The Jeffrey And Tracey Info Emporium

Email Marketing is very much dependent on a reliable autoresponder service that can manage your mailing list and the messages that you send to subscribers and customers. As your list grows it becomes more and more important to have available an automatic response system that will attend to many of the tasks involved - such as adding and deleting subscribers, storing messages and distributing them according to your time schedule.

So, a key factor to consider when choosing an autoresponder service is flexibility. Good autoresponder services will allow you to customize your messages and schedule. This also helps avoid the impression that the customer is communicating with a machine instead of a real human being. Good autoresponder services can also let you provide information that is specifically targeted for a given prospect. Email from potential customers indicates interest in your product or service and this may ultimately lead to sales. Thus, a quality autoresponder service must reliably provide these duties to assist your business.

As more prospects visit your site, this can lead to a lot inquiries and requests for information, which is an excellent opportunity for you to capture their details and add them to your list so that you can follow up with useful information and build a trusting relationship with them. Thus, it is important that there is an efficient and prompt response to every email you receive. The fastest and most effective way to do this is with an autoresponder service.

Autoresponder services use a computer program that automatically returns a pre-written message to anyone who sends an email to the address you’ve provided. It is widely used for responding to consumer inquiries and visitor comments and suggestions. This services can also be used in responding to people who subscribe or unsubscribe to your online magazine. As well, it can be used to distribute your newsletter on a regular basis.

This ability to return a prompt response to any email is a key reason an effective autoresponder service can help boost your business. By responding rapidly and efficiently, you create a good impression on your prospects and subscribers. Good Autoresponder services help you get important information back to them immediately. Also, by communicating your message promptly it creates a sense of professionalism and efficiency that your clients will definitely appreciate.

Another important feature of an autoresponder service is that it saves time with multiple marketing tasks. Instead of personally writing and sending all correspondence, a quality autoresponder service allows you to prepare ahead and send thank you letters, newsletters, product information, brochures, orders etc. to hundreds of clients almost immediately and simultaneously. This makes autoresponder services indispensable in any email marketing campaign.

So, choosing the right autoresponder service is very important, whether it’s software that you’ve installed on your website, like OptIn Lightning, or a 3rd party professional service, such as Aweber or 1ShoppingCart.

Whatever the service you select, it must be reliable and be available 24/7. You cannot afford to lose a customer because your autoresponder failed to answer a query or request for information. The ability to respond promptly and reliably is a key feature to look for in any professional service.

In the world of ecommerce, millions of sites are fiercely competing with each other to gain new business. For any ecommerce site to succeed, it must capture the interest and the trust of its visitors. It is not enough that your site is impeccably designed or has the latest in animation or content. There is much to be gained if you direct your efforts to not only attracting visitors but also in leading them towards making a purchase. Among the many strategies you can use to attract more buyers and boost your sales, establishing a reputation for a prompt, efficient and professional response is one of the best.

Are autoresponders essential? You be the judge.

Ivan Kelly managed a Direct Mail business with extensive mailing lists for ten years and has designed and promoted many websites. He also provides a quality free course on Email Marketing. For details go to: List Of Topics

You want to build trust through constant communication. Constant communication is your ticket to building trust and credibility with your prospects and customers. Of all of your marketing efforts, this is possibly the most important key to your success. People are more apt to do business with you when they trust you. Offline though, this may be an expensive endeavor; especially when using postal mail. The Internet however, opens up a whole new playing field.

Use Sequential (Email) AutoResponders

You can automatically and almost effortlessly stay in touch with your prospects and customers for as long as you like using Sequential autoresponders. Almost effortlessly means, you do have to create some messages to send to your prospects, or at least have them created for you. All you have to do then is load your email autoresponder with your messages, set the delivery schedule, and voila; you’re on your way to increased sales and profits.

Sequential autoresponders allow you to send a series of timed messages to your prospects and customers at set intervals. It’s been proven that it takes approximately 7 contacts with your prospect before he/she will buy from you. This information has been re-hashed and regurgitated so much that it’s a wonder many people don’t know this already. At any rate, it’s true.

Online, sequential autoresponders allow you to do this effortlessly, effectively and automatically. I like the word automatic. That means I don’t have to touch it. I Set It And Forget It! … And so can you. All you have to do is get your hands on a good autoresponder! There are many autoresponder services available on the Internet today, even my own, but more on that later.

Keep in mind, there are NO envelope, stamp, and envelope-stuffing costs associated with using sequential autoresponders, and no advertising costs. These costs can get outrageously high if you’re running a sizeable campaign. With sequential autoresponders, you only have a nominal monthly service fee. If you’ve got a good product and marketing campaign, your sales will more than pay the measly cost of your autoresponder service, many times over.

Do Not SPAM Your Prospects!!!

Give, teach, and/or train your prospects with good quality content or just some product/service updates. It’s okay to make offers inside your messages, but I would not do it in every single message. Why? Because, personally I hate being on lists that just promote - promote - promote! You can get promoted to anywhere online, so why would you want to see it in every single email message you get? There are some others that would dispute this, but it’s your call. I know, “I”, tend to stay subscribed to the lists that don’t view me as simply another $dollar!

…So, what I am saying is, GIVE your prospects/customers something. Don’t just take - take - take. Even if what you’re giving is just Good-old, Rock-Solid information and advice, give it to them and make it as clear and as concise as possible.

