tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36706659026919091732024-03-05T01:16:09.670-08:00Jacksonville Video ProductionCarl Austinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06445168658843962150noreply@blogger.comBlogger164125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-25728167122604701452015-07-27T12:13:00.000-07:002015-07-27T12:13:54.372-07:00What Your Webmaster Won't Tell You<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">If you have a website, then
you know your webmaster has the power of life or death over it. You probably also know that he or she speaks
in tongues, where terms like “Link Equity,” “SERPS,” and “Meta Tags,” have a meaning
all their own. In today’s blog, I will
part the curtain and allow you to take a look at what the wizard of the web
knows that you don’t. I will also
endeavor to show you what you need to know if you want your web presence to be
more than a billboard in the desert. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Who’s On First?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The term “Webmaster” is
somewhat nebulous, since the creation, optimization and control of your website
can actually take anywhere from 1 to 3 individuals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQ0pUUEzjUQ8osrPaMJUdYx6RfU4mdGfw0SXQsxseHD5_rGB8pmbaQX2t-d-bsFtjHL5vCZlH1kcpbyn1STwWc8bJBb5k9QfWBLWuAsQIoJUFiFLW1rSe0tJf7QjVVxRqGHTav9UyNEI/s1600/prophead2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVQ0pUUEzjUQ8osrPaMJUdYx6RfU4mdGfw0SXQsxseHD5_rGB8pmbaQX2t-d-bsFtjHL5vCZlH1kcpbyn1STwWc8bJBb5k9QfWBLWuAsQIoJUFiFLW1rSe0tJf7QjVVxRqGHTav9UyNEI/s320/prophead2.jpg" width="222" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/">en.wikipedia.org</a></td></tr>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Web Designer – There are two flavors of web
designer. The first and best is an
online marketer who understands that the look of your website needs to take a
backseat to the functionality of your website.
A marketing-centric web designer starts by determining what it is you
wish your site to accomplish (generate leads, generate calls, or sell directly
from the site). Then he or she will
build the vehicle that is designed to generate the desired result. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The second
type of designer is more or less a glorified graphic artist who is mostly
interested in the look of the site. This
type of designer will show you graphically intense designs that are beautiful,
that most often don’t generate results.
(If you see a lot of rotating images and morphing graphics, this
indicates the use of either Java (which the search engines hate) or Flash
(which the search engines hate even more than Java). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Search Engine Optimizer – It helps if your web
designer understands the ins and outs of SEO.
If not, then you will be forced to hire an optimizer to help you sell
your site to the search engines. This
will entail having a conversation with a person that will spout all kinds of
arcane jargon in order to describe what it is they need to do to make your
website search engine friendly. (This is
another reason to hire a designer that is ready, willing and able to take care
of this during the design phase.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbtJs3-Th1rSBiQ6iq3hXVgfaXNICkQbCpoz0Yrkxz4BgscV_i-o6GxC5HeO6yeLOfxOKkigeEUZlspzHQiettBOS_6F3FkP-3cIGU2fB1q38I0MS9dZJMETOnv4l7tD494Yk6igbMvjc/s1600/seo2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbtJs3-Th1rSBiQ6iq3hXVgfaXNICkQbCpoz0Yrkxz4BgscV_i-o6GxC5HeO6yeLOfxOKkigeEUZlspzHQiettBOS_6F3FkP-3cIGU2fB1q38I0MS9dZJMETOnv4l7tD494Yk6igbMvjc/s200/seo2.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/">commons.wikimedia.org</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Unless you
want to bring your techno babble/English dictionary with you when you meet with
your SEO pro, I suggest you find a firm that can explain in plain English what
it is they are going to do for you and how often they intend on doing it. For the most part you should only need to
optimize your on-page assets once.
Anyone who tries to sell your ongoing SEO services other than link
building is wasting your money.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Website Hosting and Updating – There are a number of
“Webmasters” that only provide hosting and updating of your website. If this is the case you need to be cognizant
of the fact that should you need to make a change to your website, you will
first need to go through your web designer who will then need to motivate your
webmaster to grant him or her access to make the desired change. You may also be required to pay both of these
individuals to make said change.
Obviously the best solution is to hire an individual or firm who can do
all this at once instead of by committee. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Webmasters
are a throwback to a time when it required a skilled IT professional to manage
the server that contained your website.
This is no longer the case since nearly all servers are now cloud based. This makes it doubly galling when you submit
a change order to a webmaster and he or she sits on a job for days that
literally takes a couple of minutes to accomplish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What’s on Second?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Once your website is up and
running, you next need to register it with search engines and directories. <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBvVWNZk3RyPS38rWu9tLq1YPg-1H3lJDx3FJCtDDLWfpa_QZAm9BDx8FAa_1urwJzV3Qd4cuMaIKqC0tHbN2V6TFetBKykg4vPkytd9LKCNki9Vss5X6TVU_afpDYaOy9CBBeKM5oEo/s1600/engines.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBvVWNZk3RyPS38rWu9tLq1YPg-1H3lJDx3FJCtDDLWfpa_QZAm9BDx8FAa_1urwJzV3Qd4cuMaIKqC0tHbN2V6TFetBKykg4vPkytd9LKCNki9Vss5X6TVU_afpDYaOy9CBBeKM5oEo/s320/engines.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image courtesy of <a href="http://flickr.com/">flickr.com</a></td></tr>
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You can either do this manually or you can
hire a firm to do this for you. Again,
there are professionals who will offer to perform this time consuming
service. The devil, however, is in the
details. That the task needs to be
accomplished is obvious. If you don’t
register with search engines and directories your website will never get
found. The trick is to </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">get your site or
sites registered with as many search engines and directories as possible
without breaking the bank. (Working the
Web to Win offers a search engine push package that will register a site on 100
directories for $300.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Once your site(s) registered
on scads of search engines and directories the traffic will start rolling in,
right? WRONG. Even a perfectly optimized
site registered on 100 high quality search engines and directories will not
prove sufficient to generate significant traffic all by itself. Why?
That’s because the game of generating search engine position has gotten
a lot more complicated in the past few years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseB-w22Ng0ewtIyS6OhnGyQ6bvEFE0jRpxMy2m-TNqYyZuVDnWg6beeBj4YMcek_6tbWe34AMSjhJBCpz_Wb9iLqCnO2jxLQrBvwCAtJlgJmuIRfcgB-0UkcZnBGFep8W9kM9Z4lRi3g/s1600/spder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseB-w22Ng0ewtIyS6OhnGyQ6bvEFE0jRpxMy2m-TNqYyZuVDnWg6beeBj4YMcek_6tbWe34AMSjhJBCpz_Wb9iLqCnO2jxLQrBvwCAtJlgJmuIRfcgB-0UkcZnBGFep8W9kM9Z4lRi3g/s200/spder.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of <a href="http://pixabay.com/">pixabay.com</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Prior to 2005, all you needed
to do to generate high ranking on the search engines was create an optimized
website and register your site with the search engines. The search engines would then send their
spiders to analyze your site and determine its rank. That’s literally all there
was to it. Today on-page SEO only
accounts for 25% of ranking criteria, the other 75% is comprised of off-site
assets, such as blogs, social networks, videos, images and podcasts. More crucially, not only do you need to
create, publish and distribute this online content, you have to do so
consistently. Simply having a Facebook
or Twitter feed on your site isn’t enough.
You also need to grow and engage your following. The same is true of your blogs, videos and
podcasts. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Add to this the fact that the
search engine spiders can not only read, but understand your website, blogs and
social posts and you can see why generating ranking today is a huge
undertaking. I refer to the Internet as
the elephant in the room. Everybody
knows it’s there, but nobody is prepared to talk about it. As search engine spiders continue to evolve,
you need to understand that your success online comes down to a popularity
contest. The spiders award their favors
to websites that create and engage the biggest audience. Therefore, you need to either assign the task
of feeding the elephant to several staffers, or you need to outsource the task
to a company that will put a team at your disposal to get the task done. (No single human being is capable of handling
all these tasks. It takes a team.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I Don’t Know Who’s on Third<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The other three factors you
need to take into consideration if you hope to prevail are geotargeting, mobile
marketing and reputation management.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The Internet is no longer a
World Wide Wad. It is now not only possible,
but desirable to geotarget your online assets to attract the best
audience. This is done embedding
geographic information in all your online assets. Before you go about creating or retooling a
website, you first need to define who and where your best customers are
located. There is a big difference
between creating a website for say a chiropractor that will have a reach of 10
miles from his or her location, to a company that needs to market to a regional
or national scope. Today geotargeting
can be employed to narrow your scope to as little as an individual neighborhood.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmkE45TafnUfOH4DlidJqLKRQx739LLT3vGPd9mlxblrupYAvRZtOlI2kWqG9zR6QjD7kOI6BWSZYrl0jZfWXi1sJSd0LFwx8SiKd8ORUg68mm0JcFTqggZd_Jr85bjJ_xOid22ln3mw/s1600/gmap.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZmkE45TafnUfOH4DlidJqLKRQx739LLT3vGPd9mlxblrupYAvRZtOlI2kWqG9zR6QjD7kOI6BWSZYrl0jZfWXi1sJSd0LFwx8SiKd8ORUg68mm0JcFTqggZd_Jr85bjJ_xOid22ln3mw/s320/gmap.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The first thing you should do
is register your business with Google Local and create a Google Map. Since Google controls more than two thirds of
all traffic in this country, the more Google friendly you become, the better
your chances of success. Even better is
the fact that once created, you can embed your Google map right on your
homepage. This is another important
thing to do if you hope to convert traffic into customers. Nobody wants to search your site to find out
where you are located. Since people
spend less than 2 minutes on your website, it is vital you give them everything
they need to make a buying decision as quickly as possible. Gone are the days when a web surfer would
click around your site to check you out.
Today the next click you hear will be them going back to where they
found you to check out somebody else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This is also why it is vital
you put your best foot forward in a hurry.
This requires video. If your
current website is composed of a bunch of stock images, what does this tell
prospects about your company?
Nothing. If you want to entice
prospects to take the next step they need to know what you are all about. Since you only have 2 minutes or less to
accomplish this task, an intro video that shows who you are, what makes you
special and why a prospect should take the next step is vital to your
success. It is also vital that the video
be located prominently on your homepage, not buried below the fold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Even better is a second video
that shows satisfied customers extolling your virtues. Like it or not, the biggest obstacle to
converting clicks into cash is credibility.
Video testimonials are the ultimate credibility builder. That and lots of reviews on Google will not
only help you seal the deal, but it is a great way to create Google Juice. When we shoot video testimonials for us or
our clients, we routinely take the person being interviewed over to Google Maps
to post a review as soon as the video is complete. Once you get 10 reviews four red stars will
also appear next to your listing which helps you separate yourself from the
herd once you make it to page 1 on Google.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Getting Mobilized<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsK6LewbzZ71hfyvUnIHMCQTpc_hF_IbT45L7a10WKYz4lpempjeziTSd615mDfKpen5e9Pl6zNPqMQk78Zde8GXeOpn21RpctElBnLALk0xbdZVs-vfGYCxb18mTcfs2SF6QtTVaHcy4/s1600/mobilegeddon2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsK6LewbzZ71hfyvUnIHMCQTpc_hF_IbT45L7a10WKYz4lpempjeziTSd615mDfKpen5e9Pl6zNPqMQk78Zde8GXeOpn21RpctElBnLALk0xbdZVs-vfGYCxb18mTcfs2SF6QtTVaHcy4/s320/mobilegeddon2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of <a href="http://linkedin.com/">linkedin.com</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This brings us to the last
and currently most important requirement for generating traction with Google:
Mobile. Several months back, Google made
it a requirement for websites to be “mobile-friendly.” This means that if your website is not
designed to reconfigure itself to tablets and smartphones, your chances of getting
on page 1 are nil. To see if your site
makes the grade, simply do a search for it on any smartphone. If the page doesn’t change shape to
accommodate the platform it is definitely time you did a site makeover. Make sure your web designer is using a
dynamic language such as HTML 5. If not,
you will need to redo the redo.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What’s It All About?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Unless you have to means to
hire an in-house online marketing team that has what it takes to create and
distribute content to Blogger, Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and YouTube on a
continual basis, you need to find a firm you can trust to outsource your online
destiny if you hope to make your web presence work for you. If not, you will find yourself at more and
more of a disadvantage as your competitors reap the rewards online and eat up
more market share. Because the biggest
thing you need to understand online is this, “If you are not coming up on page
1 of the search engines and your competition is, does that help or hurt your
business?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Carl Weiss is president of </span></i></b><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Working the Web to Win</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">,</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"> <b><i>an award-winning digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville, Florida. </i></b></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">You can listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4 p.m.</span></i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></i></b></span></a><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Eastern on</span></i></b><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin" style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 27px;"> </span></div>
Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com1Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-88325329200760590802015-07-07T07:30:00.000-07:002015-07-07T07:31:10.228-07:00Something Very Small Could Soon be Very BIG<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Everyone is always looking
for the “Next BIG Thing.” That’s a
given. But what most people don’t
realize is one of the biggest things of all could soon have its origin in the
very small. What I’m talking about is
the rapidly rising realm of nanotechnology.
While the term has been around for a few decades, the emergence of Nanotech
onto the world stage has, to date been more of a whimper than a bang. Well, all that is set to change soon as the
very tiny makes a quantum leap onto the world stage that could have a bigger
impact on your world than the birth of the microcomputer. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOn4032e4IUC2Z6JJtClWXynGRYQiXsXlsp7GQZUnoJ3AAOtE80BNaypT79QWYl-2lGsjKxV314QgvJJYLHQ76Ef6VUsMVsMpbRPSO-xmy0k65k9RqH450CEaK0829qdZu4wJN-gq1e54/s1600/buckyball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOn4032e4IUC2Z6JJtClWXynGRYQiXsXlsp7GQZUnoJ3AAOtE80BNaypT79QWYl-2lGsjKxV314QgvJJYLHQ76Ef6VUsMVsMpbRPSO-xmy0k65k9RqH450CEaK0829qdZu4wJN-gq1e54/s200/buckyball.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of <a href="http://pt.wikipedia.org/">pt.wikipedia.org</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The funny thing is, nanotechnology
has been around almost as long as the personal computer. The first microcomputers made their presence
known in the mid to late 1970’s.
Nanotech arrived in 1985 with the discovery of Fullerenes, otherwise
known as Bucky Balls. These microscopic
structures, similar in structure to graphite, are composed of carbon atoms that
can take on the shape of a sphere where they are called Buckminsterfullerenes,
or a cylinder, otherwise known as a carbon nanotube. While their structure seems familiar, one has
to realize that in order to see them, the use of a scanning electron microscope
needs to be employed. While fullerenes
do occur in nature and even in the vacuum of outer space, it is the potential
uses of this super light, super strong material that spawned the Nanotech
revolution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> There’s Plenty
of Room at the Bottom<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As early as 1959, when
physicist Richard Feynman postulated that it might soon be possible to
manipulate individual atoms to create unique structures at the microscopic
level, it wasn’t until K. Eric Drexler’s 1986 book, “Engines of Creation,” that
Dr. Feynman’s dream of a billion tiny factories finally began to take
shape. The shape of Nanotech innovation
in the 1980’s was relegated to two researchers by the name of Don Eigler and
Erhard Schweizer, both of whom worked at IBM’s Almaden Research Center, who
arranged 35 xenon atoms to spell out the IBM logo. While an interesting parlor
trick, the technique was nonetheless the harbinger of more exotic constructions
at the molecular level. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Asw1QhjPLeR7-Jx_4gwGA4nQYQEcXDWiOPr9DiP8uOmHW-e5yWC0d-Sp7pUsds7vkh4jHNEpkwqe2UukKWhkX0sd2ViGLrxHvwSPe7QukFxLTI455-hsbhmF453bCNNBfNBQGPK0xzc/s1600/nanolith.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Asw1QhjPLeR7-Jx_4gwGA4nQYQEcXDWiOPr9DiP8uOmHW-e5yWC0d-Sp7pUsds7vkh4jHNEpkwqe2UukKWhkX0sd2ViGLrxHvwSPe7QukFxLTI455-hsbhmF453bCNNBfNBQGPK0xzc/s200/nanolith.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/">commons.wikimedia.org</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The 1990’s saw the
application of nanotechnology in everything from electronics and
pharmaceuticals, to textiles and communications. Still to the world at large, Nanotech was not
exactly a household word. Let’s be
honest, when Moungi Bawendi at MIT devised a method for controlled synthesis of
nanocrystals, otherwise known as quantum dots, he had hardly achieved the kind
of rock star status that Steve Jobs and Woz did when they introduced the Apple
II. Still, Bawendi and other
researcher’s progress did not go entirely unnoticed. Slow but steady progress was being made in
molecular manipulation. New
technologies, such as nanolithography were developed by 1999 that allowed the
writing of electronic circuits and the manufacturing of biomaterials used in
biological research.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The Presidents Pile On<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In 2000, Bill Clinton gave a
speech at Cal Tech where mentioned the infant Nanotech industry. </span><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">"Some of our research
goals may take twenty or more years to achieve, but that is precisely why there
is an important role for the federal government."<span class="apple-converted-space"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_nanotechnology"><i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_nanotechnology</span></i></a><i><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">During the same speech,
President Clinton also announced the founding of the National Nanotechnology
Initiative (NNI), during which he pledged $500 million in government
funding. When George Bush took the helm
as Commander in Chief, he signed into law the 21<sup>st</sup> Century
Nanotechnology research and Development Act, that increased the government’s
commitment to this initiative by pledging an additional $3.63 billion over 4
years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkDzN0CEcA944Met60_pe53zuCtNtRVJ1T0opCD40ay6gxOIRW9ZNTPJYaGJDO9nSnrZXE2pcF_zq8Fh5yzfgQD2aKQcLT2jV5TnIdQfaCMUr4iqGcqu3gHAGeUawMYGdenLG-35yd50/s1600/nanobama2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkDzN0CEcA944Met60_pe53zuCtNtRVJ1T0opCD40ay6gxOIRW9ZNTPJYaGJDO9nSnrZXE2pcF_zq8Fh5yzfgQD2aKQcLT2jV5TnIdQfaCMUr4iqGcqu3gHAGeUawMYGdenLG-35yd50/s320/nanobama2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of flickr.com</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">No sooner had President Obama
taken office, when he was introduced to nanotechnology in a big way when a
nanotechnology researcher at the University of Michigan decided to immortalize
the President by etching microscopic copies of Barack Obama’s likeness on a
metal substrate, which went viral when the “Nanobama’s” were published
online. Nanobama’s notwithstanding, the
President has continued to fund NNI to the tune of $1.5 billion in 2015. (See
the video at </span><a href="http://www.azonano.com/nanotechnology-video-details.aspx?VidID=270"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.azonano.com/nanotechnology-video-details.aspx?VidID=270</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Where’s the Nano-Beef?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While some new uses of Nanotech
saw the light of day during the first 10 years of the new millennium, including
the introduction of passive nanoparticles in disinfectants and sunscreen,
clothing and cosmetics, the promise of nanomachines far outstripped their
reality, causing some pundits such as David
Berube to wonder what all the Nano-Hype was all about. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">According to Wikipedia, <i>“His study concludes that much of what is sold as “nanotechnology” is
in fact a recasting of straightforward materials science, which is leading to a
“nanotech industry built solely on selling nanotubes, nanowires, and the like”
which will “end up with a few suppliers selling low margin products in huge
volumes." Further applications which require actual manipulation or arrangement
of nanoscale components await further research. Though technologies branded
with the term 'nano' are sometimes little related to and fall far short of the
most ambitious and transformative technological goals of the sort in molecular
manufacturing proposals, the term still connotes such ideas. According to
Berube, there may be a danger that a "nano bubble" will form, or is
forming already, from the use of the term by scientists and entrepreneurs to
garner funding, regardless of interest in the transformative possibilities of
more ambitious and far-sighted work.” </i></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_nanotechnology"><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_nanotechnology</span></i></a><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Up until the past few years,
the naysayers had a point. While more
effective sunscreen had its place, where were the self-replicating nanobots
that everyone had long awaited? What
happened to Eric Drexler and Richard Feynman’s “Engines of Creation” that could
turn out nanites by the billions? Where
was the Nano-Beef?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In order for micromachines to
become a reality, they needed to not only be produced, but mass produced. Since it is impossible to shrink factory
workers to scale, that meant that humans had to learn something that nature has
been doing on this planet for billions of years: Self-replication. It wasn’t until 2010, that researchers were
able to manipulate individual atoms and even combine them to form structures,
to date, they were unable to cause their micromachines to replicate. Then in early 2010, geneticist J. Craig
Ventner, managed to create the world’s first biological organism from scratch,
when he constructed a bacterium using off-the-shelf chemicals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRlUbALktOCU0GFQtn2ab5CI_S6NJA-RvkhfntMpeoJeFprqx06sVTbglsGq_oG7fu6P_TSkrlCxHK16Lrp089EtgEVvUcbuz2m53il9mN4rb_lEL7k86YEKvRMims3d6sdGV6KH8HxI/s1600/bacteria.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRlUbALktOCU0GFQtn2ab5CI_S6NJA-RvkhfntMpeoJeFprqx06sVTbglsGq_oG7fu6P_TSkrlCxHK16Lrp089EtgEVvUcbuz2m53il9mN4rb_lEL7k86YEKvRMims3d6sdGV6KH8HxI/s200/bacteria.jpg" width="176" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy en.wikipedia.org</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While whipping up a batch of
bacteria might not seem like an earth shattering accomplishment, bear in mind
that this was the first time in 4 billion years that anyone on the planet had
managed to create a living creature that was not only viable, but able to
reproduce. Armed with this knowledge, it
wasn’t long before other researchers applied the discovery to their own work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Below are a couple of videos
that point out some of the latest advances in nanotechnology:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=596&v=xlYIex2TF5g"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=596&v=xlYIex2TF5g</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7H72T5ipSU"><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7H72T5ipSU</span></b></a><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Whether
you realize it or not, there are already a number of products on the market
that contain Nanotech elements, such as:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.engineering.com/Videos/VideoPlayer/tabid/4627/VideoId/1127/Nanotechnology-Breakthrough-Invention-Of-Paper-Battery.aspx">Paper Batteries</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://liquidmetal.com/">Liquid Metal</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.gizmag.com/nanobot-micromotors-deliver-nanoparticles-living-creature/35700/">Nanobots</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.wired.com/2015/01/primer-quantum-dot/">Artificial Atoms</a> (Quantum Dots) </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070503205701.htm">Growing Human Organs, Bone & Tissue</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/270376215/Personalized-Medicine-Targeted-Therapeutics-and-Companion-Diagnostic-Market-to-2019">Targeted Pharmaceuticals</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/microchip-implants-in-healthy-people-2014-7">Implantable Microchips</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://www.businessweek.com/debateroom/archives/2009/03/nanofood_safe_and_green_cuisine.html">Nanofood</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The
next few years will see these tiny things becoming bigger and bigger players,
as the world as we know it is literally transformed from the inside out. If you’d like to learn more about the coming Nanotech
revolution, check out this week’s Working the Web to Win radio show, where we
will explore how something very small will soon be very BIG.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Carl Weiss is president of </span></i></b><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Working the Web to Win</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">,</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"> <b><i>an award-winning digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville, Florida. </i></b></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">You can listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4 p.m.</span></i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></i></b></span></a><b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Eastern on</span></i></b><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 27px;"> </span></div>
Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-76620343049474281372015-06-30T09:49:00.001-07:002015-06-30T09:51:04.038-07:00The Ghosts of Employees Past<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Everyone has heard of the Ghost
of Christmas Past, right? Well, today’s
blog is a twist on that theme as we explore the problems that occur as the
result of employees being fired or put out to pasture. Like it or not, having to deal with the
digital footprints left by former staffers can be problematic to say the
least. In the best case scenario,
someone needs to be assigned to pick up where they left off in areas such as social
networking, file management and even online security. In the worst case, former employees have been
known to rifle their employer’s server, plant malware or even lock their former
bosses out of their own systems. Before
you start experiencing digital things that go bump in the night, let’s take a
hard look at a number of cases involving the ghosts of employees past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Working the Web of Deceit<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In </span></i><a href="http://www.asaecenter.org/Resources/whitepaperdetail.cfm?ItemNumber=12167"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">2010, a major
defense contractor (Lockheed)</span></i></a><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> had its email system crashed for six hours after one
terminated employee sent 60,000 coworkers a personal email laced with malware The contractor was then forced to fly in a
Microsoft rescue squad to repair the damage.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">More recently, </span></i><a href="http://www.asaecenter.org/Resources/whitepaperdetail.cfm?ItemNumber=12167"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">a terminated
computer technician at a New York publisher (Forbes)</span></i></a><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> caused five
of the publisher’s servers to crash. As
a result all the information that had been stored on the servers was erased and
none of the data was able to be restored. The losses sustained were in excess
of $100,000.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">If you think that’s bad, </span></i><a href="http://www.asaecenter.org/Resources/whitepaperdetail.cfm?ItemNumber=12167"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">an
engineering firm suffered $10 million in losses</span></i></a><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> when a
terminated network manager unleashed a data bomb in the network he helped
create. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Bear in mind that the defense
contractor, the publisher and the engineering firm were all major players that
had in their employ teams of skilled programmers and technicians whose job it
was to safeguard their electronic assets.
