Best Software Solutions-vmBq

2006-07-08T03:50:00.000-07:00

Sounds like a virus and that is a bad thing, unless you think about how a virus works in your body or on your computer. Basically, once you get one, unless you do something to stop it the virus grows.

Now apply that thinking to Internet marketing, since growth is exactly what you want. Imagine if you write an ebook you give away to three friends each and they give it to... get the picture? It will grow like wildfire! Soon you have 100's if not 1000's of people exposed to your ebook.

With careful planning, your ebook just happens to have products and services you recommend, and just so happens you are an affiliate marketer. Simply include your affiliate links and watch the results. You will see growth from places where you have never been to!

Like most things, viral marketing has its drawbacks. People actually rob affiliate codes and modify them to rob your commission from you. And just like a virus, there are remedies. One is called cloaking and it's simple as pie. There is cloaking software, there are page re-directs, and it all works like forwarding. What generally happens is you create these links like this:

http://www.domain-name.com/word

When it is clicked on, the link actually goes to
http://www.thelongeststringofwordsandnumbers.com

Cloaking does two things; Hides the 3" long affiliate links companies make you use, and hides the affiliate code from thieves, and yes they are out there and you have been warned.

But the advantages to viral marketing far outweigh the disadvantages. Just make sure that where you host your pages, or the software you use to build your web pages can do re-direct type forwarding.

Let other people spread the ebook around. Use an auto responder to deliver your ebook automatically. Offer it on your web site. Give it away; do not sell it because you will limit how many people want it. The more that get it, the more clicks to affiliates and the more sales you make.

You will need ebook or web site content, so unless you are a professional web copy writer, you may need some help. One best idea is to find base articles and re-work to suit. To have a starting place is a tremendous advantage and great time saver too.

So do not be afraid to jump out there and become an author or a webmaster, maybe even both. Ebooks and information are hot commodities. When you market them virally, nature takes over and it spreads.

Have you ever received an ebook from someone else that bought it, and the intent was for each reader to purchase the book? It's quite natural to share and that is the beauty of viral marketing. Growth comes naturally and easily, but you have to get started now, it takes time to work.

Once the virus affect of viral marketing kicks in, the only thermometer you will be using is to make sure your margaritas are cold.

2006-06-24T04:07:00.000-07:00

There are a great number of "free" things available on the Internet. Some of the offers are real and some aren't. There are legitimate reasons for free offers. Sellers give away free samples, for instance. That's why there are wine-tasting rooms, test-drives for cars and the opportunity to try on shoes before you buy them! Sellers want you to buy their products and are willing to let you try them out to some extent to convince you to buy. And so there are promotions of various types out there, which can be a good deal for the participants. But tread carefully! There ARE nuggets to be found, but all that glitters is not necessarily gold!

For example, a search on "free antivirus" at www.dogpile.com, yields 100+ hits. They run the usual spectrum of most free offers, from genuine giveaways to outright "sucker traps" that just want your address so they can drown you in spam! They can be categorized as 1.Genuine, 2.Free but donation requested, 3.Time Based, 4.Free but paid for by others, 5.Free Sample, 6.Marketing key word tricks and 7.Bait and Switch address thieves. Let's look at each of these categories.

1. Genuine. For anti-virus software there are some programs out there that are really free, just for the downloading. Some perform very well against the well-known annual-fee offerings, even beating them in various ways.

They give good advice, "...when picking out your antivirus solution...first of all you want to make sure you get an antivirus program from a trusted source. Doing a little research on the internet (websites like this) will help you identify who the trusted providers of antivirus software are. Always find multiple sources of information, that way you are more than likely to find a software product you can get help with and that won't be filled with spyware and adware."

2. Free but donation requested. These are free, but they ask you to make voluntary donations. Also in this category are those that offer a limited capacity version, such as do Note Tab (text manager) and Zone Alarm (firewalls) for free, then try to get you to upgrade to the paid version. These are legitimate marketing ploys, and maybe the free version will be all you really need.

3. Time Based. Free to try for 30 days, $30.00 if you decide to keep it! Not unreasonable. Like a test drive. Many software products use this approach. Some will just not work after the trial period; others will periodically degrade their capacities, encouraging you to buy. For example, www.goodsol.com has a solitaire program that starts degrading after 30 days. After 60 days or so they shut down the take-back-the-last-move feature! Maybe by that time you are addicted to the game and go ahead and buy the full-capacity version. Or maybe you just play VERY carefully!

4. Free but paid for by others. Paid by advertising (like yahoo mail and hotmail) is legit. Like commercials on free TV. Somebody's got to pay the cost of providing the service! Spyware and adware are not O.K. Their purpose is to track your Internet movements for marketing survey purposes or deliver pop-up ads to you at random unexpected times. If you download any program of which you are at all suspicious, run your anti-spyware program(s) after using them.

Spyware and adware must "call home" to report and get new ads, so you should severely restrict which of your programs you allow to access the Internet.

