Network Security | Network Work | Wireless Network Security

Fingerprint Reader Enhances Your Security

2010-05-05T05:17:00.000-07:00

Biometrics technology comprises of automated systems that recognize a person based on an individuals unique physical characteristic. There are different types of biometric applications, but the basic premise is that the biometric must be based on a distinct human attribute such as a fingerprint, iris, voice or face patterns.

Fingerprint scanning is the most commonly used method used for biometric security systems. Fingerprint devices are the most commonly used systems that use biometric security. Uses range from high security environments to even household items like the fingerprint safe. The variety of systems available in the market is just overwhelming. The technology itself has evolved and the bulky scanners of yester years have given way to smaller, compact devices. They can now be even conveniently embedded into a laptop.

A fingerprint is actually a pattern that is composed of ridges, furrows, and unique characteristics than can be recognized at Minutiae points. Fingerprint authentication involves scanning the image captured on a sensor to identify a person based on these unique patterns. The sensor scans the fingerprint and then processes the pattern with the fingerprint database stored on the device. These devices come with software that helps compare and match the fingerprints with those in the database.

The fingerprint data that gets stored on the database is assigned a reference or PIN number that can then map to an individuals name or account or other defined parameters. This proves useful in that this allows not only for fingerprint authentication but can also be used to check access data or can even be used to export the data to a payroll system.

Biometric fingerprint readers are being increasingly used by large companies as also government organizations. Companies have realized that fingerprint authentication helps in easy employee identification and also enhances security. Data centers, for example, use biometric scanners to add an additional security layer.

While the cost of implementing large scale data centers are quite expensive, small offices and home users can find many fingerprint scanning devices that would fit into their budget. These products are designed to help you protect your hard drive, laptop, secure your valuables and most of all they allow the convenience of not having to deal with remembering multiple passwords.

Visit us at http://www.microchapters.com for information and Biometric products.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sunny_Ighagbon

Executive Protection Companies

2010-05-05T05:16:00.000-07:00

The world today is facing a lot of challenges and is filled with competition and insecurities. Hence it has become highly essential for all the organizations whether big or small to provide adequate protection to its staff and its customers. This task of providing security to the various public and private sector organizations is being carried out by some executive protection companies.

Their main role is to provide protection to their clients through a detail program involving training, consultation and management for providing utmost safety, comfort and privacy to their client organizations. These executive protection companies are mostly hired by corporate sectors to provide maximum safety for their clients and staff members.

When it comes to personal protection, it should definitely encompass more than a mere presence. The executive protection companies must have a fleet of able personnel who are trained to be interactive facilitators, who can successfully ensure that each and every aspects of their client's protection are addressed professionally.

Executive protection companies must have the following characteristics:

Should have a better understanding of all the parameters of protection at all levels.
Must be able to understand the huge amount of trust, faith and confidence the clients have on them.
Must be able to identify the real challenges of the corporate that hires them and must be prompt to act according to the corporate security detail.
Must value the each client relationship and should protect all the confidential detail of the association.
The close protection agents should be well trained to operate in diverse situations which may or may not be within a well-known infrastructure and also in those ranging from low to high threat environments.
Must provide adequate training to the personnel with superior customer care services.
The executive protection agents provided by the executive protection companies must be eloquent to be able to convey every detail to the clients and also well organized to address the personal, business and social issues of their clients.

The executive protection company jobs surely sounds very exciting and adventurous, but they are highly crucial commitments and sensitive in nature as the security and safety of peoples' lives are associated with them. These professionals, who are called close protection agents, have one ultimate aim and that is to protect their clients from all kinds of danger which may mean risking their individual safety as well. So, only dedicated and committed people can fit in to this kind of jobs. These agents should be able to reflect not only academic but also practical know-how in field experience in their protective services offered to both public and corporate arenas.

While many executive protection companies has their prime focus on the training skills on handling firearms, a good close protection company recognizes the more pragmatic and real challenges of the public and corporate security element. Therefore the corporate needs to be very careful and must hire a protection company which can ensure the security and safety of the clients in the right perspective.

Max-Security is a security service provider offering VIP executive protection services worldwide.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=William_Kadutzi

Syncing Military Network Ops

2009-10-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

Spectracom has introduced the SecureSync™ synchronization system at MILCOM 2009. Synchronization of field operations is critical for armed forces around the globe — virtually every network and communications system requires it. SecureSync meets the needs of defense departments and agencies and their contactors for flexibility, security, and reliability.

The compact rack-mount unit offers common timing and frequency functions that are expandable through modular option cards. Up to 6 cards can be accommodated to offer synchronization to a wide variety of references and devices. An extensive number of traditional and contemporary timing protocols and signal types are supported including: GPS (commercial and encrypted [SAASM]), digital and analog timing and frequency signals (1PPS, 10 MHz and more), timecodes (IRIG, STANAG, ASCII), network timing (NTP, PTP), telecom timing (T1/E1). The SecureSync system is a security-hardened network appliance that includes tamper-proof management. Robust network protocols allow for easy and secure authentication, authorization, and accounting/auditing. Reliability is also fundamental to design of the SecureSync system. Spectracom offers its industry-leading 5-year warranty on all SecureSync units and options.

5 Reasons Why a Leads Group Works - Word of Mouth Advertising at It's Finest

2009-08-10T07:08:00.001-07:00

The 5 Reasons why a Leads group works:

Social media is truly all the rage. It is actually making a lot of people, a lot of money, but have you ever wondered, why not me? I know that in most cases, people become really good at their passion. Writer, Chiropractor, Marketer it really doesn't matter what the occupation, profession or passion is, you got into it because you loved it but what you didn't take into consideration is how to market yourself. IF you don't have the I.T. knowledge, to get on the World Wide Web of Squeeze pages then you are going to need a "lot of money"! to pay someone to do it for you, while you are busy doing what you are passionate about and what you do best. Actually, that would be the simple thing, but certainly not the most practical and affordable way to market ourselves. We can all make more money, the only thing that limits the amount is our limited thinking.

One thing we all have the same of, is time. We can make more money whenever we decide. Time? We only have now! So if you want the social media thing to work, you need to invest a lot of "time" #1 to figure out the etiquette, #2 figure out what to say, #3 figure out how it works and #4 have the patience and fortitude and discipline to keep checking in to write something clever, or see if someone responded.

OR, you can think about developing a group, where relationships prevail, your time and efforts come with great rewards, and you can multiply your efforts through helping others succeed, as they help you with introductions and referrals. So with much less time and effort, you can benefit from creating your own referral group.

1.) You create a Power group of referral partners.
These are people who would naturally refer to each other because they typically refer to each other. What about a "Home" referral team? people that support the "home" industry. More people are electing to keep their home and are willing to do the maintaining or fixing up. Electrician, plumber, window, roofer, siding, flooring, and so on. Think about these 8 people getting together once a week to talk about projects that they are working on and creating a core of competent, reliable partners that refer to each other. Inevitably, a person needs carpentry work after the electrician leaves.

2.) You are in people's mind because they see you weekly.
(Many groups like to meet only twice monthly and I really caution against this because if you need to miss a week, you actually miss 3 weeks, they tend to forget you!)When you have an opportunity to meet people on a weekly basis, a social network of people is formed. People refer you to their personal clients, they keep you in their mind because they just saw you recently, and perhaps even heard you talk on your business, so the best part is that in addition to yourself out marketing for your business, you have the rest of the members referring to you.

3.) The universal law " the more you give away, the more will come back" applies.
You just can't worry about the fact that you gave 6 leads and received none. I was in a group for 9 months before I received one referral. It really depends on what you are selling. A Realtor could be in a group for 18 months before they get any sort of a referral. The bottom line is NOT about what you are going to the Leads group to GET, but rather what you have gone to the Leads group to GIVE. You will look so very good to your personal customers when you give them the name of a really great handyman, or computer geek, that when they need something else, they will see you as a resource person for them.

4.) Word of Mouth advertising is acclaimed as the best from and it's FREE.
When you ask anyone what is the best form of advertising? The answer is always Word of mouth! WHY? Because it brings in the human aspect of getting the best value. Someone tried it, they liked it..... You might try it and like it as well.

The Titanic movie got more attendees from word of mouth at the water cooler. People loved the movie and told someone, who told someone, and so on and so on.

5.) You develop life long relationships with quality people who make you look good when you refer them to friends, family, and other business partners. Here is the best part of the sequence. I have clients, and friends who continue to buy from me and I continue to refer to them, long after they have left the group. They know that their best friends and colleagues will get the best value, for the best price and the best service. This form of marketing creates life long friendships and clients for a lifetime. I can think of one situation where I referred the handy man and I believe we are 5 degrees of separation at this time, Just because I took the time to refer to Bev who referred to Chrisite, who referred to Carin, who referred to Kate who lives across town.

Deb Villarese

Expert Networker and Developer of http://www.Napervilleleads.com

Learn more about starting your own at: http://www.startyourownleadsgroup.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deb_Villarese

Moving Beyond the Elevator Speech

2009-08-10T07:07:00.002-07:00

We have all been there...at a party or a group gathering when you meet someone new. Whether in a business or social setting, this question is bound to come up: "So, what do you do?"

When this question is asked, you have but a short window of opportunity to grab the asker's attention and really make an impression. Unfortunately, we usually answer in one of two ways. The first is a way that causes us to fade into the background. "I fix computers." "I'm a lawyer." "I'm in real estate." "I sell insurance." In just a few words we've told the asker that we are just another "fill in the blank." In a flash, the opportunity is gone.

The second common way that we respond to this question is our Elevator Speech. We rehearse this in the mirror, polish it down to the word, and memorize it like a school play script. When someone asks the question: "So, what do you do?" we reactively spring the well-prepared speech on them. The active hearing turns off and a few moments later, the listener's eyes have glazed over and they are looking for a way to move away from you. They respond, "Oh...that's nice" and move on. Not the most memorable encounter, at least not in the way that you want to be remembered.

Let's Try Something New - The Talking Logo

If you really want to connect with the other person, try this useful engaging approach - the Talking Logo. This powerful, two-step process captures your listener's attention and gives you the chance to truly let them know what you do - without turning on the autopilot. It is targeted, informative, interesting, and sets you apart from your competition. It tells the listener more than just what you do...it tells them how you are relevant. It also invites a two-way conversation with your newly found acquaintance. It encourages them to ask more about you. The Talking Logo is flexible. If you have more than one product, you can adapt the Talking Logo to fit the occasion.

The 2-Step Process for Creating your Talking Logo

Step 1: Explain your target client market and their pain points. Use the following syntax when formulating the first part of your response: ACTION VERB (I help, I teach, I show, etc) THE TARGET CLIENT MARKET (young married couples, retirees, CFOs, IT companies, etc) HOW TO (solve or fix a specific problem or need).

Example: A mortgage broker might say, "I help first time home buyers save tens of thousands of dollars on the biggest purchase they have ever made up to this point."

If your Talking Logo has hit its mark, you should get some raised eyebrows indicating interest as your listener asks, "Oh? How do you do that?"

Step 2: Part 2 of the Talking Logo explains how you fix your customer's pain points. You should focus on an answer that distinguishes how your exceptional product, process, or skill solves the client's problem. It is very important to be ready with this answer because you actually have the listener's attention thanks to Step 1. No missed opportunity here!

In Summary, the Talking Logo immediately differentiates you from your competition. The Talking Logo conveys more than what it is that you do, it communicates what problem you solve, your system, and how you do it distinctively. The Talking Logo makes you more memorable and referable. Try creating a Talking Logo for the next time you get that question, "So...what do you do?"

Joshua Willingham is a Small Business Therapist with the Gryphen Group ( http://TheGryphenGroup.com ). He helps small businesses get out of their peak and valley cycles and take their business to the next level. Joshua also is a marketing speaker, writer, and blogger who enjoys helping small business owners achieve their goals.

Find out more about Joshua Willingham and the Gryphen Group at: http://TheGryphenGroup.com/gryphen-group/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joshua_Willingham

The Network Economy - Developing Self-Direction and Social Networks For 21st Century Success

2009-08-10T07:07:00.001-07:00

In today's economy, we are all awash in a sea of uncertainty, and there is no end game of which we can be sure. Things are changing in our social and work environments: the rules, the process, and the structures. Where the old frameworks emphasized the capacity to sell our product, our service or ourselves for maximum profit or personal gain, the emerging one will reward connections with individuals, organizations or communities in ways that reap enduring associational - as well as financial - capital. Being independent-minded about our vision and goals means going beyond reliance on an existing structure upon which to climb higher, focusing instead on developing sets of mutually-beneficial contacts through which we create ever-evolving opportunities.

Time magazine's May 25, 2009 cover story, "The Way We'll Work" describes the parameters of the new economy as "a more flexible, more freelance, more collaborative and far less secure work world." Among the values and abilities for navigating within it the article cites striking a balance between "doing well and doing good," an more independent-minded approach to career advancement to replace the "corporate ladder" that often rewarded allegiance to the company over integrity, collaborating with co-workers with increasing diversity - including older people working long past conventional retirement age alongside and taking direction from Gen X - and environmental sustainability. Here is another way to see the challenges of this paradigm shift: we can create a future in which making a living is intimately bound up with making a life.

We all have the tendency to want to do things the way we have always done them and a return to routine a great comfort after a destabilizing change. But the shift to a Network Economy has already begun. Things are not going back to what they were, so we are better off using the uncertainty to upgrade our relationship skills and invest in a range of social relationships that draw upon different strengths and expose us to diverse people and situations.

Start with self-knowledge. C. Robert Cloninger, a researcher at the Center for Well-Being at Washington University at St. Louis published studies showing that well-being goes up, and symptoms of depression and other emotional disorders are diminished for individuals who work to develop what he terms "mental self-government," i.e., becoming more internally directed than externally controlled, more cooperative and compassionate than competitive, more intuitive and thoughtful as a balance to rigid, structured thinking. A positive mental state is defined by some social psychology researchers as "a constructive and mature way of thinking that is hopeful and nonviolent." People with greater self-awareness have a higher proportion of positive thoughts on a regular basis and demonstrate increased activity in the cerebral cortex, the most recently evolved portion of the brain. This tells us that positive thoughts and emotions are essential to proper brain functioning as well as well-being, And that a constructive, creative approach to problems can lead to a sustainable and enduring share of good feelings.

Here are some ideas for expanding self-awareness that also expand social networks for personal and professional advancement:

Make a list of your established strengths and accomplishments. Be specific. Write down positive comments others have made about these, in letters, conversations, or performance reviews.

Make a list of undeveloped potential and unused abilities. Next to each of these, list actions to take that will tap those potentials. Research organizations, websites, conferences, or classes that offer opportunities to attend training, observe others already involved in these areas, and talk to people.

Take stock of all the people already in your life and the contributions they make to your well-being as well as what you do for them. Write down their names and list the gifts they have already given you. Write down all the roles you take in relating to them and the special skills you use in that relationship. If there are few relationships of this kind on your list, figure out why and change it.

Feel uncomfortable meeting new people? Get busy doing something important. The discomfort will be there, but with a higher purpose.

Volunteer for a not-for-profit organization.

Join local community organizations and sign up for committees.

Journaling, meditation, and creative experiences are excellent methods for increasing self-awareness and self-discipline, but have the added value of getting past the defenses we all constructed in school when we became fearful of making mistakes of appearing foolish. Creative, intuitive ideas flow when we develop a habit of self-reflection that produces a sense of psychological safety. Those ideas show us our most deeply-held passions and vision, and in the network economy it is people who have the combination of mental clarity, self-awareness, and the capacity to be self-initiating who will benefit most from emerging possibilities.

By Jude Treder-Wolff, LCSW, RMT, CGP

Jude Treder-Wolff, author of Possible Futures: Creative Thinking For The Speed of Life, (Lifestage Publications, 2009, http://www.thespeedoflife.org) is a Licensed Certified Social Worker, Registered Music Therapist, and Certified Group Psychotherapist in full-time private practice providing individual and group psychotherapy and addiction treatment, and President of Lifestage, Inc. in Smithtown, NY, a consulting company providing training seminars for professional and personal growth, health education, and stress-resilience. As Director of Clinical Services at the YMCA Family Services, a community-based agency providing addiction prevention and treatment services, she supervised a diverse professional and support staff, and as a consultant designs and implements training seminars for agencies such as Pederson-Krag, Options for Community Living, YMCA Family Services, Suffolk County Dept. of Mental Health, organizations such as the Multiple Sclerosis Society, Therapeutic Recreation Association, National Association of Social Workers, American Music Therapy Association, and American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama, and developed courses for the State University at Buffalo Summer Institute Continuing Education Courses for addiction treatment professionals. She has been published in The International Journal of Arts and Psychotherapy Special Issue on Addiction and Special Issue on HIV/AIDS, Music Therapy Perspectives, Clinical Social Work, and Recovery Press and has been interviewed for articles about creativity and stress-resilience that appeared in New York Newsday, L.A. Times, Woman's Day, and The Three Village Times. She served as editor of The Psychodrama Network News, the official newsletter of the American Society of Group Psychotherapy and Psychodrama from 2001-2007, and currently writes an e-newsletter titled Lives In Progress which is archived.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jude_Treder-Wolff

Got Social Equity? The Quality of Your Network Impacts Your Net Worth

2009-08-10T07:06:00.000-07:00

I'm in the midst of some big transitions in my business. Have you been there? It's scary and exciting all at the same time and it's got me thinking a lot about social equity, the strength of my network and quality of relationships within it.

Social equity is one of my favourite topics to teach and it is the reason why I'm moving forward in a new and more authentic direction with such confidence.

Social equity is simply the standards and mutual value of your personal and social relationships. The key to positive social equity is the element of mutual benefit.

When your social equity is high, the people within your network truly care about you and your success as you care about theirs. There's a great deal of mutual benefit and as a result, transitions are much easier to manage because it's easy to garner much needed support in many areas.

They are relevant in that they are interested in your area of expertise.

They are responsive in that they read and comment on your communications.

They are loyal in that they stay around as you and your company(s) grow and evolve.

And, they care in that what you do and who you are really do make a difference for them, they notice and it matters.

Does this describe YOUR network?

When you have a relevant, responsive, loyal and caring network it's almost impossible to fail. I like to call positive social equity an insurance policy for your success.

But the diversity of your network is equally important. There are specific relationships that are essential to long-term, high level success.

For example, if your network only includes customers and prospective customers, there are critical gaps you must consider.

Here are six specific types of relationships, in addition to your network of prospects and customers, that you should spend time developing high social equity with (and why):

1. Family and Friends who "get" what you do. What I mean by "get" what you do is these are friends who support vs sabotage success. When you share your plans and ideas they fuel your excitement rather than burst your bubble. They don't look at you like you're crazy ;)

2. Mentor(s) to inspire you and lift you to new heights of success.

3. Coach(es) to teach and motivate you to keep growing and moving forward.

4. Masterminds/Associations of like-minded and motivated people moving in the same direction as you to connect, collaborate, commiserate and celebrate with.

5. Complimentary Experts/Service Providers. These are business owners who share your target audience but serve them in a way that is complementary vs. competitive. These individuals or companies are perfect for co-promotion, collaboration, joint ventures, referrals and more!

6. Industry Experts to stay informed, remain innovative, and strengthen your expertise.

So as you build your own networks and strive to develop high social equity, remember the seven types of equitable relationships and the essential ingredient of mutual benefit.

You'll also want to stay tuned to upcoming blog posts where I'll share some specific ways to build and nurture relationships to create positive social equity.

I'd love to hear how your relationships are supporting your success. Please feel free to comment on my blog at http://www.ginabellinc.com

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?

Please do! Just be sure to include this complete blurb with it:

Fun, Fame and Fortune Mentor Gina Bell is devoted to teaching multi-passionate and creative entrepreneurs how to embrace their multipreneurial spirit doing ALL that they love to do. If you're ready, she's ready to give your marketing and mindset a motivating kick-in-the-pants so you can claim more fun, fame and fortune too!

Learn more about Gina's products and programs at http://www.GinaBellinc.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gina_Bell

Reasons to Shop at Computer Discount Sales

2009-06-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

Some people will not purchase a cheap computer because they believe that anything that costs so little can not be a good quality tool. This is not always the case. There are several places where you can buy high quality computers and laptops at discounted prices. These systems are offered at bargain prices due to many different reasons.

Technology Is Evolving Quickly

There are so many advancements in technology these days and companies are eager to produce products to keep up. This means that there can be a lot of surplus goods that stores have to get rid of in order to make way for the next best thing. If you look at what you actually need a computer for, you may find that you do not need to invest in the brand new systems. All the functionality that you require may be successfully gained from a computer system that is one year old. This would make it a great idea for you to spend a little less money on something that is still fairly new to the market. Most people will not change their computers for at least 5 - 7 years so you should really think about whether you need to spend that extra $400 - $500 right now.

Some Stores Specialise in Surplus Goods

Some companies, in particular online companies, have made it their business to sell surplus computers and they have made it a very successful enterprise. They source their products from stores that have either gone bankrupt or shops that are looking to get rid of stuff to make space for their new supply. Many online stores will sell these products with good warranties so you can make your purchase with piece of mind just in case anything does go wrong. This is definitely something that you should look into if you are hoping to buy a computer when you have a limited budget.

So if you are looking for a new computer or laptop, you could successfully grab yourself a bargain by choosing to buy products that have been on the market for a few months or you could look online for discount computer stores to look at what these sites have to offer.

Read more about buying a cheap computer via discounted computer sales.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_Bennett

Basic Wireless Network in Your Home

2009-06-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

If you are new to the computer world and want to get more out of your computer experience by learning how to build a wireless network within your home, then here are a few steps you need in order to get started.

A Wireless network is a network that uses radio waves to communicate via your home wireless router. When we talk about radio waves we are speaking about signals that transmit to and from your router so that you can view the internet from anywhere in your home without using a cable. In a home network signal travel through your cable line, small satellite dish or telephone line from your internet service provider through your modem (switch), which is subsequently connected to your computer to provide you internet access.

Before wireless we connected to the internet through a large area network cable (LAN) from the back of our modem to our computer. We also connected and some still use this method today, to the internet through dial-up, which of course is the least expensive method of connecting to the internet. Dial-up is the method by which you plug your phone line directly into your computer and connect to the internet through an ISP such as AOL. Which ever method you use, the downfall with using a wired network is that you computer or laptop will have to remain in the same location that the cable is located in order for you to connect to the internet unless you get smart and purchase a 10 foot cable or phone line, which in this case will cause a huge mess in your home.

With a wireless network, it is not messy at all as you connect to internet through radio waves that are transmitted throughout your home from your router. To build a wireless network all you need is internet service in your home, a wireless router, a modem from your ISP, wireless LAN cards for every additional computer or laptop in your home. If you have a laptop, then the wireless LAN cards look like credit cards and for wireless LAN cards for your computer, they are card like with an antenna sticking out of them.

Now that you have your equipment, the first thing you do is connect your computer to the router and the modem to the router, Before, your modem was connected directly to the computer, but in order to do wireless, everything will need to connect directly to the router. The modem will be connected to the internet port on the router and the computer will be connected to one of the ports on the router other than the internet port normally port one.

If you need assistance in setting up the router as you will need to make some minor adjustments with your router such as closing off your port so that you are not providing internet access to everyone in the neighborhood as I have seen this happen far too often. Your router comes with a manual that shows you how to set-up the router for your wireless network so follow the steps given in the manual.

After your base computer is set and you are able to surf the web through your wireless router from the base computer, then you are now ready to add additional computers or laptops to your wireless network. To verify that you have close the port so that only the people in your home will have access, every laptop added to the wireless network will be prompted to enter the secure password before they are granted access. After the password is entered, they are ready to begin surfing the web. That is all there is to it and you will love it as now you can roam from room to room with your laptop surfing the web whenever you go in your home and if you are in areas where you can not get a signal then you may want to invest in a long range wireless router.

Bypassing Internet Censorship Methods

2009-05-27T02:49:00.001-07:00

Just like the World Wide Web itself has really developed over the course of the past 10 years or so, so have the censorship methods that are put in place to deal with subjects that appear to be a problem, or are comprehended as a problem to those people that have the authority to enact rules and the like.

While a couple of cases of censorship can, if nothing else but in theory, be advantageous, individuals deserve their right of expressing themselves. Also given, on the different side of things, the legal right to hear anything they might want to, regardless of what the subject.

That foundation of human rights is the basis of the whole US constitution, and the regulative laws that make up the government of most other developed countries. No matter who is putting the laws into effect, no regulative measure has the right to remove those basic rights from any person.

Fortunately, there is a thing that you can do to protect yourself from internet censorship. Though very solid internet blocking schemes have been created, they are able to be blocked comparatively easily if you know what you are doing. In the process of bypassing these internet censorship systems, you can put a stop to forced online censoring, and make your own decisions regarding which websites that you would like to visit and also what content you wish to view.

It should be said that, not all bypassing system are worth trying. It does pay off to take in some reviews from users prior to choosing any product aimed to help you resolve this matter.

So just go ahead and take the first step at this very moment: Learn how you can get around those pesky internet censoring systems, and say good-bye to censorship.

This work was written by Alberto Maeses. Visit internet censorship and bypass internet censorship to discover more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alberto_Maeses

What is Adware, Where Does it Come From and How Does it Affect You?

2009-05-27T02:47:00.000-07:00

If you think you don't have adware on your computer, then maybe you need to think again. Adware affects an estimated 80% of all computer users who are connected to the internet. Adware is big business and adware developers are cashing in on the biggest and most lucrative industry namely internet advertising.

So what is adware? Adware, like software are applications that gets installed on your computer without you knowing. It's main purpose is to either "advertise" directly to you or to gather information from you that advertisers can use to advertise to you.

Direct advertising via adware is usually via pop ups and we all know just how annoying that can be. Other forms of adware advertising is with toolbars that add themselves to your web browser, homepage changers, sidebar add on's and even aware that will add itself to your favorites or bookmarks.

The new generation of adware is much more sophisticated and some of them will track your user patterns to monitor which sites you visit. This will allow advertisers to bombard you with advertising that's focused on what you already like which will give them a better change of making money.

Aware mostly finds it way unto your computer via downloads. Music, movies and (especially) shareware software and free games are known to be riddled with adware and the best part is that you won't even know that you "agreed" to have it installed on your computer.

Peer to peer (P2P) networks, download sites and torrent sites are one of the newest sources of adware and you need to be very cautious when visiting these sites or when you download files from them. It's imperative that you protect yourself with a good aware blocker if you spend a lot of time online.

Although adware isn't as dangerous to your personal security and your sensitive information as spyware is, it is still a great concern since someone else has access to your computer and can manipulate your computer screen. One of the biggest problems with adware however is that it can slow your computer down severely and even cause constant crashes and even permanent damage to your system files.

Protecting yourself from adware is something you need to pay attention to sooner rather than later. The best practice is to get a good adware/spyware software that can scan, remove and then protect you from all the many threats out there. Don't take a chance hoping that you won't become a victim of internet crime.