If they’re vulnerable to attack by former insiders, what do you think
that says about the cyber security of smaller firms?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When the Attack Becomes Personal<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Far from being relegated to eSabotage,
disgruntled former employees have been known to get personal when they are out
for revenge. A </span><a href="http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2012/09/21/10-ways-fired-employees-got-their-revenge-on-their-ex-bosses-for/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">blog by hitc.com called, “10 Ways Fired Employees Got
Revenge on their Bosses,”</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> included
the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">“A former IT manager received a suspended jail sentence
for illegally hacking into his old company’s IT systems and rigging his former
boss’s Powerpoint presentation to display pornographic photos.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">“An unhappy ex-employee who was made redundant, hacked into
his bosses email and sent obscene messages to the senior management team and
the company <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">board.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">“A disgruntled ex-employee posted a listing for 'free
household and garage contents', quoting his former boss's address. The
listing claimed the homeowners were moving to Puerto Rico and didn't want
to keep anything. The ad indicated anyone could come down and take
whatever they want. Investigators say the listing gave directions to
the home, and even provided the garage code.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">“An angry employee who was given 4 weeks notice used the
company credit card to get a year’s supply of 'male enhancement' pills
delivered to a variety of senior staff around the office.”</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2011/07/05/10-ways-fired-employees-got-their-revenge-on-their-ex-bosses-for/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2011/07/05/10-ways-fired-employees-got-their-revenge-on-their-ex-bosses-for/</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Are you starting to detect a
pattern here? Hell hath no fury like an
employee burned. Terminated employees
have been known to do everything from destroying equipment or a company’s
reputation, to taking out their frustration on bosses or coworkers who they
feel were responsible for their downfall.
In today’s wired world, it’s all too easy for anyone to talk trash
online. Worse is when an ex-employee has
uncovered a boss or coworker’s password in order to make it seem as though the
victim is the one who was talking trash.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While terminating an employee
is always an unpleasant task, it is important to remember that not all those
who are fired are going to take the matter lying down. The problem is that while most businesses
have some form of hiring manual, I have yet to see a company create a firing
manual. Aside from brushing off the
psychological shock to the system that being terminated has on most people, the
majority of HR departments in businesses large and small as a rule shrug off creating
procedures that can mitigate the damage likely to be caused by former
employees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Locking the Barn Door<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Here are the top 5 items that
need to be addressed before any employee is given his or her walking papers:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">How much access does the employee have to the company’s
servers and intranet?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What kind of company communication is the employee
privy to?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Does the employee have a company-issued smartphone,
tablet or laptop?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">How long will it take you to change or delete all
related company passwords?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What email lists, customer lists and company intranets
does the employee have access?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While every company
automatically restricts an ex-employees access to the company’s premises and
bank accounts, you’d be surprised to learn how few conduct an audit of all the
electronic means through which an employee can gain access to potentially
disruptive technology. Don’t find out
the hard way like the folks who manage Chicago O’Hare Airport. In </span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-suicidal-workers-sabotage-allegedly-grounded-2000-flights-2014-9#ixzz3eIrR6ktU"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">September 2014, more than 2,000 flights were cancelled</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> and pandemonium ensued when an employee who was
facing a transfer, sabotaged the air traffic control center after posting a
suicide note on Facebook.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A quote from Business Insider
read:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">“Authorities
say a contract employee started a fire Friday morning in the basement of a
control center in the Chicago suburb of Aurora and then attempted to commit
suicide by slashing his throat. Brian Howard, 36, of Naperville, was charged
with destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities, a felony. The FBI said
Howard remains hospitalized and no court date has been scheduled.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">“As
of midday Saturday, total Chicago flight cancelations for the day stood at more
than 700 — still a damagingly high number, but an improvement. Southwest
Airlines, the dominant carrier at Midway, had hoped to resume a full flight
schedule Saturday, but had to cancel all flights between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
CDT.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">“Lines
remained long at O'Hare, which is a major U.S. hub. Many travelers stranded
overnight slept on cots provided by the airport, in scenes reminiscent of
winter storm disruptions.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Read more:<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/a-suicidal-workers-sabotage-allegedly-grounded-2000-flights-2014-9#ixzz3eIrR6ktU"><span style="color: #003399; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">http://www.businessinsider.com/a-suicidal-workers-sabotage-allegedly-grounded-2000-flights-2014-9#ixzz3eIrR6ktU</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
Neither the FBI nor the TSA had any comment to make
regarding the incident. Republican
Senator Mark Kirk had this to say: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">"Chicago
O'Hare International Airport cannot be brought to a screeching halt. I want to see not only an immediate review by
the FAA of the screening process at the Chicago Air Route Traffic Control
Center in Aurora, but also a report within 30 days outlining changes the FAA
will make to prevent any one individual from having this type of impact on the
heart of the United States economy."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The moral of the story is
that even after spending billions of dollars to keep out terrorists and hijackers,
all it took to shut down one of the world’s busiest airports was a disgruntled
employee with a gas can and a match. With
that in mind, if you own or manage a business that hires and fires, you need to
take steps to ensure your firm isn’t blindsided by the ghosts of employees
past. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-70943855672076615312015-06-22T07:26:00.000-07:002015-06-22T11:39:10.331-07:00Bot Buddy or Robot Rage?<div class="WordSection1">
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">by Carl Weiss</span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLDToOq9GiVhNYTV8fuTklioBEY_pYl-rkrOPq7H9GyS_aSzxWKiser32lUHErxsBksURMufbEtOsCsUXuX8avkWC0pLiIYgytoKcUIWWYkCAL_nS2ixLgH3GAByBpTUHMmbkRZO76BE/s1600/robot1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLDToOq9GiVhNYTV8fuTklioBEY_pYl-rkrOPq7H9GyS_aSzxWKiser32lUHErxsBksURMufbEtOsCsUXuX8avkWC0pLiIYgytoKcUIWWYkCAL_nS2ixLgH3GAByBpTUHMmbkRZO76BE/s200/robot1.jpg" width="140" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of wikipedia.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Is there a robot in your future? More importantly, what
will the ultimate effect on society be once robots start taking over much of
what has until now made humans unique? Until recently, robots have for the most
part been relegated to factories and the living room rug. But all that is about
to change. A number of firms are currently making robots that are designed to
work alongside us in warehouses, retail establishments and offices. More
importantly, as these droids become more autonomous, will they slowly but
surely push their human counterparts out of the picture altogether? Will their growing
intelligence become a threat to the human species itself, as a number of
scientists believe? Whether human beings embrace these automated assistants as
a boon, or people begin to rage against the very machines meant to do their
bidding is still too soon to tell. Love them or hate them, join me today as I
take a look at the rise of the robots.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Robot Renaissance<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Contrary to popular opinion, robots are hardly what one
would call a recent invention. As far
back as 350 B.C., robots have been a reality.
That’s when the Greek mathematician Archytas crafted a mechanical pigeon
that got its motive power via steam. The
Renaissance saw a number of automata created, including a robotic musical band as well as an automated waitress that would serve drinks. Leonardo DaVinci himself drew up detailed
plans for a mechanized medieval knight.
Although it was never built, other imitators took delight in creating a
number of “machines” that were designed to mystify and delight royalty and
commoners alike.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">The chief difference between these early automata and
todays robots was the fact that, with notable exceptions, these
robots were only intended to mimic the living creatures around them. They were never designed to carry out the
tasks that these living creatures performed. It wasn't so much the technology that was lacking, but the ability to program these mechanical beasties. That all changed in 1801, when Joseph Jacquard built a totally automated
loom that was programmed via punched cards.
While this innovation represented the earliest form of software, it was so effective that punched cards were still being used to program computers more than 200 years later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">It wasn’t until the advent of World War II that the
digital computer was first created by Alan Turing to help the Allies beat the
German Enigma code machine. Fifteen
years after the end of the war, it was also Turing who published the book
Computing Machinery and Intelligence, in which he postulated a test designed
to determine whether a machine had attained the power of intelligent thought. It became known as the Turing Test and to
date no robot has yet passed the test.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">That does not mean that the rise of robot intelligence has not
progressed. Since the 1960’s when the
first industrial robots were introduced, automation has continued to make
inroads in industry. Today’s auto
factories are 90% robotized. Amazon
warehouses continue to become more automated.
(Amazon has even been lobbying the FAA to let them use drones to deliver
packages.) Yet with the exception of big
business, few of us labor cheek to jowl with robots in the workplace. Sure, you might see a Roomba Robot scurrying
across the office floor in search of those ever elusive dust bunnies. But at this juncture, if you have a secretary
or office assistant, he or she is made of flesh and blood. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Can BeamPro Put the
Kibosh on Office Hijinx?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6pICcPJKHINvrpu8WO1zSlMoOCOpq7-W8gY7Ey7XIbM7MNGgEFGYnRS8PYIIZHmZqI1WgMYEEMssinwGvtxvTnl-Aohx3mmDjJZEo_z94XZMBdRBBYE6qzVUGTpNohw8LzeAXavma0c/s1600/beampro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6pICcPJKHINvrpu8WO1zSlMoOCOpq7-W8gY7Ey7XIbM7MNGgEFGYnRS8PYIIZHmZqI1WgMYEEMssinwGvtxvTnl-Aohx3mmDjJZEo_z94XZMBdRBBYE6qzVUGTpNohw8LzeAXavma0c/s320/beampro.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of <a href="https://suitabletech.com/beam/">Suitable Technologi</a>es</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">While teleconferencing has been reducing the need for busy executives to
fly the friendly skies, until recently these conferences were relegated to
conference rooms and boardrooms. But an
enterprising company called Suitable Technologies recently introduced a 5-foot
tall rolling robot called BeamPro that takes teleconferencing to the streets.
(Or, at least the hallway.) Think of
BeamPro like a tablet pc on wheels, because that is essentially what it
is. The bot allows busy executives the
ability not only to interface with far flung colleagues and employees, but it
provides mobility that enables said executives to roam the halls of an office
across town or around the world.
Equipped with webcam and speakers, BeamPro is kind of like a corporate
nannycam on steroids, since it not only allows the boss to keep watch on his
staff, but it also enables he or she to interface with and direct the action of
far flung staffers. </span><a href="http://time.com/3923648/rolling-robot-screen-beam/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">http://time.com/3923648/rolling-robot-screen-beam/</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">While this bot threatens to undermine the “While the boss is away, the
staff will play” mentality prevalent at many offices, it is still a far cry
from replacing said staff. Nor does it
assist the current staff in performing their duties. (Unless having a full-time
robotic office Nazi can be considered helpful to overworked and underpaid
employees.) However, that doesn’t mean
that help isn’t on the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Baxter and His
Buddies<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">While office automation has come a long way, that doesn’t mean you can
order a robotic office assistant that can take a letter. But there is a robot made by Rethink Robotics
named Baxter that could put a new face on your shipping department… literally. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiczMA3nwq47jPvgi3ykEi9D7s2ImUY3FdxP14cLj4yTnglXSqwId9AFfhaJEEmFN2jyVHjwCgh96OkT2QyoV-tzrIdc2ZCgyIH7NUMnka0_7A9LrYGkbkDoeDuHvIveOWKNr_H2kGir-o/s1600/baxter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiczMA3nwq47jPvgi3ykEi9D7s2ImUY3FdxP14cLj4yTnglXSqwId9AFfhaJEEmFN2jyVHjwCgh96OkT2QyoV-tzrIdc2ZCgyIH7NUMnka0_7A9LrYGkbkDoeDuHvIveOWKNr_H2kGir-o/s320/baxter.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of <a href="http://www.rethinkrobotics.com/baxter/">Rethink Robotics</a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Where science fiction has usually characterized robots as replacing
their human counterparts, Baxter is actually designed to work alongside
them. If you have ever seen automated
factories where robots are kept like caged animals that are too dangerous to be
allowed near their flesh and blood coworkers, Baxter was designed from the
ground up to be user (and human) friendly. The homepage at RethinkRobotics.com
sums it up as follows,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #6d6d6d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">“If you walk the floor of your facility and see lightweight
parts being handled near people, you’ve likely just found a great job for
Baxter. This smart, collaborative robot is ready to get to work for your
company – doing the monotonous tasks that free up your skilled human labor to
be exactly that. Baxter is safe to operate next to in production environments,
without the need for caging – saving money and valuable floor space. Baxter deploys quickly and connects
seamlessly to other automation – often without third party integration. With Baxter, no traditional programming is
required. Instead, it’s manually trainable by in-house staff, reducing the time
and cost of third party programmers.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Designed with a “Monkey see, monkey do” programming
subroutine where employees literally show Baxter how to accomplish a task, this
in one easy-to-employ bot. At a base
price of $25,000, he and his one-armed counterpart Sawyer could be just the ticket
for etailers and cottage industry production facilities that perform a lot of
repetitive tasks involved in everything from packaging and material handling to
machine tending and line loading. Still,
with their limited mobility, tinkertoy appendages and industrial demeanor, even
these handy droids are unlikely to give your receptionist a run for her money
any time soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Bring
on the Humanoid Androids<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">What most of us are waiting (or dreading) the arrival of robots that can walk, talk and act a little more like human beings. DARPA recently completed its Robotics
Challenge where teams of human robotics experts competed for millions of
dollars in prizes. Their task was to
create ambulatory robots that were required to complete a number of disaster
response tasks, including driving a rescue vehicle, walking through rubble,
climbing stairs and turning valves.
Twenty three teams from around the world fielded robots and three teams
shared $3.5 million in prize money, including South Korea’s Team Kaist and two
teams from the US, IHMC Robotics and Tartan Rescue. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt;">No matinee idols by any stretch of
the imagination, while these robots can move like humans, their looks are such that if you weren’t completely incapacitated, the sight of these robotic
rescuers would in all likelihood scare most of us to death.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><br />
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 217;">Aren’t there any cute robots out there?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 217;">While most research has gone into
giving robots the ability to walk and talk like people, few have given
aesthetics much thought. However, there
are a couple of notable exceptions such as motor car manufacturer Honda that
has been working diligently on a lively little bipedal droid that while not
exactly cute as a button, does have a persona less derivative of an industrial
monstrosity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt;">Able to walk, talk, run, climb stairs
and as President Obama discovered during a trip to Japan, kick a soccer ball,
this lively little android has been under development for nearly 20 years. Unlike the industrial manipulators that most
bots come equipped, Asimo’s “hands” have four fingers and a thumb just like you
and I. Looking like a 4’3” astronaut,
replete with backpack, this humanoid robot is not currently for sale. However, the little guy
has become something of a robot ambassador, having travelled to and performed
in dozens of countries worldwide. </span><a href="http://asimo.honda.com/"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://asimo.honda.com/</span></a></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 217;">Wouldn’t You Like to See a Pepper Too?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 217;">More importantly, while Asimo may be
a giant step forward in robot evolution, he is still not something you are likely to
introduce to your parents. That’s where
Pepper comes in. Designed with an
emotional engine that has been designed to read everything from body language
to voice inflection, this little robot is even cuter than Asimo. Better still, the little droid has been
designed with one specific purpose in mind: to be a companion. While Pepper can’t climb stairs, it is still
able to get around on wheels set into its base. More importantly, Pepper is for sale, at
least in Japan, for around $1.600 + $200/month in service fees. Created by Softbank and backed by Foxconn
Technology Group and Alibaba, when Pepper was put on sale on June 20, 1,000
units were sold in the first minute, forcing Softbank to suspend sales.<br />
</span><a href="http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2015/06/20/Pepper-the-emotional-robot-sells-out-in-one-minute/3131434811118/"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2015/06/20/Pepper-the-emotional-robot-sells-out-in-one-minute/3131434811118/</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 217;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 217;"><o:p> </o:p></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12pt; text-align: center;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 217;">Before you reach for your wallet, you
also need to understand what Pepper can and can’t do. While the little droid can hold a
conversation, react to your emotions and respond autonomously, he doesn’t cook,
clean or vacuum the rugs. However, that doesn’t mean he can’t earn his keep. Softbank mobile, one of the prime cellphone
operators in Japan, as well as Pepper’s creator, have been employing him in
their retail outlets as a greeter. Last
year, another Japanese firm, Nestle Japan “employed” Pepper in its appliance
stores in order to sell Nescafe coffee machines. Said, Nestle Japan’s CEO Kohzoh Takaoka, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 24.0pt;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">"Pepper will be able to explain Nescafe products and
services and engage in conversation with consumers.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #333333;">Beginning this fall,
Softbank and its marketing partners are expected to roll out a special business
model of the robot named, “Pepper for Biz.”
The success of Softwank’s initial rollout has also propelled a number of
other entrepreneurs into the game. How
long will it be before you can purchase or lease a NannyBot to mind your kids
or your elderly parents. With the
government’s increased use of drones and warbots, can it be all that far off
before security droids come to a warehouse near you? And it wouldn't it seem like child’s play to craft
robotic lawnmowers that rolls out of a truck under its own power to tend to your lawn.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #333333;">Let’s face it, once the
robotic genie is let out of the bottle, there will be no way to put it
back. This means that robots intended to
“assist” us will soon transmogrify into androids that can replace us. As the units get more sophisticated and
autonomous, will it be long before jobs currently being performed by humans are
taken over by robots? Or worse, how long
will it be before robots reach a point in understanding deemed a singularity by
researchers, at which point they will become self-aware. A number of notable scientists and
industrialists, including Stephen Hawking and Elon Musk have warned that once
robots achieve parity with humans on an intellectual level, there is a real
possibility that they will decide they no longer require or desire to
share the planet with their human counterparts.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #333333;">Also, there is a real
danger that once people begin to be replaced in the workplace by robots, they could
well rise up to picket and boycott the companies that formerly employed
them. I could see protest marches and
civil disobedience taking place as people become displaced and dispossessed. Political and religious leaders will be
mobilized to thwart this inhuman form of slavery. I can see the headlines now, “Al Sharpton
takes on AI.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #333333;">My point is that
robotics and artificial intelligence are going to be the mother of all
two-edged swords that our wired world will soon be forced to deal with. Whether the verdict will ultimately be bot
buddies or robot rage is still too early to compute. But if Terry Gou of Foxconn and Jack Ma of
Alibaba are right, robots could soon be as important as the automobile in the
coming decades. That means we’ll all
have to deal with the debate <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>regarding robot rights a lot
sooner than you think.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background: white;">
<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Carl Weiss is president of </span></i></b><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Working the Web to Win</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">,</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"> <b><i>an award-winning digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville, Florida. </i></b></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">You can listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4 p.m.</span></i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></i></b></span></a><b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Eastern on</span></i></b><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 27px;"> </span></div>
Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-25670599568232019142015-06-15T12:03:00.000-07:002015-06-15T12:03:01.207-07:00Basics of Biohacking<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Is
your body letting you down? How much time out of your daily schedule do
you relinquish for exercise? Are you
tired of moving heaven and earth to support that bag of chemicals and water?
Do you wish you could enhance your senses or even add new capabilities to
your existing body? While this used to be the realm of science fiction
only a few years ago, current and rapidly emerging technologies allow you to
repair, replace or enhance that old bag of bones here and now. In this
week's Working the Web to Win blog, I will take you into the lab to explore
bio-tech that is being used to repair, replace or enhance human beings. I
will also introduce you to a new cult of devotees who are ready, willing and
able to undergo painful medical procedures to take the cyborg plunge and bio-hack
their way to a better life. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b>Dr. Geekenstein, I Presume</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The name Steve Haworth isn’t exactly a household word. At least not yet. Unlike the other two Steve’s of Apple
Computer fame, Steve Haworth has not yet achieved the level of rockstar geek
status that Jobs and Woz did. But he
could well be on his way. That’s because
he is one of the pioneers of body modification who routinely performs surgery
on people looking to add enhancements to their body. Since he is not a board certified surgeon,
this means that these procedures are done without the aid of anesthetic, unless
you count ice. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Although Haworth’s family has long been associated with medical device
engineering, Steve cut his teeth in the 90’s by dabbling with body piercing, 3D
tattoos and something called the Metal Mohawk.
(You can’t make this stuff up folks.)
