Bob Hubbard on the Internet

We've Moved.

2010-10-09T19:33:00.003-04:00

Please visit our new home at http://bobhubbard.net/

Thank you.

The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund

2010-01-26T20:41:00.001-05:00

"One hundred percent of donations received by the Clinton Foundation and the Communities Foundation of Texas go directly to relief efforts."

Donation sent.

http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org/

Bad PC Sales Staff Exposed

2009-12-20T12:02:00.001-05:00

Bad PC Sales Staff Exposed on Monday September 28, @01:33PM

i Barence writes "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 need a PC with a good graphics card to download digital photos. 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 sales assistant at supermarket Tesco 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.'"
Read More...Slashdot

Scam Warning

2009-12-20T12:01:00.001-05:00

Scam Warning

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.

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.

He insisted that I had placed a support call and he was trying to help me.

I had not placed any such call.

Today I learned that my mother also received a similar call. (She has no computer).

Needless to say I didn't allow any "support".

THis link seems to indicate there's a new technique going around.
http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-800-698-9034

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.

Also, be aware that Microsoft wont call you out of the blue, so be doubly aware of that.

Q&A: How do you get your website to appear on the first page, at the top, of a Google search?

2009-04-03T00:01:00.001-04:00

Q&A: How do you get your website to appear on the first page, at the top, of a Google search?

Question:
How do you get your website to appear on the first page, at the top, of a Google search?

Answer:
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.

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.

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.

===
Bob Hubbard, is the CEO of SilverStar WebDesigns Inc. and an Administrator at MartialTalk.com and KenpoTalk.com. He can be reached through those sites.

Conflicker Eye Chart

2009-04-02T14:03:00.001-04:00

http://www.confickerworkinggroup.org/infection_test/cfeyechart.html

If you can see all the images, you're probably ok.

Conflicker

2009-04-01T17:46:00.000-04:00

Make sure your firewall is up.
Try to manually run a windows update.

If both work, you're probably clean.

In the mean time, make sure that your antivirus is up to date, and actively running.
Spyware/Malware protection also is good to have running.

There's alot of hype about this one, but 3M out of 1B pc's isn't that big a deal.

There's over 100,000 worms, viruses, etc out there.

The same precautions count for all of them:
- Use a reliable antivirus, and keep it current
- use a reliable malware shield, and keep it current
- use an on system firewall, and verify it's on.
- use a hardware firewall and make sure it's working
- make sure your system is up to date software wise.

Also
- don't open strange email attachments
- scan your email
- use a spam blocker to cut down on your spam
- don't visit bad websites
- don't use bootleg software from crack sites that may open holes in your armor or install nasties. .

See also: iant Internet worm set to change tactics April 1

Q&A: How do you get people to volunteer work for your money-making on-line business without complaint and with consistent, quality performance?

2009-03-27T00:01:00.000-04:00

Q&A: How do you get people to volunteer work for your money-making on-line business without complaint and with consistent, quality performance?

Question:
How do you get people to volunteer work for your money-making on-line business without complaint and with consistent, quality performance?

Answer:
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.

===
Bob Hubbard, is the CEO of SilverStar WebDesigns Inc. and an Administrator at MartialTalk.com and KenpoTalk.com. He can be reached through those sites.

Q&A: How fancy and how big should your opening page be?

2009-03-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

Q&A: How fancy and how big should your opening page be?

Question:
How fancy and how big should your opening page be?

Answer:
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.

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.

===
Bob Hubbard, is the CEO of SilverStar WebDesigns Inc. and an Administrator at MartialTalk.com and KenpoTalk.com. He can be reached through those sites.

Flush the crap out of your PC!

2009-03-18T20:56:00.000-04:00

Quote:

CCleaner is a freeware 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!

http://www.ccleaner.com/

Friend recommended this to fix some issues I'm having. First pass through it cleared out over 300 megs of orphaned drivers and bits.

Remember to back up your registry before doing changes!

Q&A: How many different colors should you use on a webpage?

2009-03-13T00:01:00.000-04:00

Q&A: How many different colors should you use on a webpage?

Question:
How many different colors should you use on a webpage?

Answer:
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.

===
Bob Hubbard, is the CEO of SilverStar WebDesigns Inc. and an Administrator at MartialTalk.com and KenpoTalk.com. He can be reached through those sites.

Going VIPRE.

2009-03-11T20:54:00.000-04:00

So, I've ditched Adaware, Spybot and AVG in favor of this. So far, so good. Anyone else familiar with it?
http://www.sunbeltsoftware.com/home-home-office/vipre/

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.

The latest version of Adaware borked stuff in my system. I've been doing major registry editing to fix the last few days..

I've uninstalled adaware, spybot and avg just prior to installing vipre. So far, I'm running smooth again first time in days.

15 day trial. After that, it's $30.

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.

http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72844

3 Basic Features Every Web Site Should Have By Bob Hubbard

2009-03-09T00:01:00.000-04:00

3 Basic Features Every Web Site Should Have
By Bob Hubbard

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.

#1 Every site should have a copyright statement.
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.

At the minimum, use something like this : “Copyright © YEAR – NAME - All Rights Reserved.” Where YEAR is the current year, and NAME is your name, or the name of your organization.

#2 Make sure there is a complete address, and phone number.
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.

#3 Check all your pages for a working TITLE Tag.
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 “About Bob”. Bob who? Where am I? Why should I care about Bob? “About Bob Hubbard, Owner of SilverStar WebDesigns Inc., a web site design and hosting company specializing in affordable solutions for martial artists.” Is a much better title tag.

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.

Use these tips, and you’ll see a better return on your web site investment.

===
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
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.

Q&A: How many different fonts should you use on a webpage?

2009-03-06T00:01:00.000-05:00

Q&A: How many different fonts should you use on a webpage?

Question:
How many different fonts should you use on a webpage?

Answer:
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.

Follow up question #1 "How Big should I make my fonts"?

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.

Follow up question #2 "What fonts would you recommend?"

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.

===
Bob Hubbard, is the CEO of SilverStar WebDesigns Inc. and an Administrator at MartialTalk.com and KenpoTalk.com. He can be reached through those sites.

What is Virtual Hosting? By Bob Hubbard

2009-03-02T00:01:00.001-05:00

What is Virtual Hosting?
By Bob Hubbard

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.

Virtual Hosting, also called “Shared Hosting” is where multiple web sites (www.anyname.com) 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.”

“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”.

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.

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.

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.

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.

===
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
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.

February slow down

2009-02-22T23:43:00.001-05:00

Apologies for the slow February. Should have new stuff going up shortly.

Short Break

2009-01-06T23:43:00.000-05:00

Taking a short break this week to handle some offline matters. New articles next week. :)

Choosing a Domain Name for your new Web Site by Bob Hubbard

2009-01-05T00:01:00.002-05:00

Choosing a Domain Name for your new Web Site
by Bob Hubbard

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.

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.

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.

When picking names, avoid ones with a - or _ between words. Most people will forget to type those in and will end up somewhere else.

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.

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.

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.

====

Bob Hubbard is the CEO of SilverStar WebDesigns Inc, a web design and hosting company specializing in martial arts sites, as well as an administrator on the popular martial arts communities MartialTalk.com, Kenpotalk.com and FMATalk.com. He is also a respected professional photographer specializing in martial arts event, nature and portrait photography. His martial arts photography can be found there as well as at his martial arts photography web site, martialphotos.com. He may be reached through these sites.
Copyright © 2008 - Bob Hubbard - All Rights Reserved
Permission is granted to reprint this article on websites, blogs and ezines provided all text, links and authors bio is left intact.

Tip Of The Week : Your Website Doesn't Close The Sale, You Do!

2008-12-31T00:01:00.000-05:00

Your Website Doesn't Close The Sale, You Do!

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.

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.

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.

- Bob

Taking Better Action photos By Bob Hubbard

2008-12-29T00:01:00.001-05:00

Taking Better Action photos
By Bob Hubbard

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.

1 - Know your camera settings.

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.

2 - Use your Flash.

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.

3 - Enable Red Eye protection.

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.

4 - Know what ISO your camera is set at.

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.

5 - Take some test shots.

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.

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.

====
Bob Hubbard is a professional photographer specializing in martial arts event, nature and portrait photography. He is also the CEO of SilverStar WebDesigns Inc, a web design and hosting company specializing in martial arts sites, as well as an administrator on the popular martial arts communities MartialTalk.com, Kenpotalk.com and FMATalk.com. His martial arts photography can be found there as well as at his martial arts photography web site, martialphotos.com. He may be reached through these sites.
Copyright © 2008 - Bob Hubbard - All Rights Reserved
Permission is granted to reprint this article on websites, blogs and ezines provided all text, links and authors bio is left intact.

Q&A: I was told I broke the Internet? Is that possible?

2008-12-26T00:01:00.000-05:00

Q&A

Question:
I was told I broke the Internet? Is that possible?

Answer:
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.

Tip Of The Week : Follow Up and Close More Sales!

2008-12-24T00:01:00.001-05:00

Poor Follow Up Leads to Poor You!

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.

Doing this can help you close 30-50% more sales than your competition who puts things off for days or weeks.

- Bob

Why is it called "The Internet"?

2008-12-22T00:01:00.000-05:00

Why is it called "The Internet"?
By Bob Hubbard

Ever wonder why this huge international maze of computers, servers, and sites is called "The Internet"?

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.

Most people today only think of the Internet as email and websites, but in fact it is a combination of many different services.

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.

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.

FTP, or "File Transfer Protocol" is a means for transferring files between your system and a remote one.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Additional Resources at Wikipedia
USENET http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usenet
NNTP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_News_Transfer_Protocol
FTP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRC
POP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post_Office_Protocol
SMTP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smtp
Email http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-mail
IRC http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRC
HTTP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Http
Gopher http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopher_(protocol)

=========

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
Article Copyright © 2008 - Bob Hubbard - All Rights Reserved.
This article may be reproduced provided all text, the author bio and these terms are kept intact.

Q&A: Can you legally copy DVDs?

2008-12-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

Question:
Can you legally copy DVDs?

Answer:
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.

By Jon Jacobi, Don Labriola, and Justin Jaffe
(April 6, 2004)

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3513_7-5128652-1.html

The short answer is, you can, as long as you're not circumventing any copy protection.

Tip Of The Week : Leave it to the Experts

2008-12-17T00:01:00.001-05:00

Leave it to the Experts

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.

The problem with this is, while it might be short-term cheaper, it can cost you more over the long haul.

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.

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.

Take off a few hats, and leave it to the experts.

- Bob

Staying On Top of your Website for a Successful Site.

2008-12-15T00:01:00.000-05:00

Staying On Top of your Website for a Successful Site.
By Bob Hubbard

Business websites can be both complex and simple. Managing one, is both easy and hard, depending on what you are doing with it.