The Adware & Spyware GEEK
For more information of fighting cyber crime and how to protect yourself from the threats of spyware and adware, visit http://adwarespywaregeek.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deon_Du_Plessis

Major League Networking

2009-01-28T10:11:00.002-08:00

There can be many levels of networking depending on the ambitions and goals of the networker. In the big leagues, professionals and entrepreneurs can utilize networking to make some grand slams in their businesses or social endeavors. This is where the stakes for the game are higher and there is more space for playing the field. How can champion networkers move up to the next level with their objectives? How can they expand and develop their resources? How can they develop their network to an all star team?

Up the Stakes

For networkers to move up to the next level, they have to think bigger and play harder. Professionals should consider joining or being invited to exclusive clubs or organizations? Membership prices can sky rocket, but the potential of meeting class A players is a guarantee. In major cities, there are clubs which have hundreds of elite members and offer first quality events and services to their members.

Away Games

In order to find your ideal client, customer, vendor or partner may require a field trip. Individuals should not hesitate to travel to conferences, events and venues to meet their ideal network members. There are several areas which are known for attracting particular companies, individuals or business which can enhance anyone's networking endeavors. A popular lecture, professional or social event can easily attract the type of audience a person wishes to meet.

Read All About It

Advertising is another way to increase the flow of traffic and build the ideal network. Publicizing certain activities, new services and products in magazines, newspapers, billboards and internet ad banners are excellent ways of meeting people and companies. This form of mass marketing can build a personal or professional brand and gain instant credibility. It can also give the competition a run for their money.

Chi Chi Okezie is owner/producer of SIMPLEnetworking, LLC in Metro-Atlanta, GA. Newly published author of "SIMPLEnetworking: Creating Opportunities ... The new form of success!" View excerpts of the book and polish your professional approach: http://www.snseminars.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chi_Chi_Okezie

Networking Tips - 4 Easy Ways to Build an Effective Network

2009-01-28T10:11:00.001-08:00

I can't emphasize enough how important it is for everyone to have a network and keep in contact with the people in it, but many people don't know how to do this well. Networks aren't something that you build by handing out business cards to everyone you meet. Networks are relationships. Not deep, BFF (best friends forever) relationships that are going to take all your time, but at least something that will ensure they remember who you are when you call. To avoid the inevitable panic that will accompany a job search in which you realize you have no one to go to for information, help, or support when you really need it, ALWAYS BE BUILDING YOUR NETWORK. However, having a resource like a good network will benefit you in good times, too.

No matter who you are, you already have current contacts. These aren't necessarily close relationships-acquaintances are fine. These are people who you have something in common with: you used to work with them, your spouse works with them, you went to school with them, you are/were in some kind of group with them...you get the idea. Make sure you have and maintain current e-mail addresses.

What do you do with your contacts?

1. Every 3-6 months, send a quick e-mail. You aren't asking anything of them, you're just saying "Hello." Your e-mail should say something like, "Hi, this is Peggy. It's been a long time since we've talked. I'm still at _______________, still doing _____________. If you need anything, please give me a call. Here are my phone numbers if you need to get in touch with me or give someone else my contact information if I can assist them." If you can (but you don't have to), offer something-an article you just read, some new industry info, something that might interest them personally. (No e-mail chain letters, please.) This will keep you in their minds so that when an opportunity DOES come up, they are likely to think of you.

2. Get more contacts. Sign up for LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or other social networks. Join specific groups, where you can get posted on current blog posts, or join conference calls where you can give or get information. You also need to be on those so that you can be found by recruiters who might have the perfect job for you. As you add contacts, add them to your e-mail routine.

3. When you leave a company, ask your boss if he will give you a positive reference. If he will, get a personal e-mail address, too. If he leaves the company, you'll still be able to get in touch with him when you need the reference.

4. Be honest with your network. Everyone has problems-we all know that. I'm not saying we need to hear all the sordid details, but being honest about issues you have or situations you're dealing with just might lead to an otherwise missed opportunity. We don't always think of someone who tells us "everything's fine," but we all like to help someone if we can.

Peggy McKee is the owner and chief recruiter for PHC Consulting, a recruiting firm providing top sales talent, sales management, marketing and service / support personnel to some of the most prominent high growth companies in the medical and laboratory products industry for over 9 years!

We provide top talent (usually the top 10% of sales force rankings) and reduce turnover (through exceptional client knowledge and candidate screening) this in combination with our reputation for smoothly facilitating the hiring process makes us the search firm of choice in this arena.

For more information, see our website at http://phcconsulting.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peggy_McKee

Get the Right Business Networking Attitude

2009-01-28T10:11:00.000-08:00

As a business owner, you understand how important it is to get new leads. Successful lead generation can bring thousands of dollars into your business and it is what will keep your business in the money. However, many business owners often have difficulty when trying to get new leads. In order to be successful, you have to get the right business networking attitude.

The first thing you must do in business networking is to be proactive. You must take the initiative and go after the leads. Many business owners often sit back and wait for the customers to come to them. This method may allow you to stay in business, but it is a guarantee that you won't make as money as you could if you enlisted a business networking strategy to get more leads.

Business networking will also require you to step outside of your comfort zone. You may feel completely comfortable answering emails from potential clients, but the minute someone wants you to return their call, you freeze. The age old expression of "practice makes perfect' is good advice. Anyone in business networking should take the time and practice their telephone etiquette and finalize what they would like to get across to their prospective customers.

With business networking, you must also learn not to take a rejection as a personal rejection against you. There is no way that everyone will want to purchase your product or pay you for your services. If you make a phone call and they hang up on you, you must not let this get you down. Business networking will not always be easy, but you will learn to take it in stride.

On the other end of scale, business networking also requires you to be patient, as well as persistent. Be prepared when you make that phone call. Come up with a list of objections the caller may use and write down what the appropriate response should be. Stick with it until you have given all of the information you can give them. If they still are saying no, follow up with then in a few days and ask if they have thought of any more questions. The more you make yourself available, the better your chances are of converting them to a sale.

In order for business networking to be successful, you must come up with a great introduction for yourself and your business. Callers who simply hear, "I'm trying to sell you something," are more likely to hang up on you than if you let them know you want to simply give them something. This something just happens to be information on how they can benefit from what you are offering.

Don't let business networking scare you out of potential sales. Practice your proposal with friends and family members and this will give you a chance to figure out what works and what doesn't. Business networking should be an important part of your marketing plan and if done correctly, can lead you to a prosperous income.

Dustin Heath recommends that you visit http://www.MEWBiz.com to learn how you can start your own home-based business earning multiple streams of income with a Plug-In Profit Site - Complete Money Making Site Setup FREE!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dustin_Heath

What to Do About Harassing Emails

2008-12-16T09:24:00.002-08:00

For most of us, email has become such an ingrained part of our lives, it is hard to imagine life without it. If you work from a computer terminal, you likely send dozens of emails a day, hundreds a week and thousands per year, but for every email you send, you likely get several unwanted emails in return. This unwanted email is known as spam, and it is one of the biggest headaches of the Internet age.

Different email programs try to deal with the scourge of spam in different ways. Some try spam blocking software that is supposed to weed out the unwanted mail from the ones that you need, but more times than not, this software ends up sending important notices into the garbage. Other programs attempt to compile master lists of spam email addresses in hopes of screening out unwanted mail, but new addresses are made so quickly, this process is simply not comprehensive enough.

As most experienced email users can tell you, the only way to really deal with this problem is to contact each spam sender personally and have your account removed from their lists. The only problem is that many of these spammers don't want to be contacted, and simply hitting the reply button won't cut it. You need to know the company name behind the spam so that you can contact them directly and end their assault on your inbox.

Working Proxies and Why Free Proxies Break

2008-12-16T09:24:00.001-08:00

If you want to obscure your identity and IP address from a particular web site you visit, then you'll need to find some reliable working proxies. there are lots of reasons people use proxies they are surprisingly useful servers and have all sorts of cool uses.

The main difficulty with free working proxies is because generally the administrators of these servers don't even know their server is being used as proxy server. Often these boxes are just misconfigured internet facing servers which have been left open by mistake. It doesn't take long for people to find them and they start getting added to the endless lists of free anonymous proxies on the internet.

It doesn't usually take long before they are completely overwhelmed with surfers bouncing off these proxies and browsing via them becomes a painfully slow process until they either fall over or an embarrassed systems admin realises his mistake. But never fear there will always be a new batch of proxies along very soon.

Whatever your use for using a proxy server, whether you want to bypass your work or schools proxy to access restricted sites or just you believe in privacy and freedom of speech. You should be extremely careful what you use these servers for - many, many free anonymous proxies are set up for the purposes of identity theft and stealing data. When you use a proxy all your web browsing goes through that single point first and as most html traffic is in clear text then obviously identity thieves, hackers and all sorts of spyware is usually found or installed on them.

Unless you know all about who runs a particular free proxy server, then never, ever use it to pass any sort of personal or private information. Personally I would never go near a free anonymous proxy partly because I know exactly the sort of people who target these servers to steal information.

If your goal of protecting your identity and privacy on the internet then a free anonymous proxy is about the worst thing you could use. Sure it will likely block your IP address from the web server you are visiting (if it's configured correctly) but all your data is in the clear before that point and your ISP has a complete list of every server you are visiting anyway (unless you use end-to-end encryption). That's before you include the distinct possibility of Mr Identity Thief sitting on that proxy server with a sniffer capturing every single piece of data both ways!

Free anonymous proxies are extremely costly to run and less face it you never get anything for free. If you want real privacy, real anonymity and to surf at super fast speeds you are either going to have to seduce a systems admin at your local University or use a paid service.

Elements of Some 419 Scams

2008-12-16T09:23:00.002-08:00

Internet-savvy 419 men routinely use emails to source out and target their victims. The availability of email-harvesting software has rapidly turned this local scamming business into one of the biggest industries spanning the world. From the Americas to Europe and even to Asia and Australia, these 419 scammers send out their standard deceiving emails to a mailing list they gathered online.

Bearing their standard, albeit fake information and their scam stories, they send out these emails from internet cafes to hide their identities. They mass-send the emails although recipients would be inclined to think it was sent only to them.

The 419 scams have several elements. It would be wise for you to have a look and see at them and be guided accordingly.

Fake Checks. Scammers usually use fake checks when necessary to falsely gain the trust and confidence of victims. This scheme often takes advantage of the float. The float is that period of time it takes for a check to clear. While the float may take anywhere from 7-10 days for local clearing checks, it could sometimes take months especially when dealing with foreign banks. As is the common practice in the US and in some other countries, banks are to make funds available to the depositor in at most five banking days whether or not the clearing process has been completed. It could take anywhere from three days to several months for the fraud to be discovered.

Untraceable Communication Lines. Scammers usually communicate anonymously, almost untraceable, so it would be difficult to track them down. Watch out for:
• Web-based email accounts. Many free webmail services do not require valid information to identify registrations requests. Such webmails are often used as they can be setup in minutes and can be accessed in internet cafes.

• Email hijacking. Scammers email family, friends and even associates of the legitimate account holder to defraud them. They pose as a friend needing assistance, sending emails from a familiar account. They normally steal login information typically by phishing viruses.

Fake Websites. Email-based scammers wishing to enhance their "credibility" use fake websites. These websites may imitate real ones like PayPal, eBay and baking websites. Imitating websites is normally done for phishing. But since their goal is to entice the victims to make money transfers through legitimate means, they could create a totally fake website for a fictitious bank to suit their purposes.

Invitation to visit. Some victims get invites to visit a country and allegedly meet with real or pretend government officials. Victims who fall for this trick are held for ransom. In some cases, they're smuggled into the country and threatened to giving up more cash for the penalties of being in the country without official documents. Some victims wind up dead when the ransom is not met.

There are other elements in this business that people must know. But the most important thing to remember is to not be too trusting. It's human to want to be wealthy but it's always good to remember there's no shortcut to it. If it sounds too good to be true, then it must be too good to be true.

Email Spam Scams and Variations of 419 Scams

2008-12-16T09:23:00.001-08:00

With the horrific stories of successful scammers making millions from fraudulent activities online, efforts are now in full force to crack down the 419 scammers. An ABC documentary on the subject traced a scam to its origins in Nigeria.

The ABC documentary was just one of many efforts, now getting more concerted, to crack down on the fraudsters perpetuating this activity on a massive scale. The Nigerian police has created the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a special division specifically to enforce the section of the Nigerian Criminal Code, 419. The code makes it illegal to obtain money by false pretenses. It was not enforced until recently.

The scams happen worldwide. The old, traditional post mail scams have now escalated to million-dollar, worldwide fraud business because of the availability and accessibility of internet facilities. What authorities find out though, is that a lot of these scammers are not part of an organization. While there may be highly organized master scammers, many are small scale schemes looking to make an easy buck.

A lot of the scams have been traced back to parts of Western Africa. Nigeria is a hot spot. The decline in Nigeria's oil-drive economy has left millions desperately poor. But instead of looking for decent jobs, thousands of computer-savvy Nigerians are making a living off of thousands of gullible people from the West, many of whom are Americans.

Spam emails are the most widely used method of fraud. Spammers send varied types of fraudulent emails. It begins with the use of email extraction programs that scour internet websites for email addresses. In some instances, fraudsters obtain a list of email addresses from the black market.

The scammer would usually pose as a widow or heir of a corrupt government official who has left his family with embezzled money stashed away in some hidden account. The widow would ask help to get their money on the funds and in exchange, promise millions of dollars in reward money.

Sometimes, a scammer will pose as a diplomat or a corrupt government official looking to make for a partner-investor in a business. The proposal is usually to ask help to funnel dirty money and "cleanse" it. The money is supposedly stashed somewhere inaccessible. If one helps release the funds that would require advancing a small sum of money, the victim will supposedly receive a million-dollar reward and business deal.

Scammers will sometimes notify a victim of winning a lottery online. The amounts would be anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars purportedly held in trust somewhere pending your accomplishment of some paper work. Typically, the victim will be asked to pay a small sum to cover facilitation and processing fees before the money could be released.

Some scammers will identify themselves as a bank officer knowing of a deceased depositor who has died without a next of kin. He would ask the victim to help them get the funds before others do by posing as next of kin and filing a claim. The victim will then be promised a commission, a reward for the help.

More recent forms now involve romance angles and a lot of them now operate in dating sites and online communities. They pose as desperate women wanting to fall in love and scam lonely, gullible men for cash.

Anonymous Proxy Lists - A Warning

2008-12-16T09:17:00.000-08:00

Nobody likes being snooped on but nowadays there are too many people online doing just that, from governments to identity thieves - lots of people with their own agendas trying to spy on what we do online. This is why so many people look for anonymous proxy lists, thinking that if they just change the proxy setting in their browser that will give them some protection from all people invading their privacy.

Unfortunately it is not quite that simple and let me explain why. An anonymous proxy will protect a little bit of your browsing online, what it effectively does is stop your IP address being logged on the web server you visit. The only address left there would be that of the proxy server, which would make all your requests for you.

Of course this only stops one little part of the trail on the internet, the most comprehensive sits with your ISP which is why the governments of Europe have decided to enforce them to keep their logs for two years. So that's every web site, email and chat session linked to your account and kept to be accessed by whoever. All this information can also be picked up along the wire or via any wireless connection you use if it's not secured. For instance anyone who logs on to a computer network in a hotel would be very surprised to see the information available to anyone who starts a network sniffer. You can learn an awful lot about your fellow guests in a very short space of time!

The anonymous proxy of course will also have a record of ALL your web traffic and what you do online. Here lies one of the main problems with using free anonymous proxies, the simple fact that instead of leaving your IP address on various web servers across the internet, it's all logged on one specific server. Given that these servers are usually just misconfigured internet facing servers they are an obvious target for another internet snooper called the identity thief. All they have to do is log-on on to the server and install a simple sniffer and they will capture all the clear text traffic travelling across the wire, extremely valuable information in their line of work.

Using anonymous proxies which you don't know about is extremely risky, it has been estimated that about 80% of them have spyware infections. But simple stuff like that would be the least of your worries if you happened across one of the faster free anonymous proxies that often appear in the lists, if they are really quick it could be one of the servers set up by one of the many hacker groups across the world who buy and sell personal information.

Protecting your privacy is a good thing just be careful how you go about it. Think, anonymous proxies cost a lots of money to run. Who is paying and why are they doing for free? Read those free anonymous proxy lists with care and be careful how you surf.

How to Use the Power of 5 in Network Marketing

2008-09-26T22:14:00.003-07:00

I want to share with you today, what I think is one of the biggest reasons that people don't get going with network marketing, or why they quit their network marketing businesses too soon.

People don't understand the power of 5. What do I mean by the power of 5?

Quite simply: you sponsor 5 people into your business, those 5 sponsor 5 etc etc.

You can be truly successful in network marketing by sponsoring just 5 people. If more people understood this simple concept, then I am convinced that everyone would want to be in network marketing.

Now the 5 people you need probably won't show up all at once. You might only find 1 or 2 in the short term. However, when you truly begin to realize the power of 5, and the concept really takes root in your consciousness, then you just have to stick around. Most people quit too soon and don't wait around long enough for their 5 to put in an appearance.

If 5 get 5 get 5, down seven generations, then on your 7th level you would have 78,125 people. The total in your group would be almost 100,000 people. All from you starting the ball rolling, finding 5 serious people who found 5 serious people etc.

Now I live in the real world, and I know that not everyone that gets involved in network marketing ever gets serious and actually sponsors anyone. However, what I'm suggesting here is, that it is well worth the effort to keep plugging away, because your next serious player could turn up tomorrow.

How many people would you need to sign up to find your famous 5? 10? 20? 50? No one can know for sure. However, what I truly believe is this: if you can convince the people that you sponsor, of the power of 5, then more of them will put in the required effort. Why? Because they can see the finish post.

A lot of people think that they have to personally sponsor the world to make it big in network marketing. When they are struggling to sponsor even one new person into the business the task looks enormous because there isn't a tangible goal in sight.

If you can re-focus their attention on the concept that they only need 5 people, then the enormity of the task shrinks immeasurably. They can see the finish post. Even if they think it might take a year or even 2 years to find their 5, they can see that it's worth their while sticking around.

In the meantime you can point out that they already have a couple of serious people in their downline, and that even 2 gets 2 gets 2 etc can be pretty powerful too.

And here's something else that people don't usually get. Your powerful 5 don't always have to be people that you sponsored personally. If you notice someone in your downline that is particularly enthusiastic and is getting serious, go and work with that person. Even if they are a couple of generations removed from you, they could bring a lot of people into your overall organization.

If that person is more dynamic than you, they could build your entire organization for you. I'm not kidding! There are a lot of people, who are highly regarded in network marketing, who only ever sponsored one serious person. That person builds almost all of their organization and income for them.

So never lose sight of the big picture. Always keep in mind the power of 5 to build an organization of 100,000 people. And remember, when the going gets tough, you only need one serious person to catch fire and they could build an entire organization for you.

If you can teach this principle to your down-line I am convinced that more of them will get busy and more of them will stick around for longer.

Your Only Way to Achieving Outrageous Network Marketing Money and Freedom

2008-09-26T22:14:00.002-07:00

If you want to achieve outrageous amounts of network marketing money and freedom then this article is for you.

I believe that in the 21st Century there is only one way to do network marketing. If you follow this secret method then you will be far in front of 95% of network marketers out there.

Only those people that are far-sighted enough and open-minded enough to accept this secret method will flourish in the new age of network marketing, the rest will be left by the way-side.

I'm talking, of course, about using the Internet as a marketing medium. However, although many people are belatedly catching on to the idea of using the Internet to grow their network marketing business. I would judge that over 95% of them have absolutely no idea what they are doing.

Most people are trying to market their business opportunity online in the same way that they marketed it offline. That is, they shout loudly about how great the opportunity, the products and the company are.

No one likes that approach in the offline world and it gets even less interest in the online world.

If you are thinking of using the Internet to promote your business opportunity then there are some lessons that you need to take on board. Follow these tips and you will stand head and shoulders above most of the network marketers out there.

What you must understand is: that people will not join your business opportunity whatever company it is, whatever the compensation plan is, whatever the products are. Period!

People do not choose to join companies. They choose to join YOU! Whatever your company, your comp plan, your products; if people feel that you can add value to their business and their lives, then they will be ringing your phone off the hook to join you.

How do you demonstrate that you can add value to someone's life?

You have to become a leader. Using the power of the Internet you can brand yourself as a leader. People love to follow a charismatic leader. You must put yourself out there on the world wide web, you are your product. You is what you should be promoting.

And believe me this isn't as difficult as you might initially fear.

My advice is to find yourself a marketing system that works to brand you as a network marketing mentor and leader. If you aren't sure which way to turn, find yourself a mentor that can walk you step by step through the process. There are some people on the Internet that know what they are doing. Partner up with them and let them lead you to the top.

You can make outrageous amounts of money in network marketing! You just need the right marketing system and someone to show you how, oh and you need YOU of course.

Attention Network Marketers, Here's How to Explode Your Network Marketing Income

2008-09-26T22:14:00.001-07:00

If you are in network marketing, and you aren't yet making the amount of money that you desire, then this article will show you how to explode your network marketing income.

If you aren't doing your business on the Internet then you need to be ASAP.

If you are already using the Internet for network marketing then congratulations, you are on the right path.

However, if you aren't yet making the sort of money you thought that you would be making, there are probably a few simple reasons why. Most people make the same mistakes because they don't really understand how to use the Internet to market properly.

Most people, probably over 95%, that are promoting their network marketing business on the Internet are doing it totally wrong. They are applying the same principles to marketing online that they applied to marketing offline.

Almost all network marketers are poor at marketing. If you are in this business you need to learn how to market. Unfortunately companies and team leaders are usually poor at marketing, and this just trickles down to every member of the team.

All distributors just end up handing out the company's promotional materials to anyone that will have them. Annoying everyone that comes within 3 feet of them and becoming a social leper.

Some will have the idea of getting on the Internet. However, they usually market online the way that they do offline, that is just directing people to the company's website and expecting that to sell the business opportunity for them.

I can categorically tell you here and now that doesn't work. It doesn't work in the real world and it doesn't work online either.

The reason is: people do not choose to join a business opportunity or a company, they choose to join YOU!

Therefore, to be successful in network marketing and explode your network marketing income, you have to sell yourself first and foremost.

How do you do that?

You have to brand yourself as a leader. You have to show that you are someone that can add value to peoples lives and their business.

Using the Internet you can brand yourself as a leader, and an expert almost overnight, and have hundreds, if not thousands, of eager people ringing your phone of the wall, begging to join YOU in your business opportunity.

You can begin the branding process immediately by developing a massive presence on the WWW. There are many ways to do this. You could have your own website where you brand yourself (not your company's business opportunity). You can use the social media sites such as MySpace, Facebook etc, to build profiles telling the world how wonderful you are and what you can do for them. You can use blogs and/or Twitter to let people know what you are doing on the Internet and in your business. And of course, you could start writing articles to get yourself noticed, LOL!

So I've given you lots of ideas to be exploring. Check them out and start putting them to use. Learn to market yourself first and you will explode your network marketing income.

Network Marketing Phone Sponsoring Secrets For Ultimate Success

2008-09-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

This article will help you to succeed, with network marketing phone sponsoring techniques that most network marketers are totally blind to.

So you are on the telephone with your prospect. Either she has called you or vice versa. My first tip is that you should always be the one making the call. Never be caught on the hop by answering an unexpected call from a prospect.

Personally, I prefer to screen ALL of my telephone calls.

The reason for this is that, at this stage YOU need to hold all of the power in the relationship. If you answer the phone to a prospect then, immediately, they will take charge of the conversation with some sort of question about your business.

Do not, under any circumstances, answer that question. If you do then you are dead in the water.

Answer one question and a barrage of similar questions will follow. This will basically be a list of your prospects objections to actually joining your business. You will immediately be on the defensive about yourself, your business, and your opportunity.

You will have given away all of your power and you will appear pathetic and needy to your prospect.

You need to have total control of the phone call and the conversation.

The reason you are calling is to qualify the prospect for your business. Not, to sell your business opportunity to the prospect.

That is the essential message of this article. So re-read that last sentence until the message sinks in for you.

You have all of the power in the relationship at this stage. Treat it like a job interview. If your prospect were applying for a job against 100 other candidates, they wouldn't have much real power would they? That's the mentality you need to project.

Conduct a typical job interview over the phone. Find out everything you can about them. Past history, work history, business experience, network marketing experience. Find out what their goals, dreams, and passions are.

When you have conducted the interview you can close by saying: "Well (Susan), you sound like you would be perfect for this business. I can see you going a long way, and making a lot of money in this industry. Shall we sign the paperwork and get you started today?"

So now you know. Start applying this technique to your network marketing phone sponsoring and watch your conversion rate soar.

How to Succeed in Network Marketing With the Internet

2008-09-26T22:13:00.000-07:00

This article will open your eyes to the mistakes that people are making on the Internet, and show you how to succeed in network marketing with the Internet

So lots of people are finally getting wise to the power of the Internet to grow a network marketing business.

Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for you and I, they don't have the first clue what they are doing.

Most network marketers are applying the same marketing techniques online that they use offline.

For example; most network marketing companies and sponsors advise outdated methods of marketing their business opportunity. You know the kind of stuff. DVDs, brochures, promotional calling cards, etc.

None of that stuff ever worked very well, however, most companies still churn out tons of the stuff. They encourage all of their distributors to buy it and distribute it randomly. There's no science behind the method. It's a case of : just present it to as many eyeballs as possible and someone might get interested.

This method is very inefficient because they don't target a specific audience to market to. When people get online to build their business they make exactly the same mistake.

Business opportunity seekers are a very niche market. You need to be marketing to network marketers, would-be network marketers, ex network marketers and failed network marketers. Most other people just aren't interested in starting a home business.

People that have been marketing successfully on the Internet for years, have realized that to be successful on the WWW, you have to market to niche audiences. You can't afford to market to everyone on the web. You would have too much competition to ever be able to compete.

For example; I know of one gentleman that has built a $20million dollar a year business from promoting dating techniques. Other people sell products on dog grooming tips, fixing cycle tires etc.

Do you get the idea? You market to a very defined niche audience, NOT the entire Internet community.

So what do you market to your network marketing niche audience?

Most people are out there just plugging their business opportunity. This is absolutely the biggest mistake that you can make.

People do not like to join business opportunities. People like to join people.

What you have to be marketing to your niche audience is YOU!

You need to brand yourself as an expert who can add value to peoples lives and businesses. If people see you, like you, and feel that you can help them solve a problem in their life, then they are far more likely to come to you than some random stranger on the Internet.
How do you brand yourself as such a person?

The best way that I have found is to give away free information. Too many people on the Internet are trying to sell something. Give information away and people are far more likely to access what you have to say.

Maybe you could offer a free newsletter that gives advice on network marketing. Maybe you could write a series of articles. What about writing an ebook and giving that away?

Whatever way you decide, you must give without expecting anything in return.