Fast forward fifteen years and Steve’s modifications are now more sci-fi
than technopunk. One of the enhancements
that Steve routinely performs is the surgical implantation of rare earth
magnets. Now I know what you’re
thinking, “Why would anybody pay to get turned into a refrigerator
magnet?” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Well, it’s a little more complicated than that. While Steve and other bio-hacking enthusiasts
have posted videos which show them moving metal objects with the magnetic field
generated by their enhanced digits, apparently there is another side effect of
the procedure. Apparently this
enhancement also provides the recipient with a virtual Spidey sense that allows
them to perceive magnetic fields. For
$350 you too can experience the pulse of electric motors, junction boxes, high
tension wires and any device that imparts a magnetic field. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Is a DIYborg Really a
Cyborg?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Of course, there are more ways to enhance your senses than by simply
implanting magnets. Adventurous people
have implanted everything from RFID chips that allows them to control nearby
devices, turn on and off the lights, not to mention open their garage door
without the use of a clicker. There is
another popular procedure called Southpaw that involves the implantation of a
compass that in essence turns you into a homing pigeon by letting you sense
kinesthetically when you are facing north.
(I should probably get one of these for my mother, since she is terrible
when it comes to following directions.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">You can also have computer chips implanted that sense your biometric
data, turning you into the human equivalent of a FitBit. Others have had led lights implanted beneath
their skin, turning them into a cross between a tattoo and a casino
marquis. While most of the devices are
tiny, I have seen at least one adventurous lad named Ted Cannon, who had a device
the size of a smartphone implanted beneath the skin of his forearm. You can view his video interview here: </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> (Just make sure you haven’t eaten recently.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">More telling is that Ted’s company, Grindhouse Wetware, builds devices
that are designed to integrate with the human body. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Geordi LaForge, Here
We Come<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Aside from DIYborgs, there are also apparently eyeborgs, ala Geordi
LaForge of Star Trek fame. This was the
character in the Next Generation series played by LeVar Burton. Having been born blind, Geordi sported a pair
of high tech spectacles that not only permitted him to see, he could see light
spectra that no human eye could, including infrared, ultraviolet and radio
waves. While today’s version of Star
Trek tech isn’t quite as extraordinary as that of Geordi LaForge, it’s getting
there. Scientists have already
reverse-engineered the retina and created an app that not only reproduces its
operation, but it allows a camera to be connected through the optic nerve. In principle, this enhancement could be used
to augment the tiny fraction of the light spectrum we currently are able to
see. Holy x-ray vision, Batman! (Another group in England is conducting
experiments with an implantable lens that can not only provide perfect 20/20
vision to all you who wear glasses, but they claim the lens even provides a
zoom capability.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Do You Want Fries
with That?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">On the other side of the coin, there are people who are so unconcerned
with appearances that they will risk ridicule, or even worse, to possess
enhanced abilities. One of these
acolytes is Steve Mann, who has become something of a biohacking legend since he
was forcibly ejected from a McDonald’s restaurant in Paris France when he
walked into the establishment sporting what amounts to a DIY version of Google
Glass. The chief difference was that
Steve Mann’s glasses were bolted to his head.
Referred to as the “Father of Wearable Computing,” he has been making a
techno fashion statement for years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">While much of the biohacking scene has been taking place in basements
and back alleys, that doesn’t mean that the phenomenon hasn’t garnered academic
attention. One notable is Captain
Cyborg, otherwise known as Kevin Warwick, professor of cybernetics at Coventry
University. In a 2013 interview in
Forbes Magazine that took place in Warwick’s office, which writer Emma Byrne
described as “a cross between a toyshop and Tony Stark’s basement,” the
professor was asked which project he was most proud.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“No question, it would have to be when I hooked up with
my wife.” He’s not talking about dating:
In 2002, he and his wife Irena installed matching implants that recorded signals
from their central nervous systems. They
were able to correctly identify each other’s nerve signals around 98% of the
time.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Sam Morse, the inventor of Morse code, talked about
brain-to-brain communication. He sorted
out the distance, but he still needed that physical interface, the finger on
the key. Over the years we’ve made loads
of improvements in bandwidth and distance, but we still haven’t got past the
interface problem.”</span></i> <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/netapp/2013/09/30/kevin-warwick-captain-cyborg/"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.forbes.com/sites/netapp/2013/09/30/kevin-warwick-captain-cyborg/</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Like Steve Hawaorth’s rare earth magnets, the brain-to-brain interface
Dr. Warwick shared with his wife was more akin to a sixth sense than mere
communication. (How many men reading
this would love to never be asked again what they are thinking by their
wives?) More significantly, it’s this
extrasensory perception that has Warwick and other researchers interested in
exploring the possibilities yet further.
When asked about the possibilities as well as the perils in
experimenting with the human body, Warwick replied,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“When Alexander Graham Bell made the first phone call, at
first people couldn’t see the point in what he was doing. What’s the point of the first phone? But it didn’t stop there. I think what I’m doing is like that. Maybe when I’ve been dead ten years people
will go, ‘Oh! That’s what that was for.’
What you do in terms of prizes and degrees and all that – that’s
absolutely nothing. It’s when you do
something no one’s done before. When you
push it, that’s what’s exciting.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">While that may hold true, just as advances in medicine in the past, such
as joint replacement and transplantation have become commonplace, I can’t help
thinking that somewhere the ghost of Mary Shelley is spinning in her grave.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“It’s Alive!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Carl Weiss is president of </span></i></b><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Working the Web to Win</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">,</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"> <b><i>an award-winning digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville, Florida. </i></b></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">You can listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4 p.m.</span></i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></i></b></span></a><b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Eastern on</span></i></b><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"> </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com1Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-14376756506794751742015-06-08T08:32:00.000-07:002015-06-08T08:32:53.195-07:00Steve Jobs: The Ghost in the Machine?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47v9E0wnNiMx7eGE5g06b0xu3hnOgak4s93pvFayGQBnKt-KuxbUkgy-Nin7AZKsO5lwrsX75w2enb7sGnTtSg1vRjfKNjKqwDdJAscKWs757KggGNoFDd5a998x2mwPQARX-ZlxAa6Q/s1600/00jobsoffice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47v9E0wnNiMx7eGE5g06b0xu3hnOgak4s93pvFayGQBnKt-KuxbUkgy-Nin7AZKsO5lwrsX75w2enb7sGnTtSg1vRjfKNjKqwDdJAscKWs757KggGNoFDd5a998x2mwPQARX-ZlxAa6Q/s1600/00jobsoffice.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of setupsandspaces.com</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">At Apple Computer, Steve Jobs
is gone but not forgotten. While it
would be hard to forget their iconic cofounder, even 3 years after his death,
it is as though Steve had just stepped out for lunch. That’s due in part to the fact that Jobs had
his hand in so much of what we consider to be high tech today. He was one of the architects in all kinds of technology,
from the personal computer, to the tablet and smartphone. If you buy music online, iTunes pioneered the
way that the industry sells digital music.
If you enjoy animated motion pictures, let’s not forget that Steve was
the knight in shining armor who came to the rescue of Pixar when even the likes
of George Lucas was unable to afford to keep it afloat in the early days of
digital cinema.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Of course, there is one other
reason why anyone who visits Apple Computer corporate headquarters at 1
Infinite Loop, Cupertino, California would have the impression that Steve is due back at any moment. That’s
due to the fact that his office has remained virtually untouched since
his departure. His nameplate still graces
the door. When asked why during a March
18, Washington Post interview, Apple CEO Tim Cook responded,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i>“</i><i><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Georgia","serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">I haven’t decided about what we’ll do there. But
I wanted to keep his office exactly like it was. What we’ll do over time, I
don’t know. I didn’t want to move in there. I think he’s an irreplaceable
person and so it didn’t feel right . . . for anything to go on in that office.
So his computer is still in there as it was, his desk is still in there as it
was, he’s got a bunch of books in there. His name should still be on the door.
That’s just the way it should be. That’s what felt right to me.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">That could change in a year,
when Apple’s new flying saucer-shaped headquarters is completed. But what will not change is the large
footprint and lasting legacy of one of the titans of microcomputing. In their just released book, “</span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Steve-Jobs-Evolution-Visionary/dp/0385347405/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1427318818&sr=1-1&keywords=becoming+steve+jobs" target="_blank"><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #365f91; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; mso-themecolor: accent1; mso-themeshade: 191; padding: 0in;">Becoming Steve
Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader,</span><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: black; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">"</span></a>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">authors Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli
document Jobs’ triumphs and travails. While a visionary, Steve had what
amounted to blinders on in a number of circumstances that cost him big.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0H_CImTdfBLKPwNhms7xUEMjH7LxIakHMcwIEp5QiP55_u2NuzPMibk0wb0h_szsbxVrlbfKdzXQ6z5J2AgCNbdGEDxbs9Mdkdu5b_kI0ug5kTQq0770juS-wM3pvDIlYRbEdz-DCTg/s1600/00applehq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0H_CImTdfBLKPwNhms7xUEMjH7LxIakHMcwIEp5QiP55_u2NuzPMibk0wb0h_szsbxVrlbfKdzXQ6z5J2AgCNbdGEDxbs9Mdkdu5b_kI0ug5kTQq0770juS-wM3pvDIlYRbEdz-DCTg/s1600/00applehq.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of fastcodesign.com</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">One of the first was a
unilateral decision he made in 1984 to air an Orwellian 60-second spot during
the Super Bowl without consulting the board until the day before it was
scheduled to air. According to the book,
the board was so horrified that they sold one of their spots so that the ad
only appeared once during the game.</span><span style="background: white; color: #424242; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8UZV7PDt8Lw/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/8UZV7PDt8Lw?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Shortly after that, Steve
decided it was time to reinvent the personal computer, the market for which was
becoming glutted since the introduction of the IBM PC and its many clones. T<span style="background: white; color: #333333;">aking
$50 million of the company’s money, Steve assembled a team of the best and
brightest at Apple and created what he thought would be the next leap forward
in personal computing technology. Called Lisa, the computer was released
in January of 1984<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>priced between
$3,495 and $5,495. Even though the system was well ahead of its time,
commercially its launch was hailed as a failure, one that would ultimately cost
Jobs his job.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVd2ki7XEhqSciIygiAUtLl162zZ_OZgJCnoHDFJKZO0b8aegm3FEAAFrI452CNoNoO4IZgc2PWi4q7FPwVi1I7oZk3-IjDLdpoKnjB3tFGkeqo_Of7ABkcsYFEIziKW7BWf2BV36G-8/s1600/00next.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaVd2ki7XEhqSciIygiAUtLl162zZ_OZgJCnoHDFJKZO0b8aegm3FEAAFrI452CNoNoO4IZgc2PWi4q7FPwVi1I7oZk3-IjDLdpoKnjB3tFGkeqo_Of7ABkcsYFEIziKW7BWf2BV36G-8/s1600/00next.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of en.wikipedia.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt;">This
failure did not deter Jobs, who along with several other ousted Apple employees
went onto start NeXT Computer, Inc. in 1995. While NeXT only sold around
50,000 units and was ultimately absorbed by Apple for $429 million, several of
the concepts developed at NeXT were incorporated into later Apple systems,
including parts of the OS X and IOS operating systems. During his hiatus
from Apple, Steve Jobs also dabbled with another company called Pixar, in which
even George Lucas had lost faith. Pixar would later go onto produce a
number of animated features some of which would receive Academy awards.
Jobs also clearly had a bead on the NeXT big trend of the 1990’s which he
referred to as interpersonal computing that would soon appear with an eerily
similar moniker: The Internet. </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div style="line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>“</i><i><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">While Steve Jobs returned to Apple, after
running another computer company he started called NeXT, a man named Gil Amelio
was the CEO of Apple. The company was a disaster at this point, and Jobs didn't
think very highly of him — in fact, he thought he was a bozo. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">To signal his displeasure, Jobs dumped
all but one of the shares he had gotten for selling NeXT to Apple without
telling anyone. He had one share, so he was still able to attend Apple's annual
meeting, "but the sale was a
high-decibel vote of no confidence," write the authors. "Amelio felt
stabbed in the back, as he was." </span></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-10-bravest-moves-2015-3?op=1#ixzz3Vu0NpBoa" style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="color: #003399; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-jobs-10-bravest-moves-2015-3?op=1#ixzz3Vu0NpBoa</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">More importantly, immediately upon his
return as CEO, Steve’s first job was to replace nearly everyone on Apple’s
board. You have to remember that Steve
was absent from Apple for eleven years, during which time the company had
floundered. Within two years Jobs had
brought Apple back from the brink of near bankruptcy. In 1998, Steve started debuting a number of
revolutionary new products, including the
</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMac" title="IMac"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">iMac</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPod" title="IPod"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">iPod</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPhone" title="IPhone"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">iPhone</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">, and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IPad" title="IPad"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">iPad</span></a>. <span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">He also
initiated the service side of the business by opening a chain of Apple Retail
Stores and two new etailers, </span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITunes_Store" title="ITunes Store"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">iTunes Store</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">and the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/App_Store_(iOS)" title="App Store (iOS)"><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">App Store</span></a> .
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As a result, by 2011 Apple became the
world’s most valuable publicly traded companies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Unfortunately, that was also the last year of Steve
Jobs life. That doesn’t mean he waited
until the last minute to make sure that his legacy was preserved. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">"Steve cared deeply
about the why," current Apple CEO Tim Cook told authors Brent Schlender
and Rick Tetzelii. "The why of the decision. In the younger days I would
see him just do something. But as the days went on he would spend more time
with me and with other people explaining why he thought or did something, or
why he looked at something in a certain way. This was why he came up with Apple
U., so we could train and educate the next generation of leaders by teaching
them all we had been through, and how we had made the terrible decisions we
made and also how we made the really good ones.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Apple's senior vice
president of Internet Software and Services, Eddy Cue, noted that Jobs was
"working his ass off till the end, in pain," using morphine to remain
functional. In his final years Jobs began accelerating preparations to leave the
company in a good shape, including founding Apple University, but also talking
with Cook about what would happen after his death.</span></i><i><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">"He didn't want us asking, 'What would
Steve do?' He abhorred the way the Disney culture stagnated after Walt Disney's
death, and he was determined for that not to happen at Apple," according
to Cook."<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Summoning Tim Cook to his home on August
11, 2011, Steve passed him the torch by naming Tim as his successor. But even that meeting demonstrated Jobs
unwillingness to give up the ghost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">“Cook remarked to the
biography's authors. "I thought
then that he thought he was going to live a lot longer when he said this,
because we got into a whole level of discussion about what would it mean for me
to be CEO with him as a chairman. I asked him, 'What do you really not want to
do that you're doing?'"</span></i><i><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
</span></i><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">While his passing did have a
short term negative impact on Apple’s stock price that briefly fell 5%, <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFPPBgT3Ca-cLBxUsACxlXuTGlKH8UfgZX18Rwkdf0j9HrbMZCBcCo3sIwL8haWSJcwjtD5TOWbaqwY7TYqaROkn_R6PJwA0ahZjGFft2aJNPhlxR57nkAfnstlgftEwmROq85SauLEk/s1600/0jobs1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgFPPBgT3Ca-cLBxUsACxlXuTGlKH8UfgZX18Rwkdf0j9HrbMZCBcCo3sIwL8haWSJcwjtD5TOWbaqwY7TYqaROkn_R6PJwA0ahZjGFft2aJNPhlxR57nkAfnstlgftEwmROq85SauLEk/s1600/0jobs1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of extremetech.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
the
company Steve founded is today stronger than ever. In March 2011, Fortune
Magazine named Steve Jobs the “greatest entrepreneur of our time.” Other posthumous honors included the Grammy
Trustees Award, inducted as a Disney Legend, along with a bronze statue in
Budapest commissioned by the Graphisoft company and a memorial that was erected
in 2013 in St. Petersburg, Russia.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Suffice it to say while the corporeal form
of Steve Jobs will only be with us via YouTube and previously televised interviews,
his undying spirit and lifelong list of
technological <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>accomplishments will continue to
haunt the industry that he helped spawn.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-16445681534848733952015-06-08T07:38:00.000-07:002015-06-08T08:22:11.560-07:00The Perils of Getting Away from it ALL<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s that time of year when
thoughts turn to going on vacation for a week or so in order to get away from
it all. In years gone by, most people
wouldn’t give it a second thought while packing their bags about being extra
vigilant before and during their trip.
Sure, they might tell a friend or neighbor to pick up the mail. Perhaps they would suspend delivery of the
newspaper. But that’s about all the
thought that they’d give it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Now that we life in the
digital era, a little extra effort needs to be taken before heading for the
airport, unless we want our trip to be ruined before it even begins. In fact, savvy travelers not only use the
Internet to shop for the best travel deals, they also use it to check out their
intended destination from the comfort of their homes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The Problem with Paris<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNYetwhTaZ0IhMKCFZbXhj-7d-XMZXE40H92sU9pQRWw2NPk7J6lrwXHNi5V2HJMt2mCvQeQixt5KvOqWUdHjAhQ2LzTd2bbNbfg6zBgO9xhbuH-xhdVJTsvhyit19-iO_SoNKKxOjL4/s1600/eiffel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiNYetwhTaZ0IhMKCFZbXhj-7d-XMZXE40H92sU9pQRWw2NPk7J6lrwXHNi5V2HJMt2mCvQeQixt5KvOqWUdHjAhQ2LzTd2bbNbfg6zBgO9xhbuH-xhdVJTsvhyit19-iO_SoNKKxOjL4/s320/eiffel.jpg" width="203" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of britannica.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">How would you like to travel
to the City of Lights only to find out that the most famous Parisian tourist
destination of them all had gone dark?
That’s what happened on May 22, according to Fox News.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="dateline"><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">PARIS
– </span></i></span><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
Eiffel Tower closed to the public for most of the day Friday as workers
protested a rise in aggressive pickpockets around the Paris landmark that
attracts thousands of visitors daily. The walkout came a day after Paris
authorities announced that crime against tourists in the French capital had
dropped this year thanks to reinforced police presence and video surveillance.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="background: #F4F4F4; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
tower didn't open Friday morning because the staff was concerned about petty
crime around the site. Clusters of tourists streamed beneath the tower, unable
to reach its viewing platforms. It remained while staff and management held
meetings about security measures, then reopened in the late afternoon,
according to the company that manages the site. The tower is normally open
every day of the year, but sometimes closes briefly for bomb threats or
strikes.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="background: #F4F4F4; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Tower
employee Denis Vavassori of the CGT union said the workers want a permanent
police presence." It is a growing problem. There were always pickpockets
at the Eiffel Tower but now we are really facing an organized group," he
told The Associated Press.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="background: #F4F4F4; margin-bottom: .25in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2015/05/22/eiffel-tower-closed-workers-are-angry-about-rising-problems-with-aggressive/"><i><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2015/05/22/eiffel-tower-closed-workers-are-angry-about-rising-problems-with-aggressive/</span></i></a><i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Parisian pickpockets…Sacre
bleu! While many people read about this
news item, there are hundreds of other travel calamities to which the traveling
public is completely unaware. In a
recent article in the Huffington Post, travel writer Charlotte Alfred pointed
out the 10 Countries that have the highest murder rates. While you would expect destinations such as
Colombia (#10) and El Salvador (#4) to make the list, what might come as a
shock to many is that the islands of St. Kitts (#8) and Jamaica (#6), along
with Belize (#3) also make the top 10. </span><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/10/worlds-highest-murder-rates_n_5125188.html"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/10/worlds-highest-murder-rates_n_5125188.html</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">For a Free Copy of Carl's E-Book, Fill Out the Form Below.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Danger Afloat<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Of course, danger doesn’t
only lurk on dry land. In an April 2014
blog posted by cruiselawnews.com, maritime lawyer Jim Walker points out the 10
Most Dangerous Cruise Destinations in the World. His list includes such places as the US
Virgin Islands (#8), Antigua (#7) and the Bahamas at #1.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">“We
have been warning about crime in Nassau ever since we started this blog in
September 2009. In October of that year
two vicious robbers robbed a group of 11 terrified cruise passengers from a
Royal Caribbean ship at gunpoint in Nassau.
Two months later, 18 cruise passengers were robbed during excursions
from Royal Caribbean and Disney cruise ships.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">We
receive more complaints about crime in Nassau than all of the other ports in
the Caribbean combined. Armed robberies,
sexual assault of teenagers and young women, and the murder of a tourist makes
this port a dangerous place to take your family. The US State Department has issued multiple
critical crime warnings for the Bahamas.”</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2014/04/articles/crime/top-10-most-dangerous-cruise-destinations-in-the-world/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.cruiselawnews.com/2014/04/articles/crime/top-10-most-dangerous-cruise-destinations-in-the-world/</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Speaking of the State
Department, at the time of this blog, there had been 36 travel warnings issued
by them since the first of the year, including this update concerning Mexico:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">“Millions of U.S. citizens safely visit
Mexico each year for study, tourism, and business, including more than 150,000
who cross the border every day.
Nevertheless, U.S. travelers should be aware that the Mexican government
has been engaged in an extensive effort to counter organized criminal groups
that engage in narcotics trafficking and other unlawful activities throughout
Mexico. Crime and violence are serious problems and can occur anywhere, and
U.S. citizens have fallen victim to criminal activity, including homicide, gun
battles, kidnapping, carjacking, and highway robbery. While many of those
killed in organized crime-related violence have themselves been involved in
criminal activity, innocent persons have also been killed. The number of U.S.
citizens reported to the Department of State as murdered in Mexico was 81 in
2013 and 100 in 2014.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Gun battles between rival criminal
organizations or with Mexican authorities have taken place in towns and cities
in many parts of Mexico, and have occurred in broad daylight on streets and in
other public venues, such as restaurants and clubs. During some of these
incidents, U.S. citizens have been temporarily prevented from leaving the
area. Criminal organizations have used stolen cars, buses, and trucks to
create roadblocks on major thoroughfares, preventing the military and police
from responding to criminal activity.<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">The number of kidnappings throughout
Mexico is of particular concern and appears to be on the rise. While
kidnappings can occur anywhere, according to SEGOB, during this timeframe, the
states with the highest numbers of kidnappings were Tamaulipas, Guerrero,
Michoacán, Estado de Mexico, and Morelos. Additionally, according to a widely
publicized study by the agency responsible for national statistics (INEGI, the
National Institute of Statistics and Geography), Mexico suffered an estimated
105,682 kidnappings in 2012; only 1,317 were reported to the police. Police have
been implicated in some of these incidents.</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #5e5e5e; font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span><i><span style="background: white; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">More than 130 kidnappings of U.S.
citizens were reported to the U.S. Embassy and consulates in Mexico between
January and November of 2014.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">While we are all
looking for a little excitement, dodging narcoterrorists and crooked cops is
probably not what most of us have in mind.
