tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36736514647969710672024-03-08T11:09:38.681-05:00Bob Hubbard on the InternetArticles and Commentary by Bob Hubbard on web site development, marketing, and operation, as well as other assorted internet related issues.Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-87660854623397799212010-10-09T19:33:00.003-04:002010-10-09T19:33:02.583-04:00We've Moved.Please visit our new home at http://bobhubbard.net/<br />
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Thank you.Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-20909712920517315572010-01-26T20:41:00.001-05:002010-01-26T20:41:53.604-05:00The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund"One hundred percent of donations received by the Clinton Foundation and the Communities Foundation of Texas go directly to relief efforts."<br />
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Donation sent. <br />
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<a href="http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org/">http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org/</a>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-60078599748555286512009-12-20T12:02:00.001-05:002009-12-20T12:02:50.244-05:00Bad PC Sales Staff Exposed<div style="font-family: arial;" id="post_message_1224039"> <b><a href="http://it.slashdot.org/story/09/09/28/1528221/Bad-PC-Sales-Staff-Exposed" target="_blank">Bad PC Sales Staff Exposed</a> on Monday September 28, @01:33PM </b><br /><br /><a href="http://slashdot.org/index2.pl?fhfilter=it" target="_blank">i</a><a href="mailto:dbayon82@googlemail.com">Barence</a> writes <i>"An undercover investigation has revealed how Dell's online sales staff take liberties with the truth when trying to sell customers new PCs. One member of staff told an undercover reporter that he would <a href="http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/351946/online-retailers-dell-and-mesh-the-high-street-rip-off" target="_blank">need a PC with a good graphics card to download digital photos</a>. Another, who was more incompetent than devious, was asked how many photos could be stored on a 250GB hard disk. 'Its[sic] on average 2 MB then 1024 MB * 2,' came the bewildering reply. Meanwhile, a <a href="http://www.pcpro.co.uk/features/351913/tesco-the-high-street-rip-off" target="_blank">sales assistant at supermarket Tesco</a> told the reporter that netbooks got their name because 'a Japanese man on a plane fell asleep with a laptop on his thighs and was horribly burned, so the industry has dropped the name laptop.'"</i><br /><a href="http://it.slashdot.org/story/09/09/28/1528221/Bad-PC-Sales-Staff-Exposed" target="_blank">Read More...Slashdot</a> </div>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-73154522852048109372009-12-20T12:01:00.001-05:002009-12-20T12:01:45.669-05:00Scam Warning<div class="smallfont"> <strong>Scam Warning</strong> </div> <hr style="color: rgb(134, 155, 191); background-color: rgb(134, 155, 191);" size="1"> <!-- / icon and title --> <!-- message --> <div id="post_message_1242662"> I received a call the other day. Person on the other end had an Indian accent. Told me he was calling about my "computer problem" and wanted me to walk through settings on my system.<br /><br />I engaged this person in conversation, repeatedly asking him who he was, who he was with, how he got my number and why he was calling me.<br /><br />He insisted that I had placed a support call and he was trying to help me.<br /><br />I had not placed any such call.<br /><br />Today I learned that my mother also received a similar call. (She has no computer).<br /><br />Needless to say I didn't allow any "support".<br /><br />THis link seems to indicate there's a new technique going around.<br /><a href="http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-698-9034" target="_blank">http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-698-9034</a><br /><br />I'm uncertain what the scam exactly is, wether they collect your info directly, have you visit a link that installs spyware or a system hijack, but if you receive ANY calls from anyone offering support, I strongly suggest you reject them.<br /><br />Also, be aware that Microsoft wont call you out of the blue, so be doubly aware of that. </div>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-76037998871809362292009-04-03T00:01:00.001-04:002009-04-03T00:01:00.517-04:00Q&A: How do you get your website to appear on the first page, at the top, of a Google search?<span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Q&A: How do you get your website to appear on the first page, at the top, of a Google search?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Question</span>: </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">How do you get your website to appear on the first page, at the top, of a Google search?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Answer</span>:</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Short answer, you don't. Most people when they think of searching will type in something very broad and very generic like "karate" or "training" or even a little more precise like "self defense" and see millions of results. Trying to tackle that amount of competition for the top spot is really a losing battle, unless you have very deep pockets. A better approach, and one that has a better chance of being successful for you is to focus your attention on specific search phrases.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">For example, many of my martial arts clients are in the Western New York area. They aren't looking for someone in London England to hit their site, but for someone in the WNY area. So, a smart searcher will type in something like "Buffalo martial arts" (which results in 3 of my clients, and 5 of my sites on the 1st page) or "wny martial arts" (4 sites, 1 client on page 1), or "wny karate" (3 sites 1st page). Typing in something like "modern arnis seminar training" has 2 of my clients on the 1st page. Another example is "natural resource consulting" which has 1 of my clients on the 1st page of results.