Build trust and rapport with your audience. Once you have their trust they will be far more open to considering your business opportunity.

Current Internet Network Security Policies Are Nonsense!

2008-09-21T21:43:00.001-07:00

Internet network security policies are flawed in strategy and implementation.

Gary suggests that the use of external consultants for the entire internet network security policy framework is not a great idea since the external consultants will find it difficult to grasp the intricacies and business drivers for the network security decisions.

Also, in terms of implementation, the internet network security policy should be disseminated to each and every employee of the company through seminars , handouts and quizzes rather than an innocuous email that no one reads.

The network security policy should capture the latest trends in the network security industry rather than playing catch up. One of the network security aspects
that Internet network security policy makers should be worried about now is access to corporate data through a Blackberry or a mobile phone.

New ways of accessing internet cause internet security policy nightmares for CIOs. For example, most companies allow employees to access the corporate intranet mails thru Blackberrys. Also, some companies allow VPN access to the entire corporate intranet. All this is usually actually in violation of the existing corporate internet security policy which has to be rewritten.

In conclusion, internet network security policy implementors should focus on internal buy in among employees and proper dissemination to the entire IT work force,including contractors.This will ensure that the internet network security policy doesnt end up as a useless binder in your boss's cabin!

Gary P is one of the editors of Data-recovery-reviews.com,is the leading portal on data storage, data recovery and network security. A recent article on IS internet network security policy frameworks

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_P

Learn How to Sell Network Marketing Without Fear Now

2008-09-19T21:02:00.003-07:00

Do you want to learn how to sell network marketing without fear? Many people do but they don't know where to start. The old way of selling network marketing was very scary for a lot of people because most times you had to use cold calling or presentations. A lot of people got used to being rejected or having the phone slammed in their ear, which doesn't help with your confidence in selling. This is something you can still do today but it is not the best way.

When you want to learn how to sell network marketing without fear, the answer will be to use the internet. By using the internet to help you start selling network marketing you will be able to completely eliminate cold calling. Selling online is so much easier because you can reach so many people and you don't have to hear them rejecting you, which gives a lot of people more confidence and helps them achieve better success.

Here are the things that you will need to have set up so that you can start selling network marketing online. All of these things are very important to have and use when you learn how to sell network marketing without fear.

One: An Opt-in page, which is also known as a squeeze page can be a very powerful tool for selling network marketing. You want to have a page that has been designed specifically for your network company. You want to offer people a report or newsletter that they find valuable to them or their business. In exchange for this, they will give you their contact information.

Two: A follow up system is the next step. You can easily set this up using an autoresponder. You need to contact your subscribers at least 7 different times because most people won't buy anything or sign up for anything until they have seen it at least 7 times. The more you can contact them the better because this will give you a better chance of selling network marketing to them, plus it will give you that many more chances to tell your subscribers about your network marketing company.

Three: You need to have a feedback system in place so that your subscribers can contact you if they need or want to. The more they can interact with you and give their opinions, the more they will trust you. Plus, no one wants to sign up for anything or buy anything if they can get a hold of the person behind the product or company.

These are not all of the things that you will need to have set up online so you can start selling network marketing. There are other things that you will need to know about so you can learn how to sell network marketing without fear but you can easily learn this by doing some research online. Do your homework about selling online and before you know it you will be able to sell your network marketing business to anyone.

Business Opportunity Leads - Let Them Feel You Are Offering Them a Legitimate Opportunity

2008-09-19T21:02:00.002-07:00

As the world population increases you would think so would things like 'jobs', but no. Unemployment is what has increased and it increases even more year by year. That is why a lot of people are turning to the internet. The opportunities on the internet are really overwhelming, but sometimes to the point where confusion sets in and stays. When looking for a business opportunity on the web, the first thing you need to do is gather your options and understand them first, don't go signing up for everything you check out, this will just confuse you and flood your inbox with so much mail you wont know where to begin.

Next, when you've narrowed down your choices to maybe 2 or 3, study them well, look for the good and the bad facts on them, make sure you can do the job. Don't believe everything you read, use your God given common sense as well. Then make it happen. Start your home based business. Where to start? The leads. Business opportunity leads can be found everywhere. There are lots of companies that sell leads, but if you're planning to purchase them you need to consider a lot of things because all leads are not equal.

Lead generating companies generate their leads in many ways. The best leads cost a lot. Common ways of generating leads are by sending out emails or direct mail, telemarketing, proposal requests, conducting surveys on the phone or on the web, referrals, trade show demonstrations, seminars or even advertising. The more complicated, the better the lead. So your choices are either to buy the best leads or to generate them yourself. It may be more time consuming but the results are all worth it.

Once you have generated the leads, contact them as soon as possible. Waiting around too long gives them the opportunity to change their minds or to go somewhere else. When trying to make the sale, remember that its not how good you are, how great your product is or how wonderful your business is. It is always about the customer, how you can help them, how your product works for them and how your business can take care of their problems.

With the right leads and the right sales pitch your home based business should be a success. There will be problems and their will be bad leads, but no business is perfect. As long as to stick to the rules, do your research and as long as you don't bother people on the DNC list things will be A-ok.

A Review of the Share the Wealth Income Opportunity

2008-09-19T21:02:00.001-07:00

Once you find this website - it isn't high in the page rankings, even when you specifically search for it by name - it is fairly easy to navigate. You can immediately see the product, the opportunity and many benefits of working with the company. On their home page (the only page) that tells you up front that you will have to put in "a little honest work" inorder to reap the benefits of the business. They refer to their distributors and "partners" but that's only schematics, right? As for other information on the company, they do direct you to the World Success Team and apparently Share the Wealth is a division of this company.

Who They Are

We don't really know much about who Share the Wealth is. World Success Team is internet marketing professionals. They are a company that mentors and trains people to earn an income from a home based business. They have more than 14 years of marketing experience, but that is about all the information that is available. Where the company is based and how long the actual company has been in business is a mystery.

What They Do

It is rather difficult to determine just what Share the Wealth does because they don't publish anything on their website to tell you. All they do is allude to a wellness product that is available to sell. They claim that it is the "perfect" product, it is in demand and that Share the Wealth will give you "access to one product that has scientifically validated reasons for using it." However, what the product is or why you would use it is yet another mystery of this site.

How You Make Money

Again, the Share the Wealth site alludes to this mysterious "perfect product" that is "in demand" and you can become financially independent by selling it and creating a downline. They do say that they have multiple online marketing portals. One of these is four lead pages that allow you to market your business. They also claim to provide you with free prospects of people who want to start their own work at home business. Training and mentoring by experts is another asset of the company. But if you want to know about the product or just what exactly you will be selling, you have to fill out the online form in order to take the tour and get more information.

What We've Heard

There isn't much about Share the Wealth at all. There are no reviews, no testimonials and the site itself is nearly impossible to find. On top of that, you are left asking more questions than you get answered. What is the product after all?

If you are able to find a rep for this company, make sure that you drill them first and ask them the following questions. Do they have weekly or more often conference calls you can bring your prospects on free. Do they have a solid set of marketing skills they use to grow their own business. If they can grow theirs they can grow yours too right?

Making Money With an Opt-In Box

2008-09-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

If you have been in the home business opportunity industry for any length of time then you have heard it stated over and over the money is in the list. The almighty list; everyone needs one, but who other than the big boys really has one?

Well if you don't have a good buying list then you might be wondering just how you acquire that almighty list especially when you're new to the game of internet marketing!

Well first let me say that acquiring a list really isn't that hard. Shop around on the internet and you'll find literally a gazillion ads that promise you guaranteed traffic, or visitors they all use different verbiage but they are selling the same thing, a click to your website. Great! Wrong! So what?

What you need is targeted traffic that will buy from you. The almighty list is a list of buying customers. Now that is harder to get.

So if you haven't already figured this out, you need your very own squeeze page or website. Again, not hard to do, go to Wordpress.org or Blogger.com and setup a page you can direct prospects to. The big deal here is you need to be able to control the site. As a home business owner you need to be able manage the sight yourself. That's why I like using these two products; you don't have to be a web designer to make these products work for you.

Next you need to have reason for a prospect to want to get to know you better. That can be in the form of a newsletter, some sort of training camp, e-book anything like that. You can create this, have a ghost writer do it for you or purchase PLR rights. And now here you go, you need an opt-in form.

What's an Opt-In Form?

A form that captures prospects information, that coveted information know as "The List". The prospect provides their information to you so you can begin to build your relationship and eventually a sale. Every business opportunity needs to capture this information and will have it in some form on their squeeze page or sales page.

But lately there has been a lot of talk about what should go on an opt-in list. Most big marketers want ALL your information: name, address, city, zip, phone, email, and if they could they'd take your first born. I have found that most people when asked to give away this much privacy for a free e-book will not likely give you good data.

So I like what many of the smart marketers are doing. Asking for just a little, name and email, get you on their list and then offer to send you their free CD so now if you want it you need to give them all the other info.

This works because by then your prospect trusts you and is willing to provide this data. Good tactic for all home business owners to understand and practice.

Winning Tactics For Home Based Network Marketing Business

2008-09-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

Let's face it, one of the best way to do online business is by making it home based network marketing business. Whatever product or business you plan to sell, selling it in a form of network marketing will surely skyrocket your income to the roof. You will need a proper plan to create your own network marketing strategy or to short cut your way to success is by joining other community of network which have the same interest like you.

When you start your home based network marketing business, you will have an army of people who are willing to promote your business or product. The first thing you need to do is create a buzz about your product everywhere on the Internet. You can spread it using social networking websites and provide some good quality content that people can really understand what is it that you are actually promoting.

The best part of home based network marketing business is that you can set your own rules. You can decide how many level of upline and downline based on your needs. People will definitely love to join in immediately if they know that their uplines are very active in promoting your product. Of course this may sound like a lazy people because they will get the benefit of getting their own downline without doing anything. Nevertheless, if you charge them membership fee for every month, you will still make money from this lazy people. Sounds pretty cool, isn't it?

To make your home based network marketing business more interesting, try to think of a benefit where people who join your network will not get it anywhere else. One good example is giving them a free hosting account which is reliable so that they will not do extra work to look for good one. Provide them some useful tips every single week on how to grow their business to the next level so they will get motivated all the time. Always keep in touch with your group of network marketers.

Achieving fast result in home based network marketing business is very important to almost everybody. No one like to hang around for weeks or months before they can see the result of making money. You must make sure you product sell very well so that your army of network marketers can earn money as soon as possible.

Of course, you can start your own home based network marketing business at the comfort of your own home. Once you have succeeded, you will have more time with your family and plan for a holiday since your business are now fully automated.

Scientists want top security for GM crop tests

2008-08-29T11:16:00.001-07:00

Trials of genetically modified crops should be conducted within a national high-security facility or in fields at secret locations across the country to prevent them from being attacked and destroyed by anti-GM activists, scientists said yesterday.

Researchers spoke out after protesters ripped up crops in one of only two GM trials to be approved in Britain this year, and ahead of a meeting with government ministers, which has been called to discuss ways of providing better protection for crop trials in future.

Scientists claim the repeated attacks on their trials are stifling vital research to evaluate whether GM crops can reduce the cost and environmental impact of farming, and whether GM variants will grow better in harsh environments where droughts have devastated harvests.

Since 2000 almost all of the 54 GM crop trials attempted in Britain have been attacked to some extent.

In a meeting planned for early September environment ministers will be asked to consider establishing a secure GM crop facility at the National Institute of Agricultural Botany (Niab) in Cambridge, where the last remaining GM crop trial - of a blight-resistant potato developed by the German company BASF - is being conducted. Security for that trial, which includes a perimeter fence and 24-hour security guards, has cost more than £100,000. An identical trial at the site last year was damaged by activists in a night raid. In other proposals scientists will be seeking permission to conduct small-scale GM crop trials at undisclosed locations, and possibly a secure register to hold full details of their trials, instead of making them public. Under an existing EU directive GM crop trials in Britain can only go ahead once a full description of the crop, along with a six-figure grid reference that effectively pinpoints the planned location of the trial, have been made public.

SMBs in India to Spend US$289M on Data Security This Year

2008-08-29T11:14:00.000-07:00

Small and medium businesses (SMBs, or companies with up to 999 employees) in India are on track to spend US$289 million on security related investments this year, up a robust 32% over last year. Medium businesses (MBs or companies with 100 to 999 employees) are generating the majority of this increased demand accounting for 54% of the country's total SMB security expenditure. Small businesses (SBs or companies with up to 99 employees) are also expected to have an almost equal share in the total India SMB security spending pie. These facts are evidenced in studies by New York based Access Markets International (AMI) Partners, Inc.

"Protection from ever increasing electronic threats is the biggest driver for adoption of security solutions by India SMBs," says Abhilash DB, Analyst at AMI-Partners. "India SMBs are realizing that having an effective security policy will boost their chances securing a link within global supply chains. That's because web-enabled activities in day to day business makes an organization highly prone to security threats."

The evolution of the paperless office has given a new impetus to the need for effective information security, as have regulatory laws that require archiving and protection of confidential consumer data. "MBs are no longer finding solace in stand-alone anti-virus solutions," Mr. Abhilash says. "They want capabilities such as anti-spam, firewall and intrusion detection, both on the client (desktop/notebook) and at the gateway. Vulnerability assessment tools are becoming important as the larger MBs are becoming increasingly more proactive towards information security management."

The AMI studies note that SMBs are the most vulnerable segment of all businesses in terms of data security. "Security software accounts for 74% of the total SMB security expenditure," Mr. Abhilash says. "The majority of this spending is on antivirus software. Security in SBs is limited mainly to the deployment of an antivirus solution and they lack proper security management."

Dependence on the Internet and on corporate networks is rising rapidly among MBs. As the employee size increases, the focus on information security also rises. Even for basic technologies, the largest MBs (500 to 999 employees) lead the way in terms of penetration. The adoption of network firewall and intrusion detection is showing significant leaps among businesses of this size.

On the other hand, traditional security solutions such as anti-virus are experiencing slower growth rates, while emerging solutions such as anti-spyware and anti-spam have exhibited the highest growth compared to previous years. Anti-spyware and anti-spam solutions will record growth rates of nearly 40% among Indian SMBs this year. The market for managed security is also expected to grow at approximately 40% this year.

The top three key trends among India SMBs are UTM (Unified Threat Management), BCS (Business Continuity Solutions) and MSS (Managed Security Services). As SMBs are more focused in simplifying their infrastructure management, they are looking for an all-in-one security appliance, which UTM will provide. As such the India SMB segment offers a huge untapped opportunity for third-party security solution providers that can monitor the network in real-time for virus attacks and unauthorized network intrusions.

Related Studies

AMI's 2007 India Small Business Overview and Comprehensive Market Opportunity Assessment and 2007 India Medium Business Overview and Comprehensive Market Opportunity Assessment studies highlight these and other major trends in the context of current/planned IT, Internet and communications usage and spending. Products and services covered include established and emerging hardware, software, applications and business process solutions. Based on AMI's annual surveys of SMBs in India, the studies track a broad spectrum of issues pertaining to budgets, purchase behaviors, decision influencers, channel preferences, outsourcing, service and support. Also covered are detailed firmographics and critically important technology attitudes and strategic planning priorities. This data points to key opportunities and messaging hot buttons for vendors and service providers seeking to match their offerings to SMB market requirements.

Platform Will Reflect Shifts

2008-08-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

Convention delegates are set to ratify a party platform that refers sparingly to the "war on terror," among other marked shifts in tone on national-security issues from four years ago.

In 2004, national security and terrorism had top billing and took up the first half of the Democratic Party platform, which was the first since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. The platform promised retaliation for a terrorist attack with "overwhelming and devastating force," making reference to the "war on terror" seven times. It identified winning "the global war against terror" as the primary national-security challenge.

A draft of this year's platform refers to a general "war on terror" just once and argues for policies that "expand our understanding of the circumstances and beliefs that underpin extremism." The primary national-security goal is "ending the war in Iraq responsibly." While the document also makes specific appeals to defeat al Qaeda, it does so by outlining U.S. policy in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Unlike the convention, which is designed to appeal to a broad audience, the party platform is written primarily for the party base and receives far less attention than prime-time convention speeches. But it offers clues to shifting priorities or a rethinking of stances.

With the economy and energy costs topping voters' concerns, the Democratic platform emphasizes the economy and "renewal." On national security, the platform both "is getting more specific, and spreading the net wider," says Rand Beers, a national-security adviser to John Kerry's 2004 campaign. "The circumstances that we're talking about in the world today, versus 2004, have changed."

The 2004 document, titled "Strong at Home, Respected in the World," aimed to project strength during the first wartime election in more than 30 years. Emphasizing that, Sen. Kerry famously began his acceptance speech with the line: "I'm John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty."

While Sen. Barack Obama's selection of Delaware Sen. Joe Biden as his running mate adds foreign-policy heft to the Democratic ticket, Sen. Obama faces a difficult balancing act on national security. Polls show Republican candidate John McCain has a significant advantage. Voters favor Sen. McCain on fighting terrorism by 51% to 23%, according to the latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

"It's important to convey to the American people that the party and the candidate do not shy away from the tough national-security issues," says Mr. Beers. The question facing the Democrats, he says: "How do you do that when you don't have the governing reins?"

A committee of party stalwarts drafted the platform, but the framework arose from a series of 1,600 meetings with rank-and-file Democrats. "We really didn't look too much at 2004," says Michael Yaki, the national platform director. "When we were out there talking and listening to people, we concluded that, to paraphrase Bill Clinton in 1992, 'It's the economy, energy, and health care, stupid.'"

On social issues, the Democratic platform tries to strike a balance between the party's base and swing voters. "It's about threading the needle as much as you can," says Norman Ornstein of the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute.

The platform includes new language aimed at emphasizing a desire to reduce the number of abortions, while on immigration the party promises immigration reform that is "tough" and "humane." The platform also offers a section on faith and a section on fatherhood, a favorite theme for Sen. Obama.

On gun rights, the platform has evolved considerably since 2000, when in the wake of the Columbine, Colo., shootings, the party highlighted its efforts to pass a series of tough gun measures. In 2004, the party scaled down its plank on that to one line, recognizing "Americans' Second Amendment right to own firearms." This year's platform adds that "what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne" and respects "different views on this issue." The centrist tilt comes even after the recent slaying of the Arkansas Democratic Party chairman.

The platform calls for an end to the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy on gays serving in the armed forces and opposes the Defense of Marriage Act, which defines marriage as the legal union between one man and one woman, but it doesn't specifically make reference to "gay or lesbian" individuals in a section on civil rights.

The platform places considerable attention on women's rights, after a primary battle with Sen. Hillary Clinton left supporters upset over gender bias. Notably, the draft platform affirms support for the Equal Rights Amendment, which had been dropped from the 2004 platform for the first time since the proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing gender equality was introduced in 1972.

Protect Your Identity

2008-08-19T09:49:00.004-07:00

You already know the importance of not giving out your personal information to someone you don't know, or in chat rooms. You are well aware of not intentionally making yourself vulnerable to physical harm when first meeting someone you have talked to over the internet. However, there is a recent epidemic of people trying to sneak into people's personal and financial information that you should be aware of.

Recently, particularly on social networking sites such as Facebook and myYearbook, hackers have been using seemingly innocent or flirty email messages and comments to hack into people's computers. They start by possibly sending you a friend request, or an email asking you to click on a link to view nude pictures or videos. Once you do, they are, at a minimum, able to hack into your user account for that site. This can cause all types of problems for you.

First, let's say you are a member of a adult-oriented site. You may have pictures and/or videos posted there that you don't want broadcast to the world. Bear in mind that if they are posted on the internet, however, that there's always a risk of that. But, hackers and others with ill intentions can make that happen much more quickly and easily. This is only one of the minor risks you may face. They could use your profile to send unreasonable obscene, or perhaps even illegal, messages, pictures, and comments to other members of the site. At best, you could get banned from the site. At worst, you could face prosecution.

If they manage to take it one step further, and hack into your computer, they could have access to any files you have on that computer, including financial records, personal memos, family photos, etc. Many hackers also use something known as keystroke capture to log every keystroke you make, including usernames and passwords that you may use to log on to online banking websites, and other sensitive passwords that you wish to be kept secret. They also may be able to implant a virus (or worm) onto your computer, that may cause your computer to not work properly, or in some cases, not work at all.

Bear in mind that if you have a computer connected to the internet, there is always a risk that your computer could become infected with a virus, or that a hacker could break into your computer. There are many ways to prevent such things from happening, but basically, it's like the old saying goes..."locks are only good at keeping honest people honest". If someone wants into your computer badly enough, they will get in. So, all you can do is take all the precautions you can, and try to keep sensitive information to a minimum on any computer you have connected to the internet.

As far as keeping these hackers from using social networking sites to get to your computer, use a little common sense. If you receive a message from someone you don't know, chances are, they have ill intentions. The most common method they are currently using is to ask you to click on link to view nude pictures of videos. Do not click on the link, because that's when the trouble begins. Report any such messages to the administrators of the site, and delete them immediately. If each one of us does our part to stop these malicious people, eventually we may be able to stop them from trying to do harm to people who are just trying to have a good time and connect with like-minded people.

Cyber War and SEO Defense

2008-08-19T09:49:00.003-07:00

The web Georgian Internet nation was target of a coordinated cyber attack by Russian server, which compromised several government sites with defacement and denial of service attacks, and stop the nation's ability to disseminate information. Good lesson for the future cyber attack.The Ministry of Defense website was unavailable for viewing from the U.K. The Web sites for both the Georgian presidential office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia were available, but was due to Georgian redirection work. Denial of service attacks are conducted when a coordinated network of computers sends multiple requests to a given server or computer at exactly the same time, which subsequently shuts down the targeted computer under the barrage of incoming requests.

The cyber attacks ultimately prompted the Georgian governmental sites to switch to U.S. based hosts, while Georgia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs moved to a blogspot account. Cyber war has extended to the Russian news agency RIA Novosti was offline by DDos attack (DDoS attacks consist of overloading websites with so many online requests that systems crash) for 10 hours over Sunday night and Monday morning. Russian based servers AS12389 ROSTELECOM, AS8342 RTCOMM, AS8359 COMSTAR and with the more recent addition of AS8631 Routing Arbiter for Moscow Internet Exchange, are still in a commanding position. AS9121 TTNet of Turkey still remains routed through the Russian servers, not directly to Georgia. But alternative links have been made to AS35805 UTG AS United Telecom of Georgia and other servers based in Georgia.

We don't know the real sources of the attacks but the first coordinated cyber attacks against Georgia was detected in July, around one weeks before Russia launched its military intervention. Experts say that attacks launched in tandem with military conflict will likely increase as more global infrastructure is controlled by the Internet.

In 2007, disruptions of Internet service in Estonia like Georgia, formerly a political division of the Russia dominated Soviet Union prompted talk of those events as possibly the first ever cyberwar, but n this case Georgian cybersiege wasmore coordinated, professional and sophisticated. Anyway in this website we combat against to the cyberwar and cybercriminal, we assisting all the organizations or private company to the SEO defence and internet promotion.

How to Erase Your Search History Completely

2008-08-19T09:49:00.001-07:00

It may sound a bit scary but every stroke of my keyboard is recorded by the computer memory. Mostly when I use my internet, I know that the information regarding the web sites and links that I have been browsing is stored in the memory of my computer.

Windows as well as other operating systems stores the history of our browsing on the hard disk. The "Clear history" option does not do any good and it never erases the search history fully. I know that my search history is very easy to retrieve. Now this is a severe threat to my as well as any one's privacy. Moreover, I use my computer to pay my bills through my credit cards as well as make transactions through my bank account, thus I find a dire need of something that can erase search history completely.

There is a number of Internet history erasing software available in the market. With the increasing number of cyber crimes, I prefer using this software to erase search history so that my private data is not available for anyone's use. With the use of this history erasing software I need not remember to erase search history every time I have finished accessing my browser.

The history eraser removing software will automatically erase sensitive data once I set it to do so, every time I finish using my web browser. I also have an option to manually erase internet history if for some reason I do not want the history erasing software to work on its own. I am really satisfied as I can now permanently erase search history; erase the cache as well as every track of the web pages I have visited through my browser.

It is important to make a judicious choice for the software for erasing my internet history. The software should be user friendly as well as have all the options that make our Internet usage safe. My choice of software to erase search history is Winclear. Using this software actually makes my browsing safe and secure. It is very easy to use as all that I need is use a short cut key and erase any sensitive data in the back ground while I can continue working. I can also schedule to erase any sensitive data on my computer from time to time. The most important aspect of Winclear is that it is compatible with all Internet browsers.

So, I have the freedom to use any web browser I like. One of the most popular functions that come with Winclear is the shredder function. This function gets all my unwanted files deleted forever, files that I can not afford to be seen by my employer, spouse or my children instantly. With shredder function, I can erase the search history as well as other unwanted files which are almost impossible for any one to retrieve by any means. Erasing my internet history and using the shredder function improves the speed of my PC too.

Hence, if you do not want your sensitive data to be known to others and you want to ensure complete privacy, go for the standard software to erase your search history like me. And believe me, Winclear is one of the best choice you can make.

Phishermen Use IRS As Bait to Catch Victims

2008-08-19T09:48:00.001-07:00

It is that time of year that people's thoughts begin to turn toward Year-End and taxes. (Well, some people's thoughts anyway.) It is also that time of year that fraudsters begin to ramp up efforts to snare victims using 'phishing' techniques, i.e. using spam emails to lure victims into giving up sensitive information in the hopes for an extra portion of their refund or in exchange for answering a survey getting $80 credited to their credit card or bank account. In this article, we are going to discuss this pervasive problem and how to avoid getting suckered in by these schemes.

Below is the text of an actual spam email that has been sent to millions of US Taxpayers, we are going to take it step by step to explain how to tell if you are receiving a genuine message from the IRS or if it's a Phisherman.

"From: Internal Revenue Service [mail to:security@irs.gov]
Sent: Friday August 8, 2008 10:00AM
Subject: IRS Survey: $80 to your account - Just for your time!
Importance: High

Congratulations!

Dear Customer,

You've been selected to take part in our quick and easy 8 questions survey. In return, we will credit $80.00 to your account - Just for your time!

Please spare two minutes of your time and take part in our online survey so we can improve our services. Don't miss this chance to change something.

To continue click on the link below:

http://www.irs.gov/login.asp=survey

Copyright 2007 Internal Revenue Service U.S.A."

While the reason for asking for information from you may differ, whether it is a survey or a mistake that entitles you to more of a refund than you claimed, the result is the same. Your information and shortly later your bank account are gone. A lot of these phishermen are offshore companies that use a method known as 'hopping points' to hide the origin of their operations. A phisherman in Germany will use a 'hopping point' in South Korea; these crooks have gotten very creative and will often use several 'hopping points' to cover their tracks. But let's look at this email step by step to see what we are dealing with here.