A quick scan of other hotspots includes an update on the aftermath of
the recent Nepal earthquake, as well as a reminder concerning Hurricane and
Typhoon season. (Due to El Nino, the
Atlantic basin is expected to see a 70% lower change of Hurricanes this year,
while on the flip side the Pacific is predicted to be anything but, expecting a
70% greater percent probability of typhoons.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">The link to the State
Department’s website is </span></span><a href="http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings.html"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://travel.state.gov/content/passports/english/alertswarnings.html</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">You have been warned!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><b><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Loose Lips Sink Trips<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFA9aXk8hbO8zdCvpt9zLxqOv_ey-VWJpACHZaYesx1I41CXVh-HHo4N89n7zvQg1n_9eYa1JD-dKlROy6TAsdd3WInt07YJxcMf-FXtGh_LQCaQIL6LFFp26T2seZjYZQl-9SGGiaTT0/s1600/looselips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFA9aXk8hbO8zdCvpt9zLxqOv_ey-VWJpACHZaYesx1I41CXVh-HHo4N89n7zvQg1n_9eYa1JD-dKlROy6TAsdd3WInt07YJxcMf-FXtGh_LQCaQIL6LFFp26T2seZjYZQl-9SGGiaTT0/s320/looselips.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Speaking of warning,
my last bit of advice has to do with most people’s propensity to blab about
their vacations on social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Google+. It never ceases to amaze me that otherwise
cautious Americans would be so foolish as to broadcast not only their travel
plans in advance on social sites, but the details as they occur. I have seen everything from a play-by-play
from the airport as friends sit at the airport waiting for their flight to
leave, to extensive photo sessions from foreign shores detailing the wonderful
time they are having while away from home.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Really?<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Let me point out to
you the fact that in the world of cybercrime, crooks no longer need to cruise
through your neighborhood in order to case likely suspects. All they have to do is connect with your
social nets. A blog by crime reporter
Ben Parsons reported a case of a burglar that taunted a victim by logging onto
their Facebook page. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">“The
crook said he planned to pawn their belongings and signed off with “regards,
your nighttime burglar”.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">Victoria
Richardson, 42, whose web page was hijacked the day after the break-in, said
the invasion of privacy made the crime doubly painful.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
home she shares with her husband Dan, 35, and their children in Marine Avenue,
Hove, was raided between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">An
iPhone, a Nintendo DS games console, a handbag containing a purse, cash and
debit cards and a black Toshiba laptop were all stolen. The next day someone logged on to the social
networking website Facebook under Mrs. Richardson’s profile and started leaving
illiterate taunts - claiming they had left the television behind because it was
not good enough for them.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">One
read: “on my new laptop”. The next said: “listening to music on my new phone
feels so good.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">They
then wrote: “i have the laptop , phones ok but a bit scratched itll do tv was
rubbish so i left it ,ds was a bonus now to the porn shop i goto , thank you
toshiba is my favorite make”.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">The
final note read: “regards your nighttime burglar”.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/4547639.Hove_burglar_leaves_Facebook_taunts_for_his_victim___using_their_laptop/"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;">http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/4547639.Hove_burglar_leaves_Facebook_taunts_for_his_victim___using_their_laptop/</span></i></a><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Lesson learned, I hope. If you do
want to share your travel memories with friends and family, be smart and wait
until you return to do so. Your
insurance agent will thank you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">Also, be smart when it comes to avoiding problems while away. Never flash a lot of cash or wear expensive
jewelry. The only people you are likely
to impress are those that make their living robbing tourists. (A friend of mine who is with the police taught
me years ago to carry the bulk of my cash in my socks.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">It’s a wild and wooly world out there.
If you don’t want your vacation to end in the police station or even
worse the ER, then you need to take care before you find out the hard way about
the perils of getting away from it all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<h3 style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin: 0in; position: relative;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span><b style="font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Carl Weiss is president of </span></i></b><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/" style="color: #6699cc; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Working the Web to Win</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">,</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"> <b><i>an award-winning digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville, Florida. </i></b></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #6699cc; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">You can listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4 p.m.</span></i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></i></b></span></a><b style="font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Eastern on</span></i></b><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin" style="color: #6699cc; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></h3>
Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-31799846750813896142015-05-12T08:04:00.000-07:002015-05-12T11:01:22.756-07:00Swimming With the Cyber Sharks<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">It
is said that the only sure things in life are death and taxes. While this pearl
of wisdom has stood the test of time, in the not too distant future there could
be an addition to that list: Cyberattack. That's because cyberattacks on
businesses and individuals are up nearly 50% in the past year alone. Where
cybercriminals used to almost exclusively target big businesses with deep
pockets, now that ransomware has become so prolific, small businesses and even
individuals are finding their online assets and machines being hijacked. And
why not, since most individuals and small businesses offer little in the way of
resistance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Enter the Cyber Sharks<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzXcdahC4BWemxlAz_TKin2m4q-Yz9bbPxxO3Z58mmZgt4McA9dzcfSFcsPOEkhzW1B0aba5_L54HHZwN3EJ4oLo1yqT6XVf1EBMmlN-J_9vIvKCSo0Ux4B8QpZpPGKT9lWaZzOuUdJk/s1600/cybershark.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggzXcdahC4BWemxlAz_TKin2m4q-Yz9bbPxxO3Z58mmZgt4McA9dzcfSFcsPOEkhzW1B0aba5_L54HHZwN3EJ4oLo1yqT6XVf1EBMmlN-J_9vIvKCSo0Ux4B8QpZpPGKT9lWaZzOuUdJk/s320/cybershark.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of worth1000.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Who can forget the opening
music to the movie Jaws. In it’s day,
the novel and subsequent blockbuster motion picture was enough to keep people
on the beaches and out of the surf. But
as paranoid as many moms became about letting their kids frolic in the waves
back in 1975, forty years later we should all be hearing the strains of
da-da-dum-dum every time we surf the web.
That’s because while Jaws was a work of fiction, the arrival of schools
of Cyber Sharks is all too real.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Just like the real deal,
there is no 100% reliable cyber shark repellent that can keep someone from
putting the byte on your computer, tablet and/or smartphone. Even worse is the fact that while individuals
are woefully unprepared to be hacked, what’s even worse is the fact that many
of the devices connected to the Internet of Everything have absolutely no
protection whatsoever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Literally everything from
appliances to medical devices to automobiles are rapidly becoming
web-enabled. While this provides the
public with even more interactivity, it also provides hackers with more ways to
get to consumers and business owners. Just as most people make the mistake of
thinking their smartphone is a phone instead of a computer that you can talk
on, nearly everyone doesn’t realize that the average automobile being built
today have 100 lines of code onboard. Many
are now Wi-Fi enabled as well. You don’t have a car with q computer onboard. You
have a computer that drives. Soon, these
computer cars will do most of if not all of the driving. So if a hacker can take control of your car,
what does that mean for the passengers and driver? (On a recent 60-Minutes telecast, hackers
gained access to the car in which Leslie Stahl was driving, turning on the
lights and windshield wipers. So this is
not a hypothetical possibility.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Who’s Watching Who?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmveRR2n-cGUUERJh4MiMhkVyNFtcKG5jgM79sZonhGevsZ5fIfDCKWUIotqs9edUXLHb_d1G4r9ZNZmtnK0mhvTSHxlnCe0XI9Ic9HzmeqNHEW9pSDXWvaF_Hl04xG2dWKArKL6j6Vs/s1600/smarttv.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnmveRR2n-cGUUERJh4MiMhkVyNFtcKG5jgM79sZonhGevsZ5fIfDCKWUIotqs9edUXLHb_d1G4r9ZNZmtnK0mhvTSHxlnCe0XI9Ic9HzmeqNHEW9pSDXWvaF_Hl04xG2dWKArKL6j6Vs/s320/smarttv.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of Samsung.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Smart Houses and appliances
are also becoming more and more commonplace.
They’re also becoming easy pickings for hackers. If a hacker can crack your home’s security
system, this makes breaking and entering child’s play. Don’t even get me started on what a hacker
can do to your web-enabled Nanny Cam. The
same smart TV that you just installed in your living room can be hacked with
ease, since most contain little or no security.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A February 24, 2015 blog by
CNN reported: </span><i><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">Earlier this week,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/02/05/your-samsung-smarttv-is-spying-on-you-basically.html" target="_blank"><i><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text2;">we learned that Samsung televisions are eavesdropping on
their owners</span></i></a><i><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #1f497d; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text2;">.</span></i><i><span style="background: #FEFEFE; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="color: #262626;">If you have one of their
Internet-connected smart TVs, you can turn on a voice command feature that
saves you the trouble of finding the remote, pushing buttons and scrolling
through menus. But making that feature work requires the television to listen
to everything you say. And what you say isn't just processed by the television;
it<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span></i><a href="http://global.samsungtomorrow.com/samsung-smart-tvs-do-not-monitor-living-room-conversations/" target="_blank"><i><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #006598; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">may
be forwarded over the Internet</span></i></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></i></span><i><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">for remote processing.</span></i><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background: rgb(254, 254, 254); font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></i></span><a href="https://twitter.com/xor/status/564356757007261696/photo/1" target="_blank"><i><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: text1;">It's
literally Orwellian</span></i></a><i><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/11/opinion/schneier-samsung-tv-listening/index.html"><span style="background: #FEFEFE; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">http://www.cnn.com/2015/02/11/opinion/schneier-samsung-tv-listening/index.html</span></a><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;">What’s
really scary is the fact that last year alone more than 10,000 smart appliances
were hacked, according to leading US security firm Proofpoint. Once inside your smart TV or refrigerator,
hackers can then gain access to other web-enabled devices. Believe it or not, your refrigerator can spam
your smartphone, laptop or tablet once infected. Even if your device does come with some
semblance of security, unless the protection is updated on a regular basis,
it’s only a matter of time before a hacker will prevail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;">How Do I Hack
Thee? Let Me Count the Ways.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;">So
many smart devices…So little time.
Everything from wearables to medical devices are becoming vulnerable to
hacking. Symantec reported on March 12
that: “</span><i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">All of
the devices failed to check whether they were communicating with an authorized
server, leaving them open to man-in-the-middle attacks. One out of five devices
did not encrypt communications and many did not lock out attackers after a
certain number of password attempts, further weakening their security. All of
the potential weaknesses that could afflict Internet of things systems, such as
authentication and traffic encryption, are already well known to the security
industry, but despite this, known mitigation techniques are often neglected on
these devices”</span></i><i><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.eweek.com/security/symantec-study-finds-home-smart-devices-wide-open-to-cyber-attack.html"><span style="background: #FEFEFE; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.eweek.com/security/symantec-study-finds-home-smart-devices-wide-open-to-cyber-attack.html</span></a><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5A_X_UeldA53Burd0F6XOqV3FJxO2EYkjEr6m1psZJps7wZAs6UAr7JMXiZV63iOUbI0uHDX0o27IaoTP2V4nruJDxQe8Bk2ClUV1lIIsYBKSqtPBr2yZ1CoTwUnjYaOjD6XD4o8BODo/s1600/hacker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5A_X_UeldA53Burd0F6XOqV3FJxO2EYkjEr6m1psZJps7wZAs6UAr7JMXiZV63iOUbI0uHDX0o27IaoTP2V4nruJDxQe8Bk2ClUV1lIIsYBKSqtPBr2yZ1CoTwUnjYaOjD6XD4o8BODo/s320/hacker.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image by culturedigitally.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;">While
Symantec’s report was referring to smart appliances, in October of 2014, the US
government told the FDA to start taking medical device security seriously while
citing the same problems that smart appliances were facing. The next time you go to the hospital for a
dialysis treatment or to get your pacemaker checked out, you might like to ask
your physician about the inherent hacking vulnerabilities of these systems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;">The
number of ways that hackers can get into your devices is staggering. Below are
some of the most popular tools of the hacker’s trade:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;"> 1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;">Sniffers are </span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">programs or device that
monitors all data passing through a computer network. It sniffs the data and
determines where the data is going, where it's coming from, and what it is. In
addition to these basic functions, sniffers might have extra features that
enable them to filter certain types of data, capture passwords, and more.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt;"> 2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Hex Dump (aka
Voodoo) - </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt;">When
an electronic device is manufactured, it is programmed with firmware. Hacking firmware is simply a matter of buying
a programmer that can receive the memory dump and transmit it to a computer
where the code can be altered. Then
transmit the modified code back to the device. </span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;"> 3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;">Attacking Defaults –
Virtually every piece of hardware on the market comes with a set of standard
defaults, including username and password that provide access to the
system. Since most people do not change
these default settings, this is the easiest way to exploit a system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;"> 4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;">SQL Injection – While
it sounds like a medical procedure, what an SQL Injection attack are conducted
by entering unexpected entries into a database and then probing the returned
error messages to reveal information that can be used to hack the system. For instance, by entering metacharacters like
#$%^ into a field that processes only alphanumeric information, the database
could be tricked into revealing the contents of the database, or in some other
way compromise an SQL server. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;">5. DDoS Attacks - Directed Denial of Service Attacks occur when hackers flood a targeted website with so much bogus traffic that it brings the victim's server to a halt. This is usually followed by a demand for payment in order to restore service.</span><br />
<span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;">6. Data Extortion - Most people aren't aware that their data can be hijacked and held for ransom. This can take a number of different forms, including threatening to release sensitive information stolen from a machine, to locking a legitimate user out of their own website or machine by changing the password. Just as with DDos attacks, all too many extorted users don't realize they've been hacked until a ransom note appears demanding payment. Even worse than DDos attacks, non-payment in this case can result in your website or data being erased. (Lately, online extortion has also extended to threats of having one's reputation smeared online unless payment is rendered.)</span><br />
<span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;">7. Ratting - Remote Administration Tools are an increasingly popular and insidious means of hacking everything from laptops to tablets and smartphones. Once successfully deployed, a ratted machine is literally under the control of the hacker. Ratted machines can not only be rifled for information, but their webcams and built-in microphones can be surreptitiously turned on, allowing the rat to become the equivalent of a cyber peeping Tom. (There have been a number of high profile celebrities who have been ratted, resulting in compromising photos and videos making the rounds online.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIUQ4ZbpxASBEGHi8rXK0wBbIilAIKvvzETtNJF4jGs4jbZsTForvCx7zA9PWMNV4OU13nLukJVdxX1gRpl69L4A2NGJURgEODsqFgca7tgPRGKSwVb9vG8h8phrMzOBRumsaILwK9YaY/s1600/hackcase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIUQ4ZbpxASBEGHi8rXK0wBbIilAIKvvzETtNJF4jGs4jbZsTForvCx7zA9PWMNV4OU13nLukJVdxX1gRpl69L4A2NGJURgEODsqFgca7tgPRGKSwVb9vG8h8phrMzOBRumsaILwK9YaY/s200/hackcase.jpg" width="149" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy itunes.apple.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;">While all of the abovementioned tactics
require a bit of technical knowhow, there are many other hacking programs and
devices that can be bought online. There
are also online forums, hacking blogs and clubs that teach hackers the tools of
the trade. There are also annual hacker
conventions and hackathons such as the one held yearly in Las Vegas. If you don’t believe me, simply google,
Hacking devices available online.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;">The real danger is that the Cyber Sharks have
the upper hand since detection, much less prosecution is hit and miss at
best. Meanwhile hacking continues to
proliferate nearly unchecked. CNN
recently reported that in 2014 hackers exposed the personal information of 110
million Americans, roughly half of the nation’s adults.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://money.cnn.com/2014/05/28/technology/security/hack-data-breach/index.html"><span style="background: #FEFEFE; font-size: 12.0pt;">http://money.cnn.com/2014/05/28/technology/security/hack-data-breach/index.html</span></a><span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;"> So the
next time you turn on your Smart TV or start your web-enabled car, don’t be
surprised if the sound you hear emanating from your surround speakers is
something like, “Da-da, dum-dum.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: #FEFEFE; color: #262626; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></div>
<h3 style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; margin: 0in; position: relative;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal;"> </span><b style="font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Carl Weiss is president of </span></i></b><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/" style="color: #6699cc; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Working the Web to Win</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">,</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"> <b><i>an award-winning digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville, Florida. </i></b></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #6699cc; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">You can listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4 p.m.</span></i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></i></b></span></a><b style="font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Eastern on</span></i></b><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin" style="color: #6699cc; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></h3>
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Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-80539550714802088512015-05-04T12:29:00.000-07:002015-05-04T13:04:50.641-07:00The DIY Online Marketing Solution<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">“We’re Number ONE!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVH6FV1QBiOrQO4wXOYPr7sUBSvNaNh9-57nIMH-acVz-bEvFQyrTI8bHMqrGVXKwDsbV2-we5_lhMjz2FNJmp2NFZ_DCCer6IDKpk-QHlbSHHl70R2eZs7IJNnW3y7JvgtegN3mDkSY/s1600/number1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOVH6FV1QBiOrQO4wXOYPr7sUBSvNaNh9-57nIMH-acVz-bEvFQyrTI8bHMqrGVXKwDsbV2-we5_lhMjz2FNJmp2NFZ_DCCer6IDKpk-QHlbSHHl70R2eZs7IJNnW3y7JvgtegN3mDkSY/s1600/number1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from engineerofknowledge.wordpress.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">That’s what everyone strives
for in this country. Whether you’re talking sports, business, academics, or
keeping up with the Jones’, Americans are extraordinarily competitive. This especially holds true online, where ever
since the first search engines appeared more than 20 years ago, website owners
vied for the top spot on every keyword combination imaginable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Back in the early to
mid-1990’s achieving a page one result wasn’t all that difficult. That’s because everything you needed to feed
the search engines was on page one of your website. Back then, there were no blogs. Social networks hadn’t yet been
invented. Video was not even possible,
since most web surfers used a dial-up connection. Heck, most web designers had to be careful
not to use hi-res images, since these could cause a site to load at a glacial pace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Today, the game has
changed. The Internet has become the mac
daddy of interactive, multimedia marketing.
If you want to wind up on page 1 of major search engines, you need to do
more than just create a properly optimized website. There are a lot of moving parts to take into
consideration. Not only do you need to
be concerned with site architecture, but you also need to add and feed
everything from daily social posts and weekly blogs, but you should also create
videos on a monthly basis. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The Web is run by the Golden Rule – He Who Has the
Gold, Makes the Rules<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjf5ZiZL5mVvh5ItH6nlZTf8vDI6AIuf44fidaywF32XDJTvAH_Dq2bH7IGrL2V_0C_hu5r9rXHfA0bJUcnqlw2fQ9NZ6xPbhG516oFJepDJckLPSGwJ2_SAS8no_eATcivvR1JbD0xps/s1600/golden+rule.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjf5ZiZL5mVvh5ItH6nlZTf8vDI6AIuf44fidaywF32XDJTvAH_Dq2bH7IGrL2V_0C_hu5r9rXHfA0bJUcnqlw2fQ9NZ6xPbhG516oFJepDJckLPSGwJ2_SAS8no_eATcivvR1JbD0xps/s1600/golden+rule.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of andhoraa.com</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The multimedia approach isn’t
just a great way to build and engage a targeted audience, it’s also a way to
generate Google Juice. The world’s most popular search engine takes into
account everything from how many followers you have on Twitter, Facebook and
Google+, to how many people are reading, commenting and reposting your
blogs. Since Google also owns the
world’s most watched video portal: YouTube, creating a growing following who watches
your videos is another way to move your site and your videos onto page 1.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The problem is that unless
you have the time or a dedicated online marketing staff to continually feed
content day in and day out to the Internet, most business owners usually take
one of three tacks:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">They outsource their online marketing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">They start off with the best of intentions only to run
out of steam<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">They throw in the towel<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Having spoken to thousands of
business owners over the past few years, what I always ask is the obvious
question, “If your competition is on page one of the search engines and you are
not, is this good or bad for your business?”
While every business owner agrees that the last thing they want to do is
provide their competition with any competitive edge, some of them have either
tried to outsource their online marketing with horrible results, while others
simply can’t afford to spend $1,000 or more per month to get the job done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While I sympathize with both
these situations, while I can educate the public on the ways to select a
reputable online marketing firm, what I haven’t been able to do is show them
how to get the job done cheaply. That’s
due to the fact that it takes a considerable amount of time to feed a minimum
of 3 social nets daily. Not to mention
that writing and distributing weekly blogs that engage and grow readership
doesn’t come cheaply. So if you think
that paying someone a couple hundred dollars a month is going to magically move
your website onto page 1 of Google, you are in for a rude awakening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> Is Scalable Online Marketing Possible?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWbXgj6RT8DoaUlJXW5BdCLKXnmySuNW1PvS1J4wXxoagkkOigY4lxGvY37_KhKqhkTE49aN0TIX4ekY_rgNz3ryc6FUYDGIsvxP5HymoC7gYpD3hbcKa8EUntXC_m5o0TJOjjrPKPVI/s1600/scalable2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXWbXgj6RT8DoaUlJXW5BdCLKXnmySuNW1PvS1J4wXxoagkkOigY4lxGvY37_KhKqhkTE49aN0TIX4ekY_rgNz3ryc6FUYDGIsvxP5HymoC7gYpD3hbcKa8EUntXC_m5o0TJOjjrPKPVI/s320/scalable2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Being the CEO of one of the
last online marketing agencies around that still offers written guarantees for
organic results, I can tell you that until recently, all I could do was shake
my head and wish business owners who wanted the results but couldn’t afford the
price good luck. That’s because there is
no longer any shortcut to long term online results. While you can sometimes get an optimized blog
or video to pop up on Google page 1, when it comes to getting your website to
move up the rankings, someone has to be willing to do the work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">That’s also the main reason
we’ve been producing a weekly Working the Web to Win blog and radio show for
the past three years. Hector and I
weren’t trying to be blogging or online radio superstars. We just wanted to keep the public up to speed
on the ever changing Internet. While
this provided business owners with tidbits of knowledge, there was no way to
pull this material together into a multimedia training course that would teach
them what they needed to do in order to become a scalable DIY online marketing
system. Until Now!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Introducing WWW University<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Starting on May 1, WWWU was
introduced to bridge the gap by allowing website owners to decide how much of
the task they want to take on and how much they want to outsource. That’s because we have launched the first of
our DIY Online Marketing Training Courses that are guaranteed to show people
the same techniques that we have been using to generate page 1 results for
clients.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Our first e-course, SEO Made
Easy, consists of twenty chapters that take students step-by-step through the
process of optimizing websites. The
course material covers everything from the proper use of page and image tags,
to maximizing your Google Juice and leveraging local SEO. Better still, the course includes a
half-dozen videos that show you what it takes to generate page 1 results. We also include everything from contact
information with the instructor, to a weekly WWWU Newsletter that is designed
to keep you up to speed with regards to the ever changing World Wide Web. Not bad for a one-time tuition of only $97.</span><br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IxWvpzSIDLg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IxWvpzSIDLg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe><br />
<div>
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Check out our Free Preview at <a href="http://wwwu.patience.io/catalog/4385">http://wwwu.patience.io/catalog/4385</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">During the course of the next few
months we are going to add more courses including Business Blogging, Viral Video
Magic, Social Media on Steroids and more.