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It's important to think in terms of search phrases when you optimize your site, and focus on those. A combination of proper key words, solid descriptions, and appropriate text will greatly enhance your chances for high placement. Also, be certain all of your images are captioned using ALT tags. Those are an often overlooked place for extra optimization.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">===</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Bob Hubbard, is the CEO of <a href="http://silverstarsites.net/">SilverStar WebDesigns Inc.</a> and an Administrator at <a href="http://martialtalk.com/forum">MartialTalk.com</a> and <a href="http://kenpotalk.com/">KenpoTalk.com</a>. He can be reached through those sites.</span>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-42641143887598137892009-04-02T14:03:00.001-04:002009-04-02T14:06:54.828-04:00Conflicker Eye Chart<span style="font-family: arial;">http://www.confickerworkinggroup.org/infection_test/cfeyechart.html</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">If you can see all the images, you're probably ok.</span>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-21051251315684620452009-04-01T17:46:00.000-04:002009-04-01T17:48:16.398-04:00Conflicker<span style="font-family: arial;">Make sure your firewall is up.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Try to manually run a windows update.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> If both work, you're probably clean.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> In the mean time, make sure that your antivirus is up to date, and actively running.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Spyware/Malware protection also is good to have running.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> There's alot of hype about this one, but 3M out of 1B pc's isn't that big a deal.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">There's over 100,000 worms, viruses, etc out there.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> The same precautions count for all of them:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> - Use a reliable antivirus, and keep it current</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> - use a reliable malware shield, and keep it current</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> - use an on system firewall, and verify it's on.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> - use a hardware firewall and make sure it's working</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> - make sure your system is up to date software wise.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Also</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> - don't open strange email attachments</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> - scan your email</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> - use a spam blocker to cut down on your spam</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> - don't visit bad websites</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> - don't use bootleg software from crack sites that may open holes in your armor or install nasties.</span> .<br /><br />See also: <a href="http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74784" id="thread_title_74784">iant Internet worm set to change tactics April 1</a>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-69050190853707473682009-03-27T00:01:00.000-04:002009-03-27T00:01:00.223-04:00Q&A: How do you get people to volunteer work for your money-making on-line business without complaint and with consistent, quality performance?<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Q&A: How do you get people to volunteer work for your money-making on-line business without complaint and with consistent, quality performance?</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Question</span><span style="font-family: arial;">: </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">How do you get people to volunteer work for your money-making on-line business without complaint and with consistent, quality performance?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Answer</span><span style="font-family: arial;">:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">My experience has shown that when people care about something, they will often put in the time to make it a success. Convention presenters have known this for years, and are often run by volunteer staffs in the hundreds, all working towards a common goal of a successful and entertaining event. Many of the same reasons apply when looking for staff for online communities. Treat your people right, stand behind them, give them guidance so that they know what is expected of them, and train them in how to do their job well. Don't treat them like slaves, or free help. Let them know when they are doing well, and show the your gratitude. A little appreciation shown can go a long way towards keeping god people happy. All of that however is useless, unless you have a purpose for which they will put in the time and effort. Make your enterprise one that people can feel a part of, that they can feel ownership of, and a part of, and you will find good people willing to help you build your dreams, together.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:verdana;" >===</span><br /> <span style="font-family: arial;font-family:verdana;" >Bob Hubbard, is the CEO of <a href="http://silverstarsites.net/">SilverStar WebDesigns Inc.</a> and an Administrator at <a href="http://martialtalk.com/forum">MartialTalk.com</a> and <a href="http://kenpotalk.com/">KenpoTalk.com</a>. He can be reached through those sites.</span>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-76010779079095301712009-03-20T00:01:00.000-04:002009-03-20T00:01:01.146-04:00Q&A: How fancy and how big should your opening page be?