A simple, flyer site requires little regular upkeep. Pop in every couple of months, make sure everything is up to date, and forget about it until next time. But treating your website like it's merely a big phone book ad, ignores the great potential and benefits it can provide your business. The ability to change it on the fly, to update it at will, offers you a great deal more potential and greater rewards than a "update once a year" solution like the phone book.

When I talk to my clients about keeping their websites updated, I often suggest they keep a running "to do" list on their computer, and add things to it as they think of them. This is sent to me monthly for me to schedule and perform. Other times, I recommend they simply email me their changes, and I'll queue them up for once a week or once a month to maximize my efficiency and minimize their costs.

You need to take time to look at your competitions web sites. After all, you check out their locations, their offerings, their phone book ads and other advertising. Be sure to look at what they are doing on the Internet as well. Take careful note of when they were last updated, what features they have, and how easy or hard it is to navigate through their site.

Schedule time each month, or week, to look at your own site. If you list contact information, is it current? Hours of Operation? Are they accurate? Do you list specials or events or other time-sensitive information? Be sure to update that as well. How many times do you come across a site that is listing things from years ago as happening in the future? Does that give you confidence that they are on the ball in other areas of their business?

To do this, you need a reliable web master to help keep you running at peak performance. All the plans, organization or ideas are useless if they never get to your website. Webmasters aren't created equally.There are good and there are bad ones.

If you can never get in touch with them, if updates are always days or weeks late, never done, or regularly done wrong, you need to find a new webmaster.

A good webmaster will keep you posted on your sites update status, inform you of when updates are performed, notify you of any delays, as well as offer suggestions to improve the site and it's performance.

To ensure you are getting the best, you have to check your site. If you send in your updates on Monday, and the following Monday you have heard nothing and nothing has been done to the site, you may want to pick up the phone and call them. Reviewing the timelyess and qualty of your webmaster is vital. Provide them feedback so that they can help you better. Be clear in indicating when you need work done, if anything is a rush job, if certain things should be emphasized or changed. Clarity of communications is vital in having a successful working relationship with your web expert.

Regularly checking other sites an your own, working with your web master, and being clear on what you expect and when you expect it done is vital to success online today.

=========

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
Article Copyright © 2008 - Bob Hubbard - All Rights Reserved.
This article may be reproduced provided all text, the author bio and these terms are kept intact.

Q&A: Free MP3 editor?

2008-12-12T00:01:00.000-05:00

Question:
Does anyone know of a (preferably) free or inexpensive program for editing MP3's?

Answer:
For simple recording and editing needs, you can try Audacity. It's free, easy to use and can export to good quality MP3's with an additional free add-in. Visit http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ for the program and see here for more discussion on this topic.

Tip Of The Week : Don't Ask For Email if You're Not Going To Answer It!

2008-12-10T00:01:00.002-05:00

Don't Ask For Email if You're Not Going To Answer It!

Has this ever happened to you? You visit a website, you click the "Contact Me" link and send in your inquiry, only to never get a reply? Have you ever then after a few days or weeks called them and gotten the "Oh I never check that" remark?

How'd that make you feel? Like maybe they didn't care? Or that they weren't really professional?

Why would you purposefully ignore contact from someone who is interested in putting cash into your pocket?

If you aren't going to read it, stop asking for it. All you do is hurt your business.
Take your email address off, and put up a phone number and ask them to call you instead. Don't ask for it and leave them in limbo wondering what's going on.

--Bob

The Health Care Question

2008-12-08T00:01:00.002-05:00

The Health Care Question
By Bob Hubbard

Recently, the following question came in to me at Martialtalk.

Question
"What are people doing for health insurance if they don't have coverage via a spouse? I know some people "go naked" which seems very unsafe. Can you get health insurance via NAPMA and the like? What's typical for a single martial artist with his or her own school?"

The answer unfortunately isn't a great one. Health insurance is a confusing mess right now unfortunately. There is no national system to connect to, so you are left to a maze of confusing offerings that vary from state to state. Plans for the self employed also tend to cost more than comparable plans offered to the employees.

Most insurance companies also refuse to cover "prior" conditions, the definition of 'prior' up to them.

Available plans, terms, rates and insurers vary by state as well.

Here are some resources to help you wade through the maze.

healthinsuranceinfo.net.
This site, maintained by the Georgetown Health Policy Institute, shows a map of the country and after clicking on a state, a document is downloaded that covers everything from what kinds of programs are available to small-business owners to whether there is a high-risk pool available for those who have been rejected by insurance providers.

ehealthinsurance.com
This site allows you to compare a variety of policies offered through about 70 insurance providers. One restriction: ehealthinsurance.com does not serve consumers in all states. Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts, Maine and North Dakota are excluded.

Other starting points are local Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Service Bureau (sbsb.com), and local independent insurance agents.

You can also check with the Freelancers Union, however the union also has some limitations. It operates in only 30 states, and you have to work in one of the industries or occupations it serves.

Some martial arts organizations such as MATA look to offer varying programs, so contacing them is a good idea. They may have affiliate or group programs that you can tie into potentially saving a good deal of cash.

Regardless of who you end up with, several other steep obstacles await. Monthly premiums exceeding $500-1,000 for an individual seem to be common, and that is for people in good health. For those with health issues, you will face an uphill battle finding an insurer who will cover you.

=========

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
Article Copyright © 2008 - Bob Hubbard - All Rights Reserved.
This article may be reproduced provided all text, the author bio and these terms are kept intact.

Q&A: what are the best spywear and anti virus downloads on the market?

2008-12-05T00:01:00.003-05:00

Question:
what are the best spywear and anti virus downloads on the market?

Answer:
The answer to this is often a matter of opinion. I've used a number of different programs over the years and in my opinion, the best are these:

Antivirus
http://free.grisoft.com/

Spyware
http://www.lavasoft.us/
Make sure you follow the free options, not the trial options

See also this discussion

Benefits of Computers For The Martial Arts Industry - Part 3 of 3 By Bob Hubbard

2008-12-01T00:01:00.000-05:00

Benefits of Computers For The Martial Arts Industry - Part 3 of 3
By Bob Hubbard

Shopping for Computer Training

The last few years have seen an explosion in the number of training centers catering to both novices and experts. The options can seem overwhelming. Before spending the time and money on computer training, research your options. Here are several questions to ask and consider:

#How big are the classes?
Just as in martial arts training, smaller classes mean more personal attention from the instructor.

# Are the computers up to date?
All computers should be up to date running modern software. It does you little good to learn on old outdated equipment that won’t be much like the system in your school.

# Do students have to share computers or does everyone get their own?
Each student should have their own computer to work on. This allows you to do more hands on training, rather than watching someone else do the exercises.

# Are the class times convenient?
In order to learn, you need to be able to attend the classes. Many places offer day, night and weekend classes. The more flexibility they offer, the easier you can schedule the time to attend.

#How long has the school been in business?
Older schools will have established track records. Talk to other people, especially those in professional fields for recommendations.

# What are the instructors credentials?
Computer certifications are a dime a dozen today. There are however a few names that will hold credibility. Do the instructors hold certifications from Microsoft, Adobe or other makers of the software you want to learn? For example, if you are going to learn Microsoft Word, looking for someone holding a certification from Microsoft is a good idea.

# Does this instructor regularly teach this class?
Many training centers rotate instructors with each one teaching various topics. You want someone who regularly teaches the class you are interested in as their skills will be sharpest, and they will be most likely to be properly prepared.

Some questions to ask:
# Can you observe a class before enrolling?
# What are all the fees involved?
# Can you talk to existing students for their opinions?
# How long will the classes run?

Some other advice:
# Don’t sign anything on your first visit.
# Don’t make a hasty decision, even if they tell you that seats are limited and going fast.
# Review all paperwork carefully before signing.
# Be certain to get a receipt for all payments.

With some planning and an investment of both time and money, computers and the flexibility and benefits they offer can be a great boon to your business, improving efficiency, cutting costs, and boosting your bottom line.

=========

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
Article Copyright © 2008 - Bob Hubbard - All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction Without Written Permission of Author.

Q&A : PC Clock keeps resetting, what's happening?

2008-11-28T00:01:00.003-05:00

Question:
My computer keeps resetting its clock backwards--sometimes a few hours, sometimes a few days, sometimes as much as two months. It's only started in the past week or two. I'm not hooking another device up to it, and trying to get it to synch with Micro$oft or NIST fails. It even happens while it's continuously powered up.

What does it think it's doing?

Answer:
The usual cause of this is a dead or dying internal battery. Easy fix in most cases following these simple steps.

Step 0 - turn off the PC and unplug the PC. Yes, unplug it.

Step 1 - open the case. This will usually involve removing 2-5 screws of some kind. Under no circumstances should you call an engineer. They will be there all week.

Step 2 - locate the battery. This will usually be a small round and flat disc somewhere on the mother board.

step 3 - GROUND YOURSELF! touch part of the metal case -before- touching the pc guts.

Step 4 - Carefully remove the old battery by prying it up with a small screw driver. You shouldn't have to force it.

Step 5 - Drive down to the local battery store or Radio Shack and ask the pimple faced person behind the counter for a replacement. Do not mix them up!

Step 6 - Ground yourself again before attempting insertion. If you can feel the zap, it's enough to fry your system.

Step 7 - insert new battery, close up the patient and power it on. Set your clock. It should now stay settled.

If that's too hard, find a local pc shop, call them and ask how much to swap in a new battery. It's a 10 minute job for most desktops.

See also: Discussion

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T21:39:00.000-05:00

To all my US readers.

Tip Of The Week : How to Stop the Email Monkey

2008-11-26T00:01:00.000-05:00

Today's world of instant access has us used to sending emails and receiving replies within minutes. But, how much of what we email really is that urgent? Set your email program to check for new messages every 20-30 minutes, rather than every minute. You'll have more time to work uninterrupted rather than rushing to see what just dinged your inbox every couple of minutes. Remember, if it's urgent, they can always call you.

Benefits of Computers For The Martial Arts Industry - Part 2 of 3 By Bob Hubbard

2008-11-24T00:01:00.001-05:00

Benefits of Computers For The Martial Arts Industry - Part 2 of 3
By Bob Hubbard

An important part of getting the maximum benefit from your computer is to be certain you understand it and it's use.