Even better is the fact that we will provide special pricing for alumni
for additional training modules and optional online marketing via Working the
Web to Win that will allow graduates to create a scalable online marketing
system that lets them decide how much time and money they want to spend to get
the job done.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">To put this system into
perspective, imagine what it would be like if you could go to your local
Mercedes Benz dealer and pick out any car on the lot, knowing that by helping
out around the dealership you could get the car of your dreams at a price you can
afford. If the prospect of creating a scalable, affordable system of online
marketing is something that you would like to learn more about, take our SEO
Made Easy course for a test drive at </span><a href="http://wwwu.patience.io/catalog/4385"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">http://wwwu.patience.io/catalog/4385</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> </span><b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Carl Weiss is president of </span></i></b><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Working the Web to Win</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">,</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"> <b><i>an award-winning digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville, Florida. </i></b></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">You can listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4 p.m.</span></i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></i></b></span></a><b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Eastern on</span></i></b><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></h3>
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Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-14914523530599416352015-04-28T08:19:00.000-07:002015-04-28T09:57:09.273-07:00Can You Say Mobilegeddon?<div class="MsoNormal">
By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">I’m sure you’re familiar with
the term Armageddon, which is the biblical prediction for the end of the
world. However, Google introduced the
Internet version of the phenomenon which has been deemed Mobilegeddon. While it might not represent the end of the
World Wide Web, what Google has indicated is that if your website is not deemed
“mobile-friendly,” your listing could soon be relegated to the backwaters of
the world’s most popular search engine. While
this could be cause for many website owners to panic, they should take some
comfort in the fact that when a major web portal tested the top 25,000 websites
in the world, more than 10,000 of them failed, including the site of Homeland
Security.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">That’s the bad news. The good news is that before you throw
yourself under the Google bus, there is a way to test your site to see if it is
mobile-friendly. </span><a href="https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8YJjMFVSNZmVEyogvR6rJ0mgvv2FInni2-k8cASXz3Ie1lKFHRn0udms4QJEiAAGYK9gILYr4VC-o28SIvOgGDRYWV1_QWgl66_a-0tsko7BF41V4DAX5GfZIL05uQvV-SobcFlp4qQ/s1600/mobged2a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB8YJjMFVSNZmVEyogvR6rJ0mgvv2FInni2-k8cASXz3Ie1lKFHRn0udms4QJEiAAGYK9gILYr4VC-o28SIvOgGDRYWV1_QWgl66_a-0tsko7BF41V4DAX5GfZIL05uQvV-SobcFlp4qQ/s1600/mobged2a.jpg" height="341" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">If your site is deemed search
engine unfriendly, you are in good company.
According to searchengineland.com you are hardly alone:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<strong><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-weight: normal;">Losers:</span></i></strong><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></i></span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Popular news sharing site<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></span><a href="http://www.reddit.com/"><span style="color: #428bca; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Reddit</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></span>topped the list of
losers, followed by<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></span></span></i><a href="http://www.nbcsports.com/"><i><span style="color: #428bca; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">NBC
Sports</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">,<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></span><a href="http://www.vogue.com/"><span style="color: #428bca; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Vogue</span></a>,<a href="http://www.songlyrics.com/"><span style="color: #428bca; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">SongLyrics</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></span>and<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></span></span></i><a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/"><i><span style="color: #428bca; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">Bloomberg
Business</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">. I
suspect a bunch of people at Reddit are about to lose their minds over this.
But the Reddit home page<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></span></span></i><a href="https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/?url=reddit.com"><i><span style="color: #428bca; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">doesn’t test</span></i></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> </span></i></span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">as mobile friendly, and that could be true of
many other pages inside the site, as well.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">The home
pages of NBC Sports and SongLyrics didn’t test friendly either; I couldn’t even
get Google’s<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></span></span></i><a href="https://www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly/"><i><span style="color: #428bca; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 13.5pt;">mobile friendly testing tool</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"> to process SongLyrics. Vogue’s home
page did test as friendly, but potentially it has problems with internal pages.
</span></i><a href="http://searchengineland.com/winners-losers-google-mobilegeddon-219786">http://searchengineland.com/winners-losers-google-mobilegeddon-219786</a><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Knowing this, I spent the
next three hours manually entering every one of the 173 websites we created and
hosted for us and our clients. With the
exception of one companyowned website and 7 client-owned sites we
created before the advent of html5, all our clients came up as search engine
friendly. (I am working with our webmaster to see why the one site created in html 5 has failed.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">What’s It All About, Google?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">From Google’s perspective the
answer is clear: Mobile is the future.
Cellphone providers in the past five years have put a web-capable
smartphone in the hands of 75% of the citizens in this country. (Nearly 80 million smartphone users do their
social networking on the device as well.) As the price of smartphones continues
to fall and desktop and laptops continue to shrink, will there come a time when
ALL computers are quasi-mobile? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpj4yvdrN3GeBP24maUQsmXF-vP_5hbrq1uzJ-Ay8PkTunVIMHCek4EjOx7JtlqH2HdeohlnqRrSt_MtnKCjGwhY4zbXs4XplH8l_bOsKH-V6koBcDqUFiyFi8wmwBMR-H6tK9100I9PU/s1600/smartphones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpj4yvdrN3GeBP24maUQsmXF-vP_5hbrq1uzJ-Ay8PkTunVIMHCek4EjOx7JtlqH2HdeohlnqRrSt_MtnKCjGwhY4zbXs4XplH8l_bOsKH-V6koBcDqUFiyFi8wmwBMR-H6tK9100I9PU/s1600/smartphones.jpg" height="286" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Image courtesy of
statista.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The popularity of phablets is
also another way in which the lines between laptops, tablets and smartphones
continues to blur. While phablets were
merely smartphones on steroids two years ago, as solid state memory chips
continue to get more powerful and ever more affordable, we are already starting
to see phablets that can do nearly everything that a laptop can do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkcKU3NRsVxHC6n5LXxNanPmX3Y7WR0jHFTH-d2rhbYVp3JdAxFtob71sjZeWmy0-CEvcgsR9tgi2zQoevDETAp3keX-10y3D-LYWXbO5-KMUXH2ZJ9oH7opK9n6YOTwHK1mGCp5DsQc/s1600/phabletkeyboard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVkcKU3NRsVxHC6n5LXxNanPmX3Y7WR0jHFTH-d2rhbYVp3JdAxFtob71sjZeWmy0-CEvcgsR9tgi2zQoevDETAp3keX-10y3D-LYWXbO5-KMUXH2ZJ9oH7opK9n6YOTwHK1mGCp5DsQc/s1600/phabletkeyboard.jpg" height="159" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Image courtesy of
concept-phones.com<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While cutting edge phablets,
tablets, micro-pcs and mini-laptops give computer users an ever-expanding range
of choices, from a website owner’s perspective, trying to create a
1-size-fits-all site can prove to be a challenge. That’s one of the reasons that dynamic
programming languages such as html5 are all the rage. Below are the three most popular perspectives
viewed via html5.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fRUVOV2NjLk-M9Ko9Xc8uMOz_KlsOY-n4Bm4y3rOlFiYdzbGLD9Kc8ODEpEHi9iVnZqqPFe3onoglbNK2PLSYy2plY_3O8g3vX9jsBwXfjsK50rsOkxyGAoK6ClZd-ewVGSrTT02_AY/s1600/3vies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_fRUVOV2NjLk-M9Ko9Xc8uMOz_KlsOY-n4Bm4y3rOlFiYdzbGLD9Kc8ODEpEHi9iVnZqqPFe3onoglbNK2PLSYy2plY_3O8g3vX9jsBwXfjsK50rsOkxyGAoK6ClZd-ewVGSrTT02_AY/s1600/3vies.jpg" height="320" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">With the pick-a-size web
surfing world, using a platform or code that can dynamically adapt your
websites to whatever platform they might be viewed doesn’t just make sense from
a Google-centric perspective. It also makes
sense from a visibility issue, since the secret to online success is to make it
easy for people to do business with you.
Today that means different online strokes for different folks. If you aren’t ready, willing and able to
allow people to view your sites on the platform of your choice, then
Mobilegeddon will be the least of your worries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Carl Weiss is president of </span></i></b><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Working the Web to Win</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">,</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"> <b><i>an award-winning digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville, Florida. </i></b></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">You can listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4 p.m.</span></i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></i></b></span></a><b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Eastern on</span></i></b><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 19.2000007629395px;"> </span></div>
Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-77474186852692470442015-04-14T11:56:00.001-07:002015-04-26T09:17:01.940-07:00Does Cloud Computing Have a Silver Lining?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpOfEkhgnE3vNwLgvMtLRHJFx7m-rC5JVRzzEUKlZ2eQf3HVheXQT2qUsiY55PY7hseveFeR2e3aKOCVH3TqCPjkph-WSYTr2UxU5V2MulLsqqwmJAe0HyTnt3JVZ7A9mb-QkwQJtWlQ/s1600/000cloud1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpOfEkhgnE3vNwLgvMtLRHJFx7m-rC5JVRzzEUKlZ2eQf3HVheXQT2qUsiY55PY7hseveFeR2e3aKOCVH3TqCPjkph-WSYTr2UxU5V2MulLsqqwmJAe0HyTnt3JVZ7A9mb-QkwQJtWlQ/s1600/000cloud1.jpg" height="287" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of <a class="_ZR irc_hol" data-href="http://recent-ecl.blogspot.com/2014/07/beuc-discussion-paper-on-cloud-contracts.html" data-ved="0CAYQjB0" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAYQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Frecent-ecl.blogspot.com%2F2014%2F07%2Fbeuc-discussion-paper-on-cloud-contracts.html&ei=omMtVZinG4eoNov-gPgF&bvm=bv.90790515,d.eXY&psig=AFQjCNFcDqc0ZS7flCuqkeRsX11nNRskPw&ust=1429124225625617" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;keydown:irc.rlk" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.2); background-color: #f1f1f1; color: #7d7d7d; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 16px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"><span class="irc_ho" dir="ltr" style="margin-right: -2px; overflow: hidden; padding-right: 2px; text-overflow: ellipsis; unicode-bidi: -webkit-isolate;">recent-ecl.blogspot.com</span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Unless you've been living under a rock for the past
couple years, you have either heard of or are now using cloud computing. Users
looking to save money are embracing it. IT pros and investors are looking to
make money are plowing money into it. What you have to ask yourself is how can
you use the cloud to line your pockets with silver? In today’s blog, we will
look at the emergence of cloud computing as a way of both making and saving
money. We will also point out some of
the movers and shakers in the industry, as well as identifying some well-heeled
interlopers who are trying to rain on everybody’s parade.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Most people think that cloud computing is a relatively
new technology. The truth of the matter
is that it has been around since the 1960’s. A blog on computerweekly.com
points out that,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">“The idea of an<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><a href="http://www.kurzweilai.net/articles/art0366.html?printable=1"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">"intergalactic
computer network"</span></i></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> </span></i></span><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">was
introduced in the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><a href="http://www.cc.gatech.edu/classes/cs6751_97_fall/projects/follow_me/hw4/licklider.html"><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">sixties
by J.C.R. Licklider</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">,</span></i><i><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"> who was responsible for enabling the development of ARPANET
(Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) in 1969. His vision was for
everyone on the globe to be interconnected and accessing programs and data at
any site, from anywhere, explained Margaret Lewis, product marketing director
at AMD. "It is a vision that sounds a lot like what we are calling cloud computing."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97kZKze0jo3N2R9G4TSIPwRa0hOD-FLs7DfycHTIOewK9_5TjfrFCLrHC3l4uSFE6J7XZunCO37LfG21vy5O4B2IYDQLLmQXd_r7ahOP75rjKsn38_AHmsg4lbp4Mh4n00ciY-EfoN0g/s1600/000clioud2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97kZKze0jo3N2R9G4TSIPwRa0hOD-FLs7DfycHTIOewK9_5TjfrFCLrHC3l4uSFE6J7XZunCO37LfG21vy5O4B2IYDQLLmQXd_r7ahOP75rjKsn38_AHmsg4lbp4Mh4n00ciY-EfoN0g/s1600/000clioud2.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of sysnet.uscd.edu</td></tr>
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While other
experts in the field even back then thought that computing would inevitably be
rendered as a kind of public utility, it wasn’t until 1999 that the bandwidth
required was broad enough to accomplish the task. That was the year that Salesforce.com began
pioneering the concept of delivering enterprise solutions via the web. This was followed by amazon.com that in 2002
started vending cloud storage and computing.
By 2006, this service morphed into a commercial service called Elastic
Compute Cloud, that permitted small businesses to run their applications
remotely. <span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">By 2009 Google and Microsoft jumped into
cloud computing in a big way, which legitimized and promoted the cloud
computing concept as a user-friendly resource.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Other criteria that took the concept away from early adopters and
made it more mainstream were the obvious financial benefits that the technology
offered in terms of backing up data, as well as increased storage capacity
without having to invest in new hardware.
The downside was that those wishing to store sensitive data on the cloud
had to deal with worrisome the question of online security.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Andreas Asander, vice-principal of product management at
virtualisation security specialist </span></i><a href="http://www.clavister.com/"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; text-decoration: none;">Clavister</span></i></a><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">,</span></i><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"> said that once the security
issues are resolved, cloud computing services "can enable an enterprise to
expand its infrastructure, add capacity on demand, or outsource the whole
infrastructure, resulting in greater flexibility, a wider choice of computing
resources and significant cost savings."<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b>What Color is Your Cloud?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
While the
cloud offers a number of opportunities to users, currently there are three
operating models:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Infrastructure as a
Service (IaaS) –IaaS provide physical or virtual machines, image libraries,
block storage, firewalls, IP addresses, Virtual Local Area Networks and
software bundles to users.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Platform as a Service
(PaaS) – The Paas model provides a computing platform such as a web server where
programmers and developers can run their software solutions on a platform
without having to buy and manage the hardware.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Software as a Service
(SaaS) – SaaS users are provided access tp databases and/or applications for a
flat or monthly fee. In a SaaS model,
users access the software from the cloud client. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
While users
can access all of the abovementioned services using a variety of devices, some
users rely on the cloud to run nearly all their applications. The cloud services can be mixed and matched
depending upon the user’s needs.
Generally, there are six service models from which to choose: <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Private Cloud is an
infrastructure designed and managed for the users of a single entity or
organization. Corporate data centers are
examples of private clouds. The infrastructure for these data centers can be
either managed internally or by a third-party.
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Public Cloud renders
services to the general public.
Providers such as Amazon, Google and Microsoft provide public access to
their managed data centers via the Internet.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Hybrid Clouds are
created when two or more cloud services from different providers are offered to
users. They can pull together some
combination of public, private, and community cloud services under one
umbrella.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Community Clouds serve
several organizations with a common interest.
This way costs can be shared between two or more organizations wishing
to avail themselves of a Private Cloud.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Distributed Cloud – Where
a Community Cloud allows organizations to share cloud resources, a Distributed
Cloud shares machines located at different locations by a single network or hub
service.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->6.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Multicloud uses multiple
services to reduce the risk of a single vendor going down and thus leaving the
user with no service. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.4pt;">The Dark Cloud</b><br />
<b style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.4pt;"><br /></b></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxRlAP9iwUFZq9ZyEkac1hR1_K0w7KfB9x5RXyTyWGf6LHGRNG_LuVyDUOpDUxc9sHpPD0zNTsYKq_GPwtIMHMxA-Xyuo-NRvkexvBanknLw5NZuZoKEgZV5ZEohl4A-3hPAYTeYbYHg/s1600/000cloud4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMxRlAP9iwUFZq9ZyEkac1hR1_K0w7KfB9x5RXyTyWGf6LHGRNG_LuVyDUOpDUxc9sHpPD0zNTsYKq_GPwtIMHMxA-Xyuo-NRvkexvBanknLw5NZuZoKEgZV5ZEohl4A-3hPAYTeYbYHg/s1600/000cloud4.jpg" height="314" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of pinterest.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The biggest
danger to cloud users has to do with privacy.
Since users are relying on a third-party to host their data, the primary
concern is that the service provider and/or their employees can access this
<o:p></o:p><br />
data. Anyone with access to the data
could either accidentally or purposely alter or delete the data. Since some cloud providers share access with
this information with outside entities, this would mean that the only practical
way to protect the data would be to encrypt it.</div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
Anyone that
uses cloud services such as social networks or blogging platforms (which are a
kind of cloud service) knows that the information contained therein is not only
shared with the hosting agency, but they actively profit from data mining this
information. What many people are
unaware of is the fact that ALL of the information displayed on social nets and
blogs is actually owned by the service provider and not the author.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
There is
also the real risk that a hacker can not only gain access to a user’s cloud
service, but it is also possible for a hacker to not only alter the content
contained in the cloud, but to lock out the legitimate user. It is not uncommon for hackers to demand a
ransom in order to have the legitimate user’s access restored. (Failure to pay the ransom usually causes the
hacker to delete the users information.)
It is also possible that hackers can use the information gleaned from a
user’s social networks to hack their way into a user’s computer, tablet and/or
smartphone.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
In a recent
article in usatoday.com. entitled, Hackers Ramp Up Computer Attacks That Demand Ransom, writer Erin Coker points out
that,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">“Hackers operating on the Internet's "Dark Web" are
spreading a new, more sophisticated generation of the malicious software known
as "ransomware," anonymously shaking down anyone with an unprotected
computer, from lawyers and cops to small businesses. Where small groups of
anonymous hackers once hit individual consumers, the hackers have now organized
into crime syndicates that boldly launch massive attacks against entire
companies.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/14/ransom-ware-computer-dark-web-criminal/8843633/"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/05/14/ransom-ware-computer-dark-web-criminal/8843633/</span></i></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333;">She also pointed out that these attacks are
usually initiated when someone boots up only to find an ominous warning with a
ticking countdown clock informing them that they have a limited time to pay the
ransom or risk the destruction of their data. This can result in one of three
scenarios:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 75.75pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></i></span><!--[endif]--><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333;">The user pays up and their asset is
unlocked.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 75.75pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></i></span><!--[endif]--><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333;">The user runs out of time and their data
is destroyed or their machine is locked permanently.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 75.75pt; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo3; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></i></span><!--[endif]--><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333;">The user pays and the hacker takes the
money only to renege on freeing the user’s data or machine.</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span><br />
<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJifKeqhclfP_JeSRZzXQXgPoJyAM-dDDPNrGhFSYnbOZ2DUoPv0yG7gHYHe6_6_pfPPWfLetbBfKmPWiHulQIIGreY-hTZQaBp-JOQwQLXj81c67eo5meHBqfhOGxSJU7j3N9dXiKdnQ/s1600/000darkweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJifKeqhclfP_JeSRZzXQXgPoJyAM-dDDPNrGhFSYnbOZ2DUoPv0yG7gHYHe6_6_pfPPWfLetbBfKmPWiHulQIIGreY-hTZQaBp-JOQwQLXj81c67eo5meHBqfhOGxSJU7j3N9dXiKdnQ/s1600/000darkweb.jpg" height="251" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From slideshare.net</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Hackers operating on the Internet's "Dark Web" are
spreading a new, more sophisticated generation of the malicious software known
as "ransomware," anonymously shaking down anyone with an unprotected
computer, from lawyers and cops to small businesses. Where small groups of anonymous
hackers once hit individual consumers, the hackers have now organized into
crime syndicates that boldly launch massive attacks against entire companies,
computer experts and law enforcement authorities said.</span></i><i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
When you
take into consideration that some of these coordinated ransomware attacks were
successfully delivered to hundreds of thousands of victims in ten days, this
results in tens of millions of dollars in ransom. The worst thing is the fact that ransomware
is on the rise. The FBI’s own website
reads, <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; mso-line-height-alt: 12.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ransomware has been around for several years, but there’s
been a definite uptick lately in its use by cyber criminals. And the FBI, along
with public and private sector partners, is targeting these offenders and their
scams. </span></i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;">.</span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; padding: 0in;"> </span></span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; padding: 0in;">R</span></i></span><span class="blackgraphtx"><i><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt; padding: 0in;">ecently,
we’re seeing an increasing number of incidents involving so-called “drive-by”
ransomware, where users can infect their computers simply by clicking on a
compromised website, often lured there by a deceptive e-mail or pop-up window. Another
new trend involves the ransom payment method. While some of the earlier
ransomware scams involved having victims pay “ransom” with pre-paid cards,
victims are now increasingly asked to pay with Bitcoin, a decentralized virtual
currency network that attracts criminals because of the anonymity the system
offers.</span></i></span><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="line-height: 14.4pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="line-height: 14.4pt;">The bottom
line is while cloud computing is a tremendous boon to the public in terms of
saving time and money when it comes to accessing computing power, unless
serious security issues are resolved, there could come a time when cloud
computing disappears like a puff of smoke.</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 14.4pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Carl Weiss is
president of </span></i></b><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Working the Web to Win</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">,</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> <b><i>an award-winning digital marketing agency based
in Jacksonville, Florida. </i></b></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">You can listen
to Carl live every Tuesday at 4 p.m.</span></i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none;"> </span></i></b></span></a><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Eastern on</span></i></b><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"> </span><o:p></o:p></div>
Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-88616380331293183772015-04-06T12:11:00.000-07:002015-04-06T12:11:11.521-07:00Is it Time for a Little Hi-Tech Spring Cleaning?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid1W3TK7ks1QUMOxiUUwvk-PiJaYappXKMJwa2H88aInYBSgtoJ8CllvvcdENLNgmpRG2C2NNywlnhdvN5DlED2MZBRLPmrTl8JTLwyUqmno4q5pu7W0zJQHexXHIvp_9-LkRNiiDuGAU/s1600/adware.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid1W3TK7ks1QUMOxiUUwvk-PiJaYappXKMJwa2H88aInYBSgtoJ8CllvvcdENLNgmpRG2C2NNywlnhdvN5DlED2MZBRLPmrTl8JTLwyUqmno4q5pu7W0zJQHexXHIvp_9-LkRNiiDuGAU/s1600/adware.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of edibunya.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Every year at this time we
break out the rakes, the weed whacker and the lawn mower to do a little spring
cleaning. So why should we treat our
technology any different. After all, a
year is a long time online. A lot can
happen to your technology in a year. You load new apps, write and save
documents, browse the web thousands of times and save and delete files right? All
of this activity effectively rearranges the information stored on your hard
drive and begins to slow down our machines. Websites, free apps, adware and other
programs can easily clog our tech with accumulated junk until they slow to a
crawl. The number one complaint of any computing devices is ”my computer is really
slow” So I thought I’d take the time to
show you how to shake out the bugs in order to clean up your computers, tablets
and smartphones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Step #1: Clear out the Cobwebs<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">If you’re a Windows user,
start off by opening the control panel and accessing Programs and
Features. This will bring up all the
programs that are currently running on your desktop or laptop. Presented in alphabetical order, the first
thing I do is click on the “Installed On” tab at the top of the page. This causes the programs to be listed by the
date of install, which is a much better way to clear out the cobwebs. You’d be amazed at the number of unused
programs, add-on programs and all sorts of other digital detritus that can make
its way onto your machines without your knowledge. Many times when you install a program, other
add-ons are installed as well. By date
sorting you can forensically trace when and where these programs made their way
onto your system. Then it’s just a matter of weeding them out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">On Android tablets and
smartphones, you need to peruse the apps that populate it and decide where to start
trimming. You’d be surprised at how much
faster your smartphone or tablet will run once you have weeded out little used
apps. To edit and/or remove unwanted
apps, hit the app icon and the “Edit” tab.