5. Free Sample. Fair enough if it is legit, but remember the fisherman offers the fish free worms! In anti-virus and anti-spyware programs, many vendors offer a free online checkout of your system to see if it has viruses or spyware on it. Most are honest. Some will "plant" a few of what they are supposed to protect you against, and then "find" them, to great fanfare, just to prove that THEY are finding things that your current program can't!

6. Marketing key word tricks. The word "Free" sells! Marketers know this and put the word "Free" in their headings and where search engines will look. So when you search on "free anti-virus download" a marketer's "Download a free scan" offer will match on two words, free and download. The majority of hits on your search will probably be from this type of word trick site.

7. Bait and Switch address thieves. The Internet is cracking down on spam. Pushy salesmen are getting desperate for email addresses to which they can "legitimately" mail offers. To get addresses they offer all sorts of outrageous (and some almost reasonable) free offers. "Congratulations you have just won a Sony laptop computer!", followed by a request for your home and email address so they can send it to you (sounds reasonable enough, to get your Sony laptop). This is followed by requests to answer a "survey", then questions about your interests, occupation, etc. etc. What is really happening is that they are getting a profile of you to help them sell your address to their customers! Finally, it turns out that to "finish qualifying" for your gift, you have to buy something, then something else, etc. The free laptop (the bait) has been switched to being required to buy junk you don't need that ends up costing you more than it would to go out and buy the laptop!

And the next day there are 40 or 50 new emails in your inbox offering things that they claim that YOU asked about!

In summary, with a little research you can find worthwhile free items on the Internet. Using common sense you can avoid most of the problems. Ask yourself, what's in this for the seller? How can he give it to me for free? And remember, that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably IS too good to be true. Even a fish wouldn't get caught if he looked, and avoided worms that had a line going from them up to the surface!

Otherwise, use caution and enjoy the many GOOD freebies that are out there!

2006-06-20T20:13:00.000-07:00

Identity Theft is a real and growing problem. So what is identity theft exactly? Basically, identity theft is when someone uses your social security number, your bank credit card number, your driver's license number or any other form of identity without your knowledge or permission.

Many people have fallen victim to identity theft through many different means. Some of these ways are easily preventable due to their common sense obvious nature. Other ways identities are stolen are more dubious and discreet.

So, the question becomes, how can you protect yourself from someone stealing your identity?

To protect yourself from identity theft, the first thing you should do when considering how to divulge information about your identity to someone you do not know or may not trust is to use your common sense. Never make one-sided assumptions or take things for granted where your identity is concerned.

Credit card company statements and bank statements you receive in the mail contain your account information including your account number. Any of these items need to be shredded with an inexpensive shredder you can buy at any office supply store. Do not throw credit card statements, old credit cards or bank statements, etc. in the trash as that presents an easy way for someone going through the trash to steal your account information and use it as if they were you.

Another thing you can do to protect yourself against credit card fraud and unauthorized credit card usage is to sign the back of your card as "Check ID". If a store clerk asks to see your card, he or she will check the signature on the back and compare it with some other form of ID you have. This safeguard will not work where a purchase can be automatically completed (like at a gas pump).

When you are buying items at a store or withdrawing money from a bank or ATM machine using your ATM debit card always protect the visibility of your PIN number as you punch it in.

Do not carry your social security card with your number on it in your wallet. Keep your social security card or anything with your social security number on it in a safe place where no one has access to it but you. If you must dispose of anything that has your social security number on it, do not forget to shred it.

When online, do not open files sent to you by strangers or even files that are from someone you know but were not expecting to receive any from them. Do not click on hyperlinks or download programs from people you do not know either. Opening a computer file from an unknown source could expose your system to a computer virus, a Trojan or spyware. These types of programs could be ones that could log your keystroke information containing your credit card numbers, passwords or other sensitive information as you type it in.

If you use Ebay or Paypal, read the company website policies concerning how they handle communication to you about your account information. Never trust an email you may receive out of nowhere from Ebay or Paypal asking you to "update your account information" as this is more than likely a ploy to steal that information and use it illegally.

Use a firewall program and a router while you are online if you have high speed internet that leaves your computer connected to the internet 24/7. The router and the firewall program both make it much more difficult for a hacker to see your computer's actual IP address which means that you have a better chance of safely sending and receiving sensitive information over the internet. Windows XP operating system SP2 has a built in firewall which you should make sure is enabled in your settings.

When you are shopping online, always use a secure browser and shop from a web site that offers secure transactions when shopping online. Most browsers in use today have this protection feature including the popular Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox browsers. Secure website shopping carts you visit will show up as "https://thestoresdomain.com" in the web browser address bar.

Practice keeping your computer clean from spyware or Trojan programs that log keystroke information by using virus protection software and spyware monitoring and removal software. These programs should be updated regularly, and updates for you're operating system and other software programs should be installed regularly to protect against the compromise of your computer files and password information. Ideally, virus protection software should be set to update itself frequently. The Windows XP operating system will update itself automatically if you enable this feature, which you should.

The consequences of identity theft once thieves have your information can be quite severe and range from going on a spending spree to taking out auto loans in your name. For these reasons and others, it is a good idea to monitor your credit report periodically. A credit report can be obtained from Trans Union Corp. New laws have made it easy for you to get at least one free credit report that you can use to see if accounts have been opened in your name.