One, any email sent to security@irs.gov is going to get rejected as this is not a valid email address, try verifying this yourself as the email address, while likely is a false one can sometimes actually lead to the IRS which will fill their inboxes with tons of requests for information on this 'survey'.
Two, when has the government EVER sent you a letter that has said, 'Congratulations', either paper or email? Chances are, the answer is never. Let's face it, the government isn't in the business of 'congratulating' anyone. One person mentioned that he got a draft notice that said, "Congratulations!" but the rest of the letter was all bad news.

Three, the IRS will never refer to you as a 'customer'. Taxpayer, yes; Citizen, sometimes, but never ever as a customer. And, even though this is a little facetious when has the IRS ever created anything that is quick and easy? This is the same government institution that sent three extra sheets of paper with each return in 2000 to explain the Paperwork Reduction Act!

Four, inevitably on these emails there will be a grammar or spelling error. Since these emails are often generated by people whose first language is not English, 99% of the time there will be an error. The English that the IRS uses might not be very clear, but its spelling and grammar are impeccable. '8 questions survey' should be '8 question survey'.

Five, about clicking on these links, remember that these links can be disguised, so while the link may say it's sending you to the IRS site, in reality, it's sending you to a cloned site, which in many instances actually looks better than the real thing. NEVER click on these links, NEVER cut and paste these links, if you want to verify the site, manually type in the site into your browser. Cutting and pasting will paste the hidden site, not the intended site into your browser!

Six, the IRS does not have to copyright itself every year, so there would be no copyright in the corner, it DOES make it look official and that is of course why the phishermen will use this tactic. And finally, number seven, and remember this one, THE IRS WILL NOT INITIATE CONTACT WITH A TAXPAYER VIA EMAIL OR FAX. So why are people caught by this scam? Simply because people are always looking for free money and those that are looking for free money are the ones who keep getting caught up in these types of scams.

Let's assume that you have already seen the email and clicked on the link (NEVER DO THIS) in addition to taking you to the wrong site, some links can put a Trojan horse or create a backdoor to your operating system that cannot be detected by Norton, AVG etc, because these backdoors are created by the people who are real familiar with how these programs work. If you have clicked on this link, you are taken either to the survey, (and in many cases, the survey is entirely skipped but regardless of whether it is there or not, this page will ask for your name, Social Security number, the card number you want 'credited', the expiration date and the CSV number on the reverse of the card.

While the IRS will request your SS #, and the amount of your refund, the IRS will NEVER ASK FOR YOUR CARD NUMBER, BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER, ETC, EVER! Why? Because they already KNOW it! When you opened your account, you had to use your SS number as an identifying number to do so.
In addition to using SPAM emails, these fraudsters will also use automated faxes. These faxes will often claim that you have won a vacation, or that you need to fill out IRS form W-8 for Foreign People Earning US Income. This is a completely fictitious form, do NOT return this form to the sender!

Okay let's say that you have become a victim of this fraud and you have compromised your personal information. What do you do? First, send the email to phishing@irs.gov and contact all the major credit bureaus. If this email claims to be from the IRS you may also call the TIGTA hotline at 1-800-366-4484. Fraud affects everyone, don't be a victim, learn what you can do to prevent it! And if it has affected you, fight back! There are many services you can use to repair your credit rating after your identity has been stolen.

David Roberts, CFE, CQBPA, MBA, lives in Kissimmee, Florida with four girls, three dogs, two snakes and one wife. He has been a member of the ACFE for four years and has been studying fraud for longer than that. He is the owner of Homesoon Accounting Services which specializes in Quickbooks Consultations and Fraud Prevention and Detection.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_S_Roberts

Cyber Crimes - The Call For Fast Lucre

2008-08-19T09:45:00.000-07:00

I gasp at the mere thought of imagining to be a multimillion dollar magnate, if my e-mail inbox is any indication. My inbox is inundated with messages assuring me of millions of pounds as prize money. I am told to just divulge a few personal information for easy access to the huge fortune that waits to be tapped at the click of a mouse. How nice it would be if it really happened! But we have to hold our breath for a minute. Many such spam mails from addresses 'Irish Lottery Board', 'From the desk of XXX', 'Congratulations. You have won 15,000,00000£' etc. somehow manage to creep into my inbox with audacity.

Such enticing e-mails check our resistance to avarice and if only we have a frail mind to reveal our personal information to these guys, we are sure to have long lasting problem leaving our bank balance high and dry. It all started with a mail from Nigeria, which stated that I have been chosen for several millions of pounds of prize money that actually belonged to some political bigwig who died leaving behind a deed.

There were cases, where gullible public had reacted immediately to the mail and given their details. A few cases as explained by victims in India suggest that they were asked to deposit several lakhs of rupees as administration charges and bank charges to transfer the amount. Even without a basic thought that why a stranger should offer several millions of pounds, people have deposited the amount to the fraudster's bank account. And rest need not be deliberated. Had I opted to fall in the vicious trap, I would have faced similar tribulations of terrible financial loss.

Worst things happen in the internet, where cyber crimes like 'phishing',' identity thefts' and 'hacking' our e-mail accounts, virus downloads to cripple PCs happen with gay abandon. Clarion calls for online MLM (Multi Level Marketing) notwithstanding; it only helps a top few in the top of the pyramid and gives the majority a raw deal. Advertisers of products and novel launches of software that project fast bucks in the business fasten their grip on fickle minds.

Dr. Atul Prakash, Prof of Dept. of Electrical Engineering at University of Michigan and his team has some alarming news to offer. Their study on 214 financial institutions in 2006 found that nearly 75% of the websites of the institutions had at least one design flaw. Majority of bank websites had design related flaws, which allowed hackers to gain access to personal information and accounts. They found login boxes on insecure pages that allow hackers to reroute data of create a spoof copy to steal information.

Consider the following shocking fact. According to a recent Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Technology report, banks listed 536 cases of computer intrusion with an average loss of per incident of $30,000 and total losses in 2007 was close to a staggering $ US 16 million.

Not everybody is cyber savvy when it comes to technicalities of computer. This fact serves to spreading of awareness to remain alert regarding proxy usage of one's e-mail addresses for ignoble motives. To prove that I am innocent of the happening becomes my responsibility in case somebody misuses my e-mail accounts. However, a basic understanding of the physical aspect of the computer comes to our rescue in such an unpleasant situation.

A recent article in an Indian Daily suggested that we need to be aware of our MAC (Media Access Control) number, which is the address of the tangible computer which we use in our home. Though somebody might have 'phished' our e-mail ID for some anti-social mailing, we can still prove that it was not sent from our machine, and some unscrupulous element has sent it from some remote corner of the globe using our e-mail ID. This stems from the fact that the MAC number is unique for a system, though our IP address may be reflected in the mails sent by the hacker.

A basic understanding of computer systems, firewall protections, virus controls and other updated information of cyberspace seems to be the need of the hour and last but not the least, let's not fall into the evil designs of alluring calls over the internet in the scramble for making fast lucre. No Midas touch can ever prevail in reality.

Homeland Security probes MnDOT official's hiring

2008-08-12T08:56:00.001-07:00

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says it will now check potential employees' backgrounds on the Internet after the department hired and then fired a disgraced Minnesota transportation official.

Kip Hawley, the top administrator for the Transportation Security Administration, recently made the change in hiring practices.

TSA had hired Sonia Pitt, who was fired in November from her emergency response job at MnDOT. She was fired from MnDOT after records showed she failed to return for 10 days from an unauthorized state-paid trip in the aftermath of the Interstate 35W bridge collapse.

The Department of Homeland Security fired Pitt July 31 after information from MnDOT backed up information from an internal investigation.

Homeland Security officials are investigating why Pitt continued to hold a federal security clearance after her MnDOT dismissal. They're also looking at Pitt's TSA application and whether corruption was involved in her hiring.

Social Security in forefront of 11th District race

2008-08-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

Republican congressional candidate Lou Barletta blames a public perception that he supported Social Security privatization as a major reason he lost his 2002 congressional race against U.S. Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski.

When something works, why not try it again?

In its first two television commercials aired locally, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is trying to tie the Hazleton mayor to President Bush, partly through Barletta’s past support for a limited Social Security privatization, a stance he has repeatedly renounced this year. Bush supported much more extensive privatization.

The ads are giving Social Security a prominence in the 11th Congressional District race it so far doesn’t enjoy in other congressional races across the country. The first commercial was the DCCC’s first anywhere in the general election campaign.

“I can’t think of a specific Social Security” attack television commercial across the country by a candidate, said Nathan Gonzales, political editor for the Rothenberg Political Report, a Washington newsletter that tracks congressional races.

Gonzales cautioned that it’s too early to truly assess Social Security’s prominence as a campaign issue because few candidates are airing commercials.

Social Security isn’t among the top five issues voters worried about in poll after poll statewide and across the country.

No independent poll has measured its prominence in Northeast Pennsylvania, but it’s sure getting the royal treatment.

“Did that surprise you, given the number of senior citizens here?” asked Thomas J. Baldino, Ph.D., a political science professor at Wilkes University. “There’s a large number of people who really depend on it. We all know there’s a large number of senior citizens, but they also vote.”

In a year when younger voters might figure more prominently because of the presidential candidacy of Democrat Barack Obama, senior citizens will probably again be a hallmark of the region’s electorate.

n Luzerne County, with 18.24 percent, ranked 9th in residents 65 and older among the state’s 67 counties. Lackawanna County, with 18.07 percent, ranked 12th.

Large swaths of both are in the 11th District.

Carbon, which ranked 27th, Columbia, 39th, and Monroe 66th, are the other counties in the district.

n More than 187,000 people receive Social Security benefits in the five counties — 77,178 in Luzerne and 49,777 in Lackawanna — almost a quarter of all their residents. The numbers include benefits paid to widows, widowers and disabled people.

During the 2002 race, Barletta favored allowing people to divert part of their Social Security payroll taxes into individual personal retirement accounts invested in government-backed securities or bonds, but not the stock market. The money would remain in government control, he said. Democrats say that’s privatization. Barletta argues it’s not, but says he’s against personal accounts now, too.

Ed Mitchell, Kanjorski’s campaign media consultant who developed Kanjorski’s 2002 Social Security ads, said the region’s demographic makeup isn’t the only reason Social Security is resonating at the moment.

“It’s an issue that has broad appeal with every American, especially at a time the stock market is down, the economy is so poor and people are seeing their 401(k) (pension plans) and IRAs (individual retirement accounts) diminish,” Mitchell said.

In an AARP poll of 401 Pennsylvania voters released Wednesday, almost six in 10 said they were somewhat or very worried when asked specifically if they worried about Social Security existing when they retired. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.

One of Kanjorski’s top commercials in their 2002 contest accused Barletta of wanting to “gamble with your retirement.”

As hard as Barletta tried to deny supporting privatization, the charge stuck and afterward he said it was a major factor in his loss along with lacking enough money to air his own commercials.

Within hours after he announced his latest candidacy Feb. 7, Democratic Party officials attacked Barletta as a privatization backer again.

In late May, aiming to head off another barrage on the issue, Barletta had a news conference on Courthouse Square in Scranton where he made it clear he wouldn’t stand for being ripped on Social Security.

“I don’t support privatizing Social Security, and anyone who says I do is lying,” Barletta said. “I’m against personal savings accounts. How much clearer could I be? The public has said it’s against personal accounts, so let’s take that idea off the table.”

The mayor also counterattacked, accusing Kanjorski of being part of a Congress that raided the Social Security Trust Fund 18 times to the tune of $4 trillion to balance the federal budget since 1991. He made a similar accusation in 2002, though not as specific — and much later and less forceful than now.

Kanjorski said the Social Security Trust Fund, which currently runs a surplus, routinely loans money to the federal government by buying the government bonds and securities. The government must sell bonds and securities to raise money to fund the budget. But that only happens because the past Republican-controlled Congress and President Bush allowed the federal budget deficit to mushroom to historic proportions

Hu Offers Sympathy for Dead Tourist, Boosts Security

2008-08-12T08:51:00.000-07:00

Chinese President Hu Jintao offered sympathy to U.S. President George W.Bush for yesterday's stabbing in Beijing of two American tourists related to a U.S. Olympic coach.

The Olympic host will ramp up security after the father-in- law of the U.S. men's indoor volleyball coach was killed and his wife wounded yesterday. The U.S. embassy called the assault an ``isolated'' incident unconnected to the Games.

``I want to take this opportunity to express profound sympathy to the families,'' Hu said. ``The Chinese side takes this very seriously,'' and will ``carry out a very serious investigation.'' Bush thanked Hu for his condolences as the two met today.

The murder on the first day of Beijing's Olympic Games cast a shadow on the world's largest sports event as China's government seeks to project the image of a progressive and peaceful nation to an estimated 4 billion television viewers globally. As many as 500,000 tourists are likely to visit the Chinese capital during the Olympics, which run through Aug. 24.

Todd Bachman was killed when a man wielding a knife attacked him, his wife, daughter and a Chinese guide at noon yesterday at the Drum Tower in central Beijing.

Bachman's wife, Barbara, 62, remained in a critical though stable condition at a Beijing hospital after eight hours of surgery, the U.S. Olympic Committee said today.

Internet Marketing Vs Yellow Pages!

2008-08-11T22:17:00.000-07:00

To most companies, advertising in Yellow Pages is the unshakable cornerstone of their annual marketing spend and they would no more think of canceling it than they would hire David Brent as office manager.

Surely Yellow Pages is established, recognised everywhere and enjoys strong distribution. It's expensive, but is there any alternative?

A moderately sized quarter of half page ad is looking at 3 -5K a year. A whole page? That can be anything from 5K to over 8K for the year. There's no negotiation; take it or leave it - and that's with the regulators on their back capping and indeed cutting rates by 3.4%.

How surprising is it that more and more of my clients are cutting back expenditure on Yellow Pages?

Not surprising at all really. If you think about it, search is not new and it has played a major part in marketing activity for decades in the form of phone books and directories. Effective search engine marketing simply takes this a giant step further, unlocking as is does the incredible introductory potential the web medium provides between supplier and consumer to connect and do business.

This trend is reflected in Yellow Pages own market analysis, which shows a downward trend in client retention from 78% to 75% year on year. Interestingly, it is newer customers who are leaving.

Yellow Pages ads are viewed by people who have all ready made a decision to buy. Don't emphasise why your product or service is needed but rather why it should be obtained from you. Consumers need and want two types of information from Yellow Pages adverts.

Firstly, they need to know why they should purchase from one company and not another.

Secondly, they need information that facilitates making their purchase ie they need to know how to make the purchase or have a call to action.

If you really focus and see things through your customers eyes then your Yellow Pages ad copy should virtually write itself.

The use of colour and how Yellow Pages charge for it is pretty unbelievable.

The book is now printed on white paper (think about it you can't have white ink)

Yellow Pages charge more for white in your adverts - 40% in fact.

But, Yellow Pages actually have to take an extra step to print a yellow coloured ad ie they overlay white paper with a yellow ink but this is cheaper than a white ad.

Our surveys show that colour is not the most important factor in selecting an advert. In fact, it is well down the list.

Yellow Pages sales reps often argue:

"It'll only cost you £800 a year to move up to the next largest ad size and ad colour. Don't you believe that the increased sales you'd obtain would more than offset that expense?"

This is a bad argument for a number of reasons....

It assumes that the business generated by your original ad pays for itself

It assumes that you make a 100% profit on each sale (nice work if you can get it)

It assumes that the use of £800 for additional Yellow Pages advertising would generate more business than would the use of the same £800 in another media

Nonetheless I see many of my clients putting all their eggs in one "Yellow Pages" basket without obtaining effective proof that their adverts are actually working.

The secret is to monitor the response to each and every advert you place.

If you can't measure it you can't manage it.

I know from my experience as a former Yellow Pages sales rep that one had to continually create a false sense of urgency. Typically Yellow Pages reps only work two directories ie they are in each area for six months at a time. The reps are paid a commission on signed orders so it's no surprise they go in for the kill...

This article is free to republish provided the authors resource box remains intact.

This article was written by David Clarke a partner at DBS and an internet marketing consultant who offers 0845 to mobile and 0845 number services.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Clarke

How to Wipe Your Hard Drive to Permanently Remove Private Or Sensitive Data

2008-08-08T08:16:00.003-07:00

You may not know how to wipe your hard drive, but you should be aware of the process. Computer security is a major concern for both business people and individuals, these days. If you want to keep your data safe, you should consider clearing all of the files off of your computer using a wipe disk tool, when necessary.

What is a wipe disk tool? Well, it's a tool designed to completely delete all files on a hard disk drive. It even detects and deletes files that could potentially be used to restore regularly deleted data. There is no better way of cleaning files from your computer permanently than using a wipe disk tool.

What possible reason could you have for wanting to wipe your hard drive completely clean? Well, if you personally or your business decides to get new computers, you may want to wipe the data from the old units. That will guard against it falling into the wrong hands.

Another scenario where it could be useful is if your company is going out of business and you are selling your computers. This is especially important for business owners who have client confidentiality to consider. There's no telling who will wind up in possession of the computers, after all.

Simply using the delete key or dragging files to your recycle bin is not going to remove those files from your computer completely. You are probably only deleting short cuts, if you delete things that way. It can take hours and be totally useless for your data security.

If you don't learn how to permanently wipe your hard drive, anyone can access files on it. All they need to do is use some sort of system recovery software to access the files. System recovery software can be found all over the Internet.

You might also try clearing files from your computer by simply formatting the hard drive, but that doesn't actually protect your files. A skilled specialist in data recovery can still retrieve them. So, using a wipe disk tool is a much better and safer idea.

Disk wiping is one of the most secure ways of wiping your hard drive. It is a very thorough process, too. It can even delete licensed programs. How does it work? Well, a disk wiping tool is designed to overwrite your whole hard drive multiple times with data. That way, it's impossible for anyone, no matter how skilled, to recover files that were created before the disk wiping process was done. Not only that, but such programs are so thorough that they also usually wipe out the master boot record and partitioned drives, too.

The government has set a medium security standard that says that a hard drive should be overwritten six times, over the course of three different steps. The first step is to remove the hard drive data. The second is to replace it with a series of zeros. The third assigns a code, 246, to the wiped drive. It takes a while, but it's very important to wipe your hard drive, if you don't want people to access your files.

The Computer Security Act of 1987 - In Layman's Terms

2008-08-08T08:16:00.001-07:00

Are you concerned about computer security? Do you worry that personal and sensitive information could be leaked to someone with the intent to use that information in a negative manner?

What Is It? The Computer Security Act of 1987 was the first true attempt by the government of the United States to legislate information in the federal government's computer systems. The overall goal was to protect and defend any of the sensitive information in the systems and provide security for that information.

Basically, what's private should remain private. The Computer Security Act of 1987 puts a check into place on federal computer systems. And, it's paved the way for the future of the public's limited access to government information.

The National Bureau of Standards, which is now known as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), was put in control of creating a strategy to develop certain standards for protecting any information. The Computer Security Act of 1987 required the National Bureau of Standards to create an absolute minimum of acceptable security practices.

Under the Computer Security Act of 1987, security plans dealing with computers needed to be created, and people who used those systems needed to be given the correct training.

Why Did the Computer Security Act of 1987 Originate? At one point in time, the United States Congress had concerns about how vulnerable computer databases could be. Could information be leaked? How possible were breaches in security? Could there be a national security threat if any information leaked and fell into the wrong hands?

It was at this time that Congress decided to check into matters and see how vulnerable the government computers really were.

What Does the Computer Security Act of 1987 Do? The Computer Security Act of 1987 created an advisory board, consisting of twelve members, who met a minimum of three times during the year. The board would give their report to Congress, the National Security Council and others.

The government act does prevent sensitive information from being released, but it also forbids the withholding of any information that's requested because of the Freedom of Information Act. And, the Computer Security Act of 1987 does not allow any restrictions, limitations or regulations on the disclosure, collection, sale or use of public domain or privately-owned information.

Outcomes from the Computer Security Act of 1987 As of yet, there haven't been any reports of major information leaks or threats to national security. But, libraries have reported that several government agencies, like NASA, the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense, have not released as many documents to the public as they did before the Computer Security Act of 1987.

Since the Computer Security Act of 1987 was passed, it has now been superseded by the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002, which expands on the realm of computer and network security.

Warning Spyware Detected on Your Computer! Is it a Hoax?

2008-08-08T08:15:00.001-07:00

If you get the infamous "Warning Spyware Has Been Detected on Your Computer", you first need to take your hands off the mouse because the worst thing you can do at that moment is to click the popup, because it is a hoax.

The popup message will instruct you to click on it in order to install antivirus or antispyware software, or to scan your computer, when in reality it is designed to get you to click on it so that it can further inundate your computer with additional spyware. The irony of this is that if you do see this popup, then you absolutely do already have spyware on your computer.

So how did you get spyware on your computer in the first place?

Some of the most common places where you can get a spyware infection include:

- Peer to Peer file sharing software/websites like Kazaa and Limewire
- Pornography websites
- Gambling websites
- Freeware and shareware applications
- Email attachments from people you don't know

Even if you are using top notch antispyware software, and you should be, you should avoid all of the above as doing so will greatly reduce your chances of getting infected with spyware.

How do you get rid of the "Warning - Spyware has Been Detected on Your Computer" popup?

While you will see various "fixes" and instructions on how to remove spyware by editing the registry or removing certain files, I cannot stress enough that I do not recommend you take this course of action unless you are a trained professional computer technician because you could do irreversible damage and make your computer unusable.

I also would not recommend using any of the free spyware removers that are available such as Windows Defender or Search and Destroy as their methods of spyware detection are antiquated and are not very effective against the myriad of spyware and adware out there.

What I do recommend you do is get your hands on a proven and tested antispyware solution. You should look for one that scans your computer against a spyware database that is kept up to date by the company's programmers so that you are ensured the software can detect and remove even the most current and newest spyware that is out there.

So again, if you get the "Warning Spyware Has Been Detected on Your Computer", be certain not to click on it and go out and find the best spyware remover available to scan and clean your computer.

Encryption and Making Your System Secure

2008-08-08T08:14:00.002-07:00

What does encryption do for me?

Encryption and cryptographic software has been used in many different ways to make systems more secure. This article discusses only a few ways that such software can make your system more secure, including:

1) Encrypting your email

2) Encrypting your files

To programs are mentioned that will help encrypt information. There are many more programs out there that will help, but these programs are good and a good place to start as any. They have the added benefit of both being free with source code available.

Will encryption stop people from accessing my information?

Encryption simply makes it harder for people to gain access to important information, like passwords or sensitive information in a file. The first thing you should know about encryption is that the algorithm that is used to encrypt can be simple or more complex and that affects how securely what you have encrypted is protected. Encryption systems have been broken when the method of encryption is understood by hackers and is easy to break.

Why bother to encrypt my email?

It should be noted that email is far less secure than paper mail for two very good reasons: first, electronic data can be accessed easily over an Internet and secondly, electronic data is really simple to copy. There is a very good chance that someone has snooped around in your email despite your best intentions to stop it.

How do I go about encrypting my email?

There are many programs out there that can help you encrypt your email. A very popular one is PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) or its Gnu offshoot GPG.

PGP (http://www.pgpi.org/) self-describes itself this way: This "is a program that gives your electronic mail something that it otherwise doesn't have: Privacy. It does this by encrypting your mail so that nobody but the intended person can read it. When encrypted, the message looks like a meaningless jumble of random characters. PGP has proven itself quite capable of resisting even the most sophisticated forms of analysis aimed at reading the encrypted text."

Why bother to encrypt my files?

The answer to this boils down to what you store on your computer. If you have financial data with important information like social security numbers, email addresses, account numbers and passwords, then you open yourself up to losing very valuable information. Most corporate Internet security employees will attest to the widespread theft of very valuable information. As long as you are connected to the Internet you are vulnerable.

Free Spyware Removal - Don't Believe the Hype!

2008-08-08T08:14:00.001-07:00

Are spyware removal tools really effective? Do they keep your computer clean and protect you from the constant threat of spyware and adware all of us as Internet users face?

Unfortunately, and contrary to what most people believe - the answer is absolutely not.

Industry experts estimate that over 90% of all Internet users will get infected with spyware while online. Given that fact, it is becoming extremely important that we properly protect ourselves and unfortunately, the reality about free spyware removal tools is that they are not nearly as effective as software that might cost you a mere $30 to download.

Most Internet users unfortunately do not understand the difference between free spyware removal tools and the tools that are not free because if they did, they wouldn't think twice about getting their hands on paid software versus thinking they get enough protection from the freebies. The reason I say this is because there is a very large difference between the scanning methods that free and paid spyware removal tools use.

Free spyware remover tools depend on observing the history of your computer's operating system and registry to find spyware infections. In other words, it scans common locations where spyware installs itself and then examines the files and entries to conclude if any changes have taken place and then analyzes those findings to determine if an infection is present.

The issue with this type of detection is twofold. First, the software often reports false positives - which means that it can report authentic files and registry entries as spyware and in some cases if these files are removed this can cause even more damage to your computer and can even make it unusable.

The second problem is that free spyware removal tools neglect to detect a fairly large number of spyware infections, including much of the newest spyware that has been written primarily because of the ever changing nature of programming and hackers exploiting more and more security glitches in software and applications. This results in many of the most dangerous spyware ignored and left running on your computer. With paid spyware removal tools, you rarely see this at all because the method in which they detect and remove spyware is very different.

Most paid spyware removers are more effective than the free tools because they depend on a database of known spyware programs when scanning your computer. In other words, instead of simply looking for changes in files, the software will compare each file scanned against a database to determine if it is a legitimate file or if it is spyware. This is important because it minimizes the amount of false positives but even more importantly, it significantly increases the accuracy of spyware detected and removed which means a greater level of protection for users.

Another important factor to consider is that paid spyware removal tools reinvest much of the money they take in from sales back into research and development of their spyware database and many of the top vendors update their databases at least a couple of times per week and allow you to download those updates for free so you are always current in being protected from even the newest of spyware programs.

So the next time you have a spyware infection, and you undoubtedly will, you'll want to think about whether it is worth the $30 price tag to get a proven and effective spyware removal tool or just use the free tools. If you choose the second option, be prepared to fight an infinite spyware battle where you'll always be fighting pop-ups, always suffering from a slow computer, and constantly putting yourself at a higher risk for identity theft.

Security chiefs discuss a replacement for Prisons boss

2008-08-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

Top security chiefs have met to discuss a replacement for the Commissioner of Prisons Gilbert Omondi, The Standard can reveal.

The officials met on Thursday night at Harambee House and made proposals on who should succeed the prisons chief, probably in the coming week.

Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura chaired the meeting.

Others said to be in attendance were NSIS Director-General Maj-Gen Michael Gichangi, Commissioner of Police Maj-Gen Hussein Ali, PS Internal Security Francis Kimemia, PS Youth Affairs Mburugu Kinuthia and AP Commandant Kinuthia Mbugua.

Although the finer deliberations at the meeting were scanty, sources told The Standard the name of George McGoye, a former deputy AP Commandant, was floated as the possible replacement for Omondi.

presidential appointment

McGoye is currently an undersecretary at the Ministry of Public Works.

Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka is expected to endorse McGoye followed by an appointment by President Kibaki.

Omondi’s replacement is part of recommendations made by a report on the Prisons Department.

The report compiled by a team led by former MP Marsden Madoka details cases of corruption, mismanagement, land grabbing, nepotism and other ills that have bedevilled the country’s correctional services over the years.

Kalonzo, who is also the minister for Home Affairs, picked the Madoka team after the warders went on strike to protest against the Government’s failure to pay them a risk allowance like their colleagues in other disciplined forces.

At the time, the warders said they were denied the allowance yet they had helped quell post-election violence.

Says the report: "The crisis facing the institution roots from a history of neglect."

Prisons officers complained to the committee that promotions were done on the basis of ethnicity, nepotism, political alignment and corruption.

The team established prisons suffer an acute shortage of housing for staff. There are 3,660 houses against a staff strength of 17,177.

And although most of its officers lived in shacks, the department did not use the Sh480 million allocated to in the last two financial years to build houses. Instead it only spent Sh348 million.

The development came as anxiety continued to grip the institution following recommendations by a taskforce for an overhaul of its leadership. The idea of bringing in an army or GSU officer to head the department was dropped.

Other sources said a civilian could be brought in to head the badly tainted outfit and transform it to international standards.

Apart from having a new Commissioner of Prisons, authorities have also considered picking new assistants.

The committee, which investigated the causes of the warders’ strike recommended that the entire leadership of the Kenya Prisons Service be sacked and in some cases, face court action.

Reads part of the report: "The Prisons Department urgently needs a change in leadership... to root out strongly embedded practices such as corruption."

The committee recommended that new leadership be put in place within a year.

The fate of nine senior officers who were interdicted, charged before court and later reinstated is still unclear following reports that they could not resume work without a "directive from above".

But officers who spoke to The Standard claimed the composition of the committee was aimed at kicking out some senior officers to pave way for favoured individuals.

"We understand officials want to lobby for their kin to lead the Prisons Department and that is why the committee was picked up," said an officer who did not wish to be named.

The officers said former Vice-President Moody Awori filed a report after similar studies on the institution yet nothing was done.

PC Owners Urged to Manage Power Use and Save Money

2008-08-06T09:02:00.000-07:00

Businesses and home users can help the environment and save money at the same time by making better use of basic tools for desktop PC power management.

It's a simple message but one that's sometimes hard to get across, especially to home users who don't realize how much electricity their computers waste if they don't take steps to manage consumption, said Mark Bramfitt, head of the consumer energy efficiency group at Pacific Gas & Electric, a California utility.

Power management tools ship with virtually all computers these days but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reckons that most home users turn them off within a few months of buying a PC, Bramfitt said.

"There's a tremendous opportunity for energy efficiency and environmental improvements, but influencing individual PC users is a very difficult thing to do," he said at an energy efficiency seminar arranged by the Business Council.

The management tools can yield annual energy savings of $25 to $30 per desktop computer, according to Bramfitt. For big companies that operate thousands of PCs that quickly adds up to a lot of money.

The tools allow the computer to turn off the processor and hard drive after they have been idle for, say, 15 minutes, and put the whole computer into standby after 30 minutes. That reduces the energy consumed by a PC from roughly 100 watts to 40 watts with the power tools enabled, Bramfitt said.

To enforce power management, companies can use network-based tools that allow the settings on a PC to be controlled centrally. PG&E and other utilities give rebates to companies that use these tools because it helps them to avoid having to construct new power plants.

The tools, from companies like Faronics, Scriplogic and Veridiem, range in price from $15 to $20 per computer, said Alena Gilchrist [cq], a senior project manager with the City of San Francisco's SF Environment group. PG&E will subsidize the cost to the tune of $15 per PC for businesses, and the City of San Francisco gives slightly more.

PC makers could do more to help. Around half of the energy PCs consume is sucked up by inefficient power supplies, Bramfitt said. More efficient supplies are available but cost about $20, compared to $5 for the cheap ones, so PC makers don't use them.

Much of the wasted energy pours out as heat, which adds to air conditioning bills. "The PC that sits under your desk at home or in the office kinda looks like a toaster to PG&E," he said. "Half the energy that goes into it comes out as heat."

Speed Meter Pro Network Utility

2008-08-06T09:01:00.000-07:00

Like most other computer owners in the world, you've probably become a network administrator by default, forced to handle the myriad problems that can bedevil your home network or small-office network. Pure Networks' $40 software app, Speed Meter Pro, can help you do the job--but only to a point. Speed Meter Pro focuses on network slowdowns and ignores other issues such as IP woes, making it only a partial salve for the beleaguered.

Still, what it does do it does exceptionally well. Install the program, and it automatically creates a network map that shows every device on your network, including your router. It also scans your PC and the network for problems, such as too many applications and devices trying to use the network at the same time; then it suggests solutions.

Speed Meter sits in the background, monitoring network performance and popping up alerts and accompanying recommendations whenever it detects a slowdown. You can also use it to troubleshoot network performance. For example, if you notice that an Internet connection on one PC seems particularly sluggish, open Speed Meter and it will show you which PCs and applications are using too much network bandwidth. The program also tracks your Internet use and bandwidth over time.

Unfortunately, Speed Meter Pro can't solve all of your network woes: It won't detect and resolve problems related to sharing printers, IP conflicts, and network setup. For that, Pure Networks, has a companion product, called Network Magic. You can buy the two in a bundle for $65.

The bottom line? Speed Meter Pro does a very good job of tracking and analyzing network performance issues, but by itself it simply doesn't do enough. If you want a full-blown network troubleshooting tool, you'll have to buy the combo.

EtherScope Series II Network Assistant

2008-08-06T08:59:00.000-07:00

LAN Network Assistant
This application is essentially a packet capturing, logging and reporting application which can search devices, find the amount of traffic transfered between devices and report in case of network problems. But that's not the great thing about it. There is a lot more. For instance, if you try to search a class B network for active devices using a PC based scanner, the process will at least take 15 - 20 minutes depending on the type of processor you are using.

This device when connected to a Class B network easily detected the active devices in less than 2 minutes. And that's not all, the device was also able to detect other devices which are on some other subnet and showed them through a warning message.

One of the other features is its capability to detect and tell the distance (the cable length) from these devices to the next connected node. Which means you can just connect it to any cable whose other end is terminated to any network device.

It will tell you the length of the wire between these two spots. Other great feature of the devices is its capability to trace the switch route to any machine. Let's say you have a faulty machine in your network somewhere in the building and you want to find exactly where the machine is, this device can tell you the route through the switches (managed switches) and its ports. For example, there are five switches between this device and the faulty machine, then it will detect all the five switches and their respective port numbers from where the connection is happening.

This is a great feature because one of the biggest challenges for a network admin is to figure out and pinpoint the devices in a huge campus with lots of cascaded switches.

PC to Phone Solutions: Communication at Ease

2008-07-29T09:15:00.000-07:00

The PC to phone solutions is steadily gaining momentum among the masses due to various positive reasons such as the cost-effective factor and hassle-free communication. This innovative means of connecting people from all over the world with the support of Internet telephony has offered a new dimension to connectivity. The VoIP phone providers are analysing the advantages of utilising this special kind of telephony in the place of conventional network connectivity. These advanced and latest networks have seriously changed the manner people communicate with one another. With the inception of this technology, people nowadays can easily chat, transfer files, view, and even enjoy the conference calling over the same network at a very affordable tariff rate which is very low as compared to the conventional means of communication.

How to guard your PC network

2008-07-29T09:14:00.001-07:00

Hackers targeting confidential data pose the biggest problems for IT managers.

Now, computer scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) led by an Indian-origin researcher have developed a new model for helping these managers safeguard valuable information most efficiently.

The new model has explained three paths that an attacker can take to penetrate the network using FTP server, SSH server or database server, which would act as a guide for IT managers in securing their networks by assigning a probable risk of attack.

"We analyse all of the paths that system attackers could penetrate through a network and assign a risk to each component of the system. Decision makers can use our assigned probabilities to make wise decisions and investments to safeguard their network," said computer scientist Anoop Singhal.

PC/LAN Support Specialist Korry Electronics Seattle

2008-07-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

PC/LAN Support Specialist


Job req #	Date posted	Pay rate/grade
020750	July 7, 2008	Hourly

Korry Electronics, a subsidiary of Esterline, is the internationally recognized leader in the design and manufacture of electro-optical display products, subsystems and discrete components for the aerospace and defense industries. We are a cutting-edge, industry pacesetter in many technologies (such as Night Vision and LED) that drive advances in critical applications for man-machine interfaces.

We currently have an opening for a PC/LAN Support Specialist.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

Under general supervision, support current and future LAN-based PC users at Korry. Provide PC hardware, software configuration, network and telecommunications support and trouble-shooting. The technical environment is Windows, MS Office, MS Project, HP3000, MANMAN MRP, MS Exchange, MS Outlook, and MS SQL Server.
Specific Responsibilities include; responding to the Help Desk; answering common HP and PC software package "how-to" questions; answering phone and voice-mail questions; assisting with new software installations; help with maintaining the asset tracking database, diagnose and repair of minor pc/network/telecom problems; designing PC images and maintaining the library of images; leading PC deployment including inventory, needs analysis, deploy schedule, and supervising temporary help; managing assigned Websites and facilitating the company Web authors’ group; managing the printing infrastructure; providing back-up to the network administrator.

REQUIREMENTS:

High School Diploma or G.E.D
5 years experience in PC and large Local Area Network and software package support with at least 2 years of Windows workstation configuration management

PREFERRED:

Microsoft certifications
Exposure to manufacturing and ERP concepts/familiarity with Lean concepts
Familiarity with ITIL concepts
Self starter, outstanding communicator, and dedicated to internal customer service

PEOPLE make it happen at Korry. Our success is built on a philosophy that encourages personal growth, involvement and individual commitment in a team environment. Korry offers many exciting benefits including educational support, three flexible weeks off during your first year of employment, a subsidized ride to work, and the opportunity to work with the best people in the business.

Wireless Network Security: How to Use Kismet

2008-04-09T01:29:00.000-07:00

Kismet is a wireless network detector / sniffer which can give you a vast amount of information about wireless networks. Wireless network security flaws are well documented but often very hard for the common person to understand. I will be showing you how to use kismet with out even having to install Linux, or compile kismet.

First you need to proceed to remote-exploit.org and download and burn their Auditor CD. (IF you don’t know how to burn an ISO image, go to Google). This version of Linux doesn’t install or modify your hard drive; it will boot from the CD and use a Ram Drive (On your Memory).

Auditor is not only a great tool for testing wireless network security with kismet but it also has many other computer security tools on it as well.

Client Window

Next, to start Kismet proceed to the Linux version of the start menu, and press Auditor. Now proceed to the wireless /scanning/kismet tools/kismet.

Once you click on Kismet it will ask you for a default location to place the Kismet log files for analyzing later, just press the desktop or temp file.

Now I will show you how to use Kismet. When kismet initially opens you will see a greenish box with numbers and network names (If any are near you) clicking away don’t be overwhelmed. (Also I can’t show you how to use kismet if you don’t have the correct wireless adapter, get an ORINICO Gold Classic Card off EBAY.) The Orninco gold classic card will be automaticly detected by auditor linux.

The Kismet columns will show the wireless networks SSID (Name), Type of device (Access point, gateway) Encryption or no Encryption, an IP range and number of packets. Kismet will pick up hidden networks with SSID broadcast Disabled also, Netstumbler will not.

Now Press H, to bring up the Help Menu. This will give the nuts and bolts on how to use kismet. If you tab down to the network you are auditing and press “C”, Kismet will show you all the computers that are using that wireless access point / gateway. This Kismet screen will show you the clients MAC address, Manufacture of Wireless Adapter, IP address range and traffic.

Kismet: Help Menue

Now to get out of that screen press “Q”. Tab Down on the Main Kismet Screen to another SSID and press “I”. This Kismet window will show detailed information about the wireless network. The Kismet detail screen will show the type of network (Infrastructrure / Adhoc), signal strength, channel, encryption type, and much more.

Kismet will also give you sound alerts when new wireless networks are discovered or security alerts or suspicious clients are in range. Suspicious clients would be people like you who are using Kismet or Networkstumbler. Unlike you these could be Wardrivers looking for venerable networks to hack into.

Kismet Alert Page

You can prevent War drivers from discovering your wireless network by performing a proper site survey which will help limit signal bleed off to unneeded areas. You should write down the suspicious MAC address and keep an eye on your access logs. If the War Drivers are really stupid just look out your window and look for cars with weird antennas.HA HA HA.

Kismet is more than just a tool to discover wireless networks; it can be used in conjunction with other tools to crack WEP/WPA. Many websites will claim that WEP can be cracked in less that five minutes. This is only half the truth because it could take many hours,days,months to gather enough packets to crack. Good luck and have fun learning the more advanced applications of kismet.

Network Security - Methods For Controlling Threats

2008-04-09T01:28:00.000-07:00

Since firewalls are so commonly used it is worth exploring them in greater depth. Corporations often set up rules for managing their Web connections using firewalls. A firewall enables a company to designate how all end users can use their network and decide what information is passed through Web servers and other servers.

There are several methods a firewall uses to control traffic that comes into and goes out of the network. One way firewalls do this is through packet filtering. During this process a firewall analyzes small packets of information against pre-designated filters. All data is sent via small packets of information through filters. Safe information is passed through and unsafe information is generally removed.

Another way firewalls mitigate traffic is through proxy service. This means the firewall retrieved information from the Web and sends it to the requesting computer. Still another method of traffic control used by firewall is stateful inspection. This technique allows the firewall to compare certain parts of the data packet to information gathered from trusted sources. Information going to the firewall from the Internet is monitored to determine whether it contains key characteristics that suggest the information is safe rather than harmful. Information designated as safe passes through freely and other information is blocked.

The methods a company selects will depend on a number of factors including personal preferences. Regardless of the method a firewall uses however a company or network administrator can customize the firewall to filter information based on a pre-established set of criteria.

I Want You to Read This Before You Attend Your Next Client Meeting

2008-02-26T01:50:00.000-08:00

American entreprenuers who live under time pressures tend to want to jump right into closing the sale before it's too late (whatever "too late" means -- with an infinite future in front of you, how can anything be too late?)

We spend almost every moment thinking about what we're going to do in the next moment. When we're with our children, our mind is on our business. When we're in the office with a client, our mind is daydreaming about our vacation. When we're supposedly listening to our spouse during a romantic dinner, we're thinking about what witty thing we are going to say next. We're always thinking about the next thing, the next event, the next task, or the next person we have to talk to at a networking event.

Our American business culture is so obsessed with managing time that we've forgotten what's important about time. When we are constantly multi-tasking, we think we're becoming more effective, but in reality we are making things far worse. That's because the person we're with immediately SENSES that our attention is on something other than them. When we don't focus our attention on hearing about a prospect's struggles, or successes, why should they focus on anything we say? When we don't value them, why should they value us?

Only you can stop yourself from obsessing about how little time you have. It is just part of our human nature to ALWAYS have far more to do than we have time available. Focus instead on making every prospect and client moment count. When you are in a room full of over a hundred small business owners, treat every moment together as though no one else in the room is more important - even if that moment is for just the blink of an eye. You may not even need to say many words, and yet you'll communicate to clients how special they are. In many Asian cultures, for example, people recognize and practice the concepts of "face" and harmony in ways Westerners do not. Beign direct and "getting all the issues out on the table" can be a good thing (according to the Western view), but the Asian approach of setting some conflicts and business agendas aside for the sake of maintaining a harmonious client meeting or respectful communication is equally legitimate. With everything you do in your business, you will become far more effective.

Now, here is one simple tip that is so profound, that it will immediately connect you at a DEEPER level with your clients. Whenever you are with another person, whether for a second or for several minutes, look into their eyes and focus on remembering everything about their eyes - the color, the shape, the length of their eyelashes. Look at every little red line in the whites of their eyes, see their shape and size. Stay focused on their eyes until you're sure you can recount every detail.

What will happen when you do this? Individuals will sense that your attention is nowhere else but on them. This will make them feel special. They will feel drawn to you, and soak up the undivided attention. You will see that the other person is actually listening to everything you're saying. Eliciting a desired win-win response will become easier and easier. And, once you experience that, you won't want to go back to looking at another person in the old way again. Each time you encounter another person, you will see their WORTH, and they will see yours. I guarantee that this will attract more paying clients, just the same way it has attracted all the local and global clients I need, so that I work less and make more money.

Five Key Networking Tips for Inventors

2008-02-24T23:16:00.000-08:00

While the swift cut-and-parry of creation is the heart of an inventor's life, there is another important component - networking. Let's face it; no matter how great your invention may be, you can always benefit from talented professionals in your field that might be willing to lend a hand.

Maybe it's that database programmer you've been scouring the earth for, or that distributor you need to get your product on store shelves, or a patent attorney to make sure your intellectual property is protected. Whatever the case may be, there are steps you can take to put yourself in the path of networking success.

In this article, we will examine five of the most helpful. By applying these tips to your day-to-day efforts, you will increase your odds of meeting the people you need to move your invention forward.

1) Have a clean, approachable website.

The benefit of having a simple website to send people to cannot be stressed enough. Let's say you are at a party or industry conference. Suddenly, you meet a new colleague and the two of you get to talking about your respective projects and goals.

As the conversation comes to a close, the colleague asks you, "So, how can I stay abreast of what you're up to, how can we keep in touch?" If you are networking-savvy inventor, you will reply, "Oh, no problem! My website is www.JohnDokes.com, it has all my contact information and what I'm working on. Check up on me there from time to time!"

This is extremely simple to do. Your website does not have to be flashy or fancy; a clean, black text on white background HTML layout will do just fine. As mentioned, your website should include your name, profession, hobbies, and areas of expertise, achievements, and maybe a periodical blurb about what things of importance you are working on at the time.

2) Print business cards and carry them at all times.

But what happens when you meet someone on the fly? There isn't always time to scribble down web URLs or phone numbers, and lack of preparedness could kill an otherwise great networking contact. Fortunately, this does not have to befall you. The solution is a timeless standby of professionals everywhere: business cards! Simply visit your local Kinkos and print up 200 standard business cards with your name, e-mail address, mobile phone, and anything else you deem relevant. Then, make a point of carrying 5-10 of them in your wallet with you at all times. With business cards in tow, you will be able to capitalize on networking opportunities wherever you happen to be - on vacation, at restaurants or coffee shops, even in the grocery store. You truly never know when you will meet someone important.

3) Consider a separate phone line or wireless phone for professional purposes.

While not an absolute necessity, you need to consider how a potential contact or partner might perceive you. If they call your house line and hear lots of family commotion in the background, it might send the message that you are ill-prepared to take on a serious venture of any kind. Whether this is reasonable to infer or not, perception is reality for many people. Therefore, it might make sense to get a separate landline or wireless phone for your professional needs. You would then print this number on your website and business cards instead of your house phone. A wireless phone is best because you can carry it with you and never miss an important call. In addition to upholding your professionalism, doing this also helps you delineate between different areas of your life.

4) Follow leads wherever they may appear.

Anyone who has been in business for long knows that leads and opportunities can crop up almost anywhere, at any time. It is not uncommon for new business partners to meet on vacation, over dinner and drinks, or while playing golf at a country club. Therefore, you should keep this in the back of your mind and be ready to pounce on new opportunities as they arise. If you are out on the green with someone and you get to talking about your professions, there is no shame in "testing the waters" and seeing if he is interested in new projects. Do not assume that just because you aren't in a business setting, you cannot pursue business leads. Truly successful inventors are creative and resourceful.

5) Use the direct approach whenever possible and appropriate.

Many people take a passive approach to life. Instead of acting to bring about some outcome, they simply hope it comes to be through osmosis. When it comes to networking, this attitude is a death sentence. If you want to meet the best people and bring them into the fold, you need to proactively seek them out. Let's say you are in desperate need of a graphic designer, for instance. Throw up an ad on Rent-A-Coder that says you're looking for one! Better yet, ask around your circle of friends and contacts to see if they know anyone with the skills you need. This is how networking happens. Of course, you should seek to establish some kind of relationship with a person before you just mine them for contacts. You wouldn't want to bombard someone you just met. But by all means: once you are on good terms with someone, feel free to ask them who they know.

Apply these tips to your inventing and you will soon find that networking is not so difficult and it can make the difference between a successful invention and a failed one.

Soft Goods Networking

2008-02-24T23:08:00.000-08:00

Soft goods are those items that help with the convenience of everyday life. There are different categories of soft goods out of which some are medical soft goods including lab coats, braces etc. Soft goods networking is amongst the very difficult tasks to carry out.

One mandatory thing is for the sender and the receiver to both have a friendly environment to accommodate the transactions without causing trouble. For stable soft goods networking, the computer on which the environment is saved needs to be reliable. For the networking to be fast and efficient, the Internet should be the mode of soft goods networking.

There are certain systems in which the purchase may be made after a trial use, limited to a certain period. This is more reliable, as it lets the buyer feel safer and less at risk of being duped. The goods may be replaced or returned if defective or unusable. There is a long list of things that are available and online sites carry different images and product details to help you make an informed decision.

At walk in shops, there are usually products that are out of stock or not available due to various reasons. In case you like something and it is out of stock you may be able to look it up on the Internet, access its different versions online, and buy the option you like. The network gives a vast choice of soft goods to choose from and reasonable prices to go with it. Soft goods networking also provides its customers with a door delivery service.

Broadband - Going Underground, Broadband Through Sewers

2008-02-19T01:39:00.000-08:00

You know what it's like, another day, another commute to work, another set of roadworks somewhere along the way. Chances are they're probably working on the telecoms cables beneath the surface.

However, the idea of running a fibre-optic network beneath the surface could soon come into practice.

Fibre-optic cables transmit data using light pulses down glass or plastic fibres - which are not prone to outside interference, and could therefore help deliver ultra-fast broadband across the UK.

Such cabling networks are already being implemented in Japan, but also in some cities - such as Paris - making use of vast sewer systems in order to deliver high-speed broadband connections through fibre-optic cabling to homes and businesses.

With a sewer network of over 360,000 miles existing in the UK, the idea of threading cables through underground pipes in order to help deliver high-speed broadband services may sound far-fetched, but it could soon become a reality.

A networking firm in Wales are currently in talks with several councils about the possibility of laying fibre-optic cables - which could potentially lead to faster broadband services becoming available, whilst eliminating the need to spend time and money digging up the roads.

Universities in Aberdeen, Bournemouth and Bath have been used to trial such methods of cabling on a small scale. However the firm have been negotiating with councils and water boards to try and strike a deal which could see fibre-optic cabling being laid over wider areas.

Cables would lie up to five metres below the surface, and as fibre optic cabling is believed to be less prone to erosion and rust, it could prove to be the next phase in delivering ultra-fast broadband connections across the UK.

Broadband Internet - For a High Speed Connection

2008-02-19T01:37:00.000-08:00

In this infotainment arena, technology is playing a vital role in changing yesterday's world into the latest high-tech world. High speed internet has made world come closer, as it offers hassle-free communication with the benefit of cost effectiveness. In the technical world, high speed internet is referred to as broadband internet. This allows users to access information at a higher speed compared to the dial-up access over the modem.

The broadband internet or broadband access is getting popular among users to operate information on the desktop or laptop computer. The broadband technology handles the user's operations with a speed ranging from 64kbits to 1.0Mbits. The high-speed connection offers seamless connectivity with excellent results.

The users have access to information on the internet at a faster speed. This has been made possible with a built-in high-speed modem. The users can avail the broadband internet connection in form of DSL, cable or satellite. DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line; it allows users to transmit a high volume of data, voice, images and videos quickly.

Broadband technology has been applied to the realm of communications also - with very positive results. With broadband internet, it has become very easy to chat and connect with near and dear ones at significantly lower rates. Moreover, the speed is 10 times faster compared to the dial-up connection that allows users to access information in a fraction of seconds. The high-speed connection does not get disconnected during peak hours also.

The broadband connection does not hinder the operation of telephone lines. Unlike a dial-up connection over the modem, broadband provides access to receive or make calls on the telephone line, even when the internet is in use. In the early ages of the broadband, it was very expensive and now with the passage of time, it is in the reach of even average users.

How To Get Consistent Referrals

2008-02-18T03:02:00.000-08:00

How many times have we heard the saying "Hope is not a plan," and thought "Yikes! I should probably take a look at my marketing calendar." Many of us get caught up in day to day operations and completely forget to plan. It's only when referrals are low or non-existent that we begin to think about marketing.

When was the last time you communicated with your referring clients? Generally you should be in touch with your clients monthly to bi-monthly, minimally-- depending on your field. If you can't remember the last time you contacted your clients, you may benefit from using a referral marketing calendar. Depending on your preferences, your marketing calendar could be electronic or a hard copy paper calendar.

It can be difficult, stressful, and sometimes completely ineffective to plan and execute marketing activities on a whim. Schedule time each week to review, update, and develop your referral marketing calendar. After you've entered activities on your calendar, print out the current month and hang it near your desk. It is helpful to have something tangible to remind you and help keep you on track. Be sure to also document the following:

1. Money invested.

2. Time invested.

3. Results derived.

4. Repeat activity or reject activity (based on results/return on investment).

Keep special occasions in mind when planning your activities, such as holidays, special client anniversaries, and events related to your particular business.

Networking - 10 Ways to Survive and Thrive at Networking Events

2008-02-18T03:01:00.000-08:00

Are you attending a networking event? It can be intimidating if you don't know what to say and do.

Here are 10 tips to help you survive and thrive at networking events:

1. Arrive as early as you can. You'll avoid the angst of walking into a room full of strangers. Even better, you'll avoid having to look for a seat while everyone stares at you, or has to move over to make room for you at the table.

2. When you meet someone new, stand up and shake their hand. Maintain good eye contact.

3. Prepare a few questions to get the conversation started. It might be about the event or venue, or how often they have attended in the past.

4. Bring lots of business cards, and have them available. You'll avoid having to rummage through your bag or pockets trying to locate them.

5. Exchange business cards at the start of the meeting. You can place the cards you receive in front of you, in the order that people are sitting around the table.

6. Be prepared to introduce yourself and your services. Plan your introduction so you aren't caught like a deer in the headlights.

7. Prepare any materials you will present, including notes from the last meeting.

8. Be curious about the other people at the meeting, and be a good listener. You'll pick up interesting ways to connect afterwards.

9. Look for ways to help others. You may not need the product or service of someone in the group, but you may know someone who does. Go out of your way to help them. You never know when they will do the same for you.

10. Follow up afterwards. Nothing happens without follow up. Arrange to meet for lunch or coffee, or at one of your offices.

Whine Tasting - Top 5 Excuses for Networking

2008-02-14T01:29:00.001-08:00

Networking is such an incredible tool for everyone, regardless of your profession, industry or trade. When used properly and effectively, networking can yield incredible results that can last a lifetime. So why are we not networking more and developing our communication skills, creativity, resources etc.? Listed below are the main excuses for why most people choose not to network. This article is designed to encourage the reader to dispel common myths associated with networking and become an Elite Networking Champion!

