen on a consistent basis.

It’s Not Just The Computer Causing Stress
Technical problems are only the start of most peoples’ anxiety. Many report that they are further angered by the time and process it takes to get the problem fixed, and some employees claim computer problems are their number one source of at-work anxiety and stress.

IT related problems further compound employee dissatisfaction since it often forces them to work late or take work home. If you are an employer, take note:

Your unstable computer network could be elevating your employees’ anxiety and job dissatisfaction levels, not to mention interfering with their productivity.

How To End “Computer Rage” And Fall In Love With Your Computer All Over Again

Thanks to our Super Value System Checkup, we have helped dozens of clients end “computer rage” at their company and with their home computers.

Our comprehensive, 27 point problem prevention tune-up lets our technicians dive deep into your system and check for hidden problems, viruses, spyware and system-slowing hardware problems.

This isn’t just a simple look at your system! We use special software tools and our own, proprietary methods to check things other computer companies just don’t know how to check!

You’ll get a written report detailing what we found, and our professional recommendations for any updates you need to bring your system back up to speed.

Sign Up Today And Get Priority Access and Pricing
Since it’s Valentine’s Day, we want to “show you the love” by offering you this Super Value System Checkup for only $69.

We’ll get your system running so nicely, you’re guaranteed to fall back in love with your computer again. Plus, we’ll give you priority scheduling in our shop – no point in making you wait to feel the love!

If you have a business with 5 or more computers, we’ve got an even more LOVEly offer for you! We’ll send our Microsoft Certifi ed technician to your office, saving you the hassle of bringing your computers to our shop.

We’ll do the same 27 point problem prevention tuneup, and check your network for trouble at the same time.

You’ll need to hurry, though – this offer is only valid during the months of February and March, and limited to the first 25 people who call.

To Find Out More call 734-457-5000 Or, Visit Us Online: www.LoveYourComputerAgain.com

 

Helpful Microsoft Office Keyboard Shortcuts

Ctrl Z is the magic undo combo. It simply undoes your last action, say, the paragraph you accidentally erased (it works in other applications, too).

Programs vary in the number of times you can undo something, but some will let you Ctrl Z all the way back to the beginning. (And, yes, there is a redo command, just hit Ctrl Y.)

Ctrl B, Ctrl I, or Ctrl U apply bold, italics, or underline to highlighted text, respectively.

Ctrl P prints whatever is in an active window.

Ctrl Backspace erases an entire word at a time, instead of a letter.

Ctrl up or down arrows let you scroll an entire paragraph at a time, instead of one line, and Ctrl Shift up or down arrow will select an entire paragraph.

Ctrl Enter inserts a page break in Word.

Alt Ctrl C inserts the copyright symbol (Alt Ctrl R inserts the registered trademark symbol, and Alt Ctrl T makes the trademark symbol).

In Outlook, you can jump to the section you want: Ctrl 1 switches to the Mail window, Ctrl 2 switches to the Calender, Ctrl 3 to Contacts, Ctrl 4 to Tasks, and Ctrl 5 to Notes.

Ctrl Shift M starts a new message in Outlook. (Use Ctrl Shift C for a new contact.)

In Outlook e-mail, hit Ctrl N to compose a new message, Ctrl R to reply to a message.

In Microsoft Excel, you can select the entire column by pressing CTRL SPACEBAR, and select the entire row with SHIFT SPACEBAR.

 

Why Internet Predators Love Social Network Sites

Internet predators have become a fixture of sorts on many social media sites which necessitates the need for users to exercise caution.

Since the advent of the Internet “instances” of cyber crime have evolved into regular and expected occurrences.

Now the growing popularity of social network sites has cyber criminals taking direct aim at them with their Internet scams.

What is it that makes the social networks such an attractive target for this type criminal behavior?

Here are 3 very “inviting” reasons:

Casual Atmosphere
Social network sites are meant for just what they imply and that is to socialize.

This type of atmosphere is casual and relaxed therefore people for the most part are NOT expecting devious behavior.

It is just this type atmosphere that cyber criminals depend upon and thrive in. Their ability to manipulate others is based upon a “blind” trust or having others believe in their own sense of security.

Ease of Use
Most social media sites by and large are set up to be easy to use and navigate. This allows even the less than ‘tech savvy’ to become involved, but they also bring along their own naive nature relative to Internet security issues.

This makes them even easier prey since they are unaware of or unfamiliar with many Internet scams.

This ease of use on the other hand has also made it just as convenient for the “sinister online element” to gain access to their unsuspecting prey.