<span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Q&A: How fancy and how big should your opening page be?</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Question</span>: </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">How fancy and how big should your opening page be?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Answer</span>:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">There are several different views on this. Some will recommend long and wordy, others hort an terse, others flashy, others simple. My suggestion is to tailor the page toward your goals for the site. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I recomend using a couple of graphics, 2-3 paragraphs of good descriptive text, loaded with strong keywords for the search engines to latch onto. This gives you a good starting point. You can add more paragraphs, but be mindful of how many graphics you place. Each one adds to the overall size of your main page, and slows down it's loading, especially for dialup users. A slow page detracts from the user experience.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:verdana;" >===</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:verdana;" >Bob Hubbard, is the CEO of <a href="http://silverstarsites.net/">SilverStar WebDesigns Inc.</a> and an Administrator at <a href="http://martialtalk.com/forum">MartialTalk.com</a> and <a href="http://kenpotalk.com/">KenpoTalk.com</a>. He can be reached through those sites.</span>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-66936469990903562922009-03-18T20:56:00.000-04:002009-03-18T20:56:01.093-04:00Flush the crap out of your PC!<div style="margin: 5px 20px 20px;"> <div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom: 2px;">Quote:</div> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td class="alt2" style="border: 1px inset ;"> CCleaner is a <b>freeware</b> system optimization, privacy and cleaning tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. Additionally it contains a fully featured registry cleaner. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! <img src="http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" title="Smilie" class="inlineimg" border="0" /> </td> </tr> </tbody></table> </div><a href="http://www.ccleaner.com/" target="_blank">http://www.ccleaner.com/</a><br /><br />Friend recommended this to fix some issues I'm having. First pass through it cleared out over 300 megs of orphaned drivers and bits.<br /><br />Remember to back up your registry before doing changes!Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-66274243728528858752009-03-13T00:01:00.000-04:002009-03-13T00:01:00.584-04:00Q&A: How many different colors should you use on a webpage?<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Q&A: How many different colors should you use on a webpage?</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Question</span><span style="font-family: arial;">: </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">How many different colors should you use on a webpage?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Answer</span><span style="font-family: arial;">:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Finding proper color balance for a website is crucial to having a pleasing look. To many clashing colors makes your site look amateurish and often childish. I usually recommend using a minimum of different colors, looking instead for an easy on the eyes background, with a clearly contrasting color for fonts. Black text on a white or off white background for example. I then use other colors to compliment the design. Red on Blue gives a weird 3D like effect and is very hard on most peoples eyes. Shades of blue, green and brown, as well as darker reds seem to work the best. For cues on what colors compliment, I refer to traditional graphics tools like color charts.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">===</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Bob Hubbard, is the CEO of <a href="http://silverstarsites.net/">SilverStar WebDesigns Inc.</a> and an Administrator at <a href="http://martialtalk.com/forum">MartialTalk.com</a> and <a href="http://kenpotalk.com/">KenpoTalk.com</a>. He can be reached through those sites.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"></span>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-63677642471268672082009-03-11T20:54:00.000-04:002009-03-11T20:54:00.426-04:00Going VIPRE.So, I've ditched Adaware, Spybot and AVG in favor of this. So far, so good. Anyone else familiar with it?<br /><a href="http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/home-home-office/vipre/" target="_blank">http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/home-home-office/vipre/</a><br /><br />Based on the recommendation of a friend of mine, I gave this a try. Fixed a few performance issues on one laptop, and found 2 major problems with another system that were missed by 2 other products.<br /><br />The latest version of Adaware borked stuff in my system. I've been doing major registry editing to fix the last few days..<br /><br />I've uninstalled adaware, spybot and avg just prior to installing vipre. So far, I'm running smooth again first time in days.<br /><br />15 day trial. After that, it's $30. <br /><br />If you do try this, be certain to download the program first, disconnect from the net, then uninstall any other antivirus and spyware blockers. Running multiple antiviruses can cause serious problems, especially if one is Norton/Symantic or McAfee.