Excuse #1: I do not need to Network.

This is the most common excuse that could be far from the truth. There is no one definition of networking. Many people view networking as getting a job, internship or maneuvering through a career transition. On the contrary, networking can be whatever you need for it to be according to your professional or social endeavors. It should be viewed as a lifestyle and not a moment event. Networking should be a continuous part of your social and professional development. Also, networking should not be restricted to simply business functions, events, meetings, interviews, etc. Networking can occur anywhere, anytime and with anyone.

Excuse #2: I do not like to Network.

Once again, you must define what is considered networking and outline the benefits of networking. Networking offers you a chance to develop connections with people and build relationships for success. You can gain resources, knowledge, services, products, etc. that can help you advance in your career or academics. Networking allows you to make strategic partnerships that can save you precious time and money. It is also a skill that can improve your communication with others and enhance your professional approach in business matters.

Excuse #3: I am not good at Networking.

The more times you practice and utilize networking, the better you become. In order to become good at networking, you must be consistent. One of the best ways to achieve that goal is to join a chamber of commerce or professional organization. There will already be a structure or model in place to facilitate effective networking activities. Prepare for each networking event and create a list of goals that you would like to achieve from networking. At networking events, make it a point to build pre-mature relationships with your business counterparts and follow up in a timely manner.

Excuse #4: Networking does not work for me.

Many people try networking a few times, are not satisfied with the results and ultimately quit. We believe that networking is for everybody. If you tried networking and did not achieve much success, change your approach towards networking. Find a different organization to attend events. Ask friends and colleagues about various networking opportunities. Join associations or clubs that you are passionate about because networking does not have to be strictly business.

Excuse #5: I do not like Networking/attending events alone.

When you are starting out, you might have to attend events alone and network by yourself. But eventually, you will meet new people, join groups and have a network of your own. Do not be discouraged or become an introvert when attending functions. Do your best to actively meet and connect with people.

Nine Networking Tips for Success

2008-02-14T01:28:00.000-08:00

When you enter the networking mixer do you feel like you have a two-foot perimeter of open space surrounding you? Everyone seems to be comfortably settled into clusters as they socialize unaware of your presence. You try to make eye contact but you don't recognize anyone. You search for the bar. Even though you're not thirsty, having something in your hand might make you appear to be festive and casual.

Walking determinedly across the room makes you look powerful, you hope. Time stands still. You make idle chat with the bar tender, waiting to be rescued from this miserable time warp. Even though you were hoping to make business contacts, you're not sure about the approach. Let's face it, you can't just walk up to a stranger and say, "Hey by the way I'm with A-1 Plumbing, do you have any clogged drains?" You decide to leave after 30 minute networking is too uncomfortable. Oh well, at least you showed up. Maybe it'll be better next time.

Whether you are just out of college, in career transition or building a successful business, networking is a necessity to form lasting business relationships that lead to referrals. Here are some tips to make your networking pay off.

Do your research
Before you go to a networking function, decide whom you want to meet in advance and why you want to meet them. Go to your Business Journal's Book of Lists or the membership roster to learn more about the attendees and members. If the people you want to meet have a website, visit it and when you meet them, you now have something to comment on. People are flattered when you are interested enough to find out about them before actually meeting them.

Act like a host
By calling new members of your organization before the mixer and inviting them to meet you there, you accomplish several things: You help them become acclimated into the club, you have someone to introduce around and you make a new business acquaintance that will be grateful for your leadership.

Play matchmaker
Become a resource person by thinking ahead of how you can help others get leads and referrals. Make a mental note of how to get these contacts together. Go one step further by making a few phone calls before the meeting so you can facilitate the introductions.

Take your business cards
I have been to so many functions where someone could have had my business or a good lead, but they didn't have a card. The excuses range from running out to being in a career transition-all the more reason to have at least a generic model. If you are in transition or a graduating college student, chances are you are looking for a position. Have a plain card with your name, phone number and e-mail. If you want to be creative you might also include a favorite quote. It will serve as a conversation piece or an icebreaker.

Get their card
Novices at networking regularly fail to ask others for their card. A rule of thumb: if they ask for your card it means they are interested. Return the request immediately by asking for theirs and jot down any information on the back of the card that might jog your memory later. It's actually more important to get their card because that puts you in a position of control if you decide you need to contact them in the future.

Focus on the relationship
Even though it's important to exchange business cards, the purpose of networking isn't a competition to collect business cards, nor is it to conduct business. The focus should be on meeting new people and establishing new business and professional relationships.

Polish your communication skills
Be in the present moment by using good eye contact and smiling. It's rude to stare, but it's also impolite to have darting eyes suggesting that there is someone more interesting across the room. Listen and ask questions more than you speak. No one wants to be around a know-it-all or a bore. Read body language. Recognize that if someone is rubbing their neck, yawning or has darting eyes, they are probably bored or simply lack good communication skills. Make a gracious exit.

Let others join in
There is nothing more miserable than to be standing outside a circle of people who are so engrossed in conversation that you feel ignored. Become observant to those who seem lost and invite them into the conversation by saying, "join us...we were just talking about..." Then at an appropriate time introduce yourself to them and introduce them to the group.

Whine Tasting - Top 5 Excuses for Networking

2008-02-13T01:54:00.000-08:00

Nine Networking Tips for Success

2008-02-13T01:53:00.000-08:00

Walking determinedly across the room makes you look powerful, you hope. Time stands still. You make idle chat with the bar tender, waiting to be rescued from this miserable time warp. Even though you were hoping to make business contacts, you're not sure about the approach. Let's face it, you can't just walk up to a stranger and say, "Hey by the way I'm with A-1 Plumbing, do you have any clogged drains?" You decide to leave after 30 minute networking is too uncomfortable. Oh well, at least you showed up. Maybe it'll be better next time.

Whether you are just out of college, in career transition or building a successful business, networking is a necessity to form lasting business relationships that lead to referrals. Here are some tips to make your networking pay off.

Do your research
Before you go to a networking function, decide whom you want to meet in advance and why you want to meet them. Go to your Business Journal's Book of Lists or the membership roster to learn more about the attendees and members. If the people you want to meet have a website, visit it and when you meet them, you now have something to comment on. People are flattered when you are interested enough to find out about them before actually meeting them.

Act like a host
By calling new members of your organization before the mixer and inviting them to meet you there, you accomplish several things: You help them become acclimated into the club, you have someone to introduce around and you make a new business acquaintance that will be grateful for your leadership.

Play matchmaker
Become a resource person by thinking ahead of how you can help others get leads and referrals. Make a mental note of how to get these contacts together. Go one step further by making a few phone calls before the meeting so you can facilitate the introductions.

Take your business cards
I have been to so many functions where someone could have had my business or a good lead, but they didn't have a card. The excuses range from running out to being in a career transition-all the more reason to have at least a generic model. If you are in transition or a graduating college student, chances are you are looking for a position. Have a plain card with your name, phone number and e-mail. If you want to be creative you might also include a favorite quote. It will serve as a conversation piece or an icebreaker.

Get their card
Novices at networking regularly fail to ask others for their card. A rule of thumb: if they ask for your card it means they are interested. Return the request immediately by asking for theirs and jot down any information on the back of the card that might jog your memory later. It's actually more important to get their card because that puts you in a position of control if you decide you need to contact them in the future.

Focus on the relationship
Even though it's important to exchange business cards, the purpose of networking isn't a competition to collect business cards, nor is it to conduct business. The focus should be on meeting new people and establishing new business and professional relationships.

Polish your communication skills
Be in the present moment by using good eye contact and smiling. It's rude to stare, but it's also impolite to have darting eyes suggesting that there is someone more interesting across the room. Listen and ask questions more than you speak. No one wants to be around a know-it-all or a bore. Read body language. Recognize that if someone is rubbing their neck, yawning or has darting eyes, they are probably bored or simply lack good communication skills. Make a gracious exit.

Let others join in
There is nothing more miserable than to be standing outside a circle of people who are so engrossed in conversation that you feel ignored. Become observant to those who seem lost and invite them into the conversation by saying, "join us...we were just talking about..." Then at an appropriate time introduce yourself to them and introduce them to the group.

Golf and Business Equals Success

2008-02-11T02:17:00.000-08:00

Social schmoozing has long been recognised as an effective method of building business relationships and wooing new clients. Martini lunches and cigars were the tools used a generation ago. These days golf is considered the most important schmoozing skill, so much so that many executives attain their positions based on golf prowess alone. In fact, not playing golf can have a negative impact on business careers. Many non-golfers are finding that they hit professional stagnation due to golfing colleagues being promoted above them.

Women, determined to break into the old-boys' business network, are also taking advantage of 18-hole business practices. More and more women are signing up for classes and joining clubs to try and redress the male dominated networking imbalances of the past. Specialists in the golf and business market advise women to go as far as advertising their interest in the sport by hanging golf pictures in their offices. Bringing a putter and some golf balls to work is also an acknowledged signal of golfing interest.

Bill Storer, an expert on mixing golf and business, recommends that in order to increase your chances of success, you classify clients in one of four personality categories:

· Realtors - team players who value relationships
· Socialisers - emotional people who love an audience
· Thinkers - organised and detailed
· Directors - decisive, goal orientated, and stylish

Once you've identified your client's personality type, you can adapt your tactics to suit them.

A key factor in the golf schmooze is to learn proper golf etiquette. Don't talk when someone is about to hit a shot, don't step in the line of a putt, and always treat the course with respect. This means that you replace divots and rake bunkers when you're out of them. Your behaviour after a bad shot, or several bad shots, is also vital. Losing your temper and throwing your clubs around doesn't leave your client with a particularly favourable view of your character. Disregarding these protocols creates the impression of arrogance and inconsideration. At best, the client will lose all respect for you. At the worst, you could cost your company a prized contract.

It's considered poor form to leap straight into business talk and try work down to the nitty gritty of a deal. Some clients don't mind talking business on the course, while others prefer to keep it strictly social. Bill recommends waiting until the fifth hole to talk shop, and refraining from further talk after the fifteenth. This gives you and your client enough time to settle into your games and to concentrate on your closing approach. It's important to remember that the purpose is to improve your relationship with the client. To achieve this you should make every effort to get to know your client better on a personal level. Finalising business is a secondary concern.

Finally, the big question: do you play to win, or play to let your client win? That could depend on your client's temperament, and on how important winning at all costs is to his or her. Generally you should aim to play your best game. If it's obvious that you're losing on purpose, you risk embarrassing and insulting your client. There is, however, no sense in embarrassing them the other way with a sound drubbing either.

What I Hate About Networking

2008-02-11T02:16:00.000-08:00

OK, I admit it. I hate networking.

OK OK, I don't really hate networking, but there are some aspects of networking I really do hate. Why do you care? Because if you understand WHY I hate these things YOU will make more money. Let me explain:

I was thinking about this in my car the other day. Networking is like hunting for birds in the bushes with a Gatling gun. You can't really see if any birds are actually in the bush but you shoot anyway. Every once in a while a bird drops dead out of a bush and you think "Success! This really works!" Except the gun fired 100 rounds and the bird was sick...

Networking's alot like that. You spend 80 percent of your time networking and every once in a while you get a referral. Success! This really works! Except you've spent dozens of hours to find a client that wants a $1000 job. Sound familiar?

When most people decide to go into business, they are brilliant at "the thing" that they do. They may take business classes and hear things like - "you must spend time marketing your business" and that networking is important. So they join a group with a vague idea of what they're supposed to be doing and what they'll get out of it. Meanwhile, they can't identify who they REALLY want as a client (their true target market), and they go in with the hope of thousands of dollars in referrals and quickly become very disappointed.

See, most people are networking in the dark. Well, let me flip on the light switch!!

Networking groups are great and they're really important to your business IF and only if you understand how deep networking really is.

Take out a penny and study it. Right now. Study the penny for two minutes. Go ahead. I'll be here when you get back.

So what did you notice?

The penny is more complex than that thing you left on the sidewalk because it wasn't worth picking up... Networking is like that too.

The thing that drives me crazy about networking groups is that some of them offer pretty good education on how to work their system. The problem is most people think that's it. "Oh I see, it's a penny. Well, that's all I need to know...so where are my referrals? This system doesn't work!"

By their very nature, networking groups focus on referrals and results and when people don't see the results they want, the "system" doesn't work. It IS the system's fault (despite what the group will tell you) to the extent that nobody told them how to work it as it applies to their business and it's overall vision.

If you're out there in a networking group or going to a chamber and you don't know exactly what you're looking for (and it isn't "as many referrals as you can get") STOP!!

If you don't know where you're going that's exactly where you'll end up. And if you're just out there giving referrals to get referrals and you have no idea who your dream client is, then all you're going to get is the kinds of referrals and clients you DON'T want.

Do yourself a huge favor and decide what kinds of customers you really want. Which of your clients make your life easy? What company specifically do you want to do business with?

The big lie about networking, infomercials and introductions is this: If you have a great infomercial that makes people want more information that is all you need to do.

That's a lie. If you have a great infomercial and you don't know what kinds of clients make you money and which once don't, a great infomercial won't help you.

Don't be like so many of my students who discover that, although they get a ton of referrals, they are people who drive them crazy and don't generate enough revenue to begin to cover the time they take out of the day.

Remember, you are the average of the five people and or groups you spend the most time with. You can apply this to your clients as well. Take a look at the clients you have right now today. With whom are you spending the most time? Are they making you rich or are they making you poor? Figure out who is generating the most revenue for you and ask for clients like THEM the next time you're out networking.

Golf and Business Equals Success

2008-02-09T03:22:00.000-08:00

What I Hate About Networking

2008-02-09T03:10:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about this in my car the other day. Networking is like hunting for birds in the bushes with a Gatling gun. You can't really see if any birds are actually in the bush but you shoot anyway. Every once in a while a bird drops dead out of a bush and you think "Success! This really works!" Except the gun fired 100 rounds and the bird was sick...

Networking's alot like that. You spend 80 percent of your time networking and every once in a while you get a referral. Success! This really works! Except you've spent dozens of hours to find a client that wants a $1000 job. Sound familiar?

When most people decide to go into business, they are brilliant at "the thing" that they do. They may take business classes and hear things like - "you must spend time marketing your business" and that networking is important. So they join a group with a vague idea of what they're supposed to be doing and what they'll get out of it. Meanwhile, they can't identify who they REALLY want as a client (their true target market), and they go in with the hope of thousands of dollars in referrals and quickly become very disappointed.

See, most people are networking in the dark. Well, let me flip on the light switch!!

Networking groups are great and they're really important to your business IF and only if you understand how deep networking really is.

Take out a penny and study it. Right now. Study the penny for two minutes. Go ahead. I'll be here when you get back.

So what did you notice?

The penny is more complex than that thing you left on the sidewalk because it wasn't worth picking up... Networking is like that too.

The thing that drives me crazy about networking groups is that some of them offer pretty good education on how to work their system. The problem is most people think that's it. "Oh I see, it's a penny. Well, that's all I need to know...so where are my referrals? This system doesn't work!"

By their very nature, networking groups focus on referrals and results and when people don't see the results they want, the "system" doesn't work. It IS the system's fault (despite what the group will tell you) to the extent that nobody told them how to work it as it applies to their business and it's overall vision.

If you're out there in a networking group or going to a chamber and you don't know exactly what you're looking for (and it isn't "as many referrals as you can get") STOP!!

If you don't know where you're going that's exactly where you'll end up. And if you're just out there giving referrals to get referrals and you have no idea who your dream client is, then all you're going to get is the kinds of referrals and clients you DON'T want.

Do yourself a huge favor and decide what kinds of customers you really want. Which of your clients make your life easy? What company specifically do you want to do business with?

The big lie about networking, infomercials and introductions is this: If you have a great infomercial that makes people want more information that is all you need to do.

That's a lie. If you have a great infomercial and you don't know what kinds of clients make you money and which once don't, a great infomercial won't help you.

Don't be like so many of my students who discover that, although they get a ton of referrals, they are people who drive them crazy and don't generate enough revenue to begin to cover the time they take out of the day.

Remember, you are the average of the five people and or groups you spend the most time with. You can apply this to your clients as well. Take a look at the clients you have right now today. With whom are you spending the most time? Are they making you rich or are they making you poor? Figure out who is generating the most revenue for you and ask for clients like THEM the next time you're out networking.

How Can Twitter & Plaxo Help Increase Your Sales?

2008-02-07T01:27:00.001-08:00

These days we are all being bombarded with invitations to a plethora of on line social networks and many of us are a little confused as to why in the world we should join one? While not all Social Networks are worth the investment of your time to join and input a profile, some such as Twitter and Plaxo can actually be very helpful in connecting with your network.

Twitter.com is a very basic site that allows members to post their name, picture, a URL to their blog or web site and a short description of who they are. The one thing twitter is designed to do is answer a simple question - "What are you doing right now?" There is a 140 character text box that allows members to answer that question and anyone following their profile will see the answer as they post it. In turn, members can follow other people to keep up with what they are doing. While Twitter may sound like something a teenager would use instead of instant messaging or texting on their cell phone, it actually has some great applications for business.

Take Seth Godin for example. Anyone can follow Seth on twitter which is great because he updates it every time he publishes a new post on his blog. A user can click on a link to the new blog post right there in Seth's twitter and see his latest post. Twitter is also a great way to throw a question out to a lot of people for a quick answer. For example, avid twitter user Marc Nathan asked "anyone have any cheap / DIY solutions for a digital display? Like a digital photo frame, but it's larger and can handle wireless updates" and within an hour Geri Druckman answered "use any flat panel monitor, attach to the back of it a Linux thin client (a cheap one) and voila! any size, no limit pic frame." Pretty cool.

But perhaps even more interesting is that Facebook and Plaxo allow members to publish their twitter comments on their profile for those sites (in the case of Plaxo, members post their twitters in Plaxo Pulse). As a result, a member's name can constantly be in front of anyone linked to them in Facebook or Plaxo any time they look at recent activity - talk about great top of mind awareness!

Plaxo especially has done a great job of aggregating other on line activity in several well known sites like technorati and flickr as well as personal blogs through the Pulse tab. Members of a user's network on Pulse can see updates as they are posted to multiple other on line sites consolidated in one place. Plaxo Pulse also offers forum functionality that allows users to poll their networks on topics ranging from business to politics and then interactively comment on and track the results.

While keeping up with a Plaxo Pulse stream or Twitter posts may seem like one more item in to keep track of in an already information overloaded workplace, it does provide something that many newsletters and magazines don't and that is highly relevant feedback. In a society that is starting to rebel against interruption marketing, getting feedback from a personal network can be invaluable in building meaningful conversation with prospects and customers.

One thing to consider when joining any social network is that you will get out what you put in. Followers on Twitter will lose interest if you do not create relevant posts on a regular basis. Relevant posts are not updates like "eating dinner", but rather updates like "Eating texmex dinner at Arturo's on Smith Street- the food is phenomenal". The first post would be of little importance to followers while the second would get the attention of anyone who likes texmex food and give some great free advertising to a restaurant that you like and would like to see stick around. And remember that if you set your Plaxo Pulse to post your twitters, you will want to make sure they are relevant for whichever groups you allow to see them. Also, make sure that you are following other users (either on Twitter or Plaxo Pulse) and contributing to the discussion of their posts as well - this is a great way to establish rapport with your connections.

Are You Neglecting Your Network?

2008-02-07T01:26:00.000-08:00

As a business owner you know a lot of people, and you continue to meet new people. This is your network. But what are you doing with it? How often do you connect with people in your network? Do you have a plan to stay in touch consistently and develop your relationships?

If you've been neglecting your network it's time to make some changes. It's never too late to begin where you are and start connecting with the people you know.

Networking is about giving first. It's about building relationships over time with people. If you don't invest in nurturing and growing your relationships with people in your network, then your network will become nothing more than a list of names in a database.

When you stay in touch and develop relationships with people, your business will be top of mind when people need your products or services. This also increases the number of referrals people will give to your business.

To nurture a relationship, you must give it attention and energy. There are loads of ways to connect with people (many of which are very inexpensive). You can:

* Pick up the phone

* Send an e-mail

* Send a note the old fashioned way (otherwise known as snail-mail using the post)

* Meet in person for coffee, lunch or a drink

Finding a reason to connect isn't hard to do. You don't have to wait for something big to happen; little things can mean a lot too. Here are just a few ideas:

- No specific reason, just to see what's new and catch up

- Birthdays or anniversaries

- Sharing an article, book, website, or other resource

How often you touch base depends on the kind of relationship you have with each person. For some people connecting twice a year is perfect and for others every three months is appropriate. You might have monthly contact with people you know quite well and for very close relationships perhaps even more frequently.

Think about different types of people you know and how often you'd like to be in touch with:

> New acquaintances

> Current clients

> Inactive clients

> Former colleagues

> Suppliers for your business

The key to successfully nurturing your network is to create a structured plan. Random acts of kindness and connection never hurt, but to really build a relationship it's better to have consistent contact.

To make it easy to stay in touch, you need to use a system to keep track of who you want to contact and when. If you rely on your memory you won't get very far.

You can create a system by setting reminders in your own contact database. Or if you use Outlook, you can use the 'Tasks' feature where you can make notes with reminder dates.

The type of system you use isn't important. What is important is having a system and taking action. Find something that works for you and get started today.

How Networking Can Help Your Business

2008-02-06T00:19:00.001-08:00

When you are in business, it goes without saying that everyday and everywhere is an opportunity for you to network with prospective clients as well as with business associates, and hand out your color business cards. Without discriminating those that can buy from you and those that are just there as contacts, networking can help you spread the word about your business. The more contacts you generate, the better it is for you to build stronger business relationships from your network.

Nevertheless, small businesses have yet to learn the skills associated with the art of networking. And yes, networking is an art that can be acquired and learned especially if one can invest the time and effort to study the skill.

Here are a few tips that you can use the next time you network for your business:

Tip 1 - Introduce yourself.

You may say that this one is moot and academic. But you'll be surprised to know that many business owners, even successful ones, find it a bit intimidating to approach prospective clients even just to greet them.

However, by introducing yourself, you not only break the ice but most importantly, you allow your target clients to see you as someone approachable and easy to talk to. You have to initiate the first move. Otherwise, you'll just end the event without having met anyone that might someday play a vital role in your success.

So when you are at a function, always remember to look for prospects and sit next to them instead of those you already know. The latter may be the safest way in any function, but you'll never be able to meet anyone new if you do that. The key is to get to know as many new people as possible.

Tip 2 - Always show that you're interested.

When someone is talking to you, remember to hear him or her out. Show interest in what they are saying by letting them speak. And make sure that you look interested. No matter how boring the person you're talking to or the conversation, never allow your mind to wander. The more you show interest to what your prospects are saying, the more they will listen to you when it's your turn to talk.

Tip 3 - Always welcome events and functions, and join them.

Networking means your having to participate in as many events or functions as possible. Do not avoid them. Even if you are tasked to deliver a speech, welcome the opportunity for you to be recognized. But avoid telling your audience what you do professionally. Sad to say, nobody's interested in that. It is better to talk about how the people can benefit from your business, and what you can do to solve their problems.

Tip 4 - ALWAYS BRING YOUR BUSINESS CARDS.

I can't emphasize this enough. Your business card printing pieces are mandatory items in every networking opportunity you have. It should not be a new strategy anymore. As a business owner, you should know this already. Your color business cards, or even the standard black-and-white are vital tools in your marketing arsenal. In order for people to remember you, you got to have your business cards to hand out so your prospects can call you when the time comes that they need your business.

Networking 101 - The Most Important Class They Don't Teach At School

2008-02-06T00:17:00.000-08:00

Did you ever notice that the most successful people you know are always ahead of the curve? They know everyone and everything. And, if they don't, they know someone who can make it happen. These people are master networkers. They know how to develop a good network and how to use that network to generate more business in a month than most people do in a year.

What do these people know that you don't? Why are they wildly successful and you... aren't? It's not that they work harder than you - they just work smarter. They network. And not in the obnoxious "hey, can I give ya my card?" kind of way - they network smarter, more personally. A way based on being generous, helping friends and colleagues connect, building genuine relationships along the way. It's not about keeping score (as in, I did you a favor, so now you owe me...) It's about how to get what you want and making sure that the person giving it gets what they want and/or need, as well.

So, what is networking? Networking is the development and maintenance of various relationships in your personal and professional lives. Sounds simple, right? Wrong. Many people either are intimidated or unable to do this inherently simple concept because they make it more difficult than is necessary.

All networking, whether personal or professional, boils down to one simple concept: sharing. Whether it's sharing our time or information or resources or opportunities, it's really that simple.

How do you build a network? Do you contact old friends from school (who you haven't spoken to in 15 or 20 years)? Maybe colleagues from your first job out of college? Or your husband's best friend's fiancé, who works for a company you would LOVE to do business with? The answers are: YES, YES, YES and MORE!

Start with your "core" network and then build outward. Your "core" network would be your family, friends, people you are close enough to that you wouldn't think twice to ask them out to lunch. These are the people you know you can depend on, and that feel the same about you. See? For all you who thought you didn't know anything about networking... you've just built a small one. Or, in my case, being the youngest of eight children and my parents having 12 siblings between them, a fairly nice sized one. And, while this is a good start, your professional network needs to be bigger, stronger, more inclusive.

The fastest way to grow your network is to become active, be seen. Join professional societies related to your industry. Join clubs and organizations (like Women Advancing Women.) Be an active alumnus at your alma mater. Offer to speak at events. Volunteer. Whatever it takes. Just go out and meet other people.

Attend events that relate to an interest or activity you enjoy. Just because you are a CPA doesn't mean you should only go to accounting-related conferences to network. A major advantage to taking part in activities you enjoy is that it makes conversation so much easier. While you're discussing the phenom that is Boobie Gibson, ask the other person about themselves and what they do for a living. Who knows? That person who sits in front of you at the Cavs' games all season might have an "in" at the company for which you're dying to work. You could sit behind them all season and, without initiating that first conversation, you'd never know.

Another way is to read. Read a lot. Read the daily newspaper. Read the Wall St. Journal. Invest in a subscription to Crain's and any local or professional trade journals and magazines. All of these are great sources of information. Almost all of these sources publish new hires, promotions, etc. for companies in the area. Keep track of the names of people in your field. Maybe you see an established person mentioned constantly and you feel that it would be beneficial to meet this person - of course, without being stalkerish. Track down their work email address or look up their office phone number, and initiate contact. Mention that you read about them and their recent promotion or their having been awarded a new professional designation, whatever. Just make contact. Don't worry if you get voice mail or you don't get an immediate response. People are busy. It's OK. Most people will respond, even if it's just to say that they're flattered you contacted them in the first place.