Call Them to Action!

I know I just told you not to take-take-take from your prospects and customers, but I also told you, it’s okay to make offers too - Heck! - that’s the purpose of your autoresponder anyway - to make you money! You decide how often you want to make product/service offers. You can always ask your prospects to click through on a link, to call you, or email you to take advantage of your special offer at the end of each message; however, don’t try to sell them a different product every time you contact them, unless this is the nature of your business.

Again, give your prospects and customers good information they can sink their teeth into, or maybe even give them some freebies (good ones) then, ask them to click through to your website or affiliate link, or ask them to fill out a form, email you, or call your office.

Happy E-mailing!

Ettione is the Automation King, specializing in E-Business Automation.
Visit his website at http://www.prowebware.com/list_management.html to
learn more about
Effortless, Email Marketing using AutoResponders.

In Part I of Work at Home (Home Business) Scams, there was a
list of home business opportunity scams. In this article we will
list some more types of home business and internet scams. There
is an increasing number of scams on the internet involving
sweepstakes, membership clubs for free money or merchandise.

Home Typing, Medical Billing, and More.

There are lots of work-from-home scams that involve persuading
you that some industry has more work than it can handle, and so
has to outsource to people working from home. For example, you
might be told that you’d be typing legal documents, or entering
medical bills into an electronic database. These scams have one
thing in common: they all say that all you need is your computer
and they all then go on to say that you need to buy some
’special software’.

This software might appear to be from a completely unrelated
company, but don’t be fooled - the whole reason the
‘work-from-home’ ad was there to begin with was simply as
cynical marketing for the software.

MLMs and Network Marketing

As you can see there are hundreds of MLM money-making schemes.
Not all of them are bad but watch out because a lot these are
scams. The most popular one is to pay a high amount of fee to
join - Let’s say this maybe ok to some extent. After you join,
you are encouraged to purchase their training material which
includes books, tapes, CDs etc. In fact your sponsor (your
referrer) and your upline is making money from the sale of these
training materials. Also, you will be invited to meetings and
seminars where you have to pay some entry fee to listen to a
successful member.

Soon they will encourage you to sell the training material to
your downline because that’s how you are going to make money! In
fact there are people who make six figure incomes in this and it
is because they sell a lot study material and also have a
downline who sell a lot of the study material. While selling
these study material, they mention that these expense are tax
deductible. Think about this. Why should you pay to get training
and listen to successful members in order to learn how to sell
their products? Have you ever worked for a legitimate company as
sales person where you have to pay them to train you to sell
their products and services?

Chain Emails

Here what it is… You have to send some money to 5 people on
the list. After this, remove the name on the top of list and add
you name at the bottom (your name is #5 now). Forward this email
to others through bulk email and ask them to do the same. The
email says that you will receive money as others start doing
what you did. First of all spam is a crime. Before the email
era, this was done through snail mail and this was considered a
crime according to the USPS.

This eventually is supposed to make you a multi-millionaire! If
this was so easy, we would be having millionaires all around us.
If you can in your email client, just mark these emails as spam
so in this way you don’t even get to read it.

Getting Free Merchandise

This is a scam where you have to join a membership club by
paying a fee that promises you expensive merchandise like
computers, laptops, jewelry, TV etc. This is very tricky and
misleading. You have to refer more people to join the club by
paying the same membership fee. You may bring in some people to
join the club but not enough to get the free stuff. A lot of
them give up. The people who started the club keep the
membership fee. This is absolute scam! Remember to keep your
money in the wallet. You have a better chance to make money or
win that merchandise in a lottery/sweepstakes.

Vacation prizes You get this email that says Congratulations,
you have been selected to receive a great vacation. Send money
to cover the administrative expenses and taxes. And, then you
don’t hear anything about. If you contact them, then they will
encourage you to upgrade to a Luxury cruise or 5 star hotels.
When you get there, that cruise or hotel is nothing like
described when you paid for the upgrade.

Here what you can do when you receive such offer. Ask them for
the phone number of the cruise line or 5 star hotels. If you
succeed in getting it, the call those numbers and make sure
there is a reservation in your name and also ask about the
features of those cruise line or hotel. In this way you can
avoid this scam.

The Infamous Nigerian Email - 419 Email fraud

How can a list of internet scams be complete without even
mentioning the Nigerian email? So, here you go. These fraud
emails are referred to as 419 emails. You will receive an email
stating that there is some money (usually more than 30 million
dollars) that the sender received by some miscalculation or due
to the death of relative in a plane crash or something like. It
is amazing that they pick a plane crash from the news and also
get pictures of the burial with the name on the tombstone. The
last name on the tombstone may even match that of the sender of
the email.

The sender gets the money if it leaves the country in certain
number of days (usually a short period of time so that the
recipient shows some urgency). Or the other twist is that the
deceased person has 30 million dollars in a US bank and that
needs to be transferred to someone’s account in the same
country. If you help them out they will give you $4,000,000 to
$5,000,000.

