Natalia's Other Blog

Seven Easy Steps to Alienate your Clients

August 2011

Well, the "sprained knee and ankle" turned out to be a torn bit of cartilage medial side of my knee.  Which translates to - aha, that is why it isn't healing after a month!

Where life takes us...

A friend of mine often said "Life is what happens while you are busy making plans " and I might add, it is also what happens while you are building up good intentions to pave your road to, well, you know where... that being said, I find that in spite of a determination not to be in a technical job again, here I am.  

2011 - for what it's worth

Mission Impossible

If you think you've had a hard time getting viruses off your machine and wondering "why me" while you are cleaning them off, or paying someone to clean them off, then you should read this article by Jamie Adams on INFOSECISLAND..com and see what our government has dealt with and the level of vulnerability they are having to focus on. 

Warning there is extreme Tech Talk in the following:

https://www.infosecisland.com/blogview/8334-Stuxnet-Worm-Reveals-Default-Password-Vulnerabilities.html?goback=.gde_1368287_member_30691650

Basically, even if you are not a government entity, you still need to take near paranoid precautions to protect your identity and your data.  Besides viruses, you need to be aware of Malware and phishing.  If you don't know these terms and you are doing business on a computer...step away long enough to look them up and then be afraid, be verrry afraid. 

To see the top latest virus threats, bookmark this link: http://www.bitdefender.com/site/VirusInfo/realTimeReporting/ 

Noticing more virus activity? Oh Yes!

One of the advantages of working as a tech consultant is that you notice when something seems to be occurring more frequently.  The company I work for has many clients, and right now there seems to be a lot of activity in virus removal. Here's what I found out, and if you use a computer frequently for work or business you will want to know this:

Nearly all programs rely on specific files called Dynamic Link Libraries and usually referred to as DLLs.  Usually they are called by your regular applications by their name and without the complete address of where they are in your directory.  This is where virus code writers exploit the system, because they can name their code in a way that fools your computer into thinking it has initiated a DLL and then WHAMMO, you have engaged a virus.  More details in the links below.

http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9181518/Microsoft_releases_tool_to_block_DLL_load_hijacking_attacks

http://johndierckx.wordpress.com/2010/08/28/windows-dll-load-hijacking-exploits-go-wild-computerworld/

Two products (that have free versions) that we use a lot to scrub viruses and malware from people's computers are TrendMicro's HiJackThis (download from TrendMicro or CNET because there are imitations out there) and MalwareByte's AntiMalware software.  Both highly recommended by the technical professionals I work with daily.

Online Visibility For Your Website-less Small Business

Copyright (c) 2008  by Newark Prebleford
Newark Ohio Online
http://www.newarkohioonline.com

There are a myriad of ways for small, local businesses to gain greater visibility on the web. More and more potential customers turn to the web each day to find businesses and services, and the number of options available to small business owners is also growing rapidly. For the web-savvy business owner, the path to greater online sales is complicated, but manageable-- it just takes a lot of time to keep up. But what about the millions of business owners that, say, do not even have a website? For this group, there are still many (free) options to help connect with online customers. This article highlights a few of the best options available.

If your business does not have a website, many of the standard tips and techniques do not apply. However, there are a number of websites out there that can still help you dramatically increase your web visibility. The following list describes some of the ones that I recommend. (Note: they are all free, and none of these require that you have a website.)

1. Google Maps. Everyone knows that Google is the #1 place where people begin their web research. Google Maps is Google's
"yellow pages" and any business can submit, or enhance, their listing for free. The benefit of doing so is that Google often
places Maps business listings at the top of its search results. When someone searches Google for a product of service of your
business, you will be right there at the top.

2. Yahoo Local. This site is Yahoo's equivalent to Google Maps. It gets less traffic, but gives visibility within the #2 search
engine which makes it very worthwhile.

3. Manta.com. Manta contains millions of profiles of U.S. businesses, large and small. Business owners can add their own
profile information for free. Simply find your business in the directory follow the instructions. Manta differentiates itself by
having much more of a business-to-business flavor than the typical yellow pages.

4. Merchant Circle. This is one of many national sites that allows businesses to both add their company to the directory, and
modify their listing if already in the directory. Recently, Merchant Circle business profiles have been appearing more
frequently in web search results, so it makes sense to be sure yours is in the mix.

5. Local directories. There are many custom, local directories out there that can also help get your business more visible on
the web. For example, if you are a business in Newark, Ohio, there is a website called www.NewarkOhioOnline.com that has a
complete Newark business directory. Business owners in the Newark, Ohio area can add contact information, photos, brochures,
logos and much more to their listing on the site. Not every town  and city has one of these directory sites, but many do. Check out
whether your town has one.

6. Facebook and MySpace. These "social networking" sites have become extraordinarily popular with businesses both due to their
popularity, but also because of the great tools they provide for business owners. There are a growing number of businesses that
use their highly-customizable Facebook page as their actual website.

