Bad PC Sales Staff Exposed

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

iBarence 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

Scam Warning

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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?

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

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

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

Conflicker

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?

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?

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!

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?

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.

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

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?

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

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

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

Short Break

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

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.