If you do respond to this email, then they will ask you for your
bank details. Also, you will be asked to give some advance fee
and taxes, which are usually much less (few hundreds to
thousands) than what you are going to get $5,000,000! Once you
start paying advance fee, there will be some problems/
complications like some official needs to be bribed to get
involved. There are always some complications that needs some
money to resolve. You keep sending money to a bank account in
Nigeria. Can you imagine filing a lawsuit against someone in
Nigeria? Eventually, the recipient will lose a few thousand
dollars. It has been estimated recently that US alone loses 1
million dollar per day. This is an international scam. You can
imagine how much is lost worldwide.

As you can see, running a ‘home business’ that just involves
‘working’ for one company is a bad idea. You are better off at
your old office job where at least your ex-employer was legit!
With Home business opportunities, you don’t know who you’re
dealing with. Here’s the clincher, though: even with entirely
legal work-at-home offers that do pay you for your work, you
still won’t make anywhere near as much as you can with your very
own home business. Visit HREF=http://www.internetandmoney.com rel="nofollow">http://www.internetandmoney.
com to discover how you can make money on the internet from
multiple streams of income ideas. Also, visit HREF=http://www.startsellingonebay.com rel="nofollow">http://www.startsellingone
bay.com for eBay selling tips.

Did you know that the Internet can totally replace your existing phone line? With broadband phone service (also knows as VoIP service), you can make and receive telephone calls using a regular phone without the assistance of your local phone company. Instead, the phone plugs directly into a broadband internet connection, either cable or DSL.

You need two things to turn your internet connection into a personal phone line: a subscription to broadband phone service and any traditional phone (analog or digital). Most service providers charge between $20 and $30 a month.

Once connected and installed, broadband phone service works just like a regular phone: Pick up the phone and you will hear a dial tone – dial a phone number – wait for the person to answer – and start talking. In most cases the person on the other line won’t even know that you are using broadband phone service; the quality is that good.

Some of the benefits of using broadband phone service include: unlimited calling to the U.S and Canada, free features like call waiting, caller id, call forwarding, voicemail and the ability to choose your area code. This means that you can live in New York and have a California phone number. Most broadband phone service providers also offer a trial period or a 30-day money back guarantee.

Some additional features of broadband phone service are virtual numbers (a number in a different area code, that when dialed rings directly to your main number). Virtual numbers eliminate long-distance phone charges for anyone calling within that numbers’ area code. Most broadband phone service providers also offer toll-free numbers and 411 directory assistance for a low monthly fee.

Due to the recent FCC regulations, all broadband phone service providers must have E911. What this means for you is that you if you subscribe to broadband phone service and dial 911, the call will be routed to the local public safety dispatcher with your address information pre-populating on their screen. When searching for a broadband phone service provider, ensure that they offer E911.

Click here for more in-depth information about Broadband Phone Service. Michael Brito is a freelance writer for VoIP product and services.

‘Broadband’ is the general term used to refer to high-speed information transmission over networks, and nowadays is used increasingly to mean a fast Internet connection.

The term has more to do with the electrical waveform (‘signal’) being transmitted. The signal can come to you through a variety of physical arrangements: a DSL line, a T1 line, a TV cable, a wireless link and even your utility power line.

Which physical arrangement is best for you depends a great deal on what is available in your geographical area and the price of each arrangement. You should do a comparison of speeds and costs and choose what is optimal for you. Just be sure you do not choose an ISDN line (because it is getting obsolete) or power line (because the technology is not mature, and it will be some years before the bugs are ironed out).

Live in a large city and want free wireless broadband Internet? Your wish is or will be granted! Almighty Google is busy fixing antennae to lampposts in major cities so that your computer can access the Internet much in the same way your mobile phone accesses your cellular network: almost anywhere in any city. Not only will you get driving directions to that restaurant you are going to, the maitre d’ will appear on a small screen and take your order as you drive.

~ Broadband’s Bag of Goodies ~

Broadband has brought a slew of valuable capabilities to the Internet:

1. Good Video

First of all, you can download smooth, non-jerky video. Consequently an increasing number of sites are including rich graphics, Flash and video to enhance the appeal of their messages. You can now download feature films from over 200,000 Web TV stations and watch them as they stream into your computer (“stream them”). No more trips to the video library and no more renting DVDs!

You can share your screen and talk with co-workers located at far-flung locations (or just relax and play Xbox or PS2 games with them). You can interact with them from the convenience of your home computer, and the need for a physical office can be dispensed with. This implies less travel in your car, less gasoline consumption and less pollution of the atmosphere by engine exhaust gases.

You can search online video archives with specialized search engines. This means you can download video that matches your chosen phrases. Examples would be “Nick Lachey singing ‘My Everything’ to Jessica Simpson”, “Oprah visiting Katrina victims” or “how to toss a thin pizza shell”. There is no longer a need to wait for your subject to be broadcast.

2. Cheap Long Distance

Broadband has enabled miracle of low-cost long-distance Internet telephony. This application is based on the renowned technology, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). You can now speak to your loved ones or business associates in most other parts of the world for 2 cents a minute!

No more waiting for late nights or weekends to get those “free minutes”… you can afford to call anytime. Additionally, the sound clarity is several times better than that of a conventional phone call… voices are loud and clear with little or no background noise.

This means you can stay in touch more often. You can get news faster and offer advice without delay. For instance, a timely observation about a certain medical treatment could very well save the life of the person at the other end!

3. Always On

With Broadband, you are always connected to the Internet. No more dialing up and waiting to connect. The dialing time is freed up for you to use for other things.