2006-06-10T05:24:00.000-07:00

Businesses of all sizes are expanding with ebooks. An ebook is a paperless book in digital format that you can download to your computer, handheld or other reader device. It can be read by using a software program like Adobe (for .pdf formats) or Microsoft Word.

Here are several ways to expand your own business operations with ebooks.

Marketing An ebook offers an inexpensive means of producing full-color marketing materials complete with graphics and audio components. Find good software or hire someone to help create your ebooks. Grab a digital camera and start snapping shots of your products, people using your products and services, your workers, etc. Then show off your shots, your products and describe your services with awesome power-packed presentations; web pages with interactive links for sound, visual presentations, communications (emails or forum posts) and more.

Education When your products or services need explained, educate your prospects and clients with ebooks. Have sample or short versions available for trial offers or free downloads. Then include full-fledged detailed editions with product / service purchases. Educate with visual, sound and interactive point-and-click methods. Invite questions and feedback from recipients for improvements on future product and service development.

Communications How many times do you get an email you with a question - the same question over and over gain it seems that requires a book-length answer? Maybe questions like, How do you create a basic website? or How can you market on a tight budget? inspire lengthy replies. Well, now you can write one long reply, turn it into an ebook and send it out over and over again and free up more time for other things. AND include your own marketing information inside so that readers can look you up on the Internet, pass your information along and give others the opportunity to find you, too.

New Product Use surveys and take polls for new product creation. Include a link to a web page with a questionnaire and free download for recipients upon completion.

Sales Reps Arm your sales representatives with professional, top-notch full-color media / product / service information kits presented via your ebooks to share with local newspaper, radio, television and other media reps, visitors and potential clients at trade shows and other events. Set up an introductory page in your ebook, then an index where people can click and quickly find your History, Mission Statement, product and service descriptions and images, Contact information, Testimonials, etc. Then copy the ebooks to disks and CDs to distribute at events. This gives people the opportunity to learn much more about you when they have more time afterwards.

So grab your cyber-pencil or keypad and start writing! Ebooks can definitely enlarge your operations.

2006-06-04T02:03:00.000-07:00

Most of you have seen those little buttons on websites labeled RSS or XML. If you are wondering what they are, RSS means Really Simple Syndication. Really simple because when you subscribe to a site that has this feature, you keep up-to-date with new information without having to check the site every day. This is really good news because you can use it to get newsfeeds from major news networks, news on new movies, even your favorite musician's tour dates or CD releases.

This new twist to the Internet is very valuable to you as a Internet marketer too. Imagine replacing email marketing with RSS marketing. People actually subscribe meaning they want your information updates, similar to opt-in newsletters. With newsletters you have to write them and your site content. With RSS, when you update your content, all subscribers are notified by their newsreaders.

Newsreaders are special software that read RSS feeds. To get started, download a free RSS reader.

If you use a Windows PC, go to http://www.rssreader.com

For Mac users, see http://ranchero.com/netnewswire

Once you are set up, here's all you or your customers have to do...

Right-click (control-click for Mac users) on any RSS button on a site, blog or news source that interests you. Select Copy Shortcut ("Copy Link to Clipboard" for Mac, "Copy Link Location" for Firefox browsers), and paste that URL into your RSS Reader. And that is it, you are subscribed. Once you get started, your favorite parts of the Web come to you. No need to go out and check for updates all the time. If you do not want to download software, subscribe to your favorite feeds through My Yahoo or My MSN.

So how does any of this make you money?

More traffic means more money. By placing RSS on your website or your blog, anyone can subscribe automatically and know when a new product or service is available. This new breed of Internet shopper is not to be ignored. To take advantage of the traffic you have to make your RSS feed available to website visitors and submit your feed information to RSS, blog and XML type directories.

Here's how you get RSS for your site!

Go to http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss for the best source of RSS and Blog information. There are several file types for RSS and here you learn which is best and why.

There is no need to become a techie to use RSS and XML. You just need to know enough about this newest technology to use it. Once you do, it comes easy to see how you make money online with RSS. In the same way newsletters and opt-in email are used for successful marketing, RSS is much easier, faster, and a much less intrusive way to communicate with potential or existing clients and customers.

It's very critical to provide exactly what people want to make money online. How can there be a better way to do that than to allow people to subscribe to their wants and wishes? Start using RSS and XML technologies now to make money online. To add fuel to your marketing fire, use RSS to optimize content and add frequent updates to your web pages.

2006-05-20T05:07:00.000-07:00

2006-05-12T01:56:00.000-07:00

If you have been researching or involved in online business for very long, you have no doubt seen a multitude of offers for "eBooks", books, reports and training course on every subject imaginable.

Why? Because information is the hottest product on the market! (At the foundational level, it's actually the Only product, but that's another article.) Information cuts straight to the root of all selling, which is answering the customer's question: "What will this product do for me?"