There are no security systems to work around or advanced coding to decipher therefore the “door” is wide open for the criminal element to gain easy access.

Popularity
As we all know crime always seems to gravitate towards the largest population bases offline and this remains true online as well. The very popularity of social media sites has put them in the “cross hairs” of the devious minded predators that lurk on the Internet.

Safety in numbers is NOT something innocent site members can count on when interacting within online social communities.

Internet predators have settled in quite comfortably on many social media sites to the point that they have almost become accepted “fixtures” to users.

For the 3 reasons we have spoken of above cyber criminals are attracted to many of the online communities.

The structure of these sites offers the perfect opportunity for the criminal element to successfully implement their Internet scams.

For the users they must simply be aware that cyber crime does exist and will continue to do so calling for the need to exercise caution when socializing online.

 

Should You Trust Every App You Install On Your Phone?

Nope — some of them are plundering your personal information and beaming it to potential bad guys. (Do hackers ever sleep?)

Two researchers revealed that they’d researched one seemingly benign wallpaper app and found that it was sending phone numbers and subscriber information (like names and addresses) to a remote computer.

The app in question came from Jackey Wallpaper, and it was uploaded to the Android Market, where users can download it and use it to decorate their phones that run the Google Android operating system.

It includes branded wallpapers from My Little Pony to Star Wars.

Essentially, these apps collect your phone number, subscriber identification, and even your voicemail phone number as long as they are programmed automatically into your phone. It sends the data to a website, www.imnet.us. That site is evidently owned by someone in Shenzhen, China. The app has been downloaded anywhere from 1.1 million to 4.6 million times.

“Apps that seem good, but are really stealing your personal information are a big risk at a time when mobile apps are exploding on smart phones,” said John Hering, chief executive, and Kevin MaHaffey, chief technology offi cer at Lookout, in their talk at the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas. “Even good apps can be modifi ed to turn bad after a lot of people download it.”

 

When Should Your Company Consider Adding A Server?

Thomas Fox is president of Tech Experts, southeast Michigan’s leading small business computer support company.

If you are like most small businesses, you acquire desktop computers, phone systems, and software in a random, “buy-it-when-you-need-it” fashion as your business operations demand it.

But at some point, this patchwork of stopgap technology you’ve acquired needs to be examined, retooled, and perhaps replaced, depending on your company’s needs.

As your business grows, it makes sense to take a broader view of your technology investments. One of the first things you might consider is the role a server would play in your company.

Servers can take on a lot of tasks for a growing business, from securing data to enabling better sharing of company resources. But it’s sometimes difficult to know when, and if they’re a smart investment.

There are a few common scenarios in which a server can bring real benefits to a growing business – read on and see if any of these apply to you.

You need to share files, printers or other resources
It is technically possible to set up a simple network without a dedicated server, with just a few PCs connected together.

However, if you want to share databases, files, printers or other resources, a server makes it a lot easier.

In fact, servers are specifically designed for sharing, so you’ll get better control, faster access, easier management and improved security. And who wouldn’t want all that?

Your computers are overloaded and you need more storage
If you have a lot of files or multiple databases, it might be time to consider migrating some of these files to a server.

Whether you want to replace your old computers or just improve their performance, a server will give sluggish, data-laden PCs a welcome respite by freeing up memory and storage.

You want to have inhouse company email
While businesses with only a few employees can get by with using an external service for its email, there comes a time when these services aren’t ideal.

Adding a server allows you to bring your e-mail in-house, with the dual benefits of making users’ e-mail access faster and keeping sensitive business information within the company – not on another company’s servers. Plus, you can benefit from shared email productivity tools like Microsoft Outlook.

You want to conduct business remotely
If you have employees that work remotely, or if you’d like the option to work from home, a server will allow you and your employees to remotely access your company network, information and resources.

These are only a sampling of the signs that a server could be right for you. The bottom line is this: if you spend a lot of time moving data around, struggling to access things you need, and are worried about security, then it’s time to consider a server.

SPAM Prevention FAQ: Tips To Reduce Junkmail

How can you reduce the amount of junk email you receive? Here are our best tips!

Never Allow Your Email To Be Posted Or Listed
“Spiders” and web “crawlers” routinely “harvest” email addresses from web pages in an effort to build a collection of email addresses to send junk email to.

Never Unsubscribe Or Ask To Be Removed
The only exception to this rule is if you originally signed up for that particular list or asked to receive updates.

If you never asked to be part of a participating mailing list, why would you ask to be removed? Doesn’t make sense does it.

This is a common ploy spammers use to validate email addresses. If you respond, that proves to them that your email address is alive and active, and that you are receiving their emails.