This will highlight your apps and allow you to uninstall them by
clicking on the app.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Step #2: Beef Up Your Security<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlzI4tcrKiQPpLZbtuvOQ18ujlYOrSVjJcOBOv81oWKbPXgRIM-TaQT8qW3mWxGkFDv55i8cv8jr7Xt4mwq444Y2rstN1pqVl5nMNqPB7zEPWwAjdklwClR6ymD5mkAVdROlrK81ZvC6k/s1600/00adware.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlzI4tcrKiQPpLZbtuvOQ18ujlYOrSVjJcOBOv81oWKbPXgRIM-TaQT8qW3mWxGkFDv55i8cv8jr7Xt4mwq444Y2rstN1pqVl5nMNqPB7zEPWwAjdklwClR6ymD5mkAVdROlrK81ZvC6k/s1600/00adware.jpg" height="192" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of facebook.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">No matter the device, you can
never have too much security. Every week,
millions of cyber attacks take place.
This results in the loss of data and dollars. If your virus protection has expired, you
need to renew it. If you are only running
one form of protection, you need to augment it by adding anti-malware
software. I personally have three layers
of protection on all my devices, including my smartphone. That’s because the hundred dollars or so that
I pay in antivirus/anti malware software is a small price to pay to protect my
business and financial data.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Some programs such as
Advanced System Care 8.1 not only help you protect your system, it also clears
out junk files, optimizes your hard drive, checks and fixes shortcuts. Just make sure that you buy it direct from
iobit.com. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Another thing you should do
at least twice a year is change your passwords.
Make your passwords at least ten characters long. Eight character passwords are all too easy to
crack. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Step #3: Backup Your Data<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">You wouldn’t drive a car or
own a home without insuring it, would you?
The reason you pay your premiums month in and month out is to protect
two of the biggest investments you possess.
Then why don’t more people backup their data? Especially when you consider the small cost
of storing your data on an external drive or on the cloud, making a backup of
your hard drive is one of the cheapest insurance policies around. Or, you can wait until some hacker
compromises your system or the hard drive crashes before you start backing up
your drive.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Step #4: Break out the Rake<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A couple of months ago my
laptop started sounding like a Boeing 757 winding up for takeoff every time I
started it up. Then it simply stopped
working one afternoon, leaving me with a “Cooling Fan Disabled” warning that I
heeded immediately by shutting down the system and driving it over to a local computer
repair shop. An hour (and $100) later I
got a call from their technician.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">“I’ve got good news and I’ve
got bad news,” he told me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">“What’s the good news?” I
asked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZtkGKrdtGUJHXRaGnr4Ka3pBha9z5kbY4kk1CCbmJnmoLW7Mycxj1watqZ07KfqMATJ2yHpYrEjr9ZY4KzPvy9xs1MOXsiACCYBC9AyZ8mrYo8c9mxrhl-hIMrpCRWtw5-0xxnUICMM/s1600/dustbunny.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZtkGKrdtGUJHXRaGnr4Ka3pBha9z5kbY4kk1CCbmJnmoLW7Mycxj1watqZ07KfqMATJ2yHpYrEjr9ZY4KzPvy9xs1MOXsiACCYBC9AyZ8mrYo8c9mxrhl-hIMrpCRWtw5-0xxnUICMM/s1600/dustbunny.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of grooveshark.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">“Your laptop is running as
good as new and I didn’t even have to replace the fan. All I <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">did was pop open the case and
blow out a warren of dust bunnies. When
I plugged it in, it fired up right away.
The dust had pilled in the cooling fan enough that it jammed.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">“Then what’s the bad news?” I
wondered out loud.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">“I still have to charge you
the one hundred dollar laptop service fee.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When I considered the fact
that I not only didn’t have to sweat the cost of replacing the cooling fan, but
the time it would take to ship the part, I considered the $100 cleaning a
bargain. As soon as I got back to the
office I popped the case off my desktop as well and gave it a thorough dusting
as well. (All it takes is a screwdriver and a can of compressed air.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Step# 5: Time to Defrag<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">If it has been more than
three months since you last defragged your hard drive, then spring cleaning is
definitely time to perform this chore.
While it could take an hour or more to do, it will speed up your drive’s
response time considerably.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Step# 6: Update Your Drivers<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">If you are using out of date
drivers, especially those associated with your system’s operating system, then
you are leaving the door wide open to hackers.
The reason that companies spend so much time and money tweaking their
drivers is predominantly due to the fact that there are millions of hackers who
spend billions of man hours searching for vulnerabilities in systems and
software. I have known users who
intentionally disabled the automatic updates, or who don’t allow updates to
take place when notified by their system.
Then they complain when their system gets hacked. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While all these tasks could
collectively take you the better part of a day to perform, when you consider
the increase in speed and security that a little hi-tech spring cleaning can
provide, you will more than make up for it in added productivity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Carl Weiss is president of </span></i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/" style="color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Working the Web to Win</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">,</span></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> <b><i>an award-winning digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville, Florida. </i></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">You can listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4 p.m.</span></i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></i></b></span></a></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Eastern on</span></i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin" style="color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></div>
Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-75391547465757717262015-03-16T07:42:00.000-07:002015-03-17T07:42:11.285-07:00The Write Stuff - Blogging for Fun & Profit<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9Z_dZGVEUHW4U-uZXbRWc-UenZ0rDaZnK-OsFDmioJ8gxxUbaUcoq3Ny3n7xubH4IJL-rT4y6r-uBRivjZXr5zxACBDwuRTrSI3WteWW72lbJjgkEKyieYfN39dgjVW_PE_BdW6rUOg/s1600/writestuff.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9Z_dZGVEUHW4U-uZXbRWc-UenZ0rDaZnK-OsFDmioJ8gxxUbaUcoq3Ny3n7xubH4IJL-rT4y6r-uBRivjZXr5zxACBDwuRTrSI3WteWW72lbJjgkEKyieYfN39dgjVW_PE_BdW6rUOg/s1600/writestuff.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of hotfrog.ca</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When it comes to generating
results online, most people still act as though a website is the be-all, end-all
of Internet marketing. That kind of
thinking is so 20<sup>th</sup> Century.
Sure, before the year 2000, there were only two things you needed to
succeed online: a website and a search engine.
Fifteen years later, not only is this clearly not the case, in some cases
you don’t need a website to generate results at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Since it can
take from 4-6 months on average for a website to work its way up the food
change onto the first page of the major search engines, this isn’t always the
best route to success for many businesses.
Sad to say it, but 99% of websites never make it onto page one. In the first place, a website only represents
25% of the criteria that search engines use to determine ranking. The other 75% consists of off-page media,
including blogs, social networks, and videos.
Unless you have the time or money to post relevant content to Facebook,
Twitter, Google+, Blogger and YouTube on a regular basis, then your chances of
making it to the top of the search engines is slim to none.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">However, that doesn’t mean
you should throw in the towel.
Especially if your resources are limited, it is sometimes a better
course of action to choose your battles and start growing your web presence on
the installment basis. One of the
quickest ways you can create a growing audience that you can sell to is by
blogging.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">This Ain’t Your Daddy’s Blog<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Started on August 23, Blogger
was originally created in San Francisco by three contract programmers during
the dot-com boom. When dot-com became
dot-bomb, Blogger barely survived the shake out. Then Google came calling in 2003 and bought
Blogger. Since that time, Blogger has
seen quite a few changes. Today’s
platform allows users to do much more than merely post blogs. Fully fledged, a writer can do everything
with Blogger that they can do with a website, including:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Post text<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Embed videos<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Include banner
ads<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Host forms<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Create subsidiary
pages<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Add backlinks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Automatically
resize to any platform<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Generate a loyal
following<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Even more important is the
fact that as soon as you click on the submit button, the Googlebots will spider
your blog. This means that a properly
optimized blogpost could wind up on page one of Google in as little as a few
hours. Try doing that with a website.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We Don’t Need No Stinking Website!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn_ryuNGP2eGofELaklFSRJeApQrpUf2Nq-ozvTJahJ-Rgo2G7ZFO9j6DIejyt8pkBp0Nm5o2Tz2b_PytPa64Ma2TzFb30I1SEoMdWa0dBfBNg8-WccnYMZnkmuNDWrEEfmQq6w3ttykA/s1600/0algorithm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn_ryuNGP2eGofELaklFSRJeApQrpUf2Nq-ozvTJahJ-Rgo2G7ZFO9j6DIejyt8pkBp0Nm5o2Tz2b_PytPa64Ma2TzFb30I1SEoMdWa0dBfBNg8-WccnYMZnkmuNDWrEEfmQq6w3ttykA/s1600/0algorithm.jpg" height="177" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">wikipedia.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Face it, the reason anyone
builds a website is to generate exposure.
The problem with that idea is that the current monopoly exerted by
Google, Yahoo and Bing means it’s their way or the highway when it comes to
what generates top ranking. That makes trying to getting on page 1 very hard to
do. (This is especially true when the
search engines “Tweak” their algorithms on an almost daily basis.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">But what if there was a way
to generate the same or even better exposure for your business without having
to rely on search engines at all. In
fact, what if I could show you a way to generate a bigger, more targeted audience
while at the same time increasing conversion without the use of a website? Would that interest you?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Before I do that, let’s take
a look at the best case search engine scenario.
Let’s say for the sake of argument that you woke up one morning to find
your website in position 1, page 1 on Google.
Let’s also assume that it was for a highly coveted keyword or phrase
that produces 10,000 relevant searches per month. Sounds good doesn’t it? Well, it should, because on average the top
organic listing on Google generates nearly two thirds of the clicks that land
on that search. So your website would
receive around 6,500 clicks that month. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">That’s the good news. The bad news is just because your site
generated a few thousand clicks doesn’t necessarily mean that it will generate
a lead, much less a registration or a sale.
That’s because on average a visitor to your site from a search engine is
going to spend less than two minutes on-site before they either take action or
click back to search. After all, there
are upwards of twenty listings on page 1 of Google search from which to choose. Unless your website fulfills a need, or
contains an irresistible offer that compels the visitor to act, odds are they
are going to peruse several sites other than yours. That’s the main reason people “Google it” in
the first place, to comparison shop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Blog readers are a different
breed of cat. In the first place, blog
readers spend on average twice the <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QcD7JnU0Dxes4Eeqa8A5QFWGPMBBCfIe-kU2G_-hiaE_CPn2R4smsYgZrjS3DdcO0rl6W5Ob1Dun8NDu6PjMaedyb6JDHVFBrIQy0h3qXZ-qw52JTdB1MP3S_BMREyOOb1enhw_gysw/s1600/0analytics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QcD7JnU0Dxes4Eeqa8A5QFWGPMBBCfIe-kU2G_-hiaE_CPn2R4smsYgZrjS3DdcO0rl6W5Ob1Dun8NDu6PjMaedyb6JDHVFBrIQy0h3qXZ-qw52JTdB1MP3S_BMREyOOb1enhw_gysw/s1600/0analytics.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of bytecubed.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
amount of time on a blog as a visitor does
when they visit a website. Secondly, a
well-written blog can not only make an impact on the reader, but it can also
elevate the writer to the level of expert. That’s right, it raises your
credibility! Since it is important that
a visitor know, like and trust you before they make a buying decision, you can
convey much more authority with a timely blog than you can with even a highly focused
website. Best of all, once immersed in
your blog, the only subsidiary clicks available are not to competing bloggers,
but to the other content contained on your site. Just like your website, Blogger comes
complete with analytics that can help you adjust your message, your subsidiary
content and your offers. (Take a look at a snapshot of our readership below.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9B_HEJPS_acbxupyj6PcVKzWV4KtRL1laGFA3xi_PWmJwOB90jiUNPXKSufkKF-BwJpqobquenkovqGDU_7Va6xpVDC6yVpaAT6Tdmv4qvJQpFcsrTcNyPJIhuHPVjrVZV71fMfLBPrc/s1600/blogstats1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9B_HEJPS_acbxupyj6PcVKzWV4KtRL1laGFA3xi_PWmJwOB90jiUNPXKSufkKF-BwJpqobquenkovqGDU_7Va6xpVDC6yVpaAT6Tdmv4qvJQpFcsrTcNyPJIhuHPVjrVZV71fMfLBPrc/s1600/blogstats1.jpg" height="468" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Currently, our blog is being
read by almost 50,000 people per month.
This figure far exceeds the 6,500 clicks per month that our mythical
website above achieved during the same period.
These blogs are well-read and our offers and ads produce results nearly
every day. This blog’s readership was
generated by writing an average of 1 post every week for the past three
years. So this is something that anybody
can do as long as they follow the ABC’s of successful blog writing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A - Always intrigue the reader</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">. The last
thing anyone wants to read is about your last board meeting or ad copy. To create a following you need to answer a
question, fulfill a need, or provide real value. A catchy title and lead paragraph
are also a plus. The objective is to
inform and entertain at the same time.
(We refer to this as Infotainment.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">B – Bring your readers a great read</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">. We have found
that the minimum copy for a great blog is 1,200 words or more. Don’t short sheet your readers by penning
only a few paragraphs. Think magazine
article as opposed to a tweet. Your
readers will thank you. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">C – Create a sharing atmosphere</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">. Provide your
audience with information that they can’t find anywhere else and they will
treat you like an authority figure. Also make it easy to share your blog with
others. Post it to your social nets daily so that your current following can
stay current.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A few other must haves are:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Keywords embedded in the title and text<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Backlinks to your website (if you have one)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Brief bio of the writer at the end of the blog<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Appropriate images and/or videos embedded in the copy<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A clear offer or call to action<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Then there is just one more
task and that is to distribute your blog.
The problem is if you write the world’s best blogs and no one reads them
what you have created is a billboard in the desert. While there are a number of ways to create an
audience, the most popular way to promote a post is via pay-per-click
advertising. And that can get expensive.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7R8TB1_wC-b57ySG1nt-yO2aKk_2gV02tPStH355-TosoBP3FFn8e4do_3cGEwxMawP_87YBiMK_TkUkWziUpW2wOi8iYfUejV3NUTqq0Rd9eRT21wiAwAT7ZetKrkMddL_eDBBVjFbc/s1600/0audience.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7R8TB1_wC-b57ySG1nt-yO2aKk_2gV02tPStH355-TosoBP3FFn8e4do_3cGEwxMawP_87YBiMK_TkUkWziUpW2wOi8iYfUejV3NUTqq0Rd9eRT21wiAwAT7ZetKrkMddL_eDBBVjFbc/s1600/0audience.jpg" height="139" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From ihatepresentations.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">However, that isn’t the only
way to generate an audience. The two
best organic ways to get the word out are by posting to your social nets and by
working with other successful bloggers.
If you already have a substantial amount of followers on Facebook,
Twitter, Pintrest and/or Google+, pushing your blogposts couldn’t be
simpler. That’s because at the bottom of
every Blogger blog is the F, T, P and G that were created for you to do just
that. Simply point and click to push
your blog to your followers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">An even better way to
generate a following is to pool your resources with fellow bloggers. One of the services that we offer to clients
is called Team Tech. This is a peer-to-peer
blogging club where members are matched with five bloggers from non-competing
businesses. Every week these blog
buddies are tasked with reading each other’s blog, adding an appropriate
comment and then pushing member blogs to their respective social nets. This creates instant readership, since their
blogs are seen every week by thousands of readers who would otherwise have no
way of receiving their blog. This has
literally allowed us to help bloggers generate thousands of readers in less
than a year for participating club members.
(If you would like to learn more about this service, call Carl or Hector
at 904-410-2091.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">On top of that, we coach each
team to make sure they are optimizing their blogs and acting in each other’s
best interest. As part of the service we also share their blog post to our
65,000+ followers and groups we belong to. This gives each of the team tech
members an additional bump each week and really kick start their readership.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The important thing is that
with a little imagination, you can create an audience without having to duke it
out on the search engines. If you do
have a website, adding a blog is a great source of Google Juice, since the
world’s most popular search engine puts a high value on blogs that generate a
substantial following. You can also use
these blogs to bolster your social networks as well, in essence killing two
birds with one stone. All you have to do to succeed is apply the write
stuff. </span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Carl Weiss is president of </span></i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/" style="color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Working the Web to Win</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">,</span></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> <b><i>an award-winning digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville, Florida. </i></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">You can listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4 p.m.</span></i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></i></b></span></a></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Eastern on</span></i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin" style="color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-73354788840634663202015-03-02T13:07:00.002-08:002015-03-02T13:09:26.114-08:00That Drone You Hear is the FAA Sleeping at the Switch<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5gloNB7t084J6TA0eI2l2hDs6oIfOn2ccaI5Ec7GBGHZ4w5hNgYEUX0ui-W1j3IrX2bBZDaJFySFBlkA7t2UXuTyl4nd7nsukl_fLgD0k2G_4rcpslYVeDMPhDzMkeFQNUiPhyPLYR8/s1600/1drone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB5gloNB7t084J6TA0eI2l2hDs6oIfOn2ccaI5Ec7GBGHZ4w5hNgYEUX0ui-W1j3IrX2bBZDaJFySFBlkA7t2UXuTyl4nd7nsukl_fLgD0k2G_4rcpslYVeDMPhDzMkeFQNUiPhyPLYR8/s1600/1drone.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From bits.blogs.nytimes.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Everybody these days seems to be getting into the drone craze. The military has thousands of them,
Amazon covets them and millions of civilians own them. Otherwise known as
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), not
since the dawn of manned flight more than 100 years ago, has a topic so
enthralled the public and worried the federal government. This leads us to a very real fly in the drone ointment...that of regulation, or the lack thereof. The FAA currently has its hands full trying
to manage the booming airline industry where 21<sup>st</sup> century jumbo jets
are still being vectored to all the cardinal points of the compass by 1970’s
technology. The last thing the FAA wants to
have to wrestle with are potentially tens of thousands of UAVs crisscrossing
the friendly skies. It’s one of the
things that give bureaucrats indigestion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Could Bureaucratic Bungling Bring Down the Civilian Drone Industry? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Believe it or not, it was a bureaucrat by the name of William P. McCracken, Jr.
that received the first pilot’s license in the US on April 6, 1927. (To put this date into perspective, that was only a month and two weeks before
Charles Lindbergh made the first solo crossing of the Atlantic on May 21.) As assistant Secretary of Commerce for
Aeronautics, McCracken had initially offered the honor of the first pilot’s license to none
other than Orville Wright. Oville declined being that by the latter part of the 20's he no longer flew. McCracken, who had earned his wings flying in
the Army Air Corps during WWI, followed by a stint flying the mail,
was tasked with enforcing the Air Commerce Act of 1926. This legislation not only regulated the
training and licensing of pilots, but it helped establish and manage airports,
navigation aids, issue airworthiness certificates for aircraft and investigate
accidents. In short, it established the
framework for the agency that would start off as the CAA and eventually evolve
into the FAA we know to this day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Fast forward nearly ninety
years and we have come to the dawn of a new age of aviation, brought about by
the same military that introduced aviation to the masses way back when. While relatively a recent innovation in the
eyes of the public, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles have been around for nearly as
long as have been aircraft. The first
pilotless aircraft were constructed from surplus military aircraft fitted with radio
controls and packed with high explosives.
Kind of a poor man’s cruise missile, these flying bombs were designed to be
piloted to altitude where the pilot would engage the radio-controlled
autopilot before bailing out. Then the
plane would be flown by a pilot in a second nearby aircraft. It was this pilot's job to guide
the plane to the target. While initial
tests were carried out during the First World War, it wasn’t until WWII that the technology was
deemed flight worthy. Even then there
were a number of accidents, such as the one that famously claimed the life of Joe
Kennedy Jr. when his B-17 loaded with Torpex detonated prematurely,
killing Kennedy and his copilot, Lieutenant Wilford John Willy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJjPjO6SCC21Lb3gGL9UgwiS6CE00p7q36G0_osPpyAK5gEr1t_Tl6yzChkdRIwXzT-5r3j7G98dcHNI7nQLRF4_iptHbW9txS9oGGhOEjyH24BDit0OqJ_L1zLZKKwKtVN5fnz6ELBY/s1600/1lightningbug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDJjPjO6SCC21Lb3gGL9UgwiS6CE00p7q36G0_osPpyAK5gEr1t_Tl6yzChkdRIwXzT-5r3j7G98dcHNI7nQLRF4_iptHbW9txS9oGGhOEjyH24BDit0OqJ_L1zLZKKwKtVN5fnz6ELBY/s1600/1lightningbug.jpg" height="185" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy en.wikipedia.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">After the Second World War,
UAVs saw use as everything from pilotless target drones to the first fledgling
reconnaissance drones. These spies in
the sky were used extensively during the Vietnam War, with the USAF 100<sup>th</sup>
Strategic Reconnaissance wing launching nearly 3,500 Ryan Lightning Bugs for use as
aerial scouts. (554 of these were lost
during the war in Southeast Asia from a combination of enemy action and mechanical problems.) But
it wasn’t until the 1980’s that the military had an epiphany that gave them a
whole new mindset when it came to embracing the true capabilities that UAVs
represented.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It was the Israeli Air Force
that first saw the possibilities that drones represented, by using a fleet of Ryan Firebee drones they had
purchased from the US to trick Egypt into firing off all their surface-to-air
missiles at these UAVs at the outset of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. This made
routing the defenseless Egyptian Air Force child’s play. In 1982, the Israeli's soundly
defeated the Syrian Air Force by once again using UAVs in a number of tactical
roles, including being deployed as decoys, aerial jammers and surveillance
birds. Their Scout UAV was the first to
transmit live video with a 360-degree view of the terrain below. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">During the first Gulf War,
the US used Pioneer UAVs developed by Israel to observe Iraqi troop
deployments. In one famous incident, a
Pioneer launched from the deck of the battleship USS Wisconsin, observed Iraqi
troops surrendering following the bombardment of their trenches by the ship. This led the US to develop a new class of
military UAV starting with the Predator.