There's another reason, though. Pure information is a product that doesn't require a huge financial overhead to produce(other than the hard knocks you got in gaining the experience and information), and is easy and relatively low cost to deliver to the customer. That is what makes it such a great product for us, as entrepreneurs, to offer.

Everyone has life experience, training, and skills that others don't have. Everyone knows something that others want to know, or can do something that others want to learn. That's how I know you have an InfoProduct inside you, everyone does. Your first assignment is to decide which of your many gifts you are going to offer to the world!

Does that mean you have to be able to write a book? No. Not necessarily. I'm talking about what is known as USP...Unique Selling Position. Your USP might be that you have detailed knowledge about someone else's product that you are selling as an affiliate. It could be that humorous way you present the information you have collected on some subject of interest, or the fact that you offer the best customer service available for the service you offer. You may offer the same products that others are also selling, but find your own unique market for them.

But whatever you decide to use for your information product, your USP, you need to find one. If you were to research the online marketers who are honestly making the money they claim to be earning online, you would discover that they all have a USP. Your USP IS your product, however you package and deliver it.

If you are working a Multi-level Marketing program or one of the BIBs (Business in a Box), you are not left out of this concept, but you may have to work harder to figure out how to be unique. You can still go for the niche marketing idea. Find a group of people who aren't usually reached by these kinds of businesses, or aim your advertising at people in the countries that are just now going online.

You may, of course, actually write a book, eBook, or training course and sell it. Many are making good money doing just that. The list of helpful software and online publishers is growing every day. But even if you write your own product or design your own software, you will still need a well-thought-out USP to stand out in the crowd. It's like your business plan -- you need a firm foundation before you can build your future online success.

2006-05-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

There are many factors that make blogs much better than normal WebPages including the speed at which blogs are indexed, ability to submit to blog directories & normal directories, pings and track backs. All these little things can help drive more traffic to blogs. Here are 15 popular techniques you can use:

1.) Create at least four keyword posts per day. Most of the top blogs such as Boing Boing, Daily Kos, and Instapundit (with literally tens of thousands of visitors per day) publish an average of 30 small 100-150 word posts per day according to "Secrets of the A-list Bloggers: Lots of Short Posts" by TNL.net

2.) Submit to My Yahoo! When you submit your own RSS to My Yahoo it is indexed by Yahoo.

3.) Submit to Google's Reader. When you submit your own blog RSS to Google's Reader the Google Blog Search will index your site.

4.) Add a relevant link directory to your blog and trade links like a demon possessed! Although it may take more time than simply submitting to a search engine one time, this method is perhaps the best way to drive traffic to your site. Use software such as Zeus to speed up the link trading process.

5.) Use ping sites like ping-o-matic. Ping your site every time you add a new post.

6.) Submit your blog to traditional search engines such as AltaVista, and MSN.

7.) Submit your blog to traditional directories such as DMOZ. Directories (particularly DMOZ) increase relevance with Google. DMOZ is very picky, but what do you have to lose by trying?

8.) Submit to as many RSS Directories and Search Engines as possible. This is a simple but repetitive process that can be done with software such as RSS SUBMIT.

9.) Comment on other blogs. Do not just leave short, lazy comments like "I agree." Leave well thought out replies that will force readers to wonder "who wrote this?"

10.) Use track backs. If there is a blog that you refer to or quote and it is highly relevant to your subject, leave a track back. It increases your link popularity and may even score a few interested readers from the linked site.

11.) Go offline. Use newspaper ads, public bulletin boards, business cards, even stickers to let as many people as possible know your blog exists.

12.) Ad a link to your blog in your e-mail signature block.

13.) Use Groups (Usenet). Find a relevant group on Google groups, Yahoo groups, MSN groups or any of the thousands of other FREE group services and find like minded people and talk with them. Make sure your use your blog URL like it is your name.

14.) Use Forums. Forums are one of the best places to go for advice. Go to forums and find problems to solve. Make sure you leave your blog name, but be tactful about it; some forums get annoyed with those who selfishly drop a few links to their own site and leave.

15.) Tag your website. Tagging is a new idea that has erupted across the web. Sites like Del.icio.us, Technorati and many others have a social feature that allows you to place your article under keywords or "tags" that everyone interested in that tag can see.

Although these are some of the most popular ways to drive traffic to your blog, do not limit your self to tips and lists. Use your imagination and you will come up with thousands of ways to drive traffic to your blog!

2006-05-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

2006-04-24T18:35:00.000-07:00

More and more people use computers everyday and need professional help when problems occur. Providing those services can be a profitable business, but how can you stand out from the crowd?

- Be professional. You will sometime be unable to save their data or their broken motherboard, but you can explain why while keeping it simple. And there are few software problems you cannot solve at all, so do not admit failure unless necessary (repairs that would cost more than the computer's value for example). You will gain a reputation as an expert, not to mention people will come to view you as honest, which can be invaluable if you have a serious problems one day.

- Always have business cards on you. You never know when you could end in a discussion about computer, giving you a perfect opportunity to sell your services. You can also leave cards on community boards and the like.

- Likewise, make sure your customers have an easy way to find you and call you back. Put stickers with your contact information on all computers you fix, or at the very least, give your business cards to all your customers.

