Accelerate Firefox 3.6 Page Scrolling
Firefox 3.6 has yet another secret feature that could significantly improve your web browsing on Windows: scroll acceleration. Read more .
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How Not to be a Victim of Email Hackers
The internet has made life a lot easier for us in transacting business, researching, and communicating in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, it has also made it easier for hackers to get into email accounts that contain sensitive information. Email hacking is becoming a common problem of web users. As more people have become dependent on the internet for almost everything they need, a vast amount of sensitive information is now within reach of unscrupulous individuals known as hackers. Cybertopcops.com defines a hacker as “someone who gains unauthorized access to a computer system.” Most hackers just like the thrill of breaking through a computer security system, but there are others who may not be as harmless. Some hack into email accounts and use all the sensitive information that they can access, for own their benefit. How can you tell if your email was hacked? You can’t log into your email account. Your sent folder contains messages that you never sent. Your email contacts inform you that they have been receiving spam messages from your account. What can you do if your email has been hacked? Change your password. If you learn that your email has been hacked, change your password immediately. Choose one that won’t be guessed easily. Check all your other accounts: email, social networks, blogs, etc. Many people use one password for all their accounts because it’s easier to remember. While this may be more convenient, think of the major losses you could suffer if a hacker gets into all your accounts. Delete all accounts that you have not been using for a long time. Hackers love to get into email accounts that you don’t use anymore, since it takes a longer time for you to realize that you’ve been hacked – giving the hacker more time to do damage. Send an apology to all your email contacts. While most internet users are aware that email hackers are the ones sending the spam, some may not understand and may be angry with you. So, it is best to send all your email contacts an explanation and an apology. How can you prevent hackers from getting into your email account? Choose a password that cannot be easily guessed. Many people use easy-to-guess passwords such as their own names with their birthdates at the end, which is very easy for hackers to crack. It’s best to combine upper case and lower case letters along with numbers and symbols such as the ampersand, dollar or percent sign. Change your password at regular intervals. To make it more difficult for email hackers to crack your password, change your password every one to three months. Avoid giving your email address to every website that asks for it. Give your email address only to people and organizations that you trust. Some websites exist only to sending out malware or spyware. Think twice before you provide your email address to websites that you browse. The internet has certainly made life a lot more convenient but unfortunately, it’s also made it easier for hackers so you must be vigilant. Take all necessary precautions so that your email account is always secure.
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Red Flags Rules Apply to You—Yes, You
While many companies think the federal Red Flag Rule applies only financial institutions, if you invoice customers for your goods or services, it applies to you, too. Regulations designed to minimize identity theft went into effect in June of 2010. Are you complying with them? The federal government’s so-called “Red Flag Rule” requires all businesses that are potential identity-theft targets develop plans to spot red flags and prevent theft. Red flags include suspicious photo IDs, unverifiable addresses and Social Security numbers, and questionable account activity, to name just a few. While many companies think the Red Flag Rule only applies to financial institutions, it actually applies to all creditors — with creditors being defined as “businesses or organizations that regularly provide goods and services first and allow customers to pay later,” according to a Frequently Asked Questions guide prepared by the Federal Trade Commission, which will enforce the Red Flag Rule. In other words, if you invoice customers for your goods or services, you’re a creditor — and the Red Flag Rule applies to you. How can you comply? You’ll need to have a written policy that specifically addresses how you will prevent and handle identity theft. Other recommendations include data encryption, annual updates of your written policy, and staff training. While this may seem onerous, you don’t want to ignore the legislation. Fines are $3,500 per violation — and the threat of a lawsuit from customers whose identity has been stolen. Related articles Do You Comply with the FTC’s Red Flag Fule?
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Are You in Compliance with Identity Theft Regulations?
The federal government’s Red Flag Rule requires all businesses that are potential identity theft targets develop plans to spot red flags and prevent theft. How can you comply? Regulations designed to minimize identity theft went into effect in June of 2010. Are you complying with them? The federal government’s so-called “Red Flag Rule” requires all businesses that are potential identity-theft targets develop plans to spot red flags and prevent theft. Red flags include suspicious photo IDs, unverifiable addresses and Social Security numbers, and questionable account activity, to name just a few. While many companies think the Red Flag Rule only applies to financial institutions, it actually applies to all creditors — with creditors being defined as “businesses or organizations that regularly provide goods and services first and allow customers to pay later,” according to a Frequently Asked Questions guide prepared by the Federal Trade Commission, which will enforce the Red Flag Rule. In other words, if you invoice customers for your goods or services, you’re a creditor — and the Red Flag Rule applies to you. How can you comply? You’ll need to have a written policy that specifically addresses how you will prevent and handle identity theft. Other recommendations include data encryption, annual updates of your written policy, and staff training. While this may seem onerous, you don’t want to ignore the legislation. Fines are $3,500 per violation — and the threat of a lawsuit from customers whose identity has been stolen. Related articles Do You Comply with the FTC’s Red Flag Fule?
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How Do You Reformat a USB Flash Drive?
USB flash drives are very handy for storing backups, personal documents, music, pictures, portable applications, and more. In fact, they’re so convenient that we dump information onto them without much organization, and they can get crowded and messy quickly. Learn how clear up disk space to accommodate more files on your flash drives. Read more .