Responding only encourages them to sell your email address to other spammers, and will ultimately increase the amount of junk email that you will receive.

Never Open Or Read Junk Email
Believe it or not, even if you never respond, but merely open a junk email, there could be special HTML code contained in that email message that will report back that you opened or read the message.

This provides validation to the spammer that your email address is alive and active, and you can bet you will start receiving more spam!

Be sure to turn off your email program’s Preview Pane feature, as this is essentially the same thing as “reading” a message.

Avoid Contests, Special Offers, And Chances To Win
These are gimmicks to get you to reveal your email address so they can send you special offers. Many free ecards (electronic greeting cards) are also ways companies collect email addresses.

Never Post To An Email List Using Your Private Email Address
Many spammers watch these posts in order to harvest new email addresses.So be very cautious when posting to these websites.

If you are a contact for a registered domain, do not list you private email address.

Instead of using your personal email address use a generic common mailbox for this purpose, or ask for domain registration privacy.

Create a public email address such as DNS@yourdomain.com or help@yourdomain.com.

Guard Your Computer Against Trojan Spyware And Software
Never open any attachments you don’t explicitly trust.

Some “fun” emails are often a ruse to steal email addresses or track your behavior on the Internet.

The use of both anti-virus, personal firewall, and or antispyware software is strongly recommended.

Use A Free Account As Your Public Email Address
Reserve your private email address for friends and select associates.

Never sign up for special offers using your private email address. Use your generic common email address for those.

Trick The Spammers
If you post an email address online, disguise its set-up, spelling out ‘dot com’ in place of .com.

Junk Mail Out Of Hand
If your junk mail has reached a level that it is just out of hand and you cannot handle it anymore, consider changing your email address.

If you don’t want to change your email address consider us to take advantage of our advanced SPAM filtering services.

We can make all necessary changes on your computer and with your email service to help prevent those spam messages.

New Technologies Make Proactive Service A Must

With today’s workplace relying more and more on information and computer systems, it just makes sense to leverage your IT investments.

Technology in the industry now allows IT professionals to take a proactive approach to network management, providing the entire infrastructure with a complete, secure, reliable, and fully automated solution to protect your IT infrastructure.

Deploying what are known as “agents,” you can add a fully automated virtual worker to your staff, which is working 24 hours, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. This agent will complete a long list of tasks that even a fully staffed IT department couldn’t handle.

You can now start to enjoy your away time when your network is being monitored by these solutions. So what exactly do they do?

Monitoring
When you use system monitoring, you can take the proactive approach to your computers and servers with a set of rules that your administrator defines.

They provide instant notifications of problems or changes such as low disk space on your hard drives, memory leaks, power problems, virus activity, and missing updates. Just about every critical component of a PC or server can be monitored.

Software Deployment
The software engines give us the ability to deploy software out to multiple systems simultaneously, which saves massive amounts of time and causes less downtime for the staff.

Given a set of rules and pre-requisites that are met prior to the install, you can ensure a smooth, fast, and worry free installation across your network.

Remote Control
Give your IT personnel a secure and quick way to remotely access your systems from any place at any time, giving your company its own help desk in a sense.

This increases productivity for staff, reducing the waiting time for a tech to show up at your location.

Patch Management
Keeping your computer systems up to date with operating system updates and security patches is critical to the health and safety of your network.

Given a set of predefined policies, all of your servers, workstations, and remote computers will automatically be receiving the latest security patches and software updates on a schedule that works for you.

Keeping the data traffic on the network during normal operation hours is crucial to the efficiency and productivity of the workplace and this will do just that.

Reporting
The reporting features will provide your administrators’ with quick and easy access to all the details of a network. Tactical and strategic planning become effortless when the agents are accumulating, tracking, and analyzing the way your network operates over time.

Audit & Inventory
Agents let the IT staff perform accurate and detailed reports on every server, computer, mobile device, and piece of equipment on your network.

This gives you a better look at what your network actually consists of and provides you and/or your IT personnel a complete detailed inventory of product specifications, versions.

An accurate network and infrastucture inventory lets you make intelligent decisions about upgrades, replacements, and maintenance.

Scripting
Possibilities are practically endless for what can be done with the scripting options. If you have a routine task that has to be done each and every day, week, or month, let your agents do the work.

They can automatically trigger those tasks to be done for you, on your time, your schedule, with no interaction required.

These are just a handful of the features that are possible, giving everyone a peace of mind when it comes to your IT.

Taking advantage of these technologies will give your IT personnel a complete set of tools to efficiently, securely, and cost effectively manage your systems.