7. Superpages. The last time I checked, business owners could add their own profile to this site for free. It isn't much, but
surprisingly it tends to drive some pretty decent traffic and online contacts. This is definitely the last of the group, but
worth doing nonetheless.

This is probably enough to get started. There are almost limitless ways for the motivated small business owner to grab
more web visibility, and many of these options do not even require a website. If you take advantage of these seven, you can
almost certainly expect to start hearing from new online customers as they find you through these websites. It should not
take too long either; I'd expect you could finish these in one solid evening's work.

---------------------------------------------------------------------
Newark Prebleford is the editor-in-chief of Newark Ohio online,
http://www.newarkohioonline.com a community resource website
for Newark, Ohio business owners,
(http://www.newarkohioonline.com/business/ )
residents and visitors. His helpful and informative articles
provide tips and techniques for using the web to its
fullest potential in central Ohio.

It Is Almost "Patch Tuesday" - Do You Know What YOUR Computer Needs?

"Patch Tuesday" is June 8 this month.  Don't know what "Patch Tuesday" is?  It is the second Tuesday of the month, which is when Microsoft releases patches for its applications and operating systems.  They started this in 2003 in order to allow technical folks to plan, download and deploy them. 

What is a "Patch"? Software that fixes problems in software.  In other words, when a problem or issue is discovered with software (and it almost always occurs no matter how good the software is, because the environment is always in motion and change) - the company that developed the software may fix it by addressing it in a patch to be used with the software.  If you want more details on this go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patch_Tuesday.

If you are an individual professional, an entrepreneur with a small office, or an established small business - and you use a computer with Microsoft on it - you should be paying attention to Microsoft's "Patch Tuesdays".  This month is especially heavy with patches and updates to various Microsoft applications and operating system issues.  To read more about the specifics of this month's patches, go to  http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/patch-tuesday-heads-up-10-bulletins-34-flaws-ie-windows-affected/6593?tag=nl.e589  . 

If you have a technical support professional, you probably don't have to think about this.  If you aren't sure - now you know what to ask about.  Sometimes knowing the question is more important to your business than knowing the answer.

Business Turnaround: An Overview of How to Best Enhance Your Company's Finances

Business Turnaround: An Overview of How to Best Enhance Your Company's Finances
Copyright (c) 2010 Thayne Carper
Thayne Carper
http://www.thaynecarper.com/

A successful business turnaround requires the owner to take
certain steps to become a profitable enterprise. By taking the
following actions, you can reorganize your company and produce
positive cash flow.

1. Good decision making requires a stable environment.

In order to transform your business into a more profitable
enterprise and achieve business turnaround, you must take action
and stabilize the situation. In doing so, you will have the
opportunity to make good decisions that benefit your company. It
is essential that you create and then maintain a positive cash
balance; otherwise, your business can fall into serious debt from
which it will never recover. This kind of cash management will
keep your business alive as you make decisions that affect your
company in the short and long term.

2. Discover the root cause of your company's issues.

You will not achieve a business turnaround without identifying
and then repairing the problems your company faces. You must
carefully study why your business has financial problems and use
comparative financial analysis when making this determination. It
may be your costs are too excessive when compared to revenue.
Perhaps an unexpected competitor has taken some of your sales.

3. Make the necessary changes to make your company profitable.

You may have to reorganize your business in order to become
profitable. You must identify which products or services make
money and which don't. The products or services that are
profitable are the foundation of your reorganization; you should
maintain those while discarding the ones that are not
money-making.

4. Create a plan that your creditors will back.

The relationship between your business and its creditors must
remain positive. You must keep them updated on your objectives,
forecasts, and how you will change your company so that it
becomes profitable. Creditors want to know your business
turnaround plan; they want to trust the debtors are doing all
they can so that the creditors will receive a good return on
their investments. For this reason, you must apprise them of any
kind of business turnaround plan so they can make any necessary
concessions.

5. Prioritize how you will reimburse your creditors.

A good business turnaround plan would have you sort your
creditors in two groups: those that you depend on and those you
can replace. It is important that the business owner maintains
strong connections with the first group, whereas the second group
is not a priority, and you can consider hiring a debt negotiator
to get out of these debts.

6. Carefully execute the plan.

Business owners often fail to execute their business turnaround
plans. Such plans require persistence, yet business owners
sometimes grow impatient and turn back to sales instead of
focusing on their cash flow and working with their creditors. As
a result, nothing will change and there will be no real recovery.

7. Expand or sell the business.

Finally, business owners should know when to maintain the company
and when to sell. After using your business turnaround plan, the
company will, ideally, become profitable. The business owner will
then have learned from previous mistakes, and the company will
thrive and grow. However, the owner may simply lose interest in
the business and should sell while it remains a profitable
enterprise.