<br /><br /><br />http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72844Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-87093265742877146652009-03-09T00:01:00.000-04:002009-03-09T00:01:00.466-04:003 Basic Features Every Web Site Should Have By Bob Hubbard<b style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color:red;">3 Basic Features Every Web Site Should Have</span></b><br /> <span style="font-family: arial;font-family:Arial;" >By </span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:Arial;" >Bob Hubbard</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Look around the Internet, look at 100 different websites, and you’ll find 100 different mixes of features. No two sites are exactly alike. Nor should they be, for each site has a unique purpose. But there are some features that every site should have. In this article, I will introduce you to XX of them.</span><br /> <br /> <b style="font-family: arial;">#1 Every site should have a copyright statement. </b><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> While US Law states that a work is copyrighted at creation, there are a significant number of people online today who are sadly ignorant of the law, and who believe if it isn’t marked, it’s free to use as they wish. By including a well formatted copyright statement, you will stop some people, and have better chances should you ever need to go the legal route.</span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> At the minimum, use something like this : “Copyright © </span><i style="font-family: arial;">YEAR</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> – </span><i style="font-family: arial;">NAME</i><span style="font-family: arial;"> - All Rights Reserved.” Where YEAR is the current year, and NAME is your name, or the name of your organization.</span><br /> <br /> <b style="font-family: arial;">#2 Make sure there is a complete address, and phone number.</b><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Too often I’ll run into a site that assumes that the visitor knows where they are. They list a street address, but no city, or no state. They say things like “We’re located in the Widget Mall”, yet Google shows 15 different “Widget Malls” around the world. They list a phone number, but no area code, forcing you to guess, or do more research and hope for the best. Use a complete address and phone number to maximize contact.</span><br /> <br /> <b style="font-family: arial;">#3 Check all your pages for a working TITLE Tag.</b><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Ever been to “Unknown”? It’s a common website. Estimates are that anywhere from a third to half the web page out there re using the default title tag. Make sure yours identifies your site, and gives a little bit of a description on what’s on that page. Don’t just say “</span><b style="font-family: arial;">About Bob</b><span style="font-family: arial;">”. Bob who? Where am I? Why should I care about Bob? “</span><i style="font-family: arial;">About Bob Hubbard, Owner of SilverStar WebDesigns Inc., a web site design and hosting company specializing in affordable solutions for martial artists.</i><span style="font-family: arial;">” Is a much better title tag. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> There are a lot more features that a web site should have, but to me these are 3 of the most important ones. Of course, proper proof reading of all of your site’s content and testing of email addresses and links, while not specifically features, are also crucial. </span><br /> <br /><span style="font-family: arial;"> Use these tips, and you’ll see a better return on your web site investment.</span><br /> <br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: arial;font-family:Arial;" >===</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:&quot;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:Arial;" >Bob Hubbard is an administrator of the popular martial arts portal site <a href="http://martialtalk.com/" target="_blank">MartialTalk.com</a> and president of <a href="http://silverstarsites.net/" target="_blank">SilverStar WebDesigns inc</a>., a web site design and hosting company specializing in affordable solutions for martial artists. Bob can be reached at <a href="mailto:webmaster@martialtalk.com">webmaster@martialtalk.com</a> </span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:&quot;" ><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:Arial;" >Article Copyright © 2009 - Bob Hubbard - All Rights Reserved. This article may be reproduced provided all text, the author bio and these terms are kept intact.</span>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-79151761370056528752009-03-06T00:01:00.000-05:002009-03-06T00:01:00.926-05:00Q&A: How many different fonts should you use on a webpage?<span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Q&A: How many different fonts should you use on a webpage?</span><br /> <br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Question</span>: </span><br /> <span style="font-family: verdana;">How many different fonts should you use on a webpage?</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Answer</span>:</span><br /> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Using too many different fonts can make your website look amateurish and random. For best effect, I would suggest sticking with no more than two or three at most. You can use one easily read font for the body which is where most time will be spent reading, and a more stylish one for headers, headlines and menus.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Follow up question #1 "How Big should I make my fonts"?</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Common practices would use a 10-13 point font, usually a 12 point for the body, with a couple points larger for headers, headlines and menus, and a couple points smaller for footer and foot notes.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: verdana; font-weight: bold;">Follow up question #2 "What fonts would you recommend?"</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: verdana;">There are 2 main types of fonts, Sans Serif and Serif. Sans Serif fonts like Arial and Helvetica are recommended due to their being easier to read on computer screens. My personal favorite is Verdana. Avoid Serif fonts like Times Roman or Courier, which work much better in print form.