Now, if the idea of contacting people you don't know is intimidating, start small. When at a networking event, look for a familiar face. If you see someone you know, approach them. After a few minutes of talking, ask if they know anyone else there and if they would introduce you around. But, what if you don't recognize anyone? Go straight to the stuff that interests you. When you talk about things you are genuinely passionate about, you light up and appear more engaging and confident. And that will draw people to YOU. Or, join a group's existing conversation. Listen for a bit. Then, once you get the "gist" of the conversation, ask a related question. You build credibility by asking and it's easier than just barging in with an opinion.

While there is no substitute for face-to-face conversation, social networking sites like MySpace, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. can be very useful tools for building relationships. They are great for tracking down old friends... and these sites, also, give you access to all your friends' friends. For example, you went to high school with Jane Doe. You reconnect after all these years via Facebook. While scrolling through Jane's friends, you discover she knows John Smith. John Smith is the president of XYZ Corporation and is someone with whom you would love to work! Now, in order to "make it happen", you need to call or email Jane and ask if she would facilitate an introduction.

Another great use for social networking sites is for research. Most profiles have photos and list job history, activities, favorite things, etc. So, do your homework before meetings. Say Jane Doe agrees to introduce you to John Smith, and John emails you, he wants to have lunch. By checking out his Facebook page, maybe you find out that he enjoys Thai food and loves reading historical fiction. When you call to schedule that lunch, you could suggest meeting at that new Thai place downtown. Get to the restaurant early and get a table. As soon as you see him enter, stand up and greet him by name. Then, during lunch, ask his opinion on that new New York Times best seller, set during the Revolutionary War. Do you see what you did there? By doing a little research ahead of time, you were able to show that you knew enough about him (not just his name and job title) to make this meeting worth his time.

Remember that you don't have to find a shared interest to make a connection. You just have to be willing to share your interests with others.

Now that you've built a network, you need to cultivate it. I like to use the garden concept: Building your network is the same as planting seeds in a garden. If you abandon it after planting is finished, everything will eventually wither up and die. You need to water the plants, make sure there is adequate sunlight, weed it *if necessary*. Networks are the same. If you build up a list of names without cultivating it, the list will dry up. And, rather than helping you, it will just take up space in your Outlook file.

A good way to cultivate your network is to regularly "ping" your connections. By "ping", I mean, like the old phone company commercials used to say, "Reach out and touch someone." Find out who is looking for a new job or who needs to hire someone. See if you can help make that introduction. Sure there isn't anything in it for you now but, down the road, when something in your realm of expertise becomes available, these people are more likely to remember you favorably and most likely will give you a call.

Practice "Drive-By Flattery" regularly. That means, if you know someone who has done an amazing job at something, don't just thank or compliment them. Tell his or her boss. It will increase their capital at work. Flattery in the workplace, if done properly, can be the difference between a "cost of living" increase and a "Wow, you've had a knock-out year!" raise. And, trust me, your connections will LOVE you if your "drive-by" message to their boss was the reason for that raise!

Be grateful. Try to consciously practice gratitude every day. For example, I don't send out Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year's cards. Rather, I send out Thanksgiving cards. That's a great time of the year, as it reminds us to be grateful. For me, it's a time to say how thankful I am, at that very moment, for my connections' presence in my life. Because my contact list is well over 5,000 people all around the world, I usually send e-cards. Sites like Plaxo have some wonderful, business-appropriate cards (and they're free). Every November, I guarantee that, even if I haven't said it recently, all my connections know how much they mean to me.

Oh, another favorite thing of mine is birthday e-cards. I use Plaxo to monitor my contact list. One of their fields is for people's birthdays. Now, not everyone fills this section out, but many do. Seven days before their birthdays, Plaxo sends an email to tell me it's coming up. I'll then take a few minutes, create an e-card, and schedule it to be delivered on their big day. It's a free service and it only takes about 5 minutes. The responses I get from these cards are amazing - people LOVE being remembered.

This one comes straight from Kevin Ferrazzi, author of Never Eat Alone (great book and I highly recommend it to everyone!) Never eat alone, ESPECIALLY at corporate and social events. Nothing says "failure" better than being "invisible" at these events. You should spend your time cultivating and nurturing your connections, building new ones, and making yourself seen and heard.

Also, follow up. When you meet others, if you promise to share an article, website, phone number, etc. - make sure you FOLLOW UP. Nothing destroys your credibility faster with new connections than giving the impression that you don't keep your word.

If you regularly "ping" your connections, playing matchmaker shouldn't be too difficult. Being that I'm a recruiter, I keep track of everyone I know who is looking for a new position. If they are in the accounting or finance fields, I'm trying to place them with my clients. If they aren't, I keep a list of their names and what they are looking for. I, also, keep a similar list of connections who are looking to hire. When I see an overlap between a position available and a connection looking, I make an introduction. Simple as that. While I'm sure many recruiters try to finagle a commission, should a match be made, I don't. All I ask is that if my connection who is offered the position would pass along my contact information to others they know who are looking. And, if my connection who is making the hire, would keep my firm in mind should an accounting or finance position need to be staffed.

It's not always about making money. And, while that's hard for many to swallow, I can honestly say that my highest-earning placement fee came because a connection I made through one of these matches eventually became the head of that company's HR department and remembered me (and used my firm exclusively) when they were looking for a new CFO.

By doing this, asking that they think of you when they are in need of your type of services, you are not keeping score. Oh, we ALL know a scorekeeper or two... these are the people who keep track of every favor they've ever done for someone and whether these people have reciprocated yet. The successful networker is one who recognizes that success is gained through giving without keeping score.

So, if you need a little reinforcing, remember what's in it for you - the reward of having done something good for someone. Period! Anything else is just icing on the cake.

I've been asked many times, "How do I build a relationship with people I just don't like?" And, typically, we're talking about people we meet in the workplace - a customer or boss or associate. My answer is usually, "Not everyone is going to be your new best friend, but if you're forced to deal with this person, why not try to make it more personal and real? Wouldn't you want a better relationship for the sake of success, mutuality, and most importantly, less angst and more joy?"

Personally, I deal with it by responding with the opposite of what my initial reaction might be. So, if I feel an urge to push back and be defensive, I try to be positive and affirming. When you're confronted with difficult individuals, don't let them tweak you.

Too many times I've had a friend call me and say: "Mary, I just became unemployed. I need to find a new job. Can your firm help?" My answer: "No." Not because I'm trying to kick a person while they are down, but because I'm a recruiter. My clients, for the most part, are not looking for unemployed people. Ideally, they want the person at their biggest competitor who is currently doing the exact same job they are looking to staff. Realistically these people should have been building their network for the past 5, 10, 15 years - not just during the weeks since they became unemployed. If they had built their network, they should have been able to make 20 calls to people in their strong, thriving network and have 5 interviews scheduled within a week or two.

When you are ready to (or have to) make a career move, put out feelers. Let your network know. It's been proven that over 60% of people find their new job via networking. Not using online job boards, not answering classified ads, not even working with recruiters and/or staffing agencies, but rather calling on their existing network.

Remember the Golden Rule of Networking: Build it before you need it. Think of the relationships you'll need tomorrow, and start building them today.

How many people here know "The Big Networker"? You know - the self-centered schmoozer who's got a drink in one hand and their business cards in the other? They're ready to toss cards at everyone in the room. They're also always looking to shove a card at Mr. or Ms. Big Shot because their ego tells them how great it would be to get their little card in that person's hand. This is what I call The Networking Jerk. They are phony, insincere, overly ambitious glad-handers. And, thankfully, their time is over!

In order to build a great network and not be this idiot, you have to be generous, kind, caring. You need to care about helping your contacts be successful. When they see how much you actually care, most people tend to reciprocate in kind. Basically, it's the whole "pay it forward" concept brought to life.

So, when you meet someone who you think would be a great person with whom to network, don't just hand them your card. After a few minutes of "as meaningful as it can be under the circumstances" conversation, ASK if you can give them your card. If they accept and give you theirs in return, make a quick little note on the back about the conversation. Then, after the meeting, event, whatever, write a personalized thank you note. Notice I didn't say, send a "thank you" email. Actually write a note and send it by mail. It doesn't have to be anything big, maybe a couple of lines about how nice it was to meet them and you look forward to building a mutually beneficial business relationship. Emails are so easy to delete. A card in the mail, however, makes an impression. Honestly, how many of us actually receive handwritten notes anymore? And, when we do, do we immediately trash them or do we leave them on our desk for a day or two? They really make an impression

Broadband Internet Plans - The Fast Access With Lucrative Prices

2008-02-05T00:06:00.001-08:00

Internet has offered immense convenience to people, with the advancement in technology, internet has touched each and every strand of our lives. We connect, communicate, shop, work and entertain with the help of the internet. We need connectivity every hour of the day to carry out our official work, chat with our friends, and shop online. No one can imagine handling business without the internet; no corporate house can exist in this high tech world without the internet.

This is our prime source of every kind of information in he easiest way. With blogging, online communities, online shopping everything seems to be overtaken by the world of web. From personal to professional internet serves every need of ours. With so much influence of the internet in our lives we need to stay connected all the time. Internet has become an essential part of our lives and we need to be online 24 hours a day, seven days of the week for uninterrupted work. Due to such extensive use of it we need connections which are reliable and fast.

Broadband internet plans are the smart alternative to the conventional dial up access in which the data transfer is not very fast. The broadband is a reliable and dedicated high speed internet connection which offers higher data transmission rate. It gives us ease to download large files like videos, photographs and other bulky data with a faster speed. The broadband connection is definitely more efficient; however, we need to select the correct plan as a lot of service providers offer broadband services. The plans come with a variety of offers like free surfing hours, low rates, free downloads etc. The plans can be selected as per one's convenience and requirements. A variety of internet service provider companies are present which facilitate fast speed internet. So avail the best plan and start surfing the world of web.

Detailed Definition of T3 Bandwidth, Also Referred To As a DS3

2008-02-05T00:04:00.000-08:00

DS-3 which stands for Digital Signal Level 3, equates to 28 T-1 lines or 44.736 million bits per second (roughly 43-45 Mbps upstream/downstream speeds). DS-3s have enough bandwidth to allow very large database transferring over busy wide area networks and the capability of handling 672 simultaneous voice conversations. DS-3s typically run long haul over fiber optics and coax in the last mile, however there are many exceptions to this. Also, because fiber is only available in limited parts of the US (vs. copper), expensive build-outs are sometimes required for full DS-3 access.

In North America, DS-3 translates into T-3, which is the equivalent of 28 T-1 channels, each operating at a total signaling rate of 1.544 Mbps. The 28 T-1s are multiplexed through an M13 ('Multiplex 1-to-3' multiplexer), and 188 additional signaling and control bits are added to each T-3 frame. As each frame is transmitted 8,000 times a second, the total T-3 signaling rate is 44.736 Mbps. In a channelized application, T-3 supports 672 channels, each of 64 Kbps. In the European hierarchy, a DS-3 is in the form of a E-3, which runs at a total signaling rate of 34.368 Mbps, supports 480 channels, and is the equivalent of 16 E-1s.

If you're moving a DS-3 (or any other DS signal) across continents, the standards of the target country rule. Channels get muxed and demuxed, with signaling conventions translated as well. For example: On the US side T-1s are in multiples of 24 x 64 Kbps circuits (total 1.5 Mbps) and in the UK, it's 30 x 64 Kbps (total 2 Mbps). If you were to interconnect to the US at a DS-3 level, you would not receive 28 T-1s with 6 spare channels- You would get multiples of 30 E/T-1s. As they arrived in the UK, they would be muxed and demuxed, along with translated signaling conventions.

Who uses DS-3s? Companies who host high traffic web sites, support web hosting, and need high capacity bandwidth on an as-needed basis. Also universities/colleges, government offices, and high volume call centers. A full DS3 can accommodate many simultaneous users depending on the requirements of the business. Generally a DS3 line is installed as a major networking channel for large corporations or universities with high volume network traffic. This is an always-on, high-speed connection that provides a dedicated, stable and reliable link to the Internet, and can support up to 500 or more computer users.

If a full 45 Mbps DS-3 isn't quite necessary, then 'tiered' and 'burstable' speeds are also an option. Tiered is more suitable for clients who expect their bandwidth requirements to increase steadily and/or continually in the near future. Clients with other access such as T1 lines can rapidly and easily switch their bandwidth to a single Fractional-DS3. Burstable is a dedicated point-to-point circuit from a customer's premises to the telecommunication carrier's network operation center (NOC). This service is priced in billing tiers of 3mbps increments from 3mbps to 45mbps. As a burstable DS3 user, you always have the full bandwidth available over an unshared, non-fractional 45mbps digital leased line.

Small Talk for Networking - 7 Tips to Help You Connect Instantly

2008-02-03T23:27:00.000-08:00

Business networking events are ideal places to meet new clients. But it's not enough to just show up. If you park yourself at a table, or gossip with your business partner, you won't make any new connections.

The problem often lies in knowing what to say. For most people, it's intimidating to approach a stranger, introduce yourself, and start a conversation.

Chances are, before heading out to a business or social event, you think about what you will wear, how you will get to the event, and even where you will park. How often do you plan what you will say once you get there?

This article gives you 7 tips to help you prepare for a networking event, so you never feel tong-tied or at a loss for words.

Before the event, use these ideas to plan three or four conversation topics :

1. At a business event, know what's happening in your industry. Read professional journals and newsletters in your field to keep up-to-date.

2. If you are in a new city, find out about local events. Learn about the home team, movie releases, and books and cultural events in the news.

3. Be up on current events. Read the local and national newspapers. Skim the headlines and top stories for topics of interest.

4. Watch the local and national news. You don't want to be in the dark about recent developments.

5. Look at the three main types of magazines: News magazines, business magazines, and general interest magazines. This will give you plenty of conversation starters.

6. Use a funny story from the newspaper, or a personal anecdote to start a conversation. Humor brings people together

7. The best way to start the conversation is to begin with your shared experience, the event you are attending. Start by asking about the person's relationship to the event or group. For example:

• Have you been to (name of event) before?

• Have you been to (this city/location) before?

• What did you think of the keynote speaker?

• How do you like the event so far?

• What's the most interesting thing you've learned so far?

• How do you know (name of host or hostess)?

Any of these questions give you an instant connection because you've had the same experience.

You are invited to use these tips to connect at networking events.

Networking Made Easy - Tips for a Fast, Successful Job Search

2008-02-03T23:26:00.000-08:00

You've heard it before: at least 80% of all the jobs are found through the "hidden" job market, also known as the "unpublished" job market. These are jobs typically landed through word of mouth and referrals as opposed to the hit-or-miss method of answering ads, posting your resume to internet databases, or other techniques meant to target the remaining 20% of all jobs in the published market.

It stands to reason that if the vast majority of the jobs are to be found in this hidden market, that you should spend the majority of your job search time working to crack it. But, as you may have reasoned already, accessing the hidden job market requires that you take charge of your search, reaching out and building strategic relationships, taking proactive initiative, and making yourself visible in the right circles.

That's right. It requires that you use networking strategies. And, the thought of networking leaves many people feeling nervous and unsure. For an introverted or shy person, the idea of networking can even cause serious anxiety and fear.

What is networking exactly? If you believe, like many people, that networking is simply approaching everyone you know to ask for a job, it is no wonder you feel uncomfortable! That isn't what networking is. True networking is about building strategic relationships that involve a win-win, reciprocal exchange of information, support, and/or referrals.

When defined in this way, networking ceases to be so scary. But, it also requires that you expand your view of networking. No longer is networking just something you do every now and then when you are conducting a job search; building and strengthening your network is something that you should be working at all the time. But, if you find yourself facing an immediate job search, and your networking skills are rusty, don't fret. Here are some tips to get you moving.

1) When you first start out to build your network, it will be helpful for you to think of networking as a research project. Networking isn't just about the quantity of contacts; it is about the quality. Don't be afraid to reach out to decision-makers and people "in the know" within companies and industries of interest to you. These are quality contacts. Explain your career plans and ask them if they would spend 15 minutes talking to you and answering some questions. Most people will be flattered and say yes. When you do get in front of them, NEVER ask for a job, but DO ask for advice and referrals. These meetings are traditionally known as informational interviews.

2) As mentioned above, your networking efforts should emphasize building quality relationships. But, don't discount the importance of quantity. As much as possible, you should also expand your network. Friends, relatives, people you went to college with, contacts you have made in your community, doctors, the salespeople you come into contact with...they are all part of your network. You won't want to spend a large amount of time on this, but at least make a comprehensive list and call or send a letter reestablishing a connection, informing people of your search, and asking for advice or referrals. Again, notice that it isn't about asking for a job. Just ask for advice and referrals.

3) Prepare, prepare, prepare for your networking meetings-especially those that take the format of an informational interview. Prepare lists of questions about the company or the industry. Do your research so that you know something about the person you are meeting with and the company they work for (you might be amazed at what a simple Google search will turn up). For some people, role playing is helpful. If you are working with a career coach, this is something they may be able to help with. But a friend or close family member could also help you. There is no better antidote for nervousness than being prepared.

4) Getting out from behind your desk and making yourself visible is crucial. Join and then take part in events held by professional associations and other groups. Attend workshops and trainings in your field or industry. Attend job fairs to meet directly with hiring decision-makers. Volunteer your career-related skills in your community. If you are an expert at something, offer to speak on the topic to various groups. Job searching can be a time of anxiety and diminished self-confidence for many people, but don't hide at home behind your computer. Get out and meet people.

5) Yes, I just told you not to hide behind your computer, but the internet will play a role in any comprehensive networking campaign. Creating and maintaining a blog on your area of career expertise is an extraordinary way to build your credibility and visibility. Social networking sites like LinkedIn, MySpace, and FaceBook are increasingly popular ways to expand your network. Consider writing articles on industry and profession-related topics and then offering them as free content to webmasters (make sure the article is credited to you and includes a way to contact you). You can also participate in online discussions on topics related to your career focus. Just remember that you shouldn't "hide" behind a fake name like many people do. Your purpose is to expand your visibility and credibility, so you must use your real name.

6) Finally, show your appreciation and follow up on every single contact with a thank you note. True networking is based on cultivating and nurturing long-term relationships, so you should always be thinking of nice things you can do to show your appreciation, or ways that you could return a favor. Besides being common courtesy, your efforts in this regard will pay you back by further strengthening your relationships and helping to keep you visible.

How To Dynamically Strengthen Your Networking Skills To Make Each Connection More Profitable

2008-02-02T01:40:00.000-08:00

One morning we had a terrible thunderstorm and the power went out all over the city. It wasn't long before I got really stir crazy with no computer and no outside contact. Since my garage door wouldn't open because of the lack of electricity, I called a cab and went to my nearby Barnes and Noble with my laptop carefully in tow.

My seven-hour visit turned out to be an amazing and organic networking experience. The store's generators provided electricity, so it was light, warm, and cozy. But I found myself surrounded by like-minded people - entrepreneurs and others who dislike being in the dark. Some of us got on line, others read their books and newspapers, and conversations began to range across tables as we gradually started to feel our sense of community. When the chairs and benches filled up, people began sitting on the floor. We found ourselves talking, laughing, sharing experiences, trying to solve political and business problems and getting to know each other. And those of us who realized it was an unusual but fantastic networking opportunity also exchanged business cards and ideas with our new friends.

See every contact as a networking opportunity

There is never a time when you are not networking. And if you look at it as making or deepening a connection with others, those moments will take on new meaning. If you are at a meeting, make notes on the back of their business card and ask for their permission to call them the next day. (And then of course, be certain to call them!) If it is a casual and unexpected conversation, you might choose to make notes for yourself at the end of the day regarding what was said, what potential you discovered and what action you plan to take.

If networking is on your mind you'll find opportunities everywhere. There is no question that networking is a very valuable marketing strategy, however, it's also one that we need to personalize to fit our personalities. Whether you are shy, or whether you are "out-there" here's one secret that works for everyone: people like to talk about themselves so all you have to do is ask a compelling question and then listen.

Make a deeper connection through active listening

This is not about listening until you can get a word in and talk about yourself. It is about hearing what not only is being said, but what is not being said, noting the body language and facial expressions to interpret the words you are hearing. You see, marketing is about finding the perfect fit and since you know what you are looking for, active listening will help you decide if what you have to offer is what the other person needs.

Ease into the conversation

As a naturally enthusiastic person, I have to constantly be on the lookout to be certain I blend my energy with the person I am speaking with. And when I am ready to share I also have to determine how much information I can give the person so they can still hear me. So I ease into a conversation with a few short questions that help determine what needs to be said and what can easily be left out. Leave your selling hat at home when you are networking and just be who you are.

Follow up

Networking is about building relationships and that takes time. And it also takes action. Whether it is a phone call, a post card or your e-magazine, keep in touch. And if you listened well and heard a particular potential inherent in the conversation, call that person and create something together! That's what networking is all about - making new friends, creating new opportunities, building relationships, and staying connected!

What Is The Truth About Making Money In Network Marketing? (Part 1 of 3)

2008-02-01T01:18:00.001-08:00

If you've never been involved in Network Marketing before you're probably are asking yourself this question right now. You've probably heard of the "fabricated stories" of people losing everything they own in a Network Marketing business. Or worse, someone spent the time and money to build up a huge monthly income to only have the company they represent go out of business. So, you're probably skeptical about the Network Marketing industry in general and want more information before you decide to step out and join an opportunity.

If you're currently in a Network Marketing business (or you were once before) and you're not making a profit, you're probably saying "When will I ever make money in Network Marketing?" Or, if you've been jumping from program to program looking for the "winner" you need this article.

Early on in my Network Marketing career I asked myself these same questions. And believe me, so did my wife! So, let me answer the question for you: "Yes, you can make money in Network Marketing!"

There isn't a week that goes by that I don't get a phone call from a new prospect that asks me "What Is The Truth About Making Money In Network Marketing?" I get asked this question all the time. Especially from the frustrated network marketer who just spent their last dime on a mailing or an advertisement that went very bad. My goal is that after reading this article, you will have an better answer to this question. My hope is that your answer is "YES, I really can make money in Network Marketing?"

I know you can make money in Network Marketing because I am living proof. I now make more money in a month than I used to in a year. For the first time in my life, I don't have to worry about paying my bills. In fact, I've paid off all of my bills! Now, when I buy something, I use the universal payment method-CASH! It's nice. I feel blessed. But, I also have to do a weekly maintenance to not only help direct my organizations, but also to continually bring in new people.

Now am I sitting back and getting wealthy in Network Marketing? Quite frankly, YES.. I spend every morning playing with my daughter and work with my business associates in the afternoon. Late afternoon I stroll into the office and return phone calls and stay in touch with my growing downline and new prospects. Most evenings are spent communicating with my International parts of my organizations, usually via a conference call or webinar.

So, how did I get from corporate-weenie to where I am today? I used the simple techniques and principles I will outline in my e-book "How the Responsible Network Marketer can Go to Market" due out summer 2008. Now I didn't just do them once and walk-away.

My secret was consistency. I never quit. Once I found out what worked I simply looked for someone in my downline who wanted success as bad as I did and would "listen" and follow my advice.

That sounds simple, but in the first 2 years of my Network Marketing experience I couldn't find anybody who was willing to work as hard as I was. That was quite depressing at first. I was afraid I was just working myself into another "job". But, in reality, I was laying the foundation of what would be a lifetime residual income. Was it worth all the hard work and frustration? You bet. Would I do it all over again? You bet. A quote made famous by billionaire J. Paul Getty, which I firmly believe describes my definition of Network Marketing success:

"I'd rather have 1% of 100 people's efforts than 100% of mine own!"

One thing I truly believe is if you're not happy with what you're currently doing, you must change and do something you've never done before. That usually means changing not only your work habits, but also your attitude. You might be thinking, "I just want to know what technique to use so I can get rich-so stop talking about attitude and philosophy and get on with the nuts and bolts of making money".

What you must realize is that you must attract wealth by being professional and knowing what you are doing. You must also create value for your prospects or they will come and go like a revolving door. People look to join a Network Marketing opportunity to make money.

If you can't help them do that in a relatively short period of time they will quit. It's that simple. But, if you can create some kind of positive relationship or an atmosphere of real value, then they'll stick with you through the months where they spend more than they make. If you get only one message from this article I would hope that it would be this one:

"Everybody joins a Network Marketing opportunity to make money. But, they stay in because you've created a valuable relationship and you've helped them to become financially successful"

Most Network Marketers I speak with today are looking for a Network Marketing opportunity where someone does all the work and all they do is fold their arms, sit on their butt and wait to become wealthy. It doesn't work that way, so get over it!

Sure, you can make a few hundred bucks a month using this "strategy", but you're not creating any kind of relationship between you and your downline.

Network Marketing was created with people in mind. When you take people out of the equation, you loose. If simply mailing out catalogs, post-cards and brochures were all it took to make money, why would the company need you? Think about it? If that was the case, technology today would make you obsolete before you woke up in the morning.

They could do the distributions themselves and save on all the commissions they pay out to their distributors-couldn't they? This is where I see the breakdown has occurred over the last 15 years in this industry-it's become too commercialized and impersonal. Network Marketing started out face to face-or what is now known as "warm marketing".

Going to university or college, getting your degree(s) and working for either a "big" corporation or the government hasn't set many people financially free as previously promised by our parents. Many of our friends have found the climb up the corporate latter is full of trap doors and heartache.

And, for those who dare to dream big and start their own traditional business, they've experienced more heartache and hard work than they had anticipated. Neither our parents nor college can prepare someone for all that is necessary to start and maintain their own business.

Effortless Networking - Motivating People to Send You Referrals

2008-02-01T01:12:00.000-08:00

I got this comment recently:

"[My biggest challenge in business networking is] Motivating my referral partners to enthusiastically refer a steady stream of clients to me every single month."

Here's the brutal and honest truth:

1. First, it takes long time to build up a "referral engine".

You have to find the right people -- those who have access to the kinds of leads you want.

Then, you have to make sure these people are willing and able to send you quality leads.

Just because they can, doesn't mean they're ready to do so. You have to demonstrate your credibility and earn their trust first.

2. Second, even after you build this "referral engine" there is no guarantee that the referrals will flow in regularly and consistently.

You really have no control over this.

Influence, yes; control, no. You can encourage people, provide incentives -- but, in the end, you have no control over what they actually do.

Think about it: how often (and how consistently) are you able to send referrals to people in your network? Why do you suppose this is?

3. Before you despair, here's the third fact.

The best and most effective referrals come from your satisfied customers.

This is something over which you have a LOT of influence. So cultivate this source of referrals.

I recently published two success stories from business owners who do just this. You can check these out under the "Success Stories" category on my "Effortless Networking" website -- see below for the link.

The good news -- I think -- is that you can use networking to accomplish other things while waiting the referrals to flow in.

In a nutshell: you can network your way to other business building opportunities, that work quicker.

Networking Made Easy - Tips for a Fast, Successful Job Search

2008-01-31T01:30:00.000-08:00

What Is The Truth About Making Money In Network Marketing? (Part 1 of 3)

2008-01-31T01:21:00.000-08:00

What I Learned From The Novice Networker - 5 Key Traits

2008-01-29T22:44:00.001-08:00

More and more I've been facilitating progressive networking events where participants switch tables three times over the course of the evening to interact with three different groups of people.