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Clever Scammers Using SEO to Bait More Victims
Legitimate online marketing and SEO are the only ways to make yourself more visible on the web. However, clever scammers will try to fool you into thinking otherwise – by sending you an invoice with a deadline, asking you for a registration fee for better listings on search engine results. As more and more people are becoming increasingly conscious about online scams, it’s expected that scammers and fraudsters need to step up their game and look for better ways to fool people into falling for their swindles. One new tactic these unscrupulous people have employed involves a notice or invoice sent to would-be victims indicating a need to pay a registration fee to be seen on a search engine. The price isn’t very high, less than $100, for a year’s “registration”. The notice claims that without the registration your website will be significantly more difficult to locate through search engines. It also sends you a deadline date indicating that the offer expires soon. The fact is, there is no such thing as an online “registration” for your website to be viewable in search engines. It’s still plain old SEO that gets you listed and seen, and no registration, much less a registration fee, is needed to be included in search engine search results. Cases have been filed against several companies caught sending such invoices. If you want your website to be marketed correctly, it’s best to consult legitimate internet marketing and SEO companies. They’ll give you all the right advice and they’ll have the tools and skills to market your website properly. As for these “offers”, the best thing is to delete them on sight. Don’t click on the links, as these also flag your email as a target for more spam and scams to be sent your way. If you are looking to increase your website’s online visibility, please don’t hesitate to contact us and we’ll be happy to discuss a detailed and customized program SEO program that works for you.
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6 Tips on How to Print Faster
Tired of slow printing? You can take action speed up the processing time of your printer, as well as the printing speed itself. These tips are easy to accomplish, or require a minimal financial investment. Read more.
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Need A Break? Tax Law Extends Single-year Equipment Deduction Through 2011
When you acquire equipment for your businesses, you can deduct the entire cost in a single year, thanks to a tax break that’s been extended through the end of 2011. In the past, business equipment such as computers and machinery had to be deducted over a number of years. Then a new tax code provision was enacted to help spur economic growth. That provision, called Section 179, allowed taxpayers to deduct the cost of equipment as an expense rather than requiring the cost of the property to be capitalized and depreciated. In other words, single-year deductions were permitted — much to the benefit of small and medium businesses. The Section 179 deduction started out at $25,000, increased to $125,000 then $250,000, and finally ended up at $500,000. And many assets qualify for the tax break, including computers, software, office machines and furniture, manufacturing equipment, and vehicles that weigh more than 6,000 pounds. How does it work? Lets’ say you have a $600,000 profit and don’t want to pay taxes on that entire amount. At the same time, you need new computer equipment. You can buy that new equipment for $500,000 and only owe taxes on $100,000 of your profits. Section 179 was set to expire at the end of 2010, but it’s now been extended. The Tax Relief Act of 2010, signed on 12/17/10, allows business owners to take Section 179 deductions through the 2011 tax year. That means 2011 is a great year to consider purchasing equipment, because the immediate writeoff helps businesses such as yours keep more cash free for other purposes. “There is a big advantage to having that cash flow right away,” says Abe Schneier, a senior manager at the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. “Even in the best of times, it is hard for many small businesses to borrow money for any sizeable investment.” Related articles: Equipment eligible for the Section 179 deduction
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Use ReadyBoost to Speed Up Your Computer
ReadyBoost can speed up your computer by using storage space on most USB flash drives and flash memory cards. Read more.
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Is Unfriending Good for Your Business?
One thing is clear, quality is still more important than quantity. Especially with the current economic downturn, people are downsize everything – including online social circles. November 17, 2010 was declared by Jimmy Kimmel during his television show as “National Unfriend Day”, the opportunity for all Facebook users to declutter their Facebook pages by “unfriending” people in their friends’ lists. He claims that Facebook has been “cheapening” the idea of friendship. To many the idea was hilarious, but others are seriously considering the wisdom of unfriending. Is Kimmel on to something here? Can unfriending benefit your online business? Research shows that as social media gets bigger, we’re getting smaller. Brian Wong, a network marketer says it simply: “With the growth of social networking, I am finding it increasingly difficult to separate business connections and personal connections.” He says that having almost 1,000 friends on Facebook has made it difficult for him to see the feeds and updates of his “real” friends and important business partners. Lately there is a growing trend of de-scaling on the internet. People have started “pruning” their social lives online. For example, the popular Farmville app lost 30 million players this year, and people are beginning to realize that conversations and comments are more important than a huge number of blog hits. So how can de-scaling and unfriending help your business? The drive to be more intimate can benefit your business by allowing you to form a tighter circle of customers, more successfully establishing you as a preferred channel for consumption. Luckily, there are tools that can help you descale your social networks: Path – Offers small-scale communities where people feel more comfortable sharing personal information. It controls who can view your information and does not include features that make your content viral. Letter.ly – A subscription-based newsletter for bloggers who feel that public posts decrease the quality of conversations. This newsletter opens discussion only to people who pay, or who are privately invited to read a blog post. GroupMe – A texting app which limits your group text participants to only 14, to ensure that meaningful dialogues take place. What about the flip side of unfriending and descaling? While you’re considering who to eliminate from your social circles, your contacts are likely doing the same. Here are some tips to help you make their cuts: 1. Be selective in your communications. Of course, your product is important – to you. But not every little detail is as important to your audience. Be sure to focus on key features and benefits from your audience’s perspective. 2. Stay on topic. Always give relevant communications to your customers, and never rant or badmouth competitors. This is a sure way to lose customers. 3. Provide value. In addition to talking about your product or service, find ways to provide value to your circle of friends. Understand topics and pain points important to them, and provide valuable information and advice to help them succeed. You’ll soon come to be considered as a valuable resource to your contacts – one that they want to keep in their online social groups. One thing is clear: quality is still more important than quantity, especially in the current economic downturn when people are downsizing everything. Start “pruning” your social network – and take steps to avoid being pruned – and you’ll reap the benefits of having a tight circle of loyal friends and customers.
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