#Understand how to use the basic features of your computer
Knowing how to properly turn on and turn off your computer will save you many headaches later on. Other skills needed are how to use your CD or DVD drive, the mouse, how to manage your documents, and how to access the Internet. Basic maintenance skills such as backing up crucial information and protect yourself from computer viruses, hoaxes and other security risks will come in very handy as well

#Understand the basics of the Internet
You don’t have to be an expert, but understanding how to find your way in the electronic world will give you an edge over your competition. Basic skills such as using search sites like Google and Yahoo, and the basics of electronic mail are two keys to this. Search sites are excellent sources of information, provided you use them correctly. More people today are turning to them than turn to their phone books or print encyclopedias for news, information and recreation. Properly used, the Internet can help you keep a step or two ahead of your competition. If your school has a web site, it is very important that you and your key people have these basic skills, so that you can make full use of it as both a marketing and news tool.

# Understand how to use electronic mail as a communications tool.
Today, more and more communications is being done through the world wide communications network called the Internet. A great deal of this is done through the use of electronic mail or email. There are dozens of different programs used, some free, some for a small fee, so I’ll avoid program specific tips here, but give a few suggestions for best use of this tool.

Know what your email address is and have it listed correctly when you contact someone. Too often I reply to messages where the sender has typos or other errors in their return address, which slows and sometimes stops any chance I have of responding to their message.
Make certain you have your name correctly entered into your program. Again, too often I get messages from the default names and have no idea who contacted me.
Make sure you use the “Signature” feature of your email program to include basic contact information on every message you send. Think of it as a mini business card.
Understand how to write, send, read and reply to messages.
Check your email regularly. People today expect almost immediate responses, so daily at least is recommended.

#Understand how to use the basic features of your computers word processing software.
All computers sold today include a basic text editing software, and more advanced programs are also available and often times included. You don’t need to be a wizard, but basic functions such as starting a document, writing, centering, bolding and italicizing text, printing it, saving it and finding it again are very important. Other advanced skills such as complex formatting, including pictures or artwork, as well as specialty layouts can save you printing costs, design costs and give you a professional business presence.

#Understand how to use your printer.
Many systems sold today include an inexpensive printer. You should know how to load paper, change the ink cartridge, and use it’s basic features, as well as use it from your various programs. Using your printer correctly can cut your costs, save you time and allow you more time to talk to clients and prospects rather than driving to printers.

#Understand how to use book-keeping software.
There are countless systems out there for book keeping. File cards, multicolumn ledgers, folders, boxes and even bags. All have serious disadvantages. Properly used, a basic book-keeping program can greatly improve your ability to track your income and expenses, contact information, employees, customers and more. You can see at a glance how you are doing, and where you need to focus your attention.

As we’ve seen, the proper use of computers to your martial arts school can save you time, improve your efficiency, and keep you ahead of the competition. But we are all challenged for time today, so how can you gain these skills in a timely manner so that you can get back to the business of martial arts?

There are three main ways to learn these skills.

1- Trial and Error, or the old “poke it with a stick til you figure it out” method. This is of course one we all try from time to time. It is unfortunately, the least efficient.

2- Learn from books or videos. Books and videos are great references, and on some programs, all you might need. Two series I highly recommend are the “Dummies” books, and the “Visual Guides”. The former puts things in simple terms, explains all the jargon and offers a nice introduction to the basics, while the latter is loaded with step by step pictures pointing out almost every mouse click or key hit.

3- Find a qualified teacher. This one should be the most familiar to us. Learning computers is much like learning martial arts. We need the right tools, and the right teacher to really do our best. But, finding that qualified teacher can be a challenge. Today, specialty training centers, most of our big computer stores, office supply chains, and even electronic stores seem to offer some form of computer training. So, when shopping for training, what should you look for?

Join us next week for part 3, shopping for your new PC.

=========

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
Article Copyright © 2008 - Bob Hubbard - All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction Without Written Permission of Author.

Q&A: How Do I Clear My Browser Cache?

2008-11-21T00:01:00.000-05:00

Q&A: How Do I Clear My Browser Cache?

After following these instructions, be certain to shut down all browser windows, then restart it.

====
Clearing Cache on the BlackBerry Wireless Handheld

Clearing the content caches clears both the rendered pages and server data:

1. Highlight the BlackBerry browser icon and click the trackwheel.
2. Click the trackwheel again to display the Browser Options menu.
3. Scroll down to Options and click the trackwheel to open the browser options screen.
4. Scroll down to General Properties and click the trackwheel to open the General Properties screen.
5. Click the trackwheel to open the Cache menu.
6. Scroll down to Clear Content Caches and click the trackwheel to clear the cache and return to the General Properties screen.
7. Use the Escape button to page back through the screens to the BlackBerry main menu.

Clearing Cache on Safari 1.0 / Safari 1.0 for Macintosh OS X

1. Open Safari.
2. Select Empty Cache.
3. Click Empty on the Are you sure message box.
4. Exit and relaunch the browser.

Clearing Cache on Microsoft® Internet Explorer 4.0, 4.01, 4.5, and 5.0 for Macintosh

1. Open Internet Explorer.
2. Click Edit and select Preferences.
3. Click the arrow beside Web Browser.
4. Click Advanced.
5. Click Empty Now.
6. Click Ok.
7. Exit and relaunch the browser.

Clearing Cache on America Online® 5.0 (32 bit)

1. Click Start, select Settings and Control Panel.
2. Double-click Internet Options to open Internet Properties.
3. Click Delete Files.
4. Click OK on the Delete Files dialog box.
5. Click OK.

Clearing Cache on America Online® 6.0

1. Click Start, select Settings and Control Panel.
2. Double-click Internet Options to open Internet Properties.
3. Click Delete Files.
4. Click OK on the Delete Files dialog box.
5. Click OK.

Clearing Cache on America Online® 7.0

1. Click Start, select Settings and Control Panel.
2. Double-click Internet Options to open Internet Properties.
3. Click Delete Files.
4. Click OK on the Delete Files dialog box.
5. Click OK.

Clearing Cache on America Online® 8.0 & 9.0

1. Click Start, select Settings and Control Panel.
2. Double-click Internet Options to open Internet Properties.
3. Click Delete Files.
4. Click OK on the Delete Files dialog box.
5. Click OK.

Clearing Cache on Microsoft® Internet Explorer 4.0

1. Click Start, select Settings and Control Panel.
2. Double-click Internet Options to open Internet Properties.
3. Click Delete Files.
4. Click OK on the Delete Files dialog box.
5. Click OK.

Clearing Cache on Microsoft® Internet Explorer 5.0

1. Click Start, select Settings and Control Panel.
2. Double-click Internet Options to open Internet Properties.
3. Click Delete Files.
4. Click OK on the Delete Files dialog box.
5. Click OK.

Clearing Cache on Microsoft® Internet Explorer 6.0

1. Click Start, select Settings and Control Panel.
2. Double-click Internet Options to open Internet Properties.
3. Click Delete Files.
NOTE: Do not select Delete Cookies. Delete Cookies removes all the cookies stored on the computer.
4. Click OK on the Delete Files dialog box.
5. Click OK.

Clearing Cache on Netscape® Communicator / Navigator 4.0

1. Click Edit and select Preferences.
2. Click Advanced.
3. Click Cache.
4. Click Clear Memory Cache.
5. Click Clear Disk Cache.
6. Click OK.

Clearing Cache on Netscape® Communicator / Navigator 6.0

1. Click Edit and select Preferences.
2. Click Advanced.
3. Click Cache.
4. Click Clear Memory Cache.
5. Click Clear Disk Cache.
6. Click OK.

Clearing Cache on Netscape® Communicator / Navigator 7.1

1. Click Edit and select Preferences.
2. Click the Triangle next to Advanced to expand it.
3. Click Cache.
4. Click Clear Cache.
5. Click OK.

Clearing Cache on Netscape® Communicator / Navigator 8.0

1. Click Tools and select Options.
2. Select Privacy under Options on the left side of the screen.
3. Click Cache.
4. Click Clear Cache.
5. Click Clear.
6. Click OK.

Clearing Cache on Firefox

1. Click Tools and select Options.
2. Click the Privacy Icon.
3. Click Clear across from the Cache option.
4. Click Ok.
5. Exit and relaunch the browser.

Konqueror
How do I enable, disable or clear the browser cache?

If you select Cache in the dialog launched by selecting Settings->Configure Konqueror... , you will be presented with a dialog box that lets you disable the cache, clear it or set its size, and change the caching policy.

How do I clear cache in Opera?

To clear cache in Opera, perform the following steps:

1: From the File menu, click to select Preferences.
2: From Preferences, click to select History and cache.
3: To clear Typed in addresses and Visited addresses (history), click Clear. To clear Disk cache, click Empty now.
4: To automatically refresh any Web page content, from the Check documents, Check images, and Check other drop-down menus, click to select Always.
5: Click OK.

Tip Of The Week : How to Use Blind Carbon Copy

2008-11-19T00:01:00.000-05:00

Ever get an email with a gazillion email addresses listed, then get a few angry comments?
Save yourself some headaches and keep your mailing recipients private by using the BCC or Blind Carbon Copy option in your email program.

Benefits of Computers For The Martial Arts Industry - Part 1 of 3 By Bob Hubbard

2008-11-17T00:01:00.000-05:00

Benefits of Computers For The Martial Arts Industry - Part 1 of 3
By Bob Hubbard

Today in the opening years of the 21st century, computers are everywhere. They are in our cars, our stores, our phones and our home appliances. To exist in the business world of the 21st century, we need to understand the benefits that their use can provide our businesses. There are two main benefits to using computers today.

Benefit #1: They can help organize the chaos of modern life.

You’ve seen them. The walls full of sticky notes, the piles of paperwork on the desk, stacks of business cards, half done “todo” lists, and other assorted cluttered time stealers.

Proper use of a computer can organize this chaos and save you hours of time each week.

Contacts can be organized into an easily searchable list; thereby avoiding stacks of easily lost or misfiled index or business cards.
“ToDo” lists can be sorted, redone, reorganized, and worked from, all in seconds, compared to standard paper based systems.
Scheduled appointments can be setup to automatically remind you about them, saving you from having to remember to check the paper planner in your drawer or on your wall that’s half hidden by sticky notes.
Financial information can be quickly, securely and easily accessed, updated and maintained avoiding keeping track of paper registers and old fashioned accounting ledgers.
Student information can be easily tracked, including contact information, special needs, attendance history, payment records, and promotions.
Personal and Business expenses can be tracked allowing a more efficient means of financial planning.
And many more.

Benefit #2: The can save you both time and money.

How many times have you thrown out old business cards, flyers, brochures or other paperwork? How much time do you spend doing paperwork each day rather than teaching or training? Have you ever needed 1 more flyer, or ran short of business cards during an event at your school? How much time do you spend tracking down paperwork needed each day or filing the days paperwork? Properly used, computers can save you time, and we all know time is money.