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: verdana;">===</span><br /> <span style="font-family: verdana;">Bob Hubbard, is the CEO of <a href="http://silverstarsites.net/">SilverStar WebDesigns Inc.</a> and an Administrator at <a href="http://martialtalk.com/forum">MartialTalk.com</a> and <a href="http://kenpotalk.com/">KenpoTalk.com</a>. He can be reached through those sites.</span>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-76357277059829483852009-03-02T00:01:00.001-05:002009-03-03T00:22:04.920-05:00What is Virtual Hosting? By Bob Hubbard<b><span style="color:red;"><span style="font-family:Arial;">What is Virtual Hosting?</span></span></b><br /> <span style="font-family:Arial;">By </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">Bob Hubbard</span><br /> <span style="font-family:Arial;"><br />Look everywhere on the Internet and you will see thousands of web hosts offering incredible hosting deals, for peanuts. How can anyone make money selling 20 gigabytes of space for $5 a month? Doesn’t it cost more than that for all the equipment and staff and whatnot? It sure does. Web hosts can offer this through a system called Virtual Hosting.</span><br /> <br /> Virtual Hosting, also called “Shared Hosting” is where multiple web sites (<a href="http://www.anyname.com/" target="_blank">www.anyname.com</a>) are served off the same physical server. This saves each customer from purchasing their own expensive server, performing the setup, hiring support staff and providing the appropriate environment. The great majority of web sites are set up this way.<br /> <br /> <span style="font-family:Arial;">Virtual Hosting allows someone to run a website without having to buy equipment, maintain that same equipment, pay for expensive maintenance agreements, keep trained technicians on staff, install and maintain expensive high speed data connections, and provide expensive on site security for all of this expensive equipment.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family:Arial;">It allows a web hosting company to divide the costs among many different clients who share part of the same physical server, at a great savings to their clients.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family:Arial;">The pluses of virtual hosting are the lower costs and easy setup. You often don’t need to know more than how to use a free web page design tool to use it.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family:Arial;">The minuses include poor support, too many shared hosting companies going under due to under charging, as well as all the problems one could expect if they were to live in an over crowded apartment complex due to a condition called “over selling.”</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family:Arial;">“OverSelling” is where your host sells more space than the server can physically provide. If your host is selling an “unlimited” space plan, or even hundreds of gigabytes of space, you can be certain they are “Over Selling”. </span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family:Arial;">Budget hosts will cram hundreds of accounts onto a single server. Each account uses X% of the servers memory, processor and physical hard drive space. If a single account uses too much, you start to see server slow downs, connection problems, and errors.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family:Arial;">Reliable hosts carefully monitor these issues, and will sometimes move accounts between servers to balance the loads and keep things working smoothly for all their customers. Sometimes that’s not enough, and hosts will recommend upgrading to a “Virtual Server”, or a real server, depending on the situation.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family:Arial;">A “Virtual Server” is exactly what is sounds like. It’s a server, which is entirely in a larger servers memory. It functions like it’s physical counterpart, in that it has a limited amount of memory, and drive space, but it differs from conventional Virtual Hosting in that rather than share space, processor and memory, it’s all yours. Virtual hosting can be a short-term answer when you have out grown a shared environment, but can’t afford a full dedicated server of your own.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family:Arial;">In most cases however, the great majority of websites will work fine in a Shared environment, as long as you choose a reliable hosting company that won’t overload their servers, and who doesn’t offer the unattainable.</span><br /> <br /> <br /> <span style="font-family:Arial;">===</span><br /> <span style="font-family:Arial;">Bob Hubbard is an administrator of the popular martial arts portal site <a href="http://martialtalk.com">MartialTalk.com</a> and president of <a href="http://silverstarsites.net">SilverStar WebDesigns inc</a>., a web site design and hosting company specializing in affordable solutions for martial artists. Bob can be reached at <a href="mailto:webmaster@martialtalk.com">webmaster@martialtalk.com</a> </span><br /> <span style="font-family:Arial;">Article Copyright © 2009 - Bob Hubbard - All Rights Reserved. This article may be reproduced provided all text, the author bio and these terms are kept intact.</span>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-58556288502537489552009-02-22T23:43:00.001-05:002009-02-22T23:43:38.539-05:00February slow downApologies for the slow February. Should have new stuff going up shortly.Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-37270077308740865892009-01-06T23:43:00.000-05:002009-01-06T23:44:07.995-05:00Short BreakTaking a short break this week to handle some offline matters. New articles next week. :)Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-71808512518354106682009-01-05T00:01:00.002-05:002009-01-05T00:01:00.301-05:00Choosing a Domain Name for your new Web Site by Bob Hubbard<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Choosing a Domain Name for your new Web Site</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">by Bob Hubbard</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Choosing your domain name is a key part of your online presence. Your name should reflect you, be short, easy to remember, and help people think of you.