At first used exclusively as an observation platform, it didn’t take the
military long to figure out that the Predator was a platform big enough to handle ordinance. An armed and beefed-up version of the
Predator, which can carry two Hellfire Missiles, was eventually designated the Reaper.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Take me to your leader<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Suddenly all kinds of
military contractors were creating all manner of UAVs from vertical takeoff
quadcopters, to drones that could be carried onto the battlefield in a backpack
by troops, to miniature bugbots that could stealthily infiltrate buildings, to
world traveling autonomous UAVs that can stay <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTUASoRxGTubOu8nWBApNcVVGKXsPfR4C44whgDnnwO7MMUY5x1D-ULMmexV7Llkgm8k4BuWrbg-77MrX7za8yAYcLQuGxcsrM7raT-VTEcv_tNXayq2oIghmo3Sa3bI3A3qCEOEE3mg/s1600/1newsdrone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivTUASoRxGTubOu8nWBApNcVVGKXsPfR4C44whgDnnwO7MMUY5x1D-ULMmexV7Llkgm8k4BuWrbg-77MrX7za8yAYcLQuGxcsrM7raT-VTEcv_tNXayq2oIghmo3Sa3bI3A3qCEOEE3mg/s1600/1newsdrone.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image from nbcnews.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
airborne for days or even weeks
at a time and that could be mistaken for a UFO if spotted by the public. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Ever since the 1950’s, UFOs
had become common fodder in newspapers, on TV and in the movies.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">In more than one motion picture, alien
lifeforms descend from their spaceship only to demand, “Take me to your
leader.”</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">While this alien invasion never happened
in real life, it was only last month when our current Commander in Chief got a
taste of what this scenario could be like when a UFO landed on the White
House lawn.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">That’s because on February
2, a DJI Phantom quadcopter, </span><span style="font-size: 16px;">owned and operated by a US intelligence agency employee, </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">crash landed in front of the White House.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The employee later said that the UAV in question purportedly malfunctioned.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The President, not to mention the Secret
Service, was not amused.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Better Late Than Never?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">With everyone from
businessmen and women to kids having access to an ever growing armada of consumer
UAVs, you would think that the federal government would be rushing to legislate
the training, operation and regulation of drones. And you would be wrong. The FAA’s rules for the operation and
certification of drones are at present four years late. Originally the federal aviation authority had set a
date of March 10, 2011 as the inception date for the establishment of
regulations that among other things, would designate where, when and how high
drones could fly. But as of the date of
this publication, the FAA is still asleep at the controls. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Sad to say it, but as drones
of all shapes and sizes continue to proliferate, there is no way for a US
citizen to obtain either a private or commercial drone pilot’s license. Meanwhile the skies are quite literally abuzz
with consumer drones. Aside from
rankling the President, there are clear safety issues associated with fleets of
unregulated UAVs. While military UAVs
such as the predator are responsible for an increasing number of deaths, it is
only a matter of time before a consumer drone causes, either intentionally or
unintentionally, a fatality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-cNL7i7JNL1T5NOKAY2HsfCIlC5kjeH2ttWXdPtyTqP5T6DqoMhO46hf2FzOmOEgKwcuh5g6ZgY7C2YL35R9rvMSSvYoO7o6LXqgUV2YVLCoQDvDkpM4E57_-QKm2g4mxmJQe4XeJ8o/s1600/1549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-cNL7i7JNL1T5NOKAY2HsfCIlC5kjeH2ttWXdPtyTqP5T6DqoMhO46hf2FzOmOEgKwcuh5g6ZgY7C2YL35R9rvMSSvYoO7o6LXqgUV2YVLCoQDvDkpM4E57_-QKm2g4mxmJQe4XeJ8o/s1600/1549.jpg" height="221" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of msnbc.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Unregulated drones being
flown by untrained pilots can easily come into conflict with civilian and
commercial aircraft. A number of
consumer drones have the ability to fly hundreds or even more than a thousand
feet high. Everything from helicopters
to aircraft taking off and landing could be damaged or even brought down should
a drone inadvertently stray into their flight path. (Everyone remembers how US Airways Flight
1549 was forced to ditch in the Hudson River in January 2009 when it crossed
paths with a flock of geese.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">A blog from qz.com sums up
public opinion best: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“As the delays have mounted,
drone enthusiasts have grown increasingly frustrated with the FAA. In a press
conference this morning, transportation secretary Anthony Foxx and FAA
administrator Michael Huerta both refused to say when they thought the new
proposed rules might actually be implemented–probably because it could take
years. Foxx and Huerta also dodged questions about how the FAA would even be
able to know if rules are being violated. Huerta said the FAA’s first focus is
on ensuring people know what the rules are.”
<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">In the meantime, commercial
drone operators have been flying on the edge of lawlessness. To fly a UAV legally in this country
currently requires a commercial operator to apply for and receive an exemption. Since September 2014 the FAA has issued a
grand total of two dozen exemptions to commercial operators. This is a fraction of the 342 applications
received. Even more bizarre is the
government’s current requirement that every applicant have a private pilot’s
license. Since there is a huge
difference between flying a light plane and a drone, this is just another clear
cut case of bureaucracy run amok. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Far from being stymied by the
Herculean task of studying the myriad of applications in which commercial operators
could employ UAVs, an internal FAA cost-benefit study recently leaked to the
press only considered four uses for civilian aerial drones: aerial photography,
search/rescue, bridge inspection and precision agriculture. While anything that saves lives or helps
feed the world is a good thing, this particular study only covers the tip of
the UAV iceberg. It just goes to show how ill-equipped the federal government
is when it comes to dealing with the biggest innovation in civilian aviation
since the Wright Brothers first flight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILTrau-VCdcKZAsDrdagILJcR6JSO_PWIpZcP2SVznupigBQaZknXJvr08NcwHGV3YSZWte0sN3J1bxCQLSrN2WXgMKfNmf_kyhB5FavjF5QQ_zor_RsWCIMHYfz08D7q__lPMvd9cUk/s1600/0drone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgILTrau-VCdcKZAsDrdagILJcR6JSO_PWIpZcP2SVznupigBQaZknXJvr08NcwHGV3YSZWte0sN3J1bxCQLSrN2WXgMKfNmf_kyhB5FavjF5QQ_zor_RsWCIMHYfz08D7q__lPMvd9cUk/s1600/0drone.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From suasnews.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While civilian drones
continue to literally fly off the shelves, the FAA effort at regulating them seems to be all but
grounded. Two weeks ago, the agency
proposed that commercial operators pass a written test every two years. They also proposed restricting that
commercial operators always maintain eye contact with their aircraft and that
drones be restricted to an altitude of no more than 500 feet and a speed of no
more than 100 mph. On top of that, they want to restrict drones to flying only during daylight hours and they want to restrict drones from
flying over anyone not involved in their use.
This means that commercial operators would literally be precluded from
flying over any place that crowds gathered, which would mean that you can
forget about using drones as delivery vehicles.
(Sorry Amazon.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When it comes to enforcing
the rules, that is another matter. A
recent article from the NY Times stated that, </span><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">“Regardless of
what the final rule says, the F.A.A. could find it difficult to enforce the
regulation. It will have to rely on complaints from the public and local law
enforcement. Also, the agency, which is in the middle of a </span></i><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/04/business/a-satellite-system-that-could-end-circling-above-the-airport.html?_r=1&hp"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">major upgrade</span></i></a><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> to the nation’s air
traffic system to reduce congestion, may not have enough resources to monitor
the thousands of drones that could take to the sky once this rule is finalized
in the coming months. The agency has about 7,200 </span></i><a href="http://www.dot.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/docs/FY2016-BudgetEstimate-FAA.pdf"><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">employees</span></i></a><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> in its aviation safety
division, a number that has not increased much in recent years.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Is anyone awake in the halls of Congress? (or the FAA?) Thousands of unregulated drones are already taking to the skies with unlicensed pilots at the controls. That there needs to be rules
and regulations is obvious. Civilian
drones are here to stay. As their prices
continue to fall and their flight capabilities continue to climb it is clear
that doing an ostrich impersonation is hardly going to make the problems
inherent in the growing fleet of civilian drones go away. All it makes you want to do is shake your
head wonder what Orville and Wilbur would have made of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Carl Weiss is president of </span></i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/" style="color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Working the Web to Win</span></i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">,</span></a></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> <b><i>an award-winning digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville, Florida. </i></b></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" style="color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">You can listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4 p.m.</span></i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> </span></i></b></span></a></span><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14.8500003814697px; line-height: 20.7900009155273px;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Eastern on</span></i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 10pt;"><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin" style="color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a></span></div>
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Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-8330444164944631882015-02-09T04:05:00.000-08:002015-07-24T07:25:21.885-07:00You Only Hack the Ones You Love - A cyberstalking primer<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9aiaFS0bxHB0K21P_mhbaD-qlQo-2YhbJdCbAm8RhrCvbRJAVSFwUMLM9pCskn4EwOLAckd00mi8w5czDRSmbfkn3UYIFCEtBhHK5c0Iy1BJcPtsYLnizm7lO-YPR_s2wJOsiFzLFSM/s1600/0stalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu9aiaFS0bxHB0K21P_mhbaD-qlQo-2YhbJdCbAm8RhrCvbRJAVSFwUMLM9pCskn4EwOLAckd00mi8w5czDRSmbfkn3UYIFCEtBhHK5c0Iy1BJcPtsYLnizm7lO-YPR_s2wJOsiFzLFSM/s1600/0stalk.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of thebusinessofme.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">With Valentine’s Day right
around the corner I thought I’d take the time to give all of our readers a
little lesson on what can happen when that long lost love refuses to get
lost. What I am referring to is the all-too-common
practice of cyberstalking. Along with
hacking, this technocrime is on the rise worldwide. If you want to avoid being your significant
other’s online punching bag, you need to take precautions before the bloom is
off the rose if you hope to have a moment’s peace when your relationship hits the rocks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">If you perform a search of
the newsfeeds you will find that cyberstalking is performed by all ages, races,
sexes and economic brackets. An equal
opportunity nuisance, everyone from grade schoolers to senior citizens have
been accused of the crime. And let there
be no doubt that since 1999 the act of cyberstalking has been considered a
crime. That was the year that California
became the first state in the Union to pass a law specifically addressing
cyberstalking. The law itself was an
outgrowth of legislation that has been on the books since 1913 that addressed
harassment via telephone. The chief
difference between that and cyberstalking laws enacted since 200 is that it
makes it illegal to use email or any form of electronic communication to
threaten, abuse, annoy, embarrass or terrify another person. These laws were further beefed up in 2009
with the passage of a cyberbullying law that protects minors from online
harassment and intimidation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">That’s the good news. The bad news is that the successful
prosecution and conviction of cyberstalking cases has been less than
stellar. That’s largely due to the fact
that conviction requires proving intent to do harm which is often nearly
impossible to prove in a court of law. What can
make prosecution of this cybercrime even more difficult is the fact that it is
child’s play to use a false name or anonymous email address to mask a stalker’s
true identity. So even if you know who
it is that is harassing you, good luck proving it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">How Do I Hack Thee?
Let me Count the Ways<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Even worse is the fact that
with the advent of technology, harassing texts and emails are only the tip of
the iceberg. Off the shelf software can
provide an obsessed cyberstalker with the means to quite literally track your
every move. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/09/15/346149979/smartphones-are-used-to-stalk-control-domestic-abuse-victims" title="http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2014/09/15/346149979/smartphones-are-used-to-stalk-control-domestic-abuse-victims"><span style="background: white; color: #1990e5; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">A recent study from NPR</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">stated
that more than 85 percent of domestic violence shelters surveyed had victims
who were tracked using GPS.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">I Smell a RAT! </span></b><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">An even more insidious form of cyberstalking is referred to
as ratting, where perpetrators use a Remote Access Trojan to commandeer the
webcam on a laptop, tablet or cellphone in order to become an electronic
peeping Tom. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">A newsfeed from express.uco.uk stated that <i>“</i></span><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Rachel Hyndman, a 21-year-old student from Glasgow, who discovered
she was being spied on in her home by an online Peeping Tom. </span></i><i style="line-height: 15pt;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">She noticed her webcam had switched itself
on while she was in the bath. A hacker had accessed her computer via a RAT
(Remote Access Trojan) virus which often appears in an email as an advertising
mailout. However, once downloaded it
gives the sender control of the infected computer. If a digital stalker like
Rachel’s has access to your computer they have the power to switch on your
webcam to spy on you, operate your keyboard, view emails and access your
personal files.”</span></i></div>
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<a href="http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/412370/Is-someone-watching-you-on-the-web"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/412370/Is-someone-watching-you-on-the-web</span></i></a><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">While the article goes onto state that Rachel contacted
an IT professional that helped her track the perpetrator down and scare him
off, what most people don’t understand is that this is not a crime that is
limited to male stalkers. Far from it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tKg_oP0DuDhb-2KTyeTd7-DEp6mROoQQtYpBb8-zlFGamInE83GeuRuMaL350QdPDR7DK_Uu_WI04Wv32BFEStA20lvcZFdzpVTV5z8E6TzaRFz3vFL1rfssXfVxbw0pbnuJGCtWs84/s1600/2stalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_tKg_oP0DuDhb-2KTyeTd7-DEp6mROoQQtYpBb8-zlFGamInE83GeuRuMaL350QdPDR7DK_Uu_WI04Wv32BFEStA20lvcZFdzpVTV5z8E6TzaRFz3vFL1rfssXfVxbw0pbnuJGCtWs84/s1600/2stalk.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From gov.mb.ca</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #333333;">In a news story a little closer to home, ABC News posted
a video that featured a St. Augustine, Florida resident Joe Goode whose life was
turned upside down when he tried to break up with his fiancé. After hacking her way into his social nets
and email accounts, she proceeded to send pornographic photos of Joe to his
employers. But that was only the start
of the harassment. Next she had him
arrested not once but three times by doing everything from telling the cops
that Joe was making harassing calls to using a voice morph app to record calls
that purportedly came from him. (This cyberstalking trick is referred to as
spoofing in the industry.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">Later Joe’s cyberstalker expanded her scope to include his
new girlfriend (who was accused of child pornography) and even Joe’s
landlord. Coming back into the US after
a brief vacation, Joe even gotdetained by US Customs after they receive an
“anonymous tip” that he was smuggling drugs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<a href="http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/2020-mans-cyberstalking-rampage-breakup-28638438">http://abcnews.go.com/2020/video/2020-mans-cyberstalking-rampage-breakup-28638438</a><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333;">In a blog post on psychcentral.com entitled Cyberstalking
Worse Than Stalking, mental health researchers compared people who had been
victims of stalking and those who had been victims of cyberstalking. Their findings were surprising to say the
least.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Victims of cyberstalking had to engage in more
‘self-protective’ behaviors, pay higher out-of-pocket costs to combat the
problem, and experienced greater fear over time than traditional stalking
victims.</span><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Technology has changed what they call the
‘risk/exposure’ profiles for victims, making stalking easier and
self-protection harder.</span><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Technology in cyberstalking cases may be more
harmful to the victim’s psychological well-being and reputation, thus more
decisive in spurring quicker self-protective action,” said the researchers.</span><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The study also revealed differences between age
and gender of victims. In cases of stalking, approximately 70 percent of the
victims were women, while female victims only represented 58 percent in
cyberstalking cases. The average age for stalking victims in the sample was
40.8 years old, while cyberstalking victims averaged 38.4 years old.</span><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">The
Best Defense<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9HuoEq0OP1R9yju419UKZHlJF5QELxsJBd-I72hHGDWK2gqpBVCwNakc7wjo0FXGKOwSfU_w3YsOYNSbGsvASNNds0sGLDXm2aIc7gkvmYDjMKa9suE5KawIeQFzeYHMQAksrSLC98o/s1600/1stalk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9HuoEq0OP1R9yju419UKZHlJF5QELxsJBd-I72hHGDWK2gqpBVCwNakc7wjo0FXGKOwSfU_w3YsOYNSbGsvASNNds0sGLDXm2aIc7gkvmYDjMKa9suE5KawIeQFzeYHMQAksrSLC98o/s1600/1stalk.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cybbullying.wikispaces.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222;">While many anti-stalking resources
caution the public to avoid revealing too much of their personal lives online,
this is not always a practical solution to someone whom you formerly knew and
loved. Let’s face it folks, lovers are
way too far inside the wire for you to successfully employ passive defense
measures. Sad to say, but the minute
you pull the plug on a love interest if you want to have some measure of
cybersecurity, you need to initiate the following damage control sooner rather
than later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333;">Change your
passwords on all your social nets and email accounts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333;">Consider changing
your phone number.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333;">Do not accept any
emails or texts from a jilted lover.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333;">Do not open any
attachment from anyone you do not know.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #333333;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #333333;">Add additional
security to your computer, tablet and smartphone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333;">While these measures are in and of themselves no
guarantee that a scorned lover will simply walk away from a relationship, short
of packing up and moving to another state, it is about as good as it gets. Because like it or not, in this technological
age many people only hack the ones they
love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<span style="color: #333333;">Below are some other resources you should check out if
you think you are a victim of cyberstalking”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<a href="http://quitstalkingme.com/">http://quitstalkingme.com/</a><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<a href="http://www.victimsofcrime.org/our-programs/stalking-resource-center">http://www.victimsofcrime.org/our-programs/stalking-resource-center</a><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<a href="https://www.ncjrs.gov/internetsafety/cyber.html">https://www.ncjrs.gov/internetsafety/cyber.html</a><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="storycopy" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 12.0pt;">
<a href="http://www.haltabuse.org/resources/stats/"><b>http://www.haltabuse.org/resources/stats/</b></a><b><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<b><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Carl Weiss is president
of </span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/"><b><i><span style="color: #6699cc; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Working
the Web to Win</span></i></b><span style="color: #6699cc; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">,</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> <b><i>an
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Florida. </i></b></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null"><b><i><span style="color: #6699cc; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">You can listen to Carl live
every Tuesday at 4 p.m.</span></i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="color: #6699cc; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></i></b></span></a></span><b><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Eastern on</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin"><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a></span>Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-44275815395428782882015-01-15T10:06:00.001-08:002015-06-08T08:32:09.656-07:00Honey, I shrunk the PC<div class="MsoNormal">
By Hector Cisneros</div>
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Being a sci-fi buff, I'm into technology. I imagine how it will affect our lives, what
will it <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrusg6NXiAVkqNALrMDJyy5cD4zfa52wtAVPtBVJ4dnPDTLOWax5QrQOVLd_g9tBcF4oL7cfMykVAyJHkDhHHv8QORgdwVJ_KBFFJ307BVE7iVjrqJS6YGuwQpxR0iWAOKZXe35XyOUhs/s1600/1shrink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrusg6NXiAVkqNALrMDJyy5cD4zfa52wtAVPtBVJ4dnPDTLOWax5QrQOVLd_g9tBcF4oL7cfMykVAyJHkDhHHv8QORgdwVJ_KBFFJ307BVE7iVjrqJS6YGuwQpxR0iWAOKZXe35XyOUhs/s1600/1shrink.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of fanpop.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
mean for business, commerce, education, travel and yes watching your
favorite sci-fi video episode. Recently my eye caught a headline that
read, “HP Launches Stream Mini and Pavilion Mini Affordable Compact PCs”. These
computers fit on the palm of your hand. After sending a picture of the
computer to my business partner telling him that soon we will be able to make
anything a smart device, he wrote me back saying he’s got Tupperware bigger
than this new PC. Now keep in mind, we don’t sell any kind of hardware, but we
love technology. And this brings up my most important question. Just how low can computers go in the next five years? Matchbox
size? In this article I will explore the ever shrinking personal computer, how
they will be used and where they will take us. So strap yourself in and turn on
“Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” so that you can find the limits (if any) to the ever
shrinking personal computer.<br />
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I have been involved with personal computers since the very
beginning. I purchased my very first Apple II in 1979. I had already owned
several special purpose computers before (chess computer, etc…) and was stoked
at what the future would bring. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7naVvW8No3a-28nSRx4HKT_kNiukdZLh3eZUNpTzbqpvotpiqvCQc6IEyYwVnsmun0ctqJ989JsIgjDbtgWY0QoxIlx5dOsyDNHIuW5P8jdw0LmCxM_szWtDI3lvHe8h5LAaINo2FAz0/s1600/1phab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7naVvW8No3a-28nSRx4HKT_kNiukdZLh3eZUNpTzbqpvotpiqvCQc6IEyYwVnsmun0ctqJ989JsIgjDbtgWY0QoxIlx5dOsyDNHIuW5P8jdw0LmCxM_szWtDI3lvHe8h5LAaINo2FAz0/s1600/1phab.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From androidwaypoint.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In the beginning, personal computers actually got bigger. As
functionality was added (like floppy drives, hard drives, more memory, faster
processor and so on) the PC physical size went up. Portable <o:p></o:p></div>
devices came into
being around 1983 with the Osborne One and soon to follow, Compaq computer. By
the end of the eighties the size trend began to splinter with high powered
computers getting somewhat larger and regular small business and personal
systems shrinking in size by a marginal amount. The 90’s saw this trend
continue with the overall size really starting to accelerate with the widespread
acceptance of laptop and notebook computers. The early 2000’s saw the
domination of laptop over desktops and the emergence of tablets, smart phones
and even phablets. Recently we have seen the emergence of Chromebooks and Apple
and Android tablets of varying size. Until recently, there were only a few mini
size PCs that could actually run full blown Windows 8.1. Most had a foot print
of say 10 inches by 6 inches or so and had very specific limits on processing
power, memory and storage. With HP’s
launch of their new mini’s, we see the emergence of full powered small
footprint computers today.<br />
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What many people do not realize is that our high tech world has already spawned dozens,
if not hundreds of miniature and micro computing devices that are smaller than
the HP Stream. Early smartphones (PDA) have been around since the early 1990. Today,
many smartphones have more computing power than the computers used in the moon
mission space crafts. Today smartphones run the gamut from ultra-portable,
super thin do everything devices to large format phablets that act as tablet
substitutes. Speaking of tablets, these devices have made huge inroads towards
replacing laptop computer systems.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Another area of small smart devices can be found in the
medical industry. For example, blood <o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgbLmY6RLjns2z5krGTBwXLKrQuKirsCJq0VOJ0OH23ee3lmNR8otcgBLZwiOXn529JabaIzesD2egsp1q-myt7j7oKc2CgBHcJGV1bSobUmjJm2WeOvg9BUaT2LhMxkA7IelinZdieY/s1600/1pill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgbLmY6RLjns2z5krGTBwXLKrQuKirsCJq0VOJ0OH23ee3lmNR8otcgBLZwiOXn529JabaIzesD2egsp1q-myt7j7oKc2CgBHcJGV1bSobUmjJm2WeOvg9BUaT2LhMxkA7IelinZdieY/s1600/1pill.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of buffalonews.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
glucose meters have been shrinking in size
for years. Ingestible video cameras with tracking devices have been around for
quite some time. There is a whole horde of medical devices that use smartphones
as the smarts in the system where the smartphone is used to record and store
the measured biological function from a micro transmitter measuring device. Today
health tracker wearables are all the rage.<br />
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In modern terms, when you think of smart devices you can include
everything from watches to clothing, drones, small robots, even smart
prosthetics come to mind. Let’s face it, miniaturization of transistors, CPUs,
memory, storage and other computing devices have always been the norm. But how many are actually full blown
computers that include everything you expect in a desktop or laptop system that
you’d buy today. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Hewlett Packard was not the first to produce small foot print personal
computers. A number of them have been around for several years. A quick internet search
reviles small footprint PC from companies like ASUS, MSI, Acer, Lenovo, Zotac
and many more. Some of these are even smaller that the newly announced HP
Mini’s. The smallest of these are still full featured and come in with
dimensions as small as 4 inches by 6 inches by 1 inches and can run Windows 7
or 8. Most of these small footprint computers have been used in
specialty/vertical markets, which is why most consumers haven’t yet seen them.