Student attendance can be tracked quickly on a computer, replacing or improving the efficiency of old paper based systems of index cards, time cards, or similar.
Student payments can be quickly checked, letting you know before class who hasn’t paid that month, thereby improving your payment speed.
Rather than spend a lot of money on flyers at a print shop, you can print smaller quantities of flyers as needed, saving you money and helping the environment by cutting back on paper waste.
You can quickly print out a few business cards as needed, even have several different ones using affordable off the shelf card stock that works in almost every printer.
Using certain tools that either come with a computer or can be affordably added, you can plan out your day, week, month, and even year, increasing the efficiency of your use of time.

Computers are a valuable tool today, in both our personal and professional lives. To use them correctly and efficiently however, requires that we know how to use them correctly. In today’s ever changing world, that means we must regularly improve our knowledge and skills, just as we seek to keep our skills on the mat top notch.

In order to get the most from your computer, there are a few basic skills you must have, and several advanced ones that will be of great benefit. Both you as a school owner, and one or more of your staff should have these basic skills.

Join us next week for part 2, understanding your computer.

=========

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
Article Copyright © 2008 - Bob Hubbard - All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction Without Written Permission of Author.

Q&A: How do I advertise my school or organization on MartialTalk and it's related sites?

2008-11-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

Question:
How do I advertise my school or organization on MartialTalk and it's related sites?

Answer:
Advertising on MartialTalk is handled through SilverStar WebDesigns Inc.

A list of advertising options, ad specifications, and more is available at http://www.silverstarsites.net/scn/

Tip Of The Week : Why a Complex Password?

2008-11-12T00:07:00.003-05:00

Because the more complex, the harder it is to crack, and the harder it is to crack, the less likely you are going to be hacked.

For more info, see below. :)

Interesting article on password strengths and time to crack.
http://www.lockdown.co.uk/?pg=combi&s=articles

When I worked as a network admin, I ran quarterly crack attempts against the server database. I had the inside edge of direct access to the server's password file. On the average, I cracked 80-90% of the 150 accounts overnight, on each attempt. They used standard mixes of complexity, and length. I usually had a dozen within minutes.

Today's complex cracking software uses combination's of brute force and dictionary attacks, and table lookups, which cut the time down, incredibly.

From one program's readme "A traditional brute force cracker try all possible plain texts one by one in cracking time. It is time consuming to break complex password in this way. The idea of time-memory trade-off is to do all cracking time computation in advance and store the result in files so called "rainbow table". It does take a long time to pre-compute the tables. But once the one time pre-computation is finished, a time-memory trade-off cracker can be hundreds of times faster than a brute force cracker, with the help of precomputed tables."

Discussion

The Dangers of the Staff Only Forum

2008-11-10T03:01:00.000-05:00

Forum Building 101 - The Dangers of the Staff Only Forum

- Bob Hubbard

When setting up your forums, it is often recommended that you also setup a section that only your staff can access. The reasons for this are many. A staff-only area allows your staff to discuss important policy issues, problem users, and the board itself in private, without worry that the average member will stumble across something they shouldn’t.

The challenges with having a private staff area lie in your staff gradually “moving in” and reducing or outright stopping their public forum participation. Administrators must pay careful attention that they also do not fall into the “manage from the back” trap.

To protect against this danger, active administrators must pay careful attention to who is active in their staff forums. Spot check them to be certain they haven’t moved in full time. As most of us hire our staffs based on their prior performance in the areas they now moderate, we want to keep them active there, where their contributions can build content and draw in new members. Posts made in private may help guide things, but rarely translate into new content or new members.

Administrators in particular need to pay attention to their own posting patterns. A successful admin will guide and steer their board while avoiding the dictator role. This requires professional interaction with your board staff. It is up to you to set the tone and the pace. If they see you “hiding” in the back, they will often emulate you and also hide back. This runs the major risk of the board having previously active sections wither and die as the heavy posters had all been hired and resorted to lurking in the back. Lead by example. Additionally, when you as an admin aren’t publicly visible, you run the risk of being seen as the despot in the tower, only appearing to punish rule breakers. You run the risk of being seen as out of touch or worse by your members.

Encourage your staff to continue their past activity in their sections, and be certain to visit them regularly by posting yourself. Each post that staff makes in public both reminds the members that you are there, but also serves to further the conversation, build content and entice lurkers to register and post.

This also helps keep your staff as active members, and can serve to prevent the feeling that they are a special “elitist” group which happens from time to time on forums.

Remember:

- Encourage staff to remain active in public
- Check staff activity regularly
- Lead by example and be an active public poster.

I hope this has been of some help and welcome questions.

Thank you.

Bob

===

Bob Hubbard operates several forums online. A former Commodore 64 BBS sysop from the ‘80’s, he now operates MartialTalk.com, a leading martial arts forum, KenpoTalk.com, an community for the kenpo karate community, and The Dead Parrot Tavern , a community for sci-fi, anime and more. He is also technical admin at FMATalk.com, a forum for the Fillipino martial arts community. Copies of this article are free to distribute, provided all text is retained intact. It and other articles can be found at rustaz.net.

Q&A: Photos in the school, do I need a release?

2008-11-07T00:01:00.000-05:00

Question:
I'm taking some photos in my school and want to use them on my web site. Do I need any one to sign a release?

Answer:
If you are simply covering a public event, then usually no. If however you intend to use these photos in any way that can be seen as an invasion of privacy, or for commercial gain, or use on a commercial website, then you should have all those show sign a release form.

A simple, sample release:
I ________________ Hereby grant all rights to (PHOTOGRAPHER) to sell or publish any photographs taken of the following subjects today. This permission is permanent, and I claim no future compensation.
Fill in all applicable.
Name:____________________________

Minor: ____________________________

Property: _________________________

Signature: ________________________ Date: ______________

A discussion of this and some other related points is available on MartialTalk.

Tip Of The Week : Security Warning

2008-11-05T00:06:00.000-05:00

Security Warning!

I'm noticing a lot more fishing attempts going on as of late.

Please note:
Under NO circumstances will PayPal, Ebay, your local Bank, Amazon, etc email you and ask you for your account information.

Under NO circumstances should you fill in the forms, etc.

Login to your account NORMALLY! (That means Paypal.com or ebay.com, etc, not the nice 123.123.123.123 or whatever address in the email you got)
Then contact their support normally.

Be forewarned, be safe.

People You Don't Like Are Online Too...

2008-11-03T03:01:00.000-05:00

People You Don't Like Are Online Too...
By Bob Hubbard

Over the last 7+ years I have been operating several online communities. Prior to that I ran or assisted on old style dial up bulletin boards (BBS's). So, I've seen quite a lot of interesting things in the maze of human online interactions. A common problem is when person A doesn't like person B. This can be for any of thousand reasons. From basic philosophical differences, political or religious, past personal history, to they just rub you the wrong way. Sometimes it's a huge reason, and other times, it's a reason that seems to make no sense or be so minor an issue as to be beneath notice. It doesn't matter, there's a problem, and they will let you know it.

The way they let you know varies, but in many cases will rotate through all of these stages.

* Don't complain about anything. Always stay silent, or complain in topic wondering where the moderators are. Don't they care? Don't they read everything on this 20,000 member 2,000 post a day site? Why aren't they here, right now taking care of the problem?

* Complain about every thing the other person says to management. Everything the "disliked" person says online must somehow be directed at you, so you must inform the management of this "vile troll" at every chance. His comment "Nice weather" must directly refer in secret code to the 2 feet of snow you had to shovel and hurt your back, so he is calling you weak even though he is a thousand miles away in balmy 70' weather. It's a shot and you're telling. So you private message, email and/or report that post, then since 5 whole minutes have passed and no one has done anything (since everyone knows site admins live by their systems and never leave) you fire back a heated message.

* Give up complaining since "they never do anything anyway" and begin posting your own preemptive attacks, always taking a moment to add in a complaint or shot at the slow acting and secretly supportive of the other guy site staff. When they staff tire of this and call you on it, your indignation is of course completely justified. After all, if they had just listened to you at first, there would have been no need for you to throw manners away, and how dare they tell you to behave? After all, "he's" to blame because he's there.

* Go to other sites and complain about the site and it's staff. After all, it sucked and they sucked too because they let "him" get away with everything, and all you were trying to do was call him on it. How dare they try to tell you that you weren't being a good member!

* When told to use built in tools like "ignore lists" or "buddy lists" or "filters" puff up and let them know clearly that you don't buy into that sissy stuff. Of course, just using your own built in ability to ignore things doesn't work either, because if you did, you would never see all those people talking about you.

* You quit. You go to other sites and complain how much the old site sucks and how they let their favored people attack you without fear of reprisal, and how you were singled out for just "standing up for yourself". You visit on occasions so that you can keep tabs on the conspiracy, and are sure to mention how you were "run off" or "quit because they sucked" at every chance.

Sound familiar? Know anyone who fits one or more of these? Do they fit you? Then, read on.

Most people are intelligent folks. They wouldn't go to a movie and sit quietly as some rude jerk yacks on their cell phone. They would go find an usher and get the idiot shut up. They wouldn't accept rude server at a checkout counter, they would call over a manager and lodge a complaint. Someone's smoking in the no-smoking area? Call a manager who will handle it. They don't however make the call, then get up and slap the other person around a bit until help arrives. During our lives we encounter thousands of situations that require we either ignore it as not worth our while, or call for assistance and let them deal with things. Online, somehow people think the rules are different, should be immediate, and shouldn't apply to us when we are "taking care of things ourselves".

To avoid many headaches online, most communities have installed filters, sometimes called "ignore lists". Use them. Put those who annoy you on them. If you choose not to because sometimes they do post something you like, then learn to filter out the rest and have the maturity to not fire back a heated response. Otherwise, the "pompous know-it-all", the "hot head", the salesman, the "everything outside of me is inferior" and the" I was to the mountain and have been anointed" all should be placed on your own ignore list, filtering out their comments and cleansing your experience. If you see them quoted by others, stop reading once you see their name and just move on to the next post. Most of these guys thrive on the attention and the audience, and if you don't feed them, they starve and leave.

Because staff are often overworked, and unpaid, and have real lives that don't revolve around groups, lists and forums, it may take a while for them to receive every complaint. Sometimes, they need time to confer among themselves to decide if something truly is a rules violation, or a legal violation, and what course of action is needed to solve the problem. Patience you must have, and resist the urge to grab torch and pitchfork.

Sitting there in silence when there is a problem never solves is, but neither does complaining every 5 minutes. The person who calls 911 (or whatever your emergency number is in your area) can be cited for abuse. Reporting 20 posts in 5 minutes, or every post good and bad from an individual, or threatening to "do something if you won't" usually qualifies as abuse on most sites. Harassing the staff is never a good idea.

Going elsewhere also rarely works. In some cases, it is a good idea. You and the community just don't share the same ideals or just can't get in sync. But going elsewhere and complaining all the time really makes as little sense as having a bad time at Walmart and going to Target and tracking down every customer and employee and telling them about it.