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Choosing one is easy, as is registering it. The hard part unfortunately is finding one that meets your needs, because so many good names are already taken by others. Researching for available names can sometimes take hours, even for professionals.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">There are many different endings for your domain name. The most common ones are .com, .net and .org, with .com being the preferred one. Other extensions exist such as .ca for Canadian domains, and .co.uk for United Kingdom sites. Rates for registration vary depending on where you register it, and which extension you are using. $8-15 per year is normal for a .com domain.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">When picking names, avoid ones with a - or _ between words. Most people will forget to type those in and will end up somewhere else.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Avoid numbers as well, unless they are part of your business name. Some people use their phone numbers for example, or street address, and later regret it if they relocate the business.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">When I discuss possible names with my clients, I often ask them for a list of key words and phrases that describe their business. I'll use those as well as the business's name to find available names for consideration. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">One important thing to remember when you do register. Double check that spelling! Registration fees aren't refundable, so be certain before you push that button.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">====</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Bob Hubbard is</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" > the CEO of <a href="http://silverstarsites.net/">SilverStar WebDesigns Inc</a>, a web design and hosting company specializing in martial arts sites, as well as an administrator on the popular martial arts communities <a href="http://martialtalk.com/">MartialTalk.com</a>, <a href="http://kenpotalk.com/">Kenpotalk.com</a> and <a href="http://fmatalk.com/">FMATalk.com</a>. </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">He is also a respected professional photographer specializing in martial arts event, nature and portrait photography. </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" >His martial arts photography can be found there as well as at his martial arts photography web site, <a href="http://martialphotos.com/">martialphotos.com</a>. He may be reached through these sites.<br />Copyright </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">© </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" >2008 - <a href="http://bobhubbard.net/">Bob Hubbard</a> - All Rights Reserved<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Permission is granted to reprint this article on websites, blogs and ezines provided all text, links and authors bio is left intact.</span></span>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-87155374430833891462008-12-31T00:01:00.000-05:002008-12-31T00:01:00.463-05:00Tip Of The Week : Your Website Doesn't Close The Sale, You Do!<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Your Website Doesn't Close The Sale, You Do!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">People send hundreds of thousands of dollars on fancy, feature rich, deep content websites, then wonder why they are poor. The truth is, while a website can do a lot of things, it can't close the sale.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">People still prefer to deal with other people, and a website is no substitute for the human touch. Prompt follow up and follow through by live people still is what makes a business a success. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Use your website as one of the tools in your sales kit, but make sure you add the human touch. Prompt reply, good service, and great communications are what's needed to succeed today.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">- Bob</span></span>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-84734887802181778212008-12-29T00:01:00.001-05:002008-12-29T00:01:01.042-05:00Taking Better Action photos By Bob Hubbard<span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Taking Better Action photos</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">By Bob Hubbard</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Ever been at a martial arts or other sporting event and taken pictures and not been happy with what you got? Were the eyes red and demonic looking, or did the subjects look like blurs or whispery ghosts? Here's a couple of suggestions to help you improve your shots.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">1 - Know your camera settings.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Most people simply put their camera on "automatic" and hope for the best. This works in most cases, but action shots require a bit more knowledge to get right. Check and see if your camera has an "Action" or "Sports" mode. These settings use preset settings from the manufacturer to try and optimize your camera to capture fast moving action. While not perfect, it will usually improve what you do get.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">2 - Use your Flash.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Yes, even in what to you looks like a nice and bright room, using your flash can help to "freeze" the action for your camera to catch it, and will add some pop to your shot.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">3 - Enable Red Eye protection.