It's one of my favorite events to lead, and attendees enjoy them as well because they really maximize the number of connections they can make in a very short amount of time and know exactly what to do next to follow up. And when the events are done well - and I always strive to go the extra mile - people also form deeper connections. Both breadth and depth in networking.

A few years ago, I led a particular event for the National Association of Women Business Owners that still sticks it out in my mind today. And it's all because of the novice networker who came off like a pro.

I met her during the second round of the event. She sat at my table along with several networking veterans I knew, and some I didn't. No one could tell by looking at her that she was completely new to networking. And had she not told us herself, we would never have guessed.

This was the first networking event she had ever attended, yet she handled herself beautifully and was an instant hit. Why? She did a number of things that sometimes even experienced networkers forget (or don't know) to do to make a lasting, positive impression.

If you're just getting started with networking or find yourself struggling with it, you'd be wise to take some of these lessons to heart:

• She admitted she was nervous. Just came right out and told the whole table. While this may seem like a risky move on the surface, in fact, she endeared herself to us immediately. She didn't quite know what she was supposed to do, and by saying so in an honest and heartfelt way, we all wanted to help her.

• She was friendly and enthusiastic. A smile goes a long way. No one wants to network with a sourpuss. You need to be approachable and show that you're open to learning and listening if you want to attract great people into your network.

• She showed a strong work ethic. During the group interaction she shared that she was working full-time at a bank, going to school for her degree and also working part-time in the music industry. Definitely no slouch. We were all impressed with her and felt that although she was young and didn't have a lot of experience, she could get any job done through hard work.

• She came prepared. Though the bank didn't give her her own business cards, she brought a stack with her boss's name and wrote her name and cell phone number on the back. A few people at the breakfast actually ran out of business cards. A rookie mistake that I've seen many veterans make, but that this newbie did not.

• She thanked me afterwards. I'm a sucker for politeness, what can I say? I always feel that it's a nice touch to thank the organizers of an event especially, and, to a lesser extent, the speakers. In addition to being a considerate gesture, it's an easy (and quick!) opportunity to get face time with some of the most influential people in the room. And since so few people do it, you'll be remembered.

While I've come to specialize in teaching networking from the ground up, giving networkers a progression of steps and tools to get motivated and get going, what I learned that day was networking from the inside out - how enthusiasm, authenticity and 'fessing up to your fears can be just as important to a successful start.

Networking Is A Sexually Unbiased Skill

2008-01-29T22:43:00.000-08:00

Building beneficial relationships knows no gender boundaries. It is equally beneficial for men and women, and the process can be equally daunting or equally easy Networking is a Sexually Unbiased Skillfor members of either sex.

There are, however, some differences that impact the networker's bottom line. Male chauvinists and radical feminists agree on one thing: Women, probably by nature or because they are the bearers of children, are more nurturing and tend to be more cooperative, empathic and understanding in a non-biased manner. After all, they share their love unselfishly as they rear boys and girls.

Most women are natural networkers. They, their mothers and their grandmothers have been recommending recipes, hairdressers and skincare products across kitchen tables for generations. Where the challenge for some women arises is in the business arena. The increased emphasis on teaching relationship building is helping women become more confident and competent about transferring their skills to the workplace.

Some "older" women were taught by their mothers (who thought them to be positive qualities) to be seen and not heard, not to exploit their personal relationships or to "brag" about themselves. Hopefully, fathers and mothers today are teaching their daughters that it is acceptable for women to be just as assertive as men, socially and in business, and, that as their daughters enter the business world, this issue will be largely non-existent.

As a reminder, assertive behavior is what all human beings strive for: to be concerned that the other person gets his/her needs met while you do the same. Passive behavior is when you are concerned only that the other person's gets his/her needs met while you don't put any emphasis on yours. Aggressive behavior is when you are concerned only about meeting your needs and pay little attention to the needs of the other person.

What does remain a challenge is that in business likes tend to want to work with likes, i.e. women with women and men with men. Because there are only a handful of women CEOs in the Fortune 500 companies, it's easy to understand why women may not have the same opportunities to build high-value business relationships. This will change only as more women rise to top jobs at major corporations and become more than token members of corporate and organizational boards of directors.

That's exactly what the ole boys' network was and in some cases still is: men at the top helping other men rise to the same levels. Women are not yet as privy to networking in these elite places so while their skills are top-notch, their results may be less impactive and powerful.

Women, however, are gaining in numbers what they lack in force. Because of the corporate glass ceilings (and, yes, they still exist), so many of them are starting businesses and becoming owners and presidents that they are beginning to gain clout through sheer numbers. This, in turn, adds clout to the relationships they are building. While they may not be managing the same number of people, they are learning important leadership skills.

Another positive force for women is the number of company-sponsored women's networks that are being formed within major corporations. Some of them, though, are still perfunctory.

A representative of a newly formed women's group at a Chicago professional services firm contacted me to present a program on relationship building. We agreed it would provide valuable skills for the women's professional development. When we started talking fees, she said there was no budget. Ironically, she continued to say how top management (all men) was so supportive of their initiative ... yet they wanted to get a speaker - a woman - to donate her time. It was even more pathetic that management wouldn't even agree to pay my travel expenses (simply gas mileage from a Chicago suburb)!

Broadband - What Affects Your Speed?

2008-01-28T23:33:00.000-08:00

Broadband providers have been under scrutiny recently, as it has come to light that broadband speeds advertised by ISP's (Internet Service Providers) are not matching actual broadband speeds that customers receive.

It's proving to be a frustrating time for many customers. Many have been promised speeds of up to 8 Meg, but they are finding themselves with connection speeds, that in some cases are only marginally better than dial-up.

So, what are the contributing factors that affect broadband speeds? There are in fact numerous conditions that exist that can hamper your connection, and unfortunately there are no quick fix solutions to any of the problems.

Conditions that can cause poor internet speeds include:

The distance from the exchange

This is probably the single biggest contributing factor to broadband speeds. The closer you are to the telephone exchange the better your chances are of getting faster internet speeds. Only those living close to an exchange will be able to get anywhere near the 8meg download speeds promised by many of the providers.

The number of computers on a network

If have a number of computers in your household hooked up to the same router, then this will affect your broadband speeds as each computer will be sharing the one connection.

Quality of cables

Your ISP should provide you with high capacity modem cables as part of their package. But, if they haven't then it's wise to check that the cabling you are using is up to the job intended. Also, poor quality internal telephone cabling can affect the quality of your service.

Weather Conditions

Severe weather conditions can cause problems with the ADSL signal which in turn affects internet speeds.

Viruses

Always use good virus protection software. A computer that is poorly protected from viruses and spyware will inevitably begin to lose performance. Virus programs running in the background hog your bandwidth.

Time of day

The peak times when people surf the internet are between 6pm - 11pm. During these peak times it's common to experience slower internet speeds.

So What Is A Wireless Bridge Anyway?

2008-01-28T23:32:00.000-08:00

So what is a wireless bridge anyway?
In simple terms a wireless bridge is a device that allows two or more complete networks of users to transparently communicate to one another over long distances without wires. These networks can be in the same building but are normally in either adjacent buildings or with the proper antennas and line of sight bridges can even connect networks up to 30 miles apart. Wireless bridges connect to the wired network through the Ethernet port and replicate that data to a remote network bridge or access point via 802.11a/b/g wireless (Wi-Fi) protocol.

Point to Point (ptp) Bridging:
A point to point topology is the simplest to configure and connects two networks in two separate locations, normally a remote building or warehouse, via one wireless bridge in each location.

Point to Multi-point (point to multipoint, ptmp) bridging:
A point to Multipoint topology wirelessly connects multiple locations together allowing them to share the same network resources. The bridge at the main, central, location is called the root bridge or base station bridge and all data passing between the wireless bridge clients must pass through the root bridge first. These point-to-multipoint networks are used in wireless internet service providers (WISP), large corporate campuses, distribution facilities, school districts, public safety applications and many others...

What do I need to build a Point to Point Bridge Link?

Line of sight between the two locations. You may need to install a pole or tower on your roof top in order to achieve this. A site survey is recommended before installation. Select a wireless bridge: Here are some things to consider when selecting a wireless bridge.

Distance: Distance will determine what gain antenna will be required and if you need an external antenna or if an integrated antenna will be sufficient.

Wireless protocol: Do you want to use a bridge base on 802.11 standards so that you have interoperability with other bridge manufacturers or would you like something with a protocol proprietary to a particular vendor? There are some added security benefits when using a proprietary over a standard protocol.

Frequency: Do you want to use a licensed or unlicensed (2.4, 5-5.8 GHz) band?
Indoor or Outdoor: Indoor wireless bridges are less expensive but you will have to buy quite a bit of LMR-400 cable to connect to the outdoor antenna. This adds a great deal of signal loss and in the end you will need a higher gain antenna to compensate. An outdoor bridge can be placed right next to the antenna and therefore cuts down on the amount of cable you need to buy as well as the amount of signal loss.

Select a wireless antenna: If the bridge you selected does not already have an integrated antenna you will need to choose one now. For point to point links we suggest a directional panel, grid or solid parabolic dish antennas.

Peripherals: You will need to select the appropriate lightning arrestors and RF antenna cables to get you connected and protected.

Double it: Now double the amount of hardware you selected so that you have the identical setup on both sides.

Installation:
Finally, select a professional installer in your area to run the appropriate cables, install any required poles or towers, align the antennas and configure the radios. If you have any questions about this let us know and we will assist you in finding a quality installer. If you want to try it out yourself go for it but DON'T FORGET to bench test the bridges before actually installing them in the field.

Broadband - What Affects Your Speed?

2008-01-28T23:21:00.001-08:00

So What Is A Wireless Bridge Anyway?

2008-01-28T23:19:00.000-08:00

WiMax - Will it Change How You Receive Broadband Internet Service

2008-01-28T05:04:00.000-08:00

What is WiMax you ask? Well simply put is a telecommunications technology aimed at providing wireless data over long distances developed on the IEEE 802.16 wireless standard. For those that don't speak geekeeze, it's something like WiFi or wireless internet on steroids. It's been quite the buzz in the wireless internet community for 4 or 5 years now. WiMax speculatively will give customers wired like broadband performance in a wireless platform.

What it is, or is supposed to be is a new long range high capacity (very fast) wireless communications technology. A large share of the technology is being manipulated by Sprint and its partners of collaboration such as Sony Ericsson, Samsung Motorola, Alcatel Lucent and many others.

Specifically branded under the Trade name of Xohm WiMAX, Sprint announced early this year their intent to move ahead with the development and deployment of a new 4G wireless network which will reside within its existing 2.5 gigahertz network that Sprint and partner Clearwire already have in place.

WiFi because of where it resides in the radio spectrum is mandated to low power signals so as not to overrun other networks. Sprint and Clearwire by virtue of owning the parts of the 2.5gigahertz band that they intend to use for the new WiMax network, gives them the ability to use much stronger signals that will make greater distances possible without the fear of interference from other networks.

What will the range of WiMax Be? The range of WiMax is for the most part speculative at this point. But those familiar with the technology estimate it to be able to give good service in a non-line of site situation such as in dense urban areas of 4 to 5 miles from its source point, traveling through buildings, trees and other objects. With line of site or point to point applications, speculation is that it will work well up to 10 miles or more, giving it a clear advantage in the wireless broadband market.

How soon will it be available? Sprint speculated that it would have the first commercially available WiMax system launched later this year. Plagued with all manner of obstacles that have had to be over come, including a completely new business model that sprint has not as of yet given full detail of, the company has fallen behind its earlier projected start up dates. If WiMax becomes a viable communications tool, it is expected that sprint will begin deployment with its top 100 market areas in the United States, and expand as time and resources allow to other areas and round the world.

Don't expect the change to take place over night. New technology takes time to implement. New network devices will need to acquired by those who will be using the new system. Although Sprints partners have been trying to keep pace with the new WiMax technology it probably will be some time before the appliances are in adequate supply should the new communications platform take off.

How much will it cost? This is the big question that no one seems willing to answer yet. Because it's new and supposedly better, it most probably will cost more. How much more is anyone's guess and Sprint has not said, only that it should fall in line with the service that will be provided. Sprint as well as everyone else knows that to be commercially successful internet technology has to also affordable to use. It is estimated that the price tag for Sprints development of its new WiMax network systems and marketing plan have exceeded $5 billion, quite a hefty price tag to recoup and see a net profit from. But if it can deliver what it claims and offers wired like broadband speed it might be the next big rage.

Satellite Internet

2008-01-28T05:02:00.000-08:00

Satellite Internet is a technology that provides high-speed Internet services to consumers using telecommunications satellites that are in orbit above the earth. This type of internet connection is simply system in which the upstream (outgoing) and the downstream (incoming) data are sent from a satellite and arrive at either a desktop or laptop computer A subscriber for this type of internet service needs a satellite dish antenna and a transceiver (Modem) that operates in the microwave portion of the radio spectrum. The subscriber's computer, broadcasts requests to a satellite dish antenna via the modem. The dish antenna then sends and receives signals from the satellites in orbit above the equator. The satellite dish must maintain a clear view of the southern sky if it is locates in the United States.

People that live in rural areas where Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) and cable modem connections are not available are candidates for satellite service. It has also become an increasingly feasible alternative for urban subscribers also that are in needs of high speed Internet due to technological advances. A satellite installation will work even where the most basic utilities such as electricity are lacking. As long as the user has a generator or battery power supply that can produce the electricity required for a desktop computer system to function, two-way satellite service will be successful. The two-way Satellite Internet option bypasses the dial-up process resembling a cable modem Internet connection. In this case a firewall is a necessity to protect against hack attempts.

Satellite internet connection for the web is great for web browsing and for downloading various types of files. It can successfully download images, sound files and video clips. It can also be used in conjunction with online computer games. For web developers, satellite service can be used for uploading files to the servers that host the websites. This type of internet connection offers enough bandwidth to allow a subscriber to engage in multiple activities on the internet without having connectivity issues.

Your Network is Your Net Worth - Learn How To Increase Your Bank Balance Today!

2008-01-25T05:22:00.000-08:00

Your friends and colleagues can significantly impact how successful you are, and ultimately how healthy your bank balance is!

Someone once said to me "your network is your net worth" and they were absolutely right. Are you hanging onto old 'friendships' that don't serve and support you, or are you getting out of your comfort zone to meet new people and increase your net worth?

Friend or Foe?

To truly excel in life it's important to surround yourself with excellent people, and sometimes that means pushing the boundaries and looking for new individuals to join your personal and professional networks. Ask yourself:-

* Do your friends challenge you intellectually?

* Can you learn from the people you spend time with?

* Do you socialise with positive and upbeat people?

* Do you spend time with people who are as smart, if not smarter, than you?

If you answered 'No' to a number of those questions then it's time to start increasing your network.

Who are you hanging out with?

Who we become is a reflection of the people we hang out with. Here are some ideas on how to increase your network and become the person you truly want to be:-

* Join your company's social club, and if they don't have one - start one!

* Take up a new sport and join your local team - it's good for your body & your wallet

* Have a BBQ and get everyone to bring along someone new to your social circle

* Volunteer for charity work

* Join a networking group - see below for some excellent networking groups in Australia

Networking groups in Australia

BNI

BNI (Business Network International) is a business referral organisation whose primary purpose is to assist it's members to find and exchange qualified business referrals for each other and develop word-of-mouth marketing techniques. Great if you have a business and want to increase your revenue and referrals!

Network Central

A first class business networking group. For people who have lives ....

Australian Businesswoman's Network

A fantastic resource and networking group for women in business.

Business Chicks

A professional yet funky group that brings together hundreds of women who want to expand their network, both personally and professionally.

The Last Thursday Club

A monthly networking event for creative business people - entrepreneurs, innovators, business leaders, idea-makers and thought-leaders. A great opportunity to meet new people who think outside the square!

Small Talk for Networking - 7 Tips to Help You Connect Instantly

2008-01-25T05:21:00.000-08:00

Virtual Private Network For Small Business

2008-01-18T02:28:00.001-08:00

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) provides remote users with secure Internet access to their network. It is especially suitable for environments where secure communications are required between remote locations of an enterprise. It does not matter if the user is located at the office or at home. The data sent through VPN environment is scrambled at the user’s end before being sent over the Internet. On reaching the destination, it is decrypted. There is no risk of any interception since only the authorized users have access to the data.

The data is carried over the network through the process of ‘Tunneling.’ A package is placed within another package before it is encrypted and sent to destination through tunnel path. A firewall can also be set up between the network and the Internet to reject unwanted data. However, this must be done before the VPN is put in place.

Trade-offs of a VPN: As is the case with any technology, there are both pros and cons of using a VPN. You must understand the implication of these while deciding on setting up a VPN.

Benefits: A VPN increases security, productivity and opportunities to reach out to a large clientele. It has low operational cost and uses a simplified network topology. Besides, it reduces costs for companies by lowering the cost of long distance telephone charges, as clients need only to land up at the service providers nearest access point. However, you need to consider the following while installing a VPN.

• Requirement of specially trained staff with a good knowledge of network security is necessary to ensure that your system functions smoothly.
• Varieties of technologies are in use for VPN. This could lead to incompatibility amongst networks.

Essential Capabilities of a VPN:

With the maturing of VPN capabilities and the development of encryption technology, it is now becoming feasible to match companies’ expectations of high-speed performance and high security. The capabilities you demand of your VPN solution provider are considered below.
• Speed: This is the most important criterion while choosing a VPN. Speeds up to 2 gigabits per second are available. The speed you opt for will depend on the volume of data to be handled by your network.
• Security: In addition to providing high end-to-end security and firewall to control access to information, you may consider integrating additional applications such as digital certificate support, client authentication and intrusion detection.
• Scalability: The VPN infrastructure equipment should be scalable to evolve with your business. The appliances should have multiple network interfaces, network management module and be interoperable with existing equipment. The system should provide fail over provisioning, so that another port takes over in the event of port failure.

A VPN has almost become a necessity for a company to exploit its competitive advantage. The system chosen for installation must have the capabilities to meet the company’s functional requirements.

A Complete Overview of Satellite TV

2008-01-18T02:27:00.001-08:00

As it currently stands at this present time there are three separate satellite TV service providers serving the public in the U.S. and they are Sky Angel, DirecTV and Dish Network. While Sky Angel broadcasts only Christian oriented programming for their viewers, DirecTV and Dish Network cover a broad variety of genres of programming that is marketed for the general public. While Dish Network and DirecTV do have their similarities they also have many unique feature that separate their styles of programming and marketing.

DirecTV General Information:

When DirecTV made its debut in 1994 it was in completely digital format which was a first for TV viewers. This was all made possible by their having the first digital broadcast satellite ever made and launched into orbit. DirecTV is a subsidiary of Hughes Electronics, which is why they only feature Hughes Electronics satellite TV systems and components.. With a 15 million viewer customer base DirecTV is currently the largest satellite TV provider in the U.S.

General Programming Info:

Currently DirecTV offers a total of 250 channels of a mixed blend of programming genres that are available in a total of three standard programming packages although they do have a wide choice of foreign programming packages as well. Their smallest package is called Total Choice and it contains 155 programming channels, three movie channels and 60 XM satellite radio music programming channels. Their Total choice plus package contains 185 standard programming channels, three movie channels and the 60 music channels. Their top package is called Total Choice Premier and contains 250 channels with three movie and 60 radio channels as well.

DirecTV components:

DirecTV gives you all that you need to get started watching satellite TV when you sign up for an extended programming agreement and this includes a free satellite TV system. You have your choice of several receivers that have a number of feature options including DVR.

Dish Network General Info:

Dish Network made its debut in 1996 and is a subsidiary of Echo Star Corp. They are the second largest satellite TV service provider with over 12 million viewers. They also hold the distinction of being highest ranked in over all customer satisfaction by J.D. Power and associates.

General Programming Info:

Dish Network currently carries a total of 350 programming channels that are available in five seperate packages of verying size. They offer an entry level budget package that can start a viewer out with just 40 channels if they are on a tight budget. Their largest package the Americas everything pak contains 350 programming channels, 67 Sirius satellite radio channels, 52 music channels and four premium movie channels. Dish Network also carries a wide selection foreign language channels and packages.

Dish Network Components:

Just like direcTV dish network also give you an entire satellite TV system free of charge when you sign up for and extended programming agreement. They have a broad choice of receivers and also give you several choices in feature options in your receiver, including DVR. They also have a free installation policy that covers the entire system and three rooms and all work and hardware is guaranteed.

Networking Your Way To Greater Success

2008-01-02T05:09:00.001-08:00

Networking is the ability to know people, who know people, who know people, who know people who can help you succeed. Networking is your personal and professional success tool. But there's a catch - networking is as much about giving as it is about receiving.

True and lasting success comes from helping as many people as possible achieve their goals. It's based on what is called the Law of Reciprocity. The more people you help succeed, the more you succeed.

Networking is much more about giving than it is about receiving. Many people join a networking group with the attitude, "What can I get out of this relationship." A true networker asks, "How many ways can I help the other person achieve her/his goals?"

The Law of Reciprocity states that the more you give, the more you get. Give of yourself and time wisely. Give wisely, but not selfishly. Give of time, intelligence and experience without expecting something in return. The giver will end up the winner.

With that said - Start your networking with friends, family and associates. Ask yourself, "Do my friends, relatives and social contacts really know what I do for a living or what my goals are?"

Prepare a one-minute infomercial about yourself, your career and how your network can help you succeed. When you meet someone new, you'll have a minute infomercial ready to help get your point across effectively. If you can't condense what you do into a one-minute infomercial, you may not be clear about what you want or how your network can help.

Sit down right now, and make a list of twenty people who can help you go forward with living your life's mission. If they can't help you directly, they may know someone who can.

Be sure to keep your network posted about all your career moves and changes. When your goals change, professionally and personally, let your network know.

Remember too, that you are a part of network too. That's a responsibility that shouldn't be taken lightly. Actively help make contacts, referrals, and connections for your network. Not only will you feel personally satisfied, but also you're building a foundation of mutual respect, benefit and support.

Financial Success or Environmental Mission? Now You Can Have Both

2008-01-02T05:06:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wished you could create a financially secure future doing something that helps the environment? Usually we have to choose between what we do for money and what we do to support the environment. Now, at least one opportunity provides both.

Imagine having a service you can offer over the internet, from the comfort of your home, that people have been waiting for at least 30 years. Imagine your prospects forwarding your marketing materials to people they know because they feel good about referring your service and are motivated to do so by a bigger mission.

It may sound like a dream opportunity, but wait...it gets better.

Now you can offer people solar power for their home. They can pay less for clean, renewable electricity from the sun than they pay now for dirty electricity from nuclear and coal plants. Who wouldn't want to do that?

With global warming being given top priority and all the talk of building more nuclear and coal plants, people are looking for a better solution. Now you can offer them a solution that supports the environment and saves them money.

As an Ecopreneur (ecological entrepreneur) you get paid for educating people about solar power for their home. In fact, you can get paid three ways.

You can earn a substantial installation and retention bonus when their solar power system is installed and at their first anniversary for providing great customer service (from the comfort of your home).

You receive 5% of your customers' monthly electricity bill every month for the life of their contract. If you ever wanted a commodity your customers would continue buying every month, year after year, this is it.

The third way you can get paid is by supporting a team of other Ecopreneurs doing the same thing. When you invite, train, and support other Ecopreneurs to make the same offer and build their team, you receive a percentage of your team's sales including a 50% matching bonus on those you personally invite and 25% matching bonus on those they invite.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, it does. There's no cost or obligation to participate as an Ecopreneur. That's right...no start up fees, no annual fees, no quotas, no website fees, and no purchase required. You don't even have to be a customer yourself. The company even provides professional marketing materials free to download and create yourself.

Okay, I know you've probably been waiting for the "other shoe to drop." Well, here it is. This opportunity is so ground floor that, as of this writing in December 2007, we are still in the pre-launch phase of our development. We are scheduled to officially launch in the Spring and we already have over 25,000 customers.

Getting involved while this solar wave is still just beginning to swell will position you to ride this enormous wave of grateful customers all the way to the bank, the beach, and beyond.

Some may choose to wait and see how we do. I personally am thrilled to be part of such an enormous grassroots movement to upgrade America to solar power.

I can't imagine being better positioned for what will prove to be a service everyone will have. Remember not so many years ago no one had cell phones and now it's hard to imagine life without them. Going back a bit further, when the refrigerator was introduced, everyone was still buying ice for their icebox and now it's hard to imagine life without a refrigerator. The same will be true for solar power and we're positioned to provide it for the masses.

Mission '08 - Are You Attracting Leaders Or Just A Lead?

2007-12-19T21:49:00.001-08:00

Whether it's your first week with CarbonCopyPro or the day you make the decision to join us, your sponsor and leaders have made an enormous commitment to you. New tools, websites, lead systems and back office training are second to none. 20 conference calls weekly. The MMG and LST teams are visionaries. We are shaking the very foundation of commissions for serious entrepreneurs which will have a massive effect on creating millionaires.

The great mind of Paul Zane Pilzer fully predicts 10 million new millionaires in the next decade. Likely, enlightened by this news, word has spread spread fast. Over 500,000 internet searches on home business and networking happen before Noon daily. My last report showed WMI's growth since partnering with CCPro is somewhere North of 300%. So there is no shortage of leads or individuals searching.

A fact which explodes me to expand this critical post you're reading now.

Put your mind at Day One. After you're all set up, and ready for leads, I get the same flood of the exactly the same calls and emails - on the same topic. 'I just need leads, cheap and fast!' 97% of networkers struggle and give up for reasons we know to be self evident. The do not know their target. The difference between genius and insanity is results. Let's solve this once together right now permanently so you can't fail.

From now on, think and recruit like a CEO.

Ever notice that CEO's and major leaders always drag an entire team with them? Perhaps politics is a better example of group leadership movements but in terms of being profitable or doing 'real work' we'll stick to CEO's.

Here's the secret, the big picture, the "aha". Your primary target is other networking leaders. You are on a quest day and night to form bonds with CEO's and VP's with sphere of influence under them already. Shape every peptide in your body to see the "one offs" or single sales to individuals as secondary.

Headline: Add 20 new reps weekly. Lock in higher group residuals. Sponsor entire teams.

OR

Headline: Reach your $250k income dreams. Full turnkey home business system.

Which ad would be attract a leader or 'just a lead' for the same advertising dollar?

Sure, for starters you'll buy some leads and recruit Joe or Sue that wants money, time and freedom. Who doesn't want to be a millionaire? Millions seeking and few make it by not making a slight but critical shift. Your income is solely the result of your value to others - so why not buy in bulk and be valuable to other leaders? It takes the same effort to strike conversation with a giant leader from another group as it does just one person.

That's the only true path to making it happen in months or the slow path of burning up energy and money on hunting rabbits instead of elephants. CEO's hunt elephants, hire Alpha dogs, and strategize on casting one net for entire schools of fish.