Most sites try to run within a set list of rules, and be as fair as possible. Biases will always be there as it's human nature. However if you work within the system, use the tools available, and give people time to help you, you will greatly enhance your own enjoyment of the site, as well as the enjoyment of your fellow members, most of whom aren't there to watch school yard arguments (though there are sites dedicated to such things) but to learn, relax and network with other like minded people.

Use the tools provided, give the staff time to handle things, learn to ignore the small stuff, and help the staff by not being a problem causer yourself, and the site will prosper and your enjoyment of it will benefit.

===
Bob Hubbard is an administrator of the popular martial arts sites MartialTalk.com and KenpoTalk.com. He is president of SilverStar WebDesigns inc., a web site design and hosting company specializing in affordable solutions for martial artists as well as a professional photographer. More of Bob's articles can be found at rustaz.net.

Copyright ©2007 Bob Hubbard - Copies of this article are free to distribute, provided all text is retained intact.

Light Week

2008-11-01T12:39:00.000-04:00

Due to the election and being swamped, the first week of November will be a little light in content. We'l be back to usual shortly.

Q&A: How do I get my new website listed on the search engines?

2008-10-31T03:01:00.000-04:00

Question: How do I get my new website listed on the search engines?

Couple ways:

1- Pay someone (sometimes worth it, sometimes a waste of money. If they mention 'thousands of search engines' they are full of crap.)

2- Find the free "add links" for each list/directory/search engine you want to try for, then wait the 1-6 months to be listed.

3- Use the pay 'rapid review' links on most of em to cut your time down.

4- Build a network of link exchanges.

Focus on Google(60%), Yahoo (30%), AOL (5%) & MSN (5%).
Rest of the sites out there tend to pull from those 4 to build their listings.

Googles Adwords and Adsence are good. Just pay attention to the rules they have as they will cut you off if they think you're trying to cheat the system.

Metatag use is an art. Make sure whatever you use in your tags is in your page. You can focus different tags for each page and fine tune.

Don't expect immediate results.

Search engine optimization and listings are an ongoing work.

Tip Of The Week : Dealing with all those "Forward this" emails.

2008-10-29T03:01:00.000-04:00

No, Bill Gates is not going to send you $100 for forwarding on this email.
No, that little 11 yr old girl is not going to get money from teh Red Cross if you report this 100 times.
No, Microsoft ic not tracking this email.
No, sending me this email is not going to install the super duper antivirus tissue paper on my system.

Every day, I get at least 1 of these or a thousand other email chain letters. I am constantly surprised at this, because often those forwarding them are intelligent and educated people.

Before you forward on the next virus warning, sob story, free offer, etc, check it out with the guys who track these things.

http://www.snopes.com/

See also here

Identity Theft. Myths, Reality and Safety

2008-10-27T03:01:00.000-04:00

Identity Theft. Myths, Reality and Safety
by Bob Hubbard

It happens every day. Thousands of people find their bank accounts drained, their credit ruined or worse. The media and others have created a fear, or almost panic situation in people today. "The Internet's Fastest Growing Crime" they say, but is it really? Here I will attempt to expose some of the most common myths concerning this issue.

According to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Better Business Bureau (BBB) identity theft is actually on the decline while costs rise. This conclusion is based on surveys performed by the FTC and BBB in 2003 and 2004.
- 2003 - 10.1 million U.S. victims - $51.4 billion.
- 2004 - 9.6 million U.S. victims - $52.6 billion.
- 2005 - 9.3 million U.S. victims - $54.4 billion.
- 2006 - 8.9 million U.S. victims - $56.6 billion.

So what is identity theft?
Identity theft falls into four categories:
- Financial Identity Theft - using another's name and SSN to obtain goods and services.
- Criminal Identity Theft - posing as another when apprehended for a crime.
- Identity Cloning - using another's information to assume his or her identity in daily life.
- Business/Commercial Identity Theft - using another's business name to obtain credit.

So how do the criminals obtain your information?
Usually through the victims own negligence.

Wait a minute, I hear you saying. Doesn't it come from all these security breaches and lost laptops I keep hearing about?

Nope.

Very little of that information ends up in criminal hands. Losses through online phishing attempts are also minimal as most people are aware of them and take proper precautions.

The majority of identity theft comes from lost wallets, checkbooks and credit cards, followed by friends or relatives with access to your personal information, or corrupt coworkers. Computer related thefts of information account for less than 10% of the total.

Relatives account for one third of all identity thefts!

But, what about email and message boards and online banking?

Perfectly safe, if you use some common sense.

Myth - Online Banking is not safe.
Truth - Untrue. Online banking is safer, as there are less papers to misplace. Be certain that you are on an encrypted connection (the little lock symbol). By banking online, you can see your transactions within days not weeks, allowing you to detect problems quicker.

Myth - Online ordering is riskier than shopping in person.
Truth - Untrue. If the site is using a reliable real-time processor, your transaction is safer than shopping live. No human sees your personal data, there are no carbons to sign, and no paperwork to lose. Be certain that the site uses a secure processor. When you shop in person, you create a paper trail and often hand your card to an unknown person. When dining out, what really happens to your card after you hand it to your server and they vanish for 5-15 minutes with it?

Myth - Sending a check is safer.
Truth - Untrue. When you mail a check, you have no idea who will see it, or what information might be stolen. Your check contains your name, address and banking information. Paying online with a card through a properly secured payment site is safer.

Myth - If I tell you who I am, you can steal my identity.
Truth - Untrue. Use an internet search engine like Google and look up your name. You might be surprised to see how many people share it. Locally, there are 5 others with my name. Your name alone, is not enough to steal your identity. A thief will need other information such as bank accounts, tax id, or other similarly confidential information. A name alone is very rarely enough. One needs other personal information to match up with it for a name to be of any use to the thief.

Myth - If I use a PO Box I'm safe right?
Truth - Untrue. Your mail can be intercepted at any point. Be certain that you have your box setup so that only authorized individuals can ask for your mail at the desk. Be aware of who has access to your keys, and if you notice a slowdown in mail, make sure no one has placed an unauthorized forwarding order on your box, or home.

So, how can I really be safe?

The first step, is to make sure that your computer is secure. Install a good firewall and anti virus program, and regularly sweep it for spy-ware.

Secondly, don't leave important information like banking information, passwords, pin numbers, or tax information where just anyone can find it.

shred all important documents when you throw them away. This includes utility bills, tax documents and anything with your social security number.

Regularly check your credit reports. You can get a free credit report from each of the 3 main agencies by going to https://www.annualcreditreport.com.
Please note the https rather than the usual http. This signifies a secure web site.

Be wary of giving out account numbers or your social security (tax id) over the phone or by email.

When you buy new computers, be certain to wipe the old one clean. Format the hard drive several times over at least, or better yet, use a utility to overwrite the old drive with gibberish.

Review your accounts regularly and report missing statements and other discrepancies promptly.

The reality is that one is at greater risk of theft from their own carelessness (trusting family, or discarding sensitive documents improperly) than shopping online from a reliable site or participating in a forum. Use some common sense, and you'll be fine.

References:
http://www.bbbonline.org/idtheft/safetyQuiz.asp
http://www.worldstart.com/tips/tips.php/1483
http://www.javelinstrategy.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_theft

===
Bob Hubbard is an administrator of the popular martial arts sites MartialTalk.com and KenpoTalk.com. He is president of SilverStar WebDesigns inc., a web site design and hosting company specializing in affordable solutions for martial artists as well as a professional photographer. More of Bob's articles can be found at rustaz.net.

Copyright ©2007 Bob Hubbard - Copies of this article are free to distribute, provided all text is retained intact.

Q&A: What should I look for in a web hosting company?

2008-10-24T03:01:00.000-04:00

Q&A: What should I look for in a web hosting company?

Answer:

Looking for and finding a reliable hosting company for your website is a key component in your business success. When researching a company here are some tips:

1- Use Google.
Use Google to look for other sites hosted by the company, as well as reviews of their service. Include words like "sucks" and "fraud" to find complaints.

2 Visit webhostingtalk.com and check there as well.
WHT is the largest hosting discussion community around, and is regularly visited by thousands of hosts and their customers.

3- Check references.
If possible, find others who are using them and see how their service has been.

Some things to look for:

1- Connectivity to the rest of the Internet.
Are they running off a single cable, or do they have multiple connections to provide backup should 1 fail. Avoid hosts with a single connection, and run from anyone hosting out of their spare bedroom. That works for a hobby site but not for a serious business.

2- Uptime.
You'll see almost every host list 99.99999999etc uptime. But check those reviews and see what they were really providing. A few extra 9's doesn't really mean anything, but if a number of people are complaining about connection problems, that's a good sign to avoid that host.

3- Support
Everyone seems to offer email support, but that doesn't do you much good if your email is inaccessible. Look for a host who offers a help desk that allows you to track your issues. Email support is a default, but look for hosts who also offer support through instant messaging. As usual, phone support is golden, provided you reach a human who can help you, and not an answering service or voice mail. Try calling their support line a few times and see how long it takes to be answered, and if you get a live person.

4- Reliable Hardware
Cheap is cheap. Reliable hosts use quality components, and keep a supply of spares on hand to minimize downtime in the event of hardware failure. While modern server hardware is pretty solid, they do still run hot, and memory and drives and powersupplies do occationally fail.

These are a few of the many tips that will help you find a good host for your site.

Tip Of The Week : What to do first with a new PC?

2008-10-22T03:01:00.000-04:00

Some tips on what to do before using your new pc:

Remove Norton or McAfee.
Install Grisoft or another system friendly free AVS.
Install Adaware and/or Spybot spyware protection
Check that firewall is up and running correctly.
Make sure all Micro$oft updates and security packs are installed.

For more advice, check out this thread on MartialTalk.

The Reality of Anonymous Posting.

2008-10-20T03:01:00.000-04:00

The Reality of Anonymous Posting.
By Bob Hubbard

There are well over a 10 million forums, lists, chat rooms, news groups, blogs, journals and discussion areas on the internet today. On many of them, there is a debate on using handles or aliases or fake names. The bottom line is, there is no such thing as true anonymity online today. Oh, there are ways you can make it harder to figure out, but with enough time, resources and in some cases money, your identity can be found.

The first level of anonymity is the handle. A handle, or alias can be anything from a nickname, to a login name, to a cute saying or a fake name. "DaffyDuck2525" and "Nose Picker" are 2 examples of aliases. In some cases, they reflect a fantasy personality, associated with things like science fiction fandom, or reenactment organizations. Many people use them for fun, and don't really hide much, however there are those who will gladly use as many false identities as they can, to cause trouble and give the illusion that many hold a certain opinion, when in truth, it is only a few. Some sites have forbidden the use of handles, as it is hard to hold a professional discussion with someone named "Hot Dog" using the picture of a puppy n fire as their public face.