In most cases, you get a telephone connection with the broadband connection, so you can simultaneously speak on the phone and surf the Internet. Your phone line will not be busy when you surf so that people can reach you even if you are online.

One important user of this constant connectivity is security. You can have inexpensive webcams mounted in various locations of your home or office and connect them to the Internet. Since your broadband connection is always ‘live’, you can monitor your house from anywhere, anytime. No more worrying when away from your desk or living room!

~ Conclusion ~

The day is not far when dial-up connections will be a rarity. If you have not yet upgraded to broadband, start working at doing so NOW. You will definitely not regret it.

John J Stockwell is an engineer with considerable experience in Internet technologies. Get even more information on broadband from his website at broadband-aa.info

I caught up with the new entrepreneur’s (Terry and Sherry
Braley) this January at a Biker Rally. After talking to some
fellow riders they were telling me about Terry and Sherry’s new
website (Road Rash Apparel) and how low their prices were on
their Leather Apparel. So after digging through the crowd I
finally met up with them. I introduced myself and we sat down
and must have talked for over 2 hours about their new business.
Well, they talked. I asked Terry and Sherry why they started
their business and WHY! Do you sell your apparel so cheap?

Terry - “Well, we were on the Internet one night looking for
some leather jackets and chaps to purchase. We must have
searched for three hours looking at what seemed to be every site
there was to look at and I couldn’t believe the prices of some
of them. I know you get what you pay for, but damn? I don’t want
to pay for the whole cow! ”

Sherry -”It seems that all the cheep leather was that “patched
leather” or some call it “Diamond Cut leather”. We weren’t
interested in that. Not to say there’s anything wrong with it.
If that’s what you like, then buy it. To each its own.”

Terry- “Yeah. I had asked around about what kind of jacket to
buy. The majority of the riders I had asked, told me to get one
that was made for riding. You know, just in case you lay your
bike down. And patched leather wasn’t the best way to go.
Anyway, I made the comment that someone needs to start selling
this stuff that caters to us poor bikers.”

Sherry - “I looked over at Terry and said, “We can do it”"

Terry - “A week later I quit my job and started building the
website. I did A LOT of research on Leather. Types, thickness of
it and where it comes from. I was almost sick of leather after
about 3 days. Anyway, we decided we wanted to purchase our
leather from an American made manufacturer and I ended up
finding a company in Spokane WA that had what we were looking
for. They manufacture leather apparel made for bike riders. And
its damn good leather. And I’ll tell you. What I pay for the
jackets and what I sell them for, we don’t make a big profit on
them”.

Now that we’ve covered those aspects of Biker Shirts, Leather
Jackets, Motorcycle Apparel, Boots, Chaps, Vests, Leather
Lingerie, let’s turn to some of the other factors that need to
be considered.

Sherry - “Yea, we’re not in it to get rich. Just make a little
money and help out our fellow bikers”.

Terry - “Since we’ve went live on the Internet we have sold more
T-Shirts than jackets. That’s okay. I think when people see our
price’s they think its cheep leather and stray away from it. But
it’s Top Quality Leather! You can’t find our type jackets on the
internet for a better price I think”

Well without going into the whole 2-hour conversation we had. We
continued to talk and they told me more about what they sold on
their site. T-Shirts, Leather Lingerie, Boots, Chaps, Vests and
the list went on. Terry said “right now we sale over 700 types
of t-shirts and plan on adding more. By the time we get done, we
will have well over 1500. That’s a lot of damn shirts”

These were two of the friendliest people I have ever met. Both
Terry and Sherry are from Georgia and reside in Douglasville Ga.
And you could tell that these were just two people really trying
to look out for fellow bikers and our shallow pockets.

I am really depressed today. An old e-newsletter flame that dumped me many months ago sent me an email out of the blue. I hadn’t received any emails from this old flame in months. I did not even think I was still on the list. Receiving that e-newsletter conjured up feelings of betrayal and hurt that I thought I had resolved after dozens of sessions with my therapist. And to make matters worse, the email newsletter was trying to get me to buy some product, from another company, that my old flame was ‘recommending.’ My flame did not even have the decency to send me an email newsletter about how things were going in his neck of the woods. I still can’t believe any of this is happening.

My therapist says that journaling about my problems will bring clarity and understanding. I hope she’s right. I guess the best place for me to start is to outline how this sordid affair ever began in the first place. If I get emotional, please forgive me. I really cared for my old flame and my heart is still a little tender. I just don’t understand how any of this happened. I never signed up for the pain and tears my old flame left me with. I never signed up for being dumped by an auto-responder email newsletter. But let’s go back eight months so I can tell you how this auto-responder and I first met.

Back in May, a friend of mine told me about a great self-development book she was reading. She couldn’t stop talking about it; every time I saw my friend she talked and talked about the book. She kept on telling me I would really like it. After days and days of hearing about the book I went online and bought it. What do you know, my friend was right! I really liked the book. Within the first few chapters I was putting the methods into practice and seeing great results.