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Many current pocket cameras today include a mode that ties to minimize those evil glowing demon eyes you get when using flash. Red eye is caused by the flash being too close to the lense, and the flash being "seen" in the eye. This is part of why professional photographers use those special grips and have the flash way up over the camera. If your flash is too harsh, try taping a little tissue paper over the light to soften it. Be aware that doing so will shorten the range and brightness of the light.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">4 - Know what ISO your camera is set at.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Simply put, properly setting your camera's ISO will improve your pictures. A low ISO like 100-200 tends to be sharp, clear. High ISO's like 800-1600= ten to be on the fuzzy side, and grainy. So, why use a high ISO? The higher the number the more light sensitive your digital film is. Use a high ISO in low light situations. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">5 - Take some test shots.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Digital cameras are great in that you can take as many shots as you want and not have to worry about bad ones. Before the event, take some test shots and preview them on the screen. Delete the ones that are really off, tweak your settings and try a few more. </span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Sports photography is a fun activity, but getting the best quality shots takes a little work. I hope that these tips help you enjoy your photography more.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">====</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Bob Hubbard is a professional photographer specializing in martial arts event, nature and portrait photography. He is also the CEO of <a href="http://silverstarsites.net">SilverStar WebDesigns Inc</a>, a web design and hosting company specializing in martial arts sites, as well as an administrator on the popular martial arts communities <a href="http://MartialTalk.com">MartialTalk.com</a>, <a href="http://Kenpotalk.com">Kenpotalk.com</a> and <a href="http://FMATalk.com">FMATalk.com</a>. His martial arts photography can be found there as well as at his martial arts photography web site, <a href="http://martialphotos.com">martialphotos.com</a>. He may be reached through these sites.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Copyright </span></span>© <span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2008 - <a href="http://bobhubbard.net">Bob Hubbard</a> - All Rights Reserved</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;">Permission is granted to reprint this article on websites, blogs and ezines provided all text, links and authors bio is left intact.</span></span>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-29218718915766689602008-12-26T00:01:00.000-05:002008-12-26T00:01:01.429-05:00Q&A: I was told I broke the Internet? Is that possible?<span style="font-family: arial;">Q&A</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Question</span>:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I was told I broke the Internet? Is that possible?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Answer</span>:</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">No. The Internet is made up of a huge number of connected networks of computers and servers. The Internet has been designed to be redundant to allow communications to go through in the event of an emergency. It is still possible for outages to occur in some areas that aren't as redundantly wired due to power outages, or the occasional cable being cut. But it's highly unlikely that you did it.</span>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-7323886211812187482008-12-24T00:01:00.001-05:002008-12-24T00:01:00.758-05:00Tip Of The Week : Follow Up and Close More Sales!<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Poor Follow Up Leads to Poor You!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">If you want to shock your prospects, follow up with them the same day, or better yet within an hour of receiving their inquiry! Doing so will put a very good impresion in place with them. When you do this, you'll often hear them proclaim you're the first to reply, and they'll be impressed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Doing this can help you close 30-50% more sales than your competition who puts things off for days or weeks.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">- Bob</span></span>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-76131976526225430982008-12-22T00:01:00.000-05:002008-12-22T00:01:01.020-05:00Why is it called "The Internet"?<span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Why is it called "The Internet"?</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">By Bob Hubbard</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Ever wonder why this huge international maze of computers, servers, and sites is called "The Internet"?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Internet means inter-connected networks. Developed during the 1960's and 1970's, what we refer to today as "The Internet" grew from small localized networks running on colleges, universities and military bases, to larger networks connecting smaller ones, to a huge world wide network of networks. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Most people today only think of the Internet as email and websites, but in fact it is a combination of many different services.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Email consists of several different systems, including POP (Post Office Protocol) which is responsible for getting your email from your electrnic mail box, and SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) which is used to send email to the world.