- Don't underestimate your personal network. Your family and friends will most likely be happy to help you promote your business. After that, the news will spread to friend of your friends, who will be quick to recommend you if you do a good job fixing their computer.

- Do something special for your customers, a little extra they cannot get anywhere else. Most people will install Antivirus and firewalls, but you can go the extra mile and add useful open source or freeware software like Open Office to your standard installation routine. Games, especially cards and board games, can be a pretty effective bonus for no additional cost, except a few minutes of your time to install.

- Make yourself visible to potential customers! Classified ads in the local newspaper, or a few flyers left on the counter of a friendly shopkeeper can go a long way. You can also add special offers to your flyers or for people who mention your ad to make them more attractive.

As you can see, you can do a lot of things to improve your image and promote your business. Just use your imagination, and you can surely find an original way to promote your services and grow your business. But never forget, your customers are your greatest asset, treat them well!

2006-04-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

2006-04-12T05:09:00.000-07:00

Do you believe that despite the complaints and problems encountered in your organization, there is nonetheless significant good work and results occurring? Do you want to find a way to fan the flames of these positives so that they engulf your entire organization? Lets admit it sometimes our problem-centered focus places too much attention on the negative. Perhaps its time for a new approach. We can seek to discover the excellence already present in our organizations just as Michelangelo is reported to have said that he saw an angel in the rock and carved to set it free.

Having a positive vision is the underlying premise of Appreciative Inquiry. Appreciative Inquiry is a philosophy but it is also practical since it suggests a particular method of changing social systems. In its most basic form, an appreciative inquiry is about asking questions about the best of what is and what has been. The information is like a discovery that lends itself to dreaming about the positive future and finally, designing the action plan to make it happen.

For example, a consultant or trainer is frequently in the position of needing to understand the training needs of a client company. Here are several potential questions that could be used in appreciative interviews:

Describe a time when you took part in professional development that was especially energizing and enlivening. Who was involved? What happened? Describe the event in detail.

If you could imagine or transform the professional development available in any way you wished, what one to three things would you like to see happen to enhance its vitality and effectiveness?

What do you imagine your own role might be in helping to make this happen? Who could work with you?

The resulting qualitative data would be most efficiently analyzed by computer software such as text retrievers, code and retrieve programs and conceptual network builders. Such software programs would help draw valid meaning from the data by reducing it, help to identify patterns through comparative analysis and go beyond the narrative text to display the data in matrices.

Consider asking one or more appreciative questions at your next staff meeting. Set it up properly by giving employees a little background and reasoning for the approach. Let them know what you plan to do with the information and invite interested parties to get involved in the resulting action plan. You might be surprised by the synergy that results!

2006-04-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

The eBay business can be most likened to an online flea market. But, as with most flea markets, there is always the possibility that questionable hawkers lurk around the corners. Therefore, there must be rules in place to insure that the auctions and transactions formed through eBay are safe and legal. Only then can a market online or not flourish.

Certain types of items are prohibited or regulated on eBay. eBay reserves the right to terminate auctions that violate its specifications for allowed items on listings. In the case of a violation, eBay emails the bidder and the seller to notify them of the violation and to explain the need to terminate the auction.

There are many eBay guidelines in-place that describe items that may not be posted for auction. They fall under three main categories: Prohibited, Questionable and Potentially Infringing.

Prohibited

This describes items that are not permitted on eBay. This list includes alcohol, tobacco, drugs, animals, human parts or remains, government properties, lottery tickets, and others. eBay contains a complete list of such in their policy statement.

Questionable

Items listed as questionable can be posted provided they follow certain conditions. For example, some adult material may be listed for auctioning only if they are posted in the Mature Audiences section of eBay. Event tickets may be sold provided that the auction closes before the actual event itself. The list also includes batteries, artifacts, food, used items, event tickets, weapons and knives, police related equipment, Freon, hazardous chemicals, offensive material, mature audiences material, international selling, and international buying among others.

Potentially Infringing

Items listed under this heading may be legal. However, they almost always violate copyright, trademark, and other rights. Some examples of Potentially Infringing items are: academic software, beta software, bootleg recordings, contracts and tickets, downloadable media, movie prints, OEM software, Replica and counterfeit items, and unauthorized copies.

The eBay list of problem items is updated periodically and is incorporated into the User Agreement of eBay. These guidelines do not represent legal advice. It would do well to check with law enforcement agencies, a lawyer, or other legal outlets to verify the legality of a questionable item to be posted.

This policy applies even if you offer to give your item away for free. As long as it is posted on eBay, it is subject to the above policy.

As a final note, it is stressed that a eBay buyer is subject to liability if he or she purchases an illegal item. It is still the responsibility of the buyers and sellers to monitor the legality of their transactions since eBay is merely a facilitator in the market process.

2006-04-04T14:20:00.000-07:00

Imagine if you will a futuristic military logistics system that you could view on a wall or a laptop computer. It would allow you to instantly acquire real-time data on items expended and that need to be replaced to support organizational needs.