------------------------------

----------------------------
Thayne Carper spent 4 years of college competing in student
business plan competitions. He's never won a business plan
competition and was dropped from his college's entrepreneurial
program for lacking potential. Today, he is one of the youngest
published experts on the topic of business turnarounds and cost
reduction. Visit his website lower supply costs up to 30% for a
copy of his report "The Definitive Guide to Doubling Your Profits
in less than 6 Months" (http://www.ThayneCarper.com/FreeReport)
and learn how you can easily lower supply and service costs
up to 30% without hiring a consultant. Learn more:
http://www.ThayneCarper.com/

Marketing Coaching: Understanding the Basics of Page Rank by Paul Marshall

Copyright (c) 2010 Paul Marshall
Strategic Web Marketing Net
http://strategicwebmarketing.net/

You've just built your website and you want to show up on the search engines. You start reading about SEO and one of the first things that jumps out at you is something called "Google PageRank." You know about the big dog of the search engines, but what is PageRank and why is it important in what you're trying to do?

Any good marketing coach can explain that easily. If your site is placing high in free (organic) search results, you're getting free advertising. Notice the word "free." That's always a good thing. Building a strong PageRank (PR) by getting good quality links coming in to your site takes time, but it isn't going to eat a hole in your pocketbook.

You want to work on raising your site's PR to get "authority" with the search engines. A site with "authority" gets better visibility in search results. Really understanding the algorithm behind your site's PR will likely have you reaching for a bottle of aspirin. In the beginning, just concentrate on understanding the basics and how they relate to your efforts to promote your site.

How Is PR Defined?

Google says PR is all about the "uniquely democratic nature of the web" and "using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value." Basically, a link from one page to another is a vote for that page. However, not all votes in this democracy are equal. Some votes come from higher-quality pages and are weighed more heavily. (Other factors in determining PR clude the relevance of search phrases on a page and actual
traffic to the page.)

How Is PageRank Expressed?

PR values are expressed on a scale of 0 to 10. Sites from 0 to 2 are probably pretty new to the Web and have few incoming links. Sites that have made it to PR3 to PR5 are fairly well established; PR6 and above are really popular and have a lot of high-quality links. There are very few sites that make it to the PR7 to PR10 range.  The ones that are ranked that high are usually owned by big corporations or major media outlets like the Wall Street Journal (PR8). Improving your site's PR by getting relevant, high-quality, incoming links is one of the most affordable SEO methods at your disposal. Rather than trying to get to a specificnumber, just concentrate on improving your number.

Is My Site's Index The Only Page With PR?

No, each page in your site will be assigned a PR, something that is emphasized in marketing coaching as a valuable tool. You can use relevant interlinking to distribute PR throughout all your pages.

Huh? Well, just hang on to that thought for a minute. For right now, just understand the concept that some pages in your site may earn a higher PR than others, and that you can use that to your advantage.

PageRank Passes From One Page To Another

Here's how it works. A page with a high PR passes some of its value to a low PR page over a link. You can use this to promote your site in a couple of ways. When your site's pages are interlinked in a relevant way, PR gets distributed more evenly throughout the site. Also, you can "court" relevant sites that belong to other people through your link-building campaign. This is really how your site starts to gain "authority."

Start By Building Your Index Page's PR

Generally, marketing coaches will tell you to begin by working on your home page's PR. This can be time-consuming, and not just because you'll be building relationships with other site owners.  You have to do your time in what's popularly called the Google "sandbox." This just means that new sites like yours probably won't get any PR at all for the first few months you're on the Web.

How Do I Check My PR?

There are a number of free, online tools for checking PR including PRChecker and SearchStatus. At PRChecker you type in a page's URL to see its PR. SearchStatus is a FireFox extension that show a site's PR at the bottom of your browser. (It also shows your site's Alexa rating, another method to measure online "importance.") You an also install the Google Toolbar for Firefox or Internet Explorer and enable the PageRank function.

Is Building My PR All I Need To Do?

A marketing coach will tell you that having a strong PR is only one part of your SEO campaign. For instance, say you're looking around for a site to link to yours. You find one with a high PR, but it's a site that sells links. Move on. Their high PR number doesn't do you any good because a link from that site to yours will have a lower quality and will pass less authority to you.  Understanding the basics of PageRank is essential in putting together a high-quality link-building campaign for your site, but don't get fixated on the PR number and ignore other important facts. Just gain a basic understanding of what PR is and how it functions and use that to your advantage in building a reputation f authority for your site.

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Marketing online since 2004, Paul Marshall can help you market on a realistic budget. You can learn about his professional Internet Marketing Coaching and Consulting Services on his home page: http://strategicwebmarketing.net/ He also offers Affordable SEO services (and d-i-y Coaching), which you can learn about here: http://strategicwebmarketing.net/seo.html Get to know Paul, just visit Strategic Web Marketing.net today!