The second level of anonymity is the fake name. This is different than the handle, which is often obvious. The fake name is the easiest way to hide, as there are few ways to verify you are who you say you are online. Some people go to great lengths in their use of fake realistic names, creating elaborate histories, and getting one or more known-real people to vouch for them. When put on the spot, they will often claim to have never been photographed, or taped, and will refuse any meetings requested of them. Their verifiers will step to their defense and reiterate that they are real, and they know them well. While many sites will allow the use of handles, they will insist that you "sign" your posts with your name. While this can give some credibility, short of requesting notarized copies of government issued ID or credit cards, these are hard to prove especially when enough known-real people insist on their existence. Other means must be used to disprove this tactic.

The third level is the fake or throw-away email address. We all get tons of spam, and hear worries of identity theft daily. Some resort to temporary or throw away addresses through the numerous free email services out there. A favorite tactic of spammers and certified internet troublemakers, also known as 'trolls', more and more the free services are being blocked from reputable sites.

The forth level of anonymity if the proxy server / anonymizer service. These services, sometimes free, sometimes for a fee will allow you to surf the net, under a sort of 'cloak'. Some background information is needed here. Each computer that connects to the internet is assigned an id number, called an IP address. It's kind of like a phone number for your computer. When you connect to another computer, it gives your IP number as an identifier. The anonymizer service doesn't block your number, it simply reports a false one to the answering system. While hard to identify and block, they are not perfect. Not all services are as anonymous as they claim, and there are ways to find who really did make the connection, a fact that some today have discovered the hard way after law enforcement traced them.

In short, regardless if you surf as "John Smith", "Jeffery Dillion III" or "Captain Caveman", the people who run the sites, the engineers at the data centers who run the computers, and the boys in blue can with some time and effort, find out who you are.

The use of a handle can be fun. It adds flavor to hobbiest sites, can be used to advertise your business or your proficiency at a subject. They can also however be used to cause problems, sow dissent and otherwise disrupt a community. More and more, professionally oriented sites are either discouraging them, or banning them outright as a result.

So, use your handle, have fun, but don't be expected to be taken seriously unless you post under a verifiable real name. After all, who would take advice from someone named after a mouse?

===
Bob Hubbard is an administrator of the popular martial arts sites MartialTalk.com and KenpoTalk.com. He is president of SilverStar WebDesigns inc., a web site design and hosting company specializing in affordable solutions for martial artists as well as a professional photographer.

Copyright ©2007 Bob Hubbard - Copies of this article are free to distribute, provided all text is retained intact.

Q&A: What should I look for in a web developer?

2008-10-17T00:01:00.000-04:00

Q&A: What should I look for in a web developer?

Answer:
A good web developer must know what they are doing, be able to produce a solid site on time, be accessible, and honest. Some things to remember are:

- Check References.
Use Google to look up their reputation, and include certain other key words like 'fraud' and 'scam' to see if there are any complaints. Check webhostingtalk.com as well. It's the largest web host forum around.

- Do NOT pay by wire transfers like Western Union.
Western Union is a great way to send money to people you know. It's not a reliable way to send money for services however unless you have an existing relationship with the reciever. Avoid any host or designer who pushes for a western union payment.

- Check Previous Work
Looking at a web developers portfolio will help you to know if their design style suits your own. Some work with complex multi-leveled layouts, while others aim for simple and straight forward designs.

- Look under the hood.
When visiting websites that the developer claims they did, check the code. Does it have meta tags? Is it clean, or is it scrambled? Is there an author link back to the developer or does it list someone elses name? Many designers put hidden tags in to site code as a form of signature. It doesn't hurt the site and isn't visible to your regular surfers, but it does sometimes expose liars.

Tip Of The Week : Clearing Browser Caches

2008-10-15T03:01:00.000-04:00

There are an easy dozen+ ways to surf the web, and every so often you need to clear out the cruft to get things working smoothly again. Here's a link to a walk through of most web browsers cache clearing instructions.

http://www.deadparrottavern.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10800

Misunderstanding your Rights - Freedom of Speech and the Online World

2008-10-13T03:01:00.000-04:00

Misunderstanding your Rights - Freedom of Speech and the Online World
By Bob Hubbard

Recently, events on several discussion boards, and online communities have left me shaking my head, yet again, in disbelief. It seems that too often, when someone is moderated on a discussion board, or mailing list, or chat room, that they start screaming about their "rights" being violated. As if they are somehow allowed to say whatever they want, whenever they want, without worry of censure, or repercussion. Often, these complaints bring up the American Constitution, more specifically the First Amendment, as the reason why these comments should be allowed. Other times, it is used as the reason why an online rant, vent or other such scree should be allowed, and the poster held not-liable for its contents.

I am going to cite one such comment here. I am not singling this person out, there have been many such comments made. Few however actually take the time to cite the actual Amendment.

" Disclaimer: The following LJ entry falls under the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The Bill of Rights states, "congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances." With that said, by clicking on the LJ cut, you understand that you cannot file any lawsuit or press any charges against me."

Ok. Let us take this apart, piece by piece.

"congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"

Translation: Congress will make no law saying you cannot worship as your believe.

"or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;"

Translation: Congress cannot deny you the right to say or print your mind.

"or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,"

Translation: Congress cannot deny you the right to gather together as long as you remain peaceful.

" and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

Translation: Congress cannot deny you the right to contact your representative and tell him about your problems.

Here is the misunderstanding. Congress, and by meaning, the Government, cannot do this. It does not deny private enterprise the right or ability to do this however.

If I, as a private enterprise, decide that I will not allow swearing, you may not swear while having dealings with my enterprise.

If I decide that I do not want you to discuss certain biological acts in the presence of my 5 year old, that does not "violate your First Amendment Free-Speech rights".

If I decide that no discussion of Floppyology will be tolerated on this site, then, one may not discuss Floppyology here.

Too often, ill informed, poorly educated, and the outright stupid seem to think that the US First Amendment means they can say whatever they want.

It Does Not.

As I wrote several months ago in response to one such claim: " We aren't Congress. The people who scream the loudest about this right being violated, seem to constantly be those who understand it the least. Simply put, it doesn't apply on a web board. The only rights as to what may be said on a private board, are the rights granted to you. Our rules are pretty clear on what is not allowed, and we allow a great deal of leeway as to what you may discuss and how. All we usually ask is that you do it in a friendly way. Before screaming at us about your rights being violated, you may want to take some time to actually understand just what rights you have, and the responsibilities they require of you."

If I as a newspaper, or magazine, or book, or e-zine publisher refuse to publish what you wrote, I am not violating your 1st Amendment Rights. It may be censorship, it may not be. It may simply be that the publishers of said publication feel that your comments do not fit with their target. For example, an anti-war piece may be excellently researched, well formed, and well presented. But a very poor fit in a magazine about bunnys. The editor of "Bunny Weekly" would be within their own rights to not run your piece.

The First Amendment applies to US Citizens, and protects them from Government Censorship.
It does not protect you from Private Censorship.
It does not protect you in a foreign nation.
It does not apply to non-US Citizens.

It is designed, specifically to prevent the US Government, from denying certain rights to US Citizens. Period. It doesn't stop a newspaper from pulling a story and it doesn't stop a web forum from removing a post. Oliver Wendell Holmes said it best when he wrote "The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theater and causing a panic". You have the right to free speech. You also can be held accountable for its use.

The writers closing comment " With that said, by clicking on the LJ cut, you understand that you cannot file any lawsuit or press any charges against me." is what is considered a "click-through" license. It does not magically forgive libel or defamatory comments. IF you write libelous and defamatory statements, regardless of any "click through licenses", "waivers" or their ilk, you may still be guilty of libelous statements. You may still be sued by the wronged party. You may still be liable for damages. You may still go to jail.

This may look like I am targeting 1 individual. I am not. I have been dealing in the "online" world now for 20 years. For 5 years I have been running numerous online communities, full of interesting and wonderful individuals. There is sadly a trend it seems however, when someone is moderated, or suspended, or even banned from a forum or list, or simply doesn't get their way, that they scream about their rights being trampled upon. Before one goes on about their rights being suppressed, one should take the time to see not just what those rights really grant, but also what responsibilities those rights demand of the holder.

Otherwise, you run the risk of not simply looking foolish online, but of losing those rights altogether in todays world of ever encroaching government abuse.

===
Bob Hubbard is an administrator of the popular martial arts sites MartialTalk.com and KenpoTalk.com. He is president of SilverStar WebDesigns inc., a web site design and hosting company specializing in affordable solutions for martial artists.

You built it, but will they come? Some tips on getting traffic to your website.

2008-10-12T03:01:00.000-04:00

You built it, but will they come? Some tips on getting traffic to your website.
By Bob Hubbard

Your new website has gone live at last! After weeks--possibly months--of labor, it’s online and it looks great. Only one problem remains: How do you get people to visit it?

Well, you can wait the 1 to 6+ months for the backlogged search engines to catch up and list you. But you need traffic now. So what do you do? I’m often asked this very question by our clients. In this article I’ll give several suggestions to help you promote your website for maximum exposure. Some will fit better than others, depending on your target audience, but all of them are proven strategies for success.

1: Realize that the Search Engines are only part of the puzzle.
Getting listed takes time and tweaking. Most of them are backlogged by months, and it’s getting tougher to get listed in them. Of course you can spend a lot of cash to get yourself listed under ‘Automatic Self Cleaning Water Strainers’, but would you get the same results under just ‘Strainers’? A well thought-out plan for getting listed can take up to a year to fully realize results. You must do other things to get the word out in order to get both immediate and long-term results.

2: Don’t depend on your designer to advertise for you.
Too often companies and individuals have websites built, do nothing to promote the site themselves, and then wonder why it wasn’t as successful as they hoped. You don’t expect Kinkos to pass out your flyers; why expect your designer to know how to market your business to your customers? Their job is to develop a site that meets both your and your clients’ needs. You must spread the word to your prospects yourself, through all means--online and traditional.

3: Put your website’s address in front of everyone.
You wouldn’t leave your phone number off of your business cards--why leave off your website address? Make certain it is on all of your stationery, flyers, brochures, etc. Put it on the back bumper of your cars and vans. Put it on your signage and in your front window. Put it on your promo items and give them away like mad! People like freebies, and if they are useful, they will keep them around. The more visible you make it, the more times people will see it--and the more they see it, the more likely they will visit.

4: Yellow Pages ads.
Spend the extra money to get your web address added to your yellow pages listing. That little extra effort can lead to new leads. Many people will check out listings as follows: Biggest color ads, biggest black-and-white ads, smaller ads, text only box ads, and line ads. Adding a website to your ad can greatly increase your inquiry rate.