Imagine that the view you have is of the earth's surface, like a Google satellite map, and with a single click you can zoom in to any portion of the world where you have logistics or resupply responsibilities. A single click and you can instantly obtain an accurate logistics situational assessment of a broad, wide-ranging area.

Click again and your view and focus narrows even more. At this new level, you get a more detailed, local assessment of the logistic situation, say of a particular country. Click once more and you're presented with a picture of the logistical situation of a particular city or perhaps a company within that municipality.

Sound like the far off future? Not at all.

The hardware and software to accomplish the "futuristic" scenario just described has been developed and is available for use practically worldwide. And the implications are phenomenal in terms of the production, moving and storing whatever types of materials a given company might require. But there's a big problem looming for those who might mistake these modern tools for cure-all logistic wonders.

Granted, much of the hardware and software capabilities available in today's marketplace comes to industry from military applications where the concepts were battle-tested and proven effective in all types of terrain and environments. And the software and hardware has been refined to the point that now most of these "futuristic" applications can be run on a simple hand held device like a Palm pilot.

These applications literally allow the operator to "see" the logistic situation of the entity that is being examined and to quickly assess and make reliable logistic estimates based upon the scenario presented. But, guess what. The system isn't perfect.

In fact, the system is far from perfect because it's reliability hinges on something that often times proves quite unreliable the human being.

Any logistic system such as the one envisioned above requires three distinct and separate components to provide useful logistic data to the end user. First, the person designing the system has to have a thorough understanding of the organizational needs of the company or entity that will utilize the system. A miscalculation in this vital area can have devastating effects on the system's overall reliability and usefulness.

But let's say the planners get it right and the logistician now holds the "perfect" hardware and software combination required to produce an accurate logistics assessment for his particular needs. That leads us to our secondary concern the person inputting the logistics data at the organizational level where the goods are required. If that data is faulty, then the information others in the supply chain rely on is equally suspect and prone to inaccuracies.

But let's say we've got the perfect system, and our logistic operator at the organization level inputs accurate data. That still leaves one final area of concern - the recipient of the logistic estimate.

In other words, the logistician on the receiving end of this equation must make reasonable judgments when interpreting the data the system provides. That's the reason it's called a logistics "estimate." And if he doesn't interpret the data he receives correctly and develop a reasonable resupply strategy based upon it and his logistical experience no amount of "futuristic" software or hardware will help.

A prudent logistician will realize that software and hardware tools are just that. Tools to help him make better supply decisions. No tool yet has been developed that can replicate human experience and common sense. Perhaps that's a good thing.

2006-03-31T03:29:00.000-08:00

Are you prepared to lose all your data? If your hard drive crashed right now do you have an action plan? That's not scare-mongering - statistics show that it's just a matter of time before you experience a hard drive problem.

Most people back up their data only after they experience a problem. Don't set yourself up for a data loss disaster.

Your data integrity survival plan should consist of these key points:

- How often you back up your data
- What data you back up
- What back up procedure you use

So - how important do you think your data is? How often you back up your data can only be determined by how important you feel it is. Ask yourself: "If my hard drive crashed right now, I would be alright if I had the data from at least (nominate a time) ago".

Naturally you would want everything, but if you could have the data from 1 month, or 6 months ago would that be enough? Whatever time you decide, mark it on the calendar on your wall and set up a meeting on your PC to remind you.

You change your smoke detector batteries when you turn your clock back and when you turn it ahead -right? Well, back up your data then too.

If you don't change your clocks, then pick a holiday or special occasion that occurs close to the timeframe you want to back up your data, and tie that to the decision to back up.

What data you back up depends on how you use your PC. Some of the key directories, if you are using Windows, are the My Documents, Favorites and Desktop directories.

If you use multiple profiles on your PC then the three directories can be different for each profile and each one needs to be backed up.

You will also want to include your email data. Remember to write down the email accounts you have. You should also write down any username and passwords so they are not lost. You should look at every directory to see if it has information that you would need.

List all the software programs you are using. If you have the physical CDs put them all together in a safe place.

Remember the CDs for your scanner, digital camera, PDA etc Collecting these CDs may remind you of additional data you need to back up.

If you are running software that you installed from downloaded files, burn them to a CD-R and add it to your collection. If you use a CD-R or DVD-R you can update it as you download and install new applications. Just make a habit of it!

The procedure you use to back up your data depends on the amount of data you want to back up. Your data might fit onto a CD or DVD, in which case you just need to burn it and you're done.

If it spans multiple DVDs then you might want to consider getting a second hard drive to copy your data onto. If you are not comfortable with adding a second internal hard drive or you are using a laptop, then you can buy an external hard drive to back up your data. There are even special external backup drives which will do it for you automaticallly.

The information you have on your hard drive could disappear in a moment. If you don't want to spend up to $3,000 to have a data recovery company retrieve what information they can from your hard drive, then take a few minutes right now and create your back up action plan.

If you ever have a data emergency your action plan will be your insurance policy. If you stick to it, your valuable data will stick to you! Do it now!