After reading about a quarter of the book I wanted to know more about the author and his company so I followed the URL on the back of the book to the author’s website. There was a ton of information about the book as well as highlights of courses and seminars that were being offered at different locations around the world. It seemed that the company was offering seminar versions of what was covered in the book for those who either had ADD or were short on time and where unable to read the 400-plus-page book. I didn’t really pay much attention to all the information about the courses and seminars since I already had the book and didn’t mind the lengthy read. I did notice an e-newsletter signup box on the homepage, though. “Why not?” I thought. Maybe I would find out more ways to apply the principles in the book.

Soon I was receiving e-newsletters every Wednesday. I was right! Each email newsletter outlined different methods from the book. There were lots of real life application examples and testimonials from people who had also applied the principles. Oh sure, there were ads mentioning the courses and seminars, but I didn’t mind. Within a few weeks I was looking forward to getting my weekly e-zine. It was official. This e-newsletter and I were going steady.

A few weeks later, Wednesday came and I didn’t get an email newsletter from my flame. I was perplexed. Those weekly e-zines were really helping me as I studied the book. I did not want to miss any of the valuable information so I went back to the website and signed up again. Just like when I signed up the first time, the signup form asked me for my name. I was already signed up under the name Joan and wanted to see if my original signup was still out there. I knew the only way I could track my signups was to choose another name. I picked an alternate name, went ahead and signed up, and eagerly awaited the next e-newsletter.

Soon I was back on track and receiving the weekly e-zine. I could tell my second signup had worked because my alternate name was being used. It was kind of funny and I wondered if anyone ever looked at the names on that email newsletter list. I guess I will never know, but at least it gave me a bit of a giggle every time I open my weekly e-newsletters and read the opening salutation of ‘Dear Squidlips.’

A few weeks after my Squidlips signup, I started to get strange feelings of déjà vu as I was reading my weekly newsletter. Had I seen this email before? I located my book folder in my email client and looked through all the email newsletters I had received from this company. I could not believe it. These e-newsletters were set up on an auto-responder service! My weekly Dear Squidlips emails had started back at the beginning of a series of email messages. I WAS having déjà vu; I was reading emails I had already received!

Now my knickers were in a twist. This was not a weekly e-zine! This was a series of promo messages! What was the deal? I had experienced flings with auto-responders before. I knew the drill. I had been on ‘five day e-courses’ and known all along that the messages were sitting in some database waiting for me to signup. I knew when I subscribed it would trigger a series of messages to get delivered to me in a certain sequence. Heck, I even used email auto-responders with my own business. What I had not expected was to get into an auto-responder fling when I signed up for a weekly e-newsletter. I thought this email newsletter and I had made a commitment. I thought we were going steady.

After a sleepless night of tears and accepting that I was having a relationship with a database, I decided to stay on the list. Weekly e-newsletters kept on coming addressed to Squidlips. After a while I forgot about the auto-responder factor and started to enjoy the content in the auto-responder e-zines. Deep down I knew I was having a fling but I didn’t care. I was still reading the 400-plus-page book and I thought the articles in the e-newsletters really enhanced my reading.

Months went by. This was getting to be quite the auto-responder fling! Email message after email message appeared week after week addressed to Squidlips. But then, one day the tone of the email newsletter seemed a little different. The email message basically said I was being dumped. Well, it didn’t say the word ‘dumped.’ It said since I had not bought anything that the newsletters were promoting, this would be the last e-newsletter I would be receiving. Translation: “We have tried and tried to get you to buy a course or seminar and we don’t know any other way to convince you to buy something and we have given up, so get lost…loser.” By the time I finished reading the e-zine I was in tears. It was probably my own fault, but I had grown attached to these emails and I really looked forward to getting them.

For days I was in a funk. I cried, ripped the down feathers out of my designer pillows, and got really depressed. Day after day I visited deeper and deeper recesses of my being that I did not even know existed. The depression grew worse and worse. I wondered if that auto-responder e-zine, or whatever it was, knew I had paid $40 for their book. I laid awake, night after night, asking the Universe why this company had a weekly e-newsletter signup form in their homepage that was really a series of canned emails tailored to promote their products. Weeks went by and the confusion remained. Would I ever recover from being dumped by this auto-responder?

When I was able to leave the house without fainting, I booked a few sessions with my therapist. Maybe she could help me realized why I was so hurt. It took a lot of deep breathing, but I soon found the root cause of my pain. At first it was hard for me to wrap my head around the truth, but I think my depression was triggered by this company ‘unsubscribing me’ from their e-newsletter list. I thought the way this opt-in email newsletter stuff worked was that I got to do the dumping. I thought I got to ‘unsubscribe’ when I wanted the love affair to be over.

In the past my auto-responder affairs have ended and my life went on without much longing for the arms of my absent email lover. I admit for a few days I would miss getting the emails, but let’s face it, when the affair started I knew it would be no different than the summer I had that hot and heavy romance with Melvin from Cleveland. All summer I knew come Labor Day, Melvin would leave his grandmother’s house (which happened to be across the street from mine), go back to Cleveland, and I would never see him again. I knew most likely he wouldn’t even write me. We didn’t care what was going to happen when school started; Melvin and I smooched every minute of every day and made the most of that summer.

Most of my auto-responder email affairs have been exactly the same as my summer with Melvin. Hot and heavy for a while, lots of frequent in-your-face contact, and then nothing. Sometimes some of my auto-responder lovers have encouraged me to signup for their regular email list because they wanted to continue our relationship with something more formal and real-time. Some just stop emailing and I never heard from them again. Regardless, I knew from the beginning that the email relationship was a ‘Melvin’; I knew the email relationship was a short-term fling.