5: Issue a press release.
This step is often overlooked by start-ups. Taking the time to properly prepare a release can greatly benefit your business.

6: Reciprocal links.
Find websites that complement yours and propose a link exchange. This has a dual benefit: You gain traffic from their visitors, and the more companies that link to you, the higher your ranking in some search engines. You must do your research here, but if properly implemented you can see great rewards from this strategy.

7: Your regular advertising.
Make certain that any print or media advertising you do has your website mentioned somewhere in it. Too many times this simple step is overlooked. You cannot rely on Internet advertising alone to make your site a success. Even Amazon.com and E-Bay have to use traditional advertising. Have you seen the “Do You, uh, Yahoo!?” ads? There’s a reason!

8: Visit web forums and the Usenet newsgroups.
You can successfully advertise your company through these discussion groups (formerly known as “bulletin boards”), but be careful, especially when advertising on Usenet. Many people frown on advertising there, so be sure to carefully research any group you wish to advertise on before making your post. A few extra days patience can save you from a major public relations nightmare.

9: Publish an e-newsletter.
This has many benefits to you. It helps establish your credibility. It helps keep your clients and prospects up to date on your company and its offerings. It educates. It adds content to your website. The content helps you get better listings with the search engines and as it changes on a regular basis it helps bring return visitors. Return visitors will in many cases put your website address on their links pages which in turn helps drive traffic and boost search engine rankings. A well done, Opt-In (they subscribe) newsletter can also provide you with a detailed mailing list of people interested in what you have to offer. The costs of emailing are almost nil. Done properly, this can be a great boost.

10: Your business card.
Make it a mini-flyer, include your website, and pass them out whenever you can. When you go to trade shows or conventions, take 500-1000 and hand them out to everyone. Go to every booth and trade cards with them. “But I have plenty of my old ones”, you say. Well, unless your cards are works of art, throw them out and get new ones with your web address on it and send 2 to every customer and prospect you have.

11: Email. Let us not forget email. You and your employees probably send several emails each day, at the minimum. Make sure that your web address is featured in the ‘signature’ of each email. Too many times I receive email from clients and prospects that have missed this simple step. Many modern email programs allow for multiple signatures so you can have 1 for each occasion if you wish.

The message is: In order to see your site succeed, you need to promote it. There are millions and millions of websites online. While the numbers vary, it is estimated that only 40-60% of the web is listed on search engines. That means that the other 40-60% must be doing something else to get traffic. You wouldn’t open a store in your basement, tell no one, and then wonder why you went broke. Starting a website online is like that, except that you have the power to route a superhighway through your front door. You simply have to promote it using all of the means at your hands. Keep in mind that this is only an outline, and that many of these steps are more complicated than they may seem to be. Only by properly researching the correct approaches will you get the most success from them. Give these tips some thought. I’m sure you will find several that will work for you. Good luck! See you on the web.

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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.

“Webifying” your Business for the Martial Arts Industry By Bob Hubbard Ok, so you have a website. It’s live, it’s open for business but, now wha

2008-10-12T02:12:00.000-04:00

“Webifying” your Business for the Martial Arts Industry
By Bob Hubbard

Ok, so you have a website. It’s live, it’s open for business but, now what do you do? One of the hardest things about having a website, is always getting it noticed and used. You will hear people talking about “search engines” and “directories” and a ton of geeky jargon, but what can you do to make your site more visible and get more visitors? Several things in fact, that don’t require a PHD in computers to understand or do.

One of the fallacies is that a search engine listing is all you need. Nothing could be further from the truth. According to GoDaddy (one of the leading domain name registrars) over a million new web sites are registered every day! Google, the leading Internet search site, currently indexes billions of web pages. Billions! Obviously, you are going to need more than just a search engine listing.

So, what do you do?
Simple. You do what has always worked. You tell everyone, and let word of mouth be your best salesman.

1: People need to know your site exists in order to go there.
When was the last time you went someplace you didn’t know about? Almost never, right? The web is the same way. People almost always go where they plan to go. Making people aware that you exist is a main part of getting noticed and visited.

So, how do you do this?

Put your website on everything going out of your business. Put it on receipts, invoices, letterhead, business cards, boxes, class handouts, flyers, etc. If it leaves your business at any time, make sure there is a website address on it.
Place it prominently in your windows. Remember, your window works 24/7/365 for you. Make sure that you have 3 key pieces of information on there: Your name, your phone number and your website.
Have a custom bumper sticker made for your vehicle that lists your website. You can also have a local vinyl or sign company do some work for you that advertises your business on your vehicle. Be certain to include the web site! Your vehicle spends a lot of time in parking lots. Let it be a mobile billboard for your business and work for you.
If you sell or give away “branded” merchandise (sports bottles or towels for example), have the website included.
All advertisements that you run must include your website address.
Make sure that all of your students, parents and instructors know about the site. Remind them regularly about it.

2: People need a Reason to go there.
Knowing you have a site is not enough. People need to be told to go there, and they need to know why.

When talking to a prospect on the phone, don’t just tell them about the classes. Tell them that “and information can be found on our website xxx.com.” or “Our full class schedule is always available on our website, xxx.com”. If you have a web coupon, be sure to mention it as well. Everyone likes to save a buck, and pointing that out will almost guarantee that they will take a look at the site, and hopefully, also pass the address on to someone else.
When talking to your students, parents and instructors, be sure to mention that class schedules, upcoming events, school news, and whatever other areas of interest you have there exist, and encourage them to check regularly. Ask your students to link to the school site from their web pages. When doing “Tell a Friend” promotions, be sure to suggest that they also tell them about the website. Update your site regularly, and announce the updates at every class for a week after the updates are done. “Our class schedule on the website has been updated. You can print a copy for your own use right from there.”
Update your site regularly, and let everyone know about it. Students, parents and instructors all should be checking the site out regularly. Encourage feedback on the site and ask your students and instructors for suggestions on improvements. This involves them in the process more, and makes them feel good. Updates are especially effective if done after an event, and photos and reviews are included. Most people love seeing themselves, and the “Hey everyone, I’m on my schools website working with Master Z” can get you great word of mouth promotion for your site.

3: You need to do some promotion of the site as well.
When talking to a vendor, inquire if they do link exchanges. A link exchange is where you put their banner (a small image) and a link to them on their website, in exchange for them doing the same for you. These are good ways to help boost your visibility and rankings on the search engines.

When you go to other events or seminars, ask if you can bring flyers or other handouts to help promote your school. Many will say yes. Even if they say no, be sure to bring several business cards with the address on them with you. This way, you can do some personal networking and exchange cards.
When talking to key people in your art (your instructor, the guest instructor of the seminar, etc), find out if they have a website, and would be interested in a link exchange as well. Many people are very happy to do so.
Make certain that all your newspaper, magazine, phonebook, radio and TV advertisements mention your website.
When you do trade shows, you want your website address visible and prominent. Many people today will write a website down before they write the phone number.
If you frequent web forums and mailing lists, most will allow you to include a small block of text, often called a “signature” in your postings. Do so, and make sure that, if allowed, you include your website.
Most email programs also allow you to include a signature. Add one to all outgoing messages.

Conclusion
Having a successful website is a lot of work. Gone are the days where you can just put it up, list it on a search engine, and watch traffic role in. Each day, over a million new sites go up. That’s a big ocean in which to shine, but, with the proper promotion, you can start a motion that builds to a popular and successful web presence. All it takes is some old fashioned promotion.

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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.

Email Marketing Tips.

2008-10-12T02:11:00.000-04:00

Email Marketing Tips.
By Bob Hubbard

E-mail is the most popular activity on the Internet, with upwards of 90% of internet users having used it. With 63% of the US adult population on line, that opens a market comprising more than 100 million prospective clients. Successfully marketing your business by email can be done. The challenge lies in doing it right. Every day I get literally hundreds of junk email or “SPAM” selling everything from adult items, to software to of all things, anti-spam software! With over 40% of the 31 Billion emails sent each day considered “SPAM” and the rules tightening, you need to be up to date in order to successfully market your services by email. While an in-depth e-mail marketing attack is beyond the scope of this article, I will list a select number of tips to help enhance and optimize your chances of success.

Don’t randomly gather email addresses.
We’ve all gotten those junk mails that we didn’t ask for that tell us to “Click here to unsubscribe”. Rarely do those work as listed. Usually, they result in even more junk mail. So, who subscribed us in the first place? Someone either bought a list, randomly generated addresses, or used special software to find your address from message board postings, and web pages. I recommend only using addresses that have specifically been sent to you for information.

“Opt in” versus “Opt Out” lists.
An “Opt In” list is one where you specifically ask for information before they send it to you. An “Opt Out” puts the burden of stopping it on you. Increasingly, “Opt Out” lists are generating scorn and hatred from internet users. When someone “Opts In” they are specifically asking you for information. This is one of the more ‘web friendly’ means of doing professional emailing.

Learn how to use the “BCC” or “Blind Carbon Copy” feature.
The BCC feature is your friend. It allows you to hide the list of email addresses, thereby respecting and preserving the privacy of those on your list. Not using this feature can and will generate angry replies from those on your list.
Include a way for people to be removed from your mailing list and honor all “Unsubscribe” emails immediately.

Do not send your mailings to anyone who hasn’t requested it.
That is considered spam, and violates most ISP’s service terms. If you anger the wrong people, you can lose your Internet connection! Internet Service Providers are increasingly taking harder stances against those who spam.

Collect your addresses in a web-friendly manner.
Doing this insures that those you send email to will welcome your message. You can do this in a few easy ways.

Add a signup form on your web site. This is called “Opting In”.
When you receive an address, send a confirmation back. Include a standard “This address was signed up for XXX. If this is in error, please reply to this email with the word CANCEL at the top.” Type message. This is very important! By doing this, you will let the person know that their email address was submitted successfully to your list, or that someone else submitted it. It also ensures that your list is clean and full of good addresses, since your verification will usually bounce back if the address is really invalid.
Include a short privacy policy at the end of your mailing and on your site. A standard “We never share your name and address” is usually good. If you do share addresses, include a way for the subscriber to –not- be shared.

Now that you have your list, understand how to send to it in a web-friendly manner, you now need to compose your message for optimum effect.

Include a “Call to Action”
This is text that will motivate the reader to “Act Now”. Terms like “Limited Time Only”, “Act Now”, “Offer Expires” are all examples of action calls.

Include –all- of the “Need to Know” information.
How many times have you gotten a flyer that assumed you knew which location an event was held at, or that you knew how to get there?