2006-03-27T15:45:00.000-08:00

Its just a matter of time before you experience a hard drive problem. Are you prepared to loose your data? If your hard drive crashed right now do you have an action plan to follow?

Most people only think of backing up their data after they experience a problem. Don't set yourself up for a data loss disaster.

Your data integrity action plan should consist of the following:

1) How often you will back up your data

2) What data you will back up

3) What back up procedure you will use

How often you back up your data can only be determined by how important you feel it is. Answer this question "If my hard drive crashed right now, I would be alright if I had the data from at least (time) ago".

Of course you would want everything but if you could have the data from 1 month, or 6 months ago would that be sufficient? Whatever time is sufficient mark it on your calendar both a hard copy and set up a meeting on your PC to remind you.

You change your smoke detector batteries when you turn your clock back and when you turn it ahead right? Well back up your data then too.

If you don't change your clocks then pick some holidays or special dates that happen close to the timeframe you want to back up your data so you won't forget.

What data you back up depends on how you use your PC. Some of the key directories, if you are using Windows, are the My Documents, Favorites and Desktop directories.

Remember if you are using multiple profiles on your PC then the three directories above can be different for each profile and each one would need to be backed up.

You will also want to include your email data. Don't forget to write down the email accounts you have. You should also write down any username and passwords so they are not lost. You should look at every directory to see if it has information that you would need.

Make a list of all the software programs you are using. If you have the physical CDs put them all together in a safe location.

Don't forget the CDs for your peripherals like your scanner, digital camera, PDA etc Collecting these CDs may remind you of additional data that you need to back up.

If you are running software that you installed from downloaded files, burn them to a CD-R and add it to your collection. If you use a CD-R or DVD-R you can update it as you download and install new applications.

What procedure you use to back up your data can be determined by the amount of data you want to back up. Your data might fit onto a CD or DVD in which case you just need to burn it and you're done.

If it spans multiple DVDs then you might want to consider getting a second hard drive to copy your data onto. If you are not comfortable with adding a second internal hard drive or you are using a laptop then you can purchase an external hard drive to back up your data.

The information you have on your hard drive could disappear in a flash. If you don't want to spend up to $3,000 to have a data recovery company retrieve what information they can from your hard drive, then take a few minutes right now and create your back up action plan.

If you ever have a data emergency your action plan will be your insurance policy. If you adhere to it, your valuable data will adhere to you!

2006-03-25T23:53:00.000-08:00

Adware and spyware possess reach epidemic reach. They maintain turned into malware due to their viral and really aggressive behavior. With the peril of identity theft and financial deceit looming on the Internet, adware and spyware can be more than unbiased annoying. Lower down are four methods to remove or purely keep from adware and spyware unfettered spending a dime on the current "anti-virus" software.

1. USE Firefox. If you don't use the Internet much, than perhaps you don't comprehend much about Firefox. All you require to know is that it is a browser that works REALLY well and has extensive fastness puss.

2. Do NOT USE Internet Predecessor. Internet Explorer is like Swiss cheese. It is open to the globe by failure. Microsoft is continually emancipation patches to fix all the flaws in the Internet Explorer 6.X and mark down versions of the browser. Although it can be "secured" by increasing the fastness it may loose much of its functionality some time ago set to maximum fastness alongside stable exploitable pan off.

3. Use a software or tools firewall (not neutral Window XP Advantage Pack 2's firewall). This may sound overpriced and hard to do but it is not. If you maintain a DSL or broadband cable connection your Internet Aid Backer (ISP) may keep delineated you a DSL/Cable router next to a firewall body in. All you possess to do is spin it on. This may require you to take a few minutes to read the manual.

If your ISP did not give you a DSL or Cable broadband router near a built in firewall you can spend anywhere from $20 - $60 (or sometimes plane cheaper by a mail-in rebate) to get a router. If you maintain DSL you will want a DSL router. If you have Cable broadband ISP you will need a Cable Router. Brands such as Linksys have built in firewalls and a feature called NAT, Network Address Translation, which is very effective considering it hides your real IP talk from the Internet. All routers come with instruction on how to hook them up. If you want to keep you computer security at liberty, just use a unrestrained software firewall.

4. Remove Spyware/Adware with free Anti-spyware, anti-adware software. Lavasoft's Adaware and Spybot Search & Destroy are two exceptional methods of cleaning your structure for free. Majorgeeks.com is a popular and trusted freeware site that has these and numerous substitute excellent spyware/adware cleaning and malware prevention apparatus (including free downloadable firewalls).

The finest technique is to use ALL of the above. Being proactive by surfing with a decent browser and getting a firewall is important, but it also helps to know about a couple of fair anti-adware/spyware applications. If you get hit with a actually disgusting bit of malware that can not be cleaned with Adaware or Spybot, find yourself a geek. There are innumerable great forums on the Internet true to discharge nothing but finding and cleaning such malware. Probability are if your structure is unwell with it, hundreds of others before you have been infirm and have already cogitation out how to get rid of the malware.