It had been months since this all happened and I thought I was over my old e-newsletter flame. That auto-responder that masqueraded as a going steady e-newsletter relationship was tucked away in my past. I really thought the flame had been snuffed out months ago. I remembered that last email; how could I forget it? The company had been clear and had had no qualms about telling me I was being un-subscribed for lack of purchase. But then, as I mentioned at this beginning of this journal entry, out of the blue, I got a lone message from the company. I’ll admit my heart sang a bit when I saw the email message sitting in my in-box. I thought the company had experienced a change of heart and really did love me. I thought my email flame wanted me back.

I was wrong. The email was worse than my last Dear Squidlips email (that should have read ‘Dear John’). I guess the company thought they would try to get me to buy something from a company they were ‘recommending’ since they had not experienced any luck with me buying something from them.

I’m happy to report that earlier today, I un-subscribed myself from their newsletter list. I didn’t want to get my heart broken again so I took matters into my own hands and dumped the company from my in-box. When I un-subscribed from the list, I was asked why I was leaving. I was happy to answer the question:

“Summer was great, Melvin, but school is about to start and you need to go back to Cleveland.”

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Earn good karma, forward this article to everyone you know who has an email address.

Copyright Joan Pasay - 2005

You’ve set up your Boingo account, you’re hanging out at the Home Turf sports bar in LAX and you figure you’ll do a little business or check your e-mail while sipping a Chardonnay. Well, that’s the point of Wi-Fi hotspots; being able to take care of a few things while in a relaxing atmosphere.

Don’t, however, get so relaxed that you ignore security and give all your confidential information to some unscrupulous hacker. Yeah, you see the guy. He’s over in the corner wearing that fake nose and glasses with the ridiculous Bozo the Clown cap. Yep, drinking a Blatz. Dead give away.

Sorry, they won’t be that obvious, I doubt they ever drink Blatz and very seldom wear clown caps. When you’re thinking back, trying to remember who was around when your password was stolen, you probably won’t remember the woman in the tastefully tailored business suit, and if, by chance, you do, she won’t be the one you suspect. The best defense is to implement some simple security practices and measures that will safeguard your business and personal information.

Hot Spot Security: Simple Stuff

Be aware of those around you.

When you’re considering Wi-Fi security in public places one of the first safeguards is anything but high tech. Remember a few years ago when people were getting huge phone bills because someone was watching as they keyed in pass codes? It’s still happening to Wi-Fi network subscribers. Do what you can to keep prying eyes from your keyboard and screen. You pay good money for your monthly subscription and there’s no reason to let anyone piggyback or steal your credit card number as you sign up for a daily use fee at Starbucks.

Speaking of passwords:

Those of us who toil and travel are prime targets for those who may be of the persuasion to purloin. In other words, it’s quite possible to be targeted for laptop theft. Use a complex password to protect your files, folders and laptop from access by those villains of concourse and lobby.

Don’t Share!

Yes, I know, mothers have been telling us to share for centuries but, at least while using a Wi-Fi hotspot, make sure you disable file sharing. It might be great for the home and good at the office but it’s disaster in the making at your favorite coffee house.

Use a Personal Firewall.

If you’re using a corporate laptop make sure you talk to your IT department before you install any firewalls but if the laptop you’re using is your own let me suggest downloading a copy of ZoneAlarm. There are others of course but, for personal use, since ZoneAlarm is free and seems to test better than the rest I can’t see a reason to recommend another.

Most of the reasons for using a firewall should be self-evident but, to say the least, you’ll want to be made aware of any traffic coming or going and any unusual communication between applications.

Hot Spot Security: Less Simple Stuff

Beware the Evil Twin

Otherwise known as ‘Rogue Hotspots’ or the ’soft AP attack’ this Wi-Fi version of the e-mail Phishing scam is perpetrated by hackers who jam and mimic the signal and SSID of a legitimate hotspot. They then serve up a sign-in page garnering usernames, passwords and, in some cases, credit card numbers. If they go so far as to allow a connection to the Internet they’re then in the position to intercept unencrypted traffic as well as any files open to sharing (Don’t Share!).

There are a few things you can do to protect yourself from ‘Evil Twins’:

• Don’t set your Wi-Fi card to allow automatic connection to any available network.

• Check the list of available SSIDs to make sure you’re connecting to the right one.

• Turn off the ad-hoc mode allowing other clients to connect directly to you.

• Turn off your Wi-Fi card entirely as soon as you’re finished.

• Use the personal or enterprise version of ‘AirDefense’, whichever may be appropriate.

• Although a firewall won’t keep you from connecting to an ‘Evil Twin’ it will help to safeguard your information should you inadvertently fall victim.

Encrypt Confidential Information

Data that’s transmitted between yourself and a secure Web site can be counted on to be safe from the Starbucks Snidely Whiplash so when you’re purchasing goods, or banking on-line, you can do so without fear. When you’re logging onto the secure portion of the site, however, you may be doing so without the protection of security so be careful to note whether or not the sign in page is secured (https).