Strong Passwords Keep Your Personal Information Secure

A recent ZoneAlarm survey revealed that 79 percent of consumers use risky password construction practices, such as including personal information and words.

The survey also revealed that 26 percent of respondents reuse the same password for important accounts such as e-mail, banking or shopping and social networking sites.

In addition, nearly 8 percent admit to copying an entire password found online in a listing of “good” passwords.

Given these numbers, it’s no wonder that 29 percent of respondents had their own e-mail or social network account hacked, and that over half (52 percent) know someone who has had a similar problem.

The first step a hacker will take when attempting to break into a computer or secure account is try to guess the victim’s password.

Automated programs are available to repeatedly guess passwords from a database of common words and other information.

Once a hacker gains access to one account, almost 30 percent of the time that information can be used to access other sites that contain financial data such as bank account numbers and credit card information. To ensure you stay safe online, here are a few tips for creating a strong password.

Use Unique Passwords For Each Account
Choose different and unique passwords for each account.

Passwords Should Be Eight To Ten Characters Long
Choose a password that is at least eight to 10 characters long. This should be long enough to prevent brute force attacks, which consist of trying every possible combination of a password until the right one is found.

Avoid Using Personal Information
Make sure your password is difficult for someone to guess. Do not use names of any kind, including your login name, family member’s name or a pet’s name. Also avoid using personal information such as a phone number, birthday or place of birth.

Avoid Words In The Dictionary
Avoid words that can be found in the dictionary. With the availability of online dictionaries, it is easy for someone to write a program to test all of the words until they find the right one.

Avoid Repeating Characters Or Sequences
Stay away from repeated characters or easy to guess sequences. For example: 77777, 12345, or abcde.

Use Numbers, Letters And Special Characters
Choose a password that is a mixture of numbers, letters and special characters. The more complex and random it is, the harder it will be to crack.

Use Word Fragments
Use fragments of words that will not be found in a dictionary. Break the word in half and put a special character in the middle.

Frequently Change Your Passwords
Change your passwords often. Even if someone cracks the system password file, the password they obtain is not likely to last long.

Cyber crime is on the rise. Taking the time to actively choose secure passwords will protect your identity, banking information and personal information. And remember, writing your password on a sticky note on your monitor isn’t secure!

The Three Scariest Threats To Small Business Networks

Thomas Fox is president of Tech Experts, southeast Michigan’s leading small business computer support company.
While spam, pop-ups, and hackers are a real threat to any small business network, there are three security measures that you should be focusing on first before you do anything else.

Worry About E-mail Attachments, Not Spam
Sure, spam is annoying and wastes your time, but the real danger with spam is in the attachments.

Viruses and worms spread primarily through cleverly disguised attachments to messages that trick you or your employees into opening them.

Another threat is phishing e-mails that trick you by appearing to be legitimate e-mails from your bank, eBay, or other financial accounts.

Here are three things you must have in place to avoid this nightmare. First, keep your anti-virus up to date and enabled. This sounds like a no-brainer, but it’s not uncommon for an employee to disable their antivirus software “because it bothers them.”

Second, educate your employees on what is and isn’t allowed on company computers, e-mail, Internet access, etc. One thing that should be on the list is that they should never open suspicious attachments or respond to phishing e-mails. We highly recommend creating an acceptable use policy (AUP) to teach your staff what NOT to do.

Third, put monitoring software in place to maintain the health of employees’ desktops and automatically “police” employees from accidentally visiting a phishing website, downloading a virus, or visiting questionable web sites.

Fear Downloads Before Pop-Ups
Did you know that most computers and networks get infected with viruses because the user actually invited the threat in by downloading a file (screen saver, music file, PDF document, pictures, etc.)?

Again, this comes down to training your staff on what they can and cannot do with your company’s network. Again, the best way to avoid trouble is to remove temptation by installing monitoring software that will prevent employees from downloading or opening dangerous items.

We also recommend installing and maintaining a good firewall, which will block Internet traffic to and from dangerous sites.

Lose Sleep Over Backups, Not Hackers
You are more likely to lose data from hardware failure, accidental deletion, human error, flood, fire, natural disaster or software corruption than a hacker.

Sure, you should do everything to keep hackers out of your network, but not backing up your data to a remote location is incredibly dangerous. At a minimum, you should have an onsite and offsite copy of your data, and you should be testing your data backups regularly to make sure your data can be restored in the event of an emergency.

So, here’s the scary Halloween question for you: If you came into your office tomorrow morning, and your computers and server were destroyed or missing, could you recover your data, and how long would it take?