2006-03-23T04:06:00.000-08:00

instructive software has a place in home schooling.

training software is a dandy complement to the home schooling curriculum. It is primarily helpful in providing an absorbing format for practicing expertise such as reading and math or building knowledge of science or geography. It does not, however, deputise for the attention and teaching of basic skills by an interested instructor.

2006-03-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

The only area that Windows beats Linux in the operating system competition is the software availability. Most of the software releases are configured for Windows. If you are using Linux, you have to emulate Windows with a special software and then you can use your Windows based programs. Another option can be to install Windows as a subsystem to Linux which takes all administrative abilities of Windows and gives them to Linux.

2006-03-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

Someplace out there in whole of cyber-space are hateful roughnecks hard at work conniving up new computer viruses.

Kaspersky Lab Virus Research),, in a November 23, 2005 article in Security News, said, "The number of new viruses and Trojans is now increasing every day by a few hundred. (Our) virus lab receives between 200 and 300 new samples a day."

You heard right. He said 200-300 per day!

The toughest ones we find out about. The remainder are soundless and anonymous like spies, often doing a good deal harm before they are found.

Like human viruses, their consequences extend from mostly harmless to potentially deadly to their nonvoluntary and ignorant hosts.

Also as in human viruses, there are two separated routes to running with them: Prevention and Cure. Use them both.

2006-03-14T02:20:00.000-08:00

Some examples of popular wiki software are:

Media Wiki
- http://www.mediawiki.org/

ErfurtWiki (a.k.a. Ewiki)
- http://erfurtwiki.sourceforge.net/
- http://ewiki.berlios.de/installer/

Dokuwiki
- http://wiki.splitbrain.org/wiki:dokuwiki/ (flat file .txt system and access control)

PmWiki
- http://www.pmwiki.org/ (flat file system that uses category names as file name extensions instead of the more conventional .txt extension)

PHPwiki
- phpwiki.sourceforge.net/ (WikiWikiWeb clone written in the server-side scripting language PHP)

Wiki Wiki Web
- http://c2.com/cgi-bin/wiki

Notable Wiki on the Web (Wiki in the Wild):

- The Original Wiki Wiki Web
http://c2.com/cgi-bin/wiki

- Wikipedia is the online free encyclopedia
http://www.wikipedia.org

- The Word Press Codex is a documentation manual for the very popular Word Press blog software
http://codex.wordpress.org

- Nucleus CMS documentation
http://wiki.nucleuscms.org/

- BlogCMS manual
http://blogcms.com/wiki/start

- The Resume Wiki, a community edited resume centre
http://www.resumewiki.com/

-kXsB

2006-03-13T02:35:00.000-08:00

Ebooks revolutionized book publishing when they first appeared in the early 2000s. They brought the prospect of publishing within the scope of almost everyone, and the flood of information suddenly became available to the masses in a way not seen since Mr Gutenberg carved letters into wooden blocks.

It was inevitable, therefore, that ebook software would appear to streamline every step of this new publishing process.

From Adobe's multi-platform Acrobat packager to the simple Notepad text files, it was all useful.

As 2006 gets under way, the strongest advance is the melding of ebook and audio visual software in a format that almost anyone can use.

Audio ebooks, video ebooks and ezines will become increasingly popular as broadband use increases and technical skills progress. Great times!-kizO

2006-03-12T13:37:00.000-08:00

Some URLs for you today.

These are blogs and sites that offer comment and information related to software. Enjoy!

* * *

Not such a good idea, apparently. So for the moment they have been removed. Sorry about that.

2006-03-11T21:14:00.000-08:00

Software suited to SOHO applications - that is, the small office home office end of the market - is unique.

Home business entrepreneurs actually have a greater need for sophisticated software than do their big coproration counterparts.

The reason is simple. Home based business people need to be competent in just about every task imaginable in running a business, not just the single task done by a big business operator.

They might do each task only occasionally - which means, it's very easy for them to forget how it is done.

Fertile territory for a programmer open to their needs.

2006-03-10T19:54:00.000-08:00

Recreational software gets a fairly low profile when it's devoted to such utilitarian projects as databases for collectables, or utilities to make life easier on the home PC.

Quite a contrast with high-profile jaunts such as gaming.

Yet of enormous benefit to the army of collectors and low-tech people who see compuuters as a tool - and nothing more.

More power to those software developers aware of such a market - and prepared to write software to fill those needs.-TJCE

2006-03-10T02:56:00.000-08:00

There are some ingenious software developers on the world wide web. And most of them enjoy showing off their expertise.

When they choose to show off with positive creativity, the entire world benefits. When they get nasty, we all suffer.

It's a constant tug of war between those producing nasties and those writing softeware to combat such negative influences as spyware, viruses and suchlike. Thankfully, there is a vast army of 'good guys' in the software developer ranks.

2006-03-08T21:32:00.000-08:00

This blog is about software.

Designed to look at what's available, where to find it, and whether it's any good.

I'll run some bits and tips on good software use and how to effectively get the best bang for your buck.

And from time to time review various software that is available for home business and family software plus getting the best from your home computing.

Don't worry about the dribs and drabs. The picture will come together for you at the most appropriate time.

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