When sending e-mail there are a few things you can do to safeguard yourself. For example, instead of using Outlook or Thunderbird, take advantage of your ISP’s Web interface which, in most cases, will be secure and should protect your data during transmission.

If you frequently encounter the need to send large files via e-mail then using a compression program will meet your need to reduce the size of the file and most compression programs will also secure the data with encryption.

Another option is to use a free encryption program like Cryptainer LE. Cryptainer LE can encrypt any or all the files stored on your hard drive, protecting them in case your laptop is stolen or compromised, as well as allow you to e-mail them with the security of encryption. Cryptainer PE is also offered for enterprise applications.

Use a Virtual Private Network

Think of a virtual private network (VPN) as a solid conduit, or tunnel, between your laptop and your company’s network. By using a VPN your communications will be as secure as they would be if you were sitting at your desk.

Mac OS X™, Windows™ 2000 and Windows™ XP have built in VPN clients and if you’re a user of Windows™ 98, ME or NT you can download the free Microsoft® L2TP/IPSec VPN Client from Microsoft®. If you’re a Linux user you can download the free S/WAN VPN client.

While the use of a VPN is one of the best ways to protect your confidential data when you’re using a Wi-Fi hotspot it is, unfortunately, limited to communication between your laptop and your company’s server. If you want to conduct personal business with similar security levels the best solution may be the award winning GoToMyPC software.

Use Anti-Virus Software

It’s somewhat surprising that so many people are aware of the dangers of ‘net borne viruses and, yet, so many either fail to incorporate anti-virus programs like McAfee & Norton or fail to keep them up to date. When you’re using a public hotspot it’s more important than ever to have anti virus software installed.

Once you’ve got the software up and running make sure that it’s updated on a regular basis and update it anytime you hear about a new virus or a new version of an old virus. If you’ve got an auto-update feature built into your program make sure you take advantage of it.

Conclusion

By following these security measures you should be able to enjoy, with the confidence that your private information will remain private, your favorite Wi-Fi hotspots around the world.

Phil Haley is a technical writer and the editor of Refurbished Laptop Computer Info. For more information regarding buying, maintaining, upgrading or enjoying a laptop computer visit Refurbished Laptop Computer Info where you’ll also find the complete Great Wi-Fi Guide.

Coupon deals are a welcome boon for the Internet shopping
industry as well as their customers. Do you remember how
agonizing it was to remain standing in a long line at your
favorite store along with numerous others to take advantage of
the sale for the holiday season? Goods were available at a
discounted rate but the rate was definitely not worth the wait.
With the most popular customer-centric online retailers deciding
to launch coupon deals to gain a sizeable market share, things
are looking sunny and bright for shoppers, as they do not have
to wait in a long line. All they have to do is enter the coupon
code, click the “buy” button, and cast their worries away.

Coupons and promotions online definitely enrich customer
spending and loyalty. The challenge lies in finding the coupons
and knowing how to use them. The majority of coupons that
retailers offer are “coupon code” deals. These often look
something like this, “Use Coupon Code: 7269 to save 20% off your
next purchase,” or even something like “$15 off your $50
purchase” or “free shipping for a $20 purchase”. Many times you
may have come across a box, when you are going through an online
retailer site that asks you to enter the “coupon code”.

On the online retailer site, you should look for a box that is
marked “Coupon/Discount” or “Promotional Code.” This is not to
be confused with a Gift Certificate box, which is not the place
where you enter the coupon code. Once you key in the coupon
code, the discount would be displayed as you carry on with the
checkout process. To find the Coupon codes and coupon deals, you
could use a search engine like Google. For example, you could
just type in “Amazon coupons” in the search box and you would
get all the sites that specialize in online coupons, coupon
deals and other coupon related information for the “Amazon”
online store. You can get inventive and creative best online
coupon deals through websites like HREF="http://www.latestcouponcodes.com" rel="nofollow">www.latestcouponcodes.com
, which helps you save big bucks along the way. The best
coupon related website would update its content with new coupon
codes daily and will also have an exhaustive list of online
retailers to choose from.

You have to make sure that your discount is reflected in your
total purchase to receive the benefit from coupons. If the
discounts are not shown in your purchase order, then that would
mean the coupon or the discount has expired. Since coupons can
end without prior notice, you have to ensure that the discount
has been applied before you finalize your order.

There are two kinds of Internet shopping promotions that you
would see when you shop online. One is called the “coupon code”
or the “promotional code”, while the other is the “link only”
promotion. The “link only” promotion or coupon does not have an
actual coupon code to activate the promotion, but it offers a
special link which, when you click it, you get a discount
automatically when you check out. The coupon code, on the other
hand, could be entered when you are in the shopping cart. You
could also enter the coupon code on the order review page just
before you check out. You should look for the coupon “submit”
area when you purchase from any website to confirm the coupon
code.

To check if the coupon code is working or not, look for a page
that shows how much you are being charged for the goods before
and after the discount is applied. This page is called an order
page, an area where you see the changes after the discount is
applied. If you enter the coupon code and do not see the
discount on the order review page, you should not place the
order.

To find out the best coupon deals online, you could also visit
an online forum for your favorite coupon sites. You should act
fast as there are a lot of people in a mad scamper to take
advantage of coupon codes. Imagine saving about 200 dollars for
1000 dollars worth of shopping. What you are applying here is
common sense and, of course, your coupon codes. When you save on
say, 20 percent of the money spent, you could use those precious
hundreds of dollars for buying other items.