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Web sites run on Hypertext Transfer Protocol, or HTTP. When you type in a web address in your browser, that http:// you enter in tells the server on the other end to use the HTTP system to transfer the page to you. Modern browsers use it by default, but older browsers would fail to find a site if you forgot it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">FTP, or "File Transfer Protocol" is a means for transferring files between your system and a remote one. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">IRC, or "Internet Relay Chat", also called "Chat Rooms" are the precursor to today's instant messaging and text message systems. Still in operation today, they aren't well known to most people. IRC requires special software to access.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">A forgotten part of our net history is Gopher. Gopher is a combination web and ftp system for organized document retrieval. Text only, there are less than 200 Gopher servers currently online, with most neglected, however some universities still use them.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Then there is the Network News Transfer Protocol or NNTP which is an Internet application protocol used primarily for reading and posting Usenet articles, as well as transferring news among news servers. USENET is a huge world wide distributed electronic discussion system. What this means is, it is like having a global forum, spread over many systems. There are currently well over 100,000 different topics ranging from the boring to the profane. Accessing USENET requires special software called a NewsReader, as well as an account with a news provider.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">As you can see, the Internet is a pretty complex thing, made simple and accessible by modern software, allowing us to communicate around the world at whim. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Additional Resources at Wikipedia</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">USENET http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">NNTP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_News_Transfer_Protocol</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">FTP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRC</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">POP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_Office_Protocol</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">SMTP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smtp</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Email http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mail</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">IRC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRC</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">HTTP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Http</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Gopher http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopher_(protocol)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">=========</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Bob Hubbard is an administrator of the popular martial arts portal site MartialTalk.com and president of SilverStar WebDesigns inc., a web site design and hosting company specializing in affordable solutions for martial artists. Bob can be reached at webmaster@martialtalk.com</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Article Copyright © 2008 - Bob Hubbard - All Rights Reserved. </span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This article may be reproduced provided all text, the author bio and these terms are kept intact.</span>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-70873167766818150312008-12-19T00:01:00.000-05:002008-12-19T00:01:00.708-05:00Q&A: Can you legally copy DVDs?<span style="font-weight: bold;">Question</span>:<br />Can you legally copy DVDs?<br /> <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Answer</span>:<br />DVD copying is a controversial and highly sought-after process. Not sure if what you're doing is legal? CNET sets your mind at ease.<br /><br />By Jon Jacobi, Don Labriola, and Justin Jaffe<br />(April 6, 2004)<br /><br /><a href="http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3513_7-5128652-1.html" target="_blank">http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3513_7-5128652-1.html</a><br /><br /><br />The short answer is, you can, as long as you're not circumventing any copy protection.Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3673651464796971067.post-32064596668949562012008-12-17T00:01:00.001-05:002008-12-17T00:01:00.668-05:00Tip Of The Week : Leave it to the Experts<span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Leave it to the Experts</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I often hear from prospects and clients that they are considering doing it themselves, or handing it over to a student or junior family member. 'IT" is a lot of things. Design of their site, upkeep, marketing, etc.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The problem with this is, while it might be short-term cheaper, it can cost you more over the long haul.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">For example, if the septic system in your back yard caves in, you could call your buddies, shore it up with plywood and cover it in dirt. Eventually however, you'll end up knee deep in, well, you know. For something serious like this you call the professionals.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Why would you trust the marketing of your business with someone who is just learning? Unless you have the experience and training, you should leave your website design and marketing to the experts. They can guide you around the pitfalls and traps, and free up your time to do what you are good at, which is the business. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Take off a few hats, and leave it to the experts.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">- Bob</span></span>Bob Hubbardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07775696123748716024noreply@blogger.com0