What: Be certain to list the “What” outlining the purpose of the email.
When: Include the full date (yes, year too), month, date –and- day of the week, times of events.
Where: Include a complete location (if applicable). This is very important if you have multiple locations.
How Much: This is mostly for events. If it’s free, say so. If there’s a charge, let people know up front. For events that don’t require advance registration (which is what we’re talking about here), the fee is typically nominal, so it won’t scare anyone away. This differs from an e-mail for a large conference requiring pre-registration, where you might want to sell people on the value before disclosing the price.
Who: Who is this event/item for? This will help people decide if the offer is for them.

Additional information to include would be extra details. If this is an event, include directions. Presenter bios are always good if this is for a seminar. If selling a product, include more detailed specs here. More information is always good.

Another point I cannot emphasize enough here is, write clearly, and proof read. Misspellings, typos, and grammatical errors will kill an otherwise well done mailing.

Avoid sending large graphics, sound, music or video files.
Keep your mailing to a small size, as nothing angers people like having their email box jammed full of videos they didn’t ask for. Having to contact their ISP for ‘unplug’ things will cause a lot of bad PR. Keep the mailing small and simple for best results.

Track it!
Tracking the success of mailings is good business, and tracking an emailing is no different. Include a coupon with a special code, or an “Offer Code” to use when registering or purchasing. Be certain to also ask people how they heard about the item/offer.

1 last key piece of advice:
Answer prospect emails within 24 hours!
If you don’t reply promptly, you risk losing a client for life. People also tend to tell others when they feel ignored! To avoid this and to ensure you’re not missing any opportunities, make it a top priority to reply to all incoming mail within 24 hours.

While there is some work that goes into a good email campaign, you can reap some excellent rewards.

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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.

Getting Online.

2008-10-12T02:10:00.000-04:00

Getting Online.
by Bob Hubbard

In todays’ competitive business climate, getting exposure is harder than ever before. It is vital that your business have a website that will give you that exposure on the Internet. You need a partner who both understands what it takes and can provide you with that solution.

In order to get your organization online, you need four things:

1-A Good Domain Name –
What is a Domain Name? Your Domain Name is your address on the Web. Just like people use your phone number to call you on the phone, your Domain Name allows people to access your site on the Web. Clever, simple, or easy to remember Domain Names are most desirable as they can play a large part in attracting visitors to your site. Most Domain Names end with “.com” - but other extensions such as “.net” (such as spike1.net) and “.org” are also available.

You need a name people that people can remember. Your customers will find yoursite.com easier to remember and type than www.somewhere.com/~something/index.html. Why should your site be hard to find? For about the price of lunch at your favorite fast food place, you can reserve your own unique and easy-to-remember web address for an entire year. And for just the cost of one month’s lessons in most schools, you can lock in your name for an entire decade! Don’t be overcharged! My company has carefully researched the registrars that we use. With well over 100 to pick from, and several closings each year, you want to know that your name is reserved with a company that will be there for you.

2-Reliable Hosting –
A good analogy for website hosting is that our server is an apartment building. We rent space out for websites, giving different services to different “tenants” with different needs. If your site’s not up, it does you no good. Our data center offers redundant connections to several Tier 1 providers, multiple fiber paths, multiple redundant power back-up, 24 x 7 onsite staff and 24 x 7 monitoring, and high security. All of this is running on modern, state of the art, high-speed servers designed to serve millions and millions of pages without fail. What this means for you is that your site will be up when your customers and clients are looking for it! In the rare event of a problem, we will usually have it fixed before you are even aware of it. We pride ourselves on the reliability of our hosting, and are regularly audited to guarantee that we have the most up to date software and security possible.

Not all hosts are equal. Many of the low cost hosts are running off a DSL or Cable setup out of their homes, or pack thousands of sites onto a server that is little more than a suped-up home PC. Do some real research into the company you choose to host your site. After all, you wouldn’t want to locate your place of business in someplace that wasn’t ‘customer friendly’. Why put your website there? More expensive also is not really better than dirt cheep. Compare features as well as prices, but also check out their support. What do they cover and what don’t they? Do they offer phone support or just web-based? What if you call them with a support question even though they say “web only”? Do your homework and you’ll be pleased with the results.

3-Quality Site Design –
What is web design? Web design is putting together a Web site. A Web site is your message to the world telling them who you are, what you are, and what you are about. It is critical to have a well-designed and well thought out Web site. It allows your site to grow and expand as your needs change. Whether your site is a single page or multiple pages or even spread out over many physical locations on many different machines, a well-designed site will make your connections appear seamless and streamlined.

People who are visiting Web-sites do not want to spend a lot of time figuring out who you are, where you are, and how to find out the information they want. And time is the critical element here. So, web design is simply presenting yourself at your best so that people can get to know you and to use your services as soon as possible.

Too often, people cut corners on their websites. They use pre-designed templates that give their site a ‘cookie cutter’ look. They also have poor navigation that makes it hard for someone who visits to find information easily. Remember, the average visitor only spends a few minutes skimming your site. If they can’t find it, they move on to the next site. Even though many people have high-speed connections, many more do not. AOL is still the dominant internet provider for over 30 million people. That’s a lot of slow dial ups. Too many sites today have huge ‘Flash’ animated intros that don’t allow you to skip them.

4-Site Promotion –
What is site promotion? In a nutshell - bringing people to your web site. Simply put, it is a submission of your web address (domain name) to the search engines (like Yahoo, Excite and InfoSeek) that allow people to find your site among the millions of sites on the Internet. Each search engine and database handles submissions differently. While not a difficult task, promotion is time consuming when done properly. Not done properly, promotion submission can be a disaster. There is an entire science behind it. A website does you no good if no one knows it’s there.

Site promotion is different for each search engine. Right now, the dominant search engine is Google. Google is tricky. If you submit yourself too often, you end up on a ‘blacklist’ and will never be listed. Some search engines read your site, while others use hidden comments in your sites HTML code called ‘Meta Tags’ to rank you.

Never use words that are the same color as the background, and never stick multiple copies of the same word back to back. Both of these are sure fire ways to make the black lists.

To give yourself the best chance of being listed use this 4 part check list:
1- Have your own domain name. – Many search engines are no longer taking the /~somethings sites. They only want to list something.coms.

2- Have reliable hosting. – Once you get listed they check back regularly. If they can’t see you, they remove your listing. A poor host will majorly hurt you here. Its worth the few extra bucks to have the reliable hosting.

3- A good site design. – Both in layout and ‘under the hood’ will help optimize your chances at successfully being listed.

4- A well thought out promotion campaign. – Getting listed doesn’t happen over night. Some search engines can take months to even look at you. A year long series of checks and submissions combined with your other promotions will greatly enhance your exposure.

In this article, I touched briefly on what a successful website requires. Each section could easily fill an entire book. It is your job to educate yourself enough so that you understand this a little. Your designer should have a more in depth knowledge. When talking with hosts and web designers, keep these points in mind. After all, it is your money we are talking about.

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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.

Why do I need a Web Site?

2008-10-12T02:05:00.001-04:00

Why do I need a Web Site?
By Bob Hubbard

When I’m talking with potential clients, I’m often asked “Why should I have a website”. This is a very good question. Today, having a website is a cost of doing business, just like business cards, a phone line and credit card acceptance. A well planned and designed website can be a boost to almost every business. In this article, I will give you some information on the “Why”.

Why do you need a web site?
A website can be a key ingredient of a businesses marketing attack. It is a lead generator, it helps retain clients, and save on costs. In today’s business environment, if you don’t have one, your competition most likely does. Customers are increasingly net-savvy and are doing more and more research online before calling a company. With 63% of American adults and 75% of American children connected to the Internet, not having a website puts a major hole in your marketing ability. In the past, people would open the yellow pages. Today, more and more people are using the internet to search for information, and finding not just a phone number or address, but full catalogs and price lists, directions, color photos of products and more, all without leaving the house.

The Lead Generator
Many people today look at the existence of a website as a ‘validation of legitimacy’, much as we often look for the acceptance of credit cards. People who are reluctant to call can at their leisure visit your site and see what you offer. This means if its 3am on a Sunday, they can get some information. A well designed website will have an easy means of them contacting you, perhaps a sign up form they can fill out to schedule a visit or request additional information. A website can also be used by existing clients to generate referrals. A website is a tireless 24 hour a day salesperson that works to turn suspects into prospects, and prospects into clients. Being able to learn more about your business will often turn a browser into someone who makes that phone call, or stops in to visit. Having a website puts you ahead of the competition. There’s no delay in customers getting information on your products or services. Imagine if your competitor has information online, and the best you can do is send a brochure overnight. A day is a long time for that potential customer to form an opinion.

Client Retention
Client retention is often tied directly to customer service. A well designed website will have the important information on your business easily viewable. Hours of operation, contact information, upcoming events, and directions at the very least should be obvious. Many other parts are industry specific. A supermarket could have their weekly ad on line, a hardware store could have home repair tips, and the martial arts school could have training materials and class schedules. Special offers can also be run, as well as an organizational newsletter to keep clients and prospects up to date on your business.

Cost Savings
How many of us have printed flyers for an event, only to end up throwing out hundreds of dollars in over printing or errors? Using your website as an information distribution point can significantly reduce your printing and postage costs. By putting items like student handbooks, employee guides, and flyers online, you can save an enormous amount of money. Combine this with a web-friendly email-marketing program and you can save thousands of dollars each year. You can also improve on the quality of your handouts and flyers by using full color and photographs, rather than the black and white clip art we often see.

Now, it is important to do your email marketing in a friendly manner. E-Mail marketing is covered in my “E-Mail Marketing Tips” article.

Now, two additional areas you can use your website are “UpSells” and Retail.

UpSells and Upgrades
Also known as Upgrades, Upsells are a great product to promote on your website. Internal programs like Buyers Clubs, Access to expert advice, special web-only content, discussion forums, newsletters and more. We will use the example of a karate school. They want to increase student retention so they add a signup form on their website for new students. An option on this form could be for the “Black Belt Club” which gives the student special services and access to a special area of the website, for an added cost of course. A music store could have a “Music Appreciation Club” which offers members only discounts and other premiums.

Retail Sales
Retail sales are an additional way to generate both profit and potential. Without having to maintain a large physical inventory, pay utilities or worry about shrinkage, you can often run an online store at a higher profit margin than a traditional store. Without the physical limitations, you can carry more merchandise. This allows a 1-person operation to look just as impressive as the super centers. Care must be taken in the setup of an online store to avoid fraud. Successful online retailing is covered in my “Online Selling with Success” article.

Having a website is an excellent way to generate new business, keep and grow existing clientele, save money and improve your bottom line. It is available rain or shine, night or day, helping you to grow your business. It also levels the playing field, allowing you to compete equally with much larger businesses. With more and more people each year using the Internet, a website has become a requirement of business, much as a phone and credit card acceptance did in the past. Remember, the Internet is one of the first places someone familiar with computers is likely to look for information.

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