The online shopping world gives you the power of choice. You can
look and compare every aspect of the product from the quality to
the price, to your heart’s content. It is not always that the
best online retailer site would give you the best savings in
terms of price. For example, as an Internet savvy shopper, I
tried to buy a mobile phone from a reputed online seller that is
known to sell quality products at reasonable prices. Further
research showed that there were a couple of other websites as
well that were selling the same products at a lesser cost than
the first website. The coupon deals and the discount which were
offered were irresistible and I found myself getting the same
product for $300 less. So it pays to compare and not just be
blinded by any offer that comes along the way. The best may not
be good enough!

A savvy shopper would always find it sensible to buy a product
worth $40, where the price could be slashed down by 10 dollars
through the online store discount coupon. The money that you
save, thanks to online coupons, could really come in handy
during the holiday seasons when you have a tide of other
expenses. If you are buying 50 dollars worth of merchandise
every week and you save 10 dollars in the bargain, you would be
saving 40 dollars per month on shopping. That accounts for a 200
dollar savings for a 1000 dollar purchase. You could use the
amount you saved for some Christmas shopping. Talk about the
power of savings through using online coupons!

Dynamic database-driven sites have become very popular, and
relatively easy to set up and administer, through the use of
Content Management Systems (CMS) and PHP server-side scripting.
It’s also possible to create a fancy-looking site with little
actual content, or automatically generated code that can harm
your SEO, such as multiple URLs that display identical content.

Search engines are constantly evolving and adapting in response
to changes in the way information is presented on the web.
Strategies that were once necessary to ensure inclusion of PHP
pages are no longer required.

It was once helpful to generate a static HTML version of a PHP
page so that all the “includes” could be indexed. Now search
spiders “see” all the content on a PHP page, the same way it is
viewed in a browser.

It used to be prudent to avoid dynamic URLs containing “? & =” -
now, the search engines list URLs with the dynamic variables.
However, it is best to compose them with no more than three
variables. Some variable-laden URLs may be listed, but without
any accompanying content/description, in the search results…
Stay tuned for further developments as the search engines refine
their methods.

With many hosts running the popular Apache server, developers
are expanding the use of PHP by modifying the .htaccess file to
allow PHP code processing within HTML documents, and enabling
shorter URLs with fewer variables by configuring httpd.conf.
Your web hosting provider’s support team should be able to tell
you if these features are available for your site.

Implementing a common-sense approach to SEO for your PHP site
requires cooperation and coordination among the developer,
webmaster, and web host. Beware of “SEO Experts” with “secret
methods” and “guaranteed results” - gimmicks that kludge the
search spider today might hurt your ranking tomorrow.

A descriptive and catchy page title is one of the key elements
of SEO - whether or not your site uses PHP - since it becomes
the linked title of your search engine listing. Use the name of
your site in the title to encourage branding, along with a brief
capsule about the specific page. Remember that the title
displays at the top of the browser window and in the menu bar,
so keep it brief, less than 160 characters. Avoid using
identical titles on multiple pages (this can easily happen with
dynamically generated titles) because they may not be listed
individually, and if they are listed separately, it’s confusing.
Meta tags for description and keywords have become less crucial
to SEO - but that doesn’t mean you should forget about them.

The basic principles of SEO that apply to static HTML sites also
apply to dynamic PHP sites:

● Provide engaging and valuable content presented in an
attractive design.

● Code should be error-free and standards-compliant.

● Use keywords appropriate to your subject matter - don’t
be tempted to use “tricks” that might end up hurting your search
engine listing.

● Encourage repeat visits with frequent updates,
interactive features, membership sign-up, opt-in newsletters
and, if appropriate, “freebies” - contests, giveaways, downloads
and other resources.

● Encourage linking to your site with copy & paste code.
Reciprocal links build partnerships and enhance page rank, but
avoid hosting bulky “link farms” and other venues for worthless
web site spam.

● Make use of tools provided by the search engines, such
as creating a sitemap.

● Educate yourself by reading the search engine faqs, as
well as by perusing some independent forums for SEO tips and
methods.

Here are a few resources for further information:

Optimizing Dynamic Content HREF=http://www.highrankings.com/issue065.htm#seo rel="nofollow">http://www.high
rankings.com/issue065.htm#seo

Building Dynamic Pages With Search Engines in Mind HREF=http://phpbuilder.com/columns/tim20000526.php3 rel="nofollow">http://phpbui
lder.com/columns/tim20000526.php3

High Rankings(r) Search Engine Optimization Forum > Technobabble
> Dynamically Generated Site Issues HREF=http://www.highrankings.com/forum/index.php?s=c5e371a3bec60a
c7e650447c430abfd4&showforum=25 rel="nofollow">http://www.highrankings.com/forum
/index.php?s=c5e371a3bec60ac7e650447c430abfd4&showforum=25

Digital Point Forums > Marketing > Search Engine Optimization >
PHP, HTML does it matter? HREF=http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=53280 rel="nofollow">http:/
/forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=53280

Parsing PHP in .html Files HREF=http://www.desilva.biz/php/phpinhtml.html rel="nofollow">http://www.desilva
.biz/php/phpinhtml.html