It usually takes a company like Apple or HP to push a new technology to the
consumer market. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Having said that, the new HP Stream sets a new standard for
low price & features while at the same time being one of the smallest new
PCs for sure. It includes a powerful Intel Celeron CPU, 2 gigs of RAM memory,
32 gig SATA solid state drive, Intel graphics, support for two displays, four
USB 3.0 ports, Wireless integrated Bluetooth 4.0, wireless LAN, wired Ethernet
port, HDMI out, headphone out, built in power supply and comes with a wireless
keyboard and mouse. Plus, it comes with windows 8.1 and a stack of software
apps. The dimensions are approximately 5.7 inches square and 2 inches thick. Price
tag – around $179.<o:p></o:p></div>
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If you need a little more power, upgrade to the HP Pavilion
which comes with a faster processor, twice the RAM (4 gigs), 3-n-1 card reader,
500 gig hard drive (up to a 1 terabyte in top model), and more s/w. Both come with antivirus s/w and cloud
services. Price tag – starting at around $319<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now before you think this is an HP commercial, understand HP
was not the first to offer a small footprint PCs. There have been many white
label small footprint systems running Android and chrome. Also Apple beat HP to
the punch with its 2014 October 16<sup>th</sup> release of its own Mac Mini. The
Mac Mini is a tad more expensive (starting at around $499) is a full powered,
full featured and comes with Apple’s latest IOS. Its footprint is around 7.7
inches square by and inch and half or so. Any Mac user will love this mini Mac
because it's essentially a “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” version of a Mac system.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>How Low Can You Go?</b></div>
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How small can these devices really get? The actual limit is
the size of the connected port you need. You need physical space for video,
audio, network etc… ports. However the more we move to higher speed wireless
devices the less you need physical connected ports. One day we will easily have
match box sized PC’s. Some futurists have even predicted nano-sized computing
devices. I don’t know about nano- sized devices, but they would be cool because
you could attach them to most anything which is where this article started.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtObybdUQLvIyggmRkMIKWqEd8_ToaZC_P301JGOShz9vFJRzqZOBv1MbhfjYkc3_DDQGpDry-5LYxqKmWhOCrhAZuVadOr0kVY0Zjtesv2Op46lKjYqSHkgCGFOl7GpSiLfmpC3hN_wM/s1600/1hp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtObybdUQLvIyggmRkMIKWqEd8_ToaZC_P301JGOShz9vFJRzqZOBv1MbhfjYkc3_DDQGpDry-5LYxqKmWhOCrhAZuVadOr0kVY0Zjtesv2Op46lKjYqSHkgCGFOl7GpSiLfmpC3hN_wM/s1600/1hp.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of tomsguide.com</td></tr>
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So what's the point of all these small footprint systems.
These new small footprint, full featured personal computer systems will allow
us to upgrade the smarts of many of our personal devices we currently have at
home or in our offices. Want a smart TV? Just plug in a small footprint PC.
Want to have your own steaming music or video service, just plug in a small footprint
PC and add software for your specific needs. Need to clear up desk space. These
little devils are a pint sized godsend for saving space and removing
clutter. I don’t know about other
people, but I really like the idea of connecting one of these devices to my
large flat panel TV. The idea that I can have two full screens on my desk with
“virtually no desktop PC” is very appealing. So the next time you go shopping
for a new desktop PC, think small, Tupperware small and save all your desktop
space for important things like pictures of your family, your lunch or other
necessities of life.</div>
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<b style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Hector Cisneros is CFO of </span></i></b><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Working the Web to Win</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">,</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; line-height: 20.7999992370605px;"> <b><i>an award-winning digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville, Florida. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack" style="color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none;">You can listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4 p.m. </a>Eastern on</i></b></span><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin" style="color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; text-decoration: none;"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a></div>
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Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-11289343075870224152015-01-12T12:41:00.000-08:002015-01-12T12:41:26.610-08:00To the Moon<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Nearly everyone on the planet has heard of the XPrize,
which has spawned hi-tech competitions with multi-million dollar prizes for
everything from fuel efficient vehicles to sub-orbital spacecraft. However, in
what must be the XPrize that is by far the most "Out There," the race
is on as three-dozen teams are vying to become the first private enterprises to
land a rover on the moon. The winner takes home $30 million. In fact, the
Google Lunar XPrize competition has recently heated up with one competitor, Team
Astrobotic collecting a three quarters of a million dollar "Milestone
Prize" for overcoming key technical risks in the areas of imaging and
mobility. XPrize may announce more Milestone winners in the coming weeks, if
other teams can prove their rovers are on track to land on the moon by December
31, 2016.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">To
Go Where No XPrize has Gone Before<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3AeZTGrJpZBxg5kUPLU9UciJaHB6IgCBL6eB8C04qFl440xH3pBDefE9VLGOf8n0Q1eouwU7_XHb6az5Z7i7da5uoefey9HuRLw28zzcLd3g_RTelzz6LQduaDBjr-JF7P2eqwbMJ4o/s1600/1moon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg3AeZTGrJpZBxg5kUPLU9UciJaHB6IgCBL6eB8C04qFl440xH3pBDefE9VLGOf8n0Q1eouwU7_XHb6az5Z7i7da5uoefey9HuRLw28zzcLd3g_RTelzz6LQduaDBjr-JF7P2eqwbMJ4o/s1600/1moon.jpg" height="177" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of deviantart.com</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">To understand the sheer audacity of the current prize, you need to
understand those that came before it. The
XPrize Foundation was founded in 1995 by entrepreneur Peter Diamandis who
offered a $10 million prize to the first privately financed team that could
construct and fly a three place vehicle 100 kilometers into the
stratosphere. The contest, which later
morphed into the Ansari XPrize eventually involved 26 teams whose combined
expenditures topped $100 million. Won by
Burt Rutan and his Mojave Aerospace Ventures team who flew SpaceShipOne into
space and back, the XPrize did not end there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">In fact the inspiration for the XPrize did not get its start in the
space age, but the Roaring Twenties when French Hotelier Raymond Orteig offered
a $25,000 prize for the first person to fly nonstop between New York City and
Paris. That’s right, this is the very
prize that inspired Charles Lindbergh to work with the Ryan Aircraft Company to
construct the Spirit of St. Louis. While
Lucky Lindy won this prize in 1927, what most people forget is that he was not
the first, nor the only person to attempt the feat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">The same year that the Orteig Prize was announced, the Daily Mail
offered a 10,000 pound prize for any airplane or airship that crossed the
Atlantic Ocean in either direction between the British Isles and the US or
Canada. C</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">aptain John Alcock and
Lieutenant Arthur Whitten-Brown of the RAF accomplished this feat in a WWI
Vickers-Vimy bomber, making the prizewinning flight from Newfoundland to in a
little more than 16 hours.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 10.5pt;">They weren’t alone.
According to thestraightdope.com, <i>“Major
George Herbert Scott of the RAF and the crew of the British dirigible R.34 in
July 1919 flew from East Fortune, Scotland, to Mineola, Long Island, New York,
a distance of almost 3,000 miles, in about four and a half days. Also on board
were a stowaway (William Ballantyne), a stowaway cat (Whoopsie or Wopsie) and
two homing pigeons. The R.34 made the return flight to Pulham, England, a few
days later, marking the first round trip transatlantic flight.”</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">While 10,000 Pounds Sterling or $25,000 American sounds like a paltry
amount today, as well as a flight from Europe to the US or vice versa, when
taken into context both the prizes offered and the lofty goals put forth were
staggering for their time. It also goes
to show that cash prizes are an incredible way to galvanize the creative spirit
and spur competition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;">While the Ansari XPrize was the most newsworthy, it was not the only
competition to bear that moniker. In
2007, Progressive Insurance threw its hat into the ring b announcing the
Automotive XPrize whose goal was to design, build and race vehicles that could
achieve 100 MPG that were capable of being mass produced. On September 16, 2010 three winning teams
were announced:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3XopzVawGQp8sob1wiSE3uusInHZQlqRmqxQcAh8C9q43oTR_8FAwLET_pzM8t1quU3zl0l2RvGhFt4sJ1QVcK2Zolm0gPrDOqXZobHOVVDJeTgUuAl53av3kyVhiW7wX0SHNZsDDG4/s1600/1carfuture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB3XopzVawGQp8sob1wiSE3uusInHZQlqRmqxQcAh8C9q43oTR_8FAwLET_pzM8t1quU3zl0l2RvGhFt4sJ1QVcK2Zolm0gPrDOqXZobHOVVDJeTgUuAl53av3kyVhiW7wX0SHNZsDDG4/s1600/1carfuture.jpg" height="196" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy of inhabitat.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Team Edison2 won the $5 million mainstream competition
with its 4-passenger Very Light Car that achieved 102.5 MPG.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Team Li-Ion Motors won the $2.5 million Alternative
competition with their Wave-II electric vehicle that achieved 187 MPG.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12pt;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Team x-Tracer Switzerland won the $2.5 million
Alternative Tandem competition with an electric motorcycle that clocked in at
205.3 MPG<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">On July 29, 2010, the Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup
XCHALLENGE was introduced that offered a $1 million prize that inspired a new
generation of innovative solutions that will speed the pace of cleaning up
seawater surface oil resulting from spillage from ocean platforms, tankers, and
other sources. The team of Elastec/American Marine won the challenge by
developing a device that skims oil off of water three times faster than
previously existing technology.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">A
Clear Cut Case of Lunacy<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">This brings us to the Google Lunar XPrize introduced in
September 2007. The goal of the prize is
for teams to launch, land and operate a rover on the lunar surface. Offering $20 million to the first team that
successfully roves more than 500 meters and transmits back high definition
video, the competition also offers a $5 million second prize as well as
millions in bonuses by being the first to achieve specific goals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">According to Wikipedia, “</span><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">As of June 2014, 18 GLXP teams remain in the
competition, and five of those are thought to be making good progress. However,
none of the GLXP teams have announced firm launch dates to attempt the prize.
The prize expires at the end of 2016 and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Launch_service_provider" title="Launch service provider"><i><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">launch service providers</span></i></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></i></span><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">typically require launch vehicle reservation 24 months prior
to the date of the launch.</span></i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Lunar_X_Prize#cite_note-ieee20140605-4"><i><sup><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt;">[4]</span></sup></i></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></i></span><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Also in June, one GLXP team is scouting co-competitors to
travel with it on a common launch vehicle and lunar transit satellite.<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrobotic" title="Astrobotic"><i><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">Astrobotic</span></i></a><i> </i><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">announced it would be willing to share a single
"ride" to the Moon with up to four competitors. The shared
transporter, including a shared Lunar landing, would result in a common start
time for a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASCAR" title="NASCAR"><i><span style="background: white; color: #0b0080; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">race</span></i></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"> </span></i></span><i><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">to achieve the 500 m lunar-surface distance-traveled
objective. However, Astrobotic had not yet lined up its own launch arrangements
with 18 months left in the competition.</span></i><i><sup><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt;">[</span></sup></i><sup><span style="background: white; color: #252525; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 8.5pt;">5]</span></sup><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJotzB338VSQ8KBVQ9-4J3lj0VrEYaiL_jxPW7J1GkfDyoI2weD52J8Z4GJp_ja0mbDO9OFaNwWriATKLcAW0Shp64UMy9dd5sBNVqT40C8KD68DawmN4h0AFTWlegX8VTQ0Jq7shH99Y/s1600/Lunar_X-Prize_Moon_Rover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJotzB338VSQ8KBVQ9-4J3lj0VrEYaiL_jxPW7J1GkfDyoI2weD52J8Z4GJp_ja0mbDO9OFaNwWriATKLcAW0Shp64UMy9dd5sBNVqT40C8KD68DawmN4h0AFTWlegX8VTQ0Jq7shH99Y/s1600/Lunar_X-Prize_Moon_Rover.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy astrobotic.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">That’s not to say that several teams haven’t made
significant progress. Several teams,
including Carnegie Mellon University have already completed rovers. Astrobotics
Griffin Lander is well under way. </span><a href="https://www.astrobotic.com/griffin"><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt;">https://www.astrobotic.com/griffin</span></a><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;"> Whether any of the teams will be able to
snatch the prize before the clocks runs down is anybody’s guess. But if Lucky Lindy hadn’t risked his life to
make the first solo transatlantic crossing by airplane, think of how different
the world might be today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">But
Wait, there’s More<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">If a trip to the Moon isn’t far out enough for you
there is yet another XPrize that’s even more out there. In 2011 Qualcomm sponsored a Tricorder XPrize
with the goal of creating a mobile device that can deliver medical diagnosis,
better than or equal to a panel of board certified physicians. Inspired from the Tricorder device from the
series Star Trek, this prize has yet to be won. With $10 million in prizes on the line all I
can say is, “get cracking all you Trekkies out there”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.6pt;">
<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">Carl Weiss is president of </span></i></b><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none;">Working the Web to Win</span></i></b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none;">,</span></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> <b><i>an award-winning digital marketing agency based
in Jacksonville, Florida. <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack">You can listen to Carl
live every Tuesday at 4 p.m. </a>Eastern on</i></b></span><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt; text-decoration: none;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-58484635696601273162015-01-06T07:16:00.000-08:002015-01-06T07:16:51.476-08:00Greatest Garage Gurus<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When it comes to the Internet
everyone is familiar with the three letters WWW. Well today we are going to talk about the
three G’s, since if it weren’t for the Greatest Garage Gurus there would never
have been an Internet in the first place.
A number of startups from Apple to HP got their start in the humble
garage. Some of these made their owners
billionaires. All of them changed the
ways in which the world works. Let’s take a look at the top five garage
businesses:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">#1 – Amazon<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What sounded like a South
American River turned into a waterfall of profit for Jeff Bezos who founded
Amazon.com in 1994 as an online bookstore in his garage in Bellevue,
Washington. While it took Jeff until
1995 to sell his first book online, he made it book by being one of the
quickest online businesses to go IPO in 1997.
Today, this online e-tail powerhouse has one of the most automated
shipping systems in the business with more than 40,000 robots employed to help
take products to market. Amazon has also
been flirting with using delivery drones to enable them to compete with
retailers who can offer products on the spot.
2015 is shaping up to be the start of the shipping wars as e-tailers and
major retailers duke it out for dominance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">#2 – Apple<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17PiLdvuDQkzANlpQV-cbycK2XJ5LKi4oERo8ChUpp8poVdT1YAHyh8sa4yBa3eBhzB_4SrEHEFh6u9dvMMq3Z4KKKmkR1PVtZAt_HZlgBA9uvblD0p5n8uYjsoGAPXhhL373UtnLK1Q/s1600/1applegarage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17PiLdvuDQkzANlpQV-cbycK2XJ5LKi4oERo8ChUpp8poVdT1YAHyh8sa4yBa3eBhzB_4SrEHEFh6u9dvMMq3Z4KKKmkR1PVtZAt_HZlgBA9uvblD0p5n8uYjsoGAPXhhL373UtnLK1Q/s1600/1applegarage.jpg" height="176" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">image courtesy of <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/" style="-webkit-transition: 0.2s ease; background-color: #f1f1f1; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; color: #3b8dbd; font-family: 'Roboto Condensed', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 28.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">http://commons.wikimedia.org</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Started in the year of our
Bicentennial, 1976, two Steves by the name of Jobs and Wozniak started a
revolution by bringing personal computing to the masses. One of their first major orders for 50 Apple
I Computers was constructed in Job’s parents garage in Cupertino,
California. Although they had their
battles with everyone from Bill Gates to the Beatles over the Apple trademark name,
the rest is history being that today Apple is the most valuable tech company in
the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">#3 – Disney<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While not technically a tech
company, although their current crop of animated feature films are produced on
computers, the Walt Disney Studio got its start in Walt Disney’s uncle’s
one-car garage in Anaheim, California.
Started with a mouse named Mickey, today Disney is no Mickey Mouse
operation, being the highest-grossing media conglomerate in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">#4 – Google<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">We couldn’t talk tech without
mentioning the 800-pound gorilla in the room named Google. Started by Stanford graduate students Larry
Page and Sergey Brin in Susan Wojcicky’s garage in September 1998, they
unsuccessfully tried to sell the search engine to Excite for $1 million a year
later. Excite’s loss was the college
student’s gain as the company went public in 2001, raising $2.7 billion. Today, Google is the most trafficked search
engine online garnering 80% of all web searches. During the intervening 14 years, Google has
diversified itself into everything from medical research to robotics. It has also bought or developed dozens of
other tech businesses since going public.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">#5 – Hewlett Packard<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzG2bJXfahmf94mRcLETlGQyz9Kw5oV934WU9sGakwE6kY1CS-L_zzb_RYX7MZaIfmvbjxAXIFKRwzrbf241SC5zgiAViAnpfoEcIM0dYke7FnNjjYMOpUD6QOeGD_uEVxjBW52obAy-c/s1600/1hpgarage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzG2bJXfahmf94mRcLETlGQyz9Kw5oV934WU9sGakwE6kY1CS-L_zzb_RYX7MZaIfmvbjxAXIFKRwzrbf241SC5zgiAViAnpfoEcIM0dYke7FnNjjYMOpUD6QOeGD_uEVxjBW52obAy-c/s1600/1hpgarage.jpg" height="164" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/" style="-webkit-transition: 0.2s ease; background-color: #f1f1f1; border-bottom-style: none; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; color: #3b8dbd; font-family: 'Roboto Condensed', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: italic; line-height: 28.7999992370605px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: none; transition: 0.2s ease; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">http://commons.wikimedia.org</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">An oldie but a goodie, HP got
its start in 1939 when Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard invested $535 in order to
start building audio oscillators in a garage in Palo Alto, California. One</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> of their first customers was the Walt
Disney Studios, which purchased eight oscillators in order to augment the sound
system for its animated feature film, “Fantasia.” Widely regarded as the birthplace of Silicon Valley,
Hewlett Packard is today one of the largest and most respected tech companies
in the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Making Something from Nothing<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Like the story “Stone Soup,”
where an itinerant stranger tricks the town folk into sharing their food, all
of these people literally made something out of nothing. Think about it. When Jeff Bezos started Amazon, major
booksellers didn’t regard him as a threat.
Heck, it took him almost a year to sell his first book. When Jobs and Wozniak tried to sell the Apple
1, it was little more than a computer kit that sold for $666.66 ($2,763 in 2015
dollars.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What turned these businesses
from a curiosity to an industry were several things, including a little bit of
luck and a ton of pluck. Part
businessmen, part showmen, each and every one of these individuals ― while
regarded as genius innovators today ― had to suffer the slings and arrows not
only of their competitors, but of their peers as well. (“Go on, get out of here
boy, yer botherin’ me!”) Yet persist
they did to become icons of industry, proving the old saw that success is “10%
inspiration and 90% perspiration.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Today this trend continues as
other tinkerers piece together hardware and software in their garages, <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhp734QNjI6v9Gn4suHO9pDjcAUnXj-uC-iLorz55cQ3XmHqHsfeIFeYhU8StrNcvYtC2wCMt7slZmnpkWeczXcreWjvEmBlymgyG8riMPTYr2eLcH0t_c9ySyFwBh_eNxZCcm8sdyZn8/s1600/alibaba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhp734QNjI6v9Gn4suHO9pDjcAUnXj-uC-iLorz55cQ3XmHqHsfeIFeYhU8StrNcvYtC2wCMt7slZmnpkWeczXcreWjvEmBlymgyG8riMPTYr2eLcH0t_c9ySyFwBh_eNxZCcm8sdyZn8/s1600/alibaba.jpg" height="117" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy alibabagroup.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
hoping
to be the next tech sensation. While
many of these future Garage Gurus will be products of universities, others can
come out of the blue. Jack Ma, CEO of
Alibaba in China, founded his company in his apartment in 1999. He claims to
have coined the name while sitting in a San Francisco coffee shop. On September 5, 2014 the company went public,
raising more then $20 billion making it the largest IPO in history.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Industries to keep an eye on
in 2015 are offering such inventions as 3D Printing, Personal Robotics and
Drones, Wearable Computing, Battery & Power Technology and Cybersecurity
and Robotic Exoskeletons. While the next wave of Garage Gurus could come from
one of these areas, or from some other innovation such as nanotechnology is
anybody’s guess. What is certain is that
some of the most profound changes to society will almost certainly have its
start in the most humble of beginnings … the garage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Carl Weiss is president of </span></i></b><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/"><b><i><span style="background: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">Working the
Web to Win</span></i></b><span style="background: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;">,</span></a><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> <b><i>an
award-winning digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville,
Florida. You can listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern
on</i></b></span><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin"><b><i><span style="background: white; color: black; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-29960821038911038022014-12-02T10:34:00.001-08:002014-12-02T11:05:58.024-08:00The 12 Cons of Christmas<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNTR_oqUizY9BBLaOfb8T7wHtz7GeGmJ1GQe5pKjUfW3E7PT_XhYPn-3fURAhId_XuCqeFLnuuFyJWkxm4Rb9QxclsZoMV8QNQOBgKbd7gjETQ0IA2_Qmfk9TVTGj2IqWRiJ9X9zMYb4/s1600/2grinch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXNTR_oqUizY9BBLaOfb8T7wHtz7GeGmJ1GQe5pKjUfW3E7PT_XhYPn-3fURAhId_XuCqeFLnuuFyJWkxm4Rb9QxclsZoMV8QNQOBgKbd7gjETQ0IA2_Qmfk9TVTGj2IqWRiJ9X9zMYb4/s1600/2grinch.jpg" height="183" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of fanpop.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background: white; color: #7d7d7d; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt;">You may have heard of the 12 Days of Christmas,
but what you probably haven't heard about are the 12 Cons of Christmas. In their
efforts to "liven up" the holidays, cybercriminals this year are
going to act like the Grinch in their efforts to ruin your holiday spirit. So
in this season of giving I though it only appropriate to give all of our loyal
readers the lowdown on the top 12 cyberscams that you can expect to see this yule.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #c0504d; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-themecolor: accent2;">On
the First Day of Christmas my true love said to me, you won’t believe what I
found under the tree.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Santa
has nothing to do with the multitude of offers you will find online this
shopping season that are too good to be true.
<b> </b>A recent <a href="http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/politics/blogs/vote-up/2014/12/01/shopping-on-cyber-monday-heres-some-tips/19732935/">blog on Democrat and Chronicle</a>
quoted attorney Eric Schneiderman as saying, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">“As the
holiday shopping season kicks off and more consumers plan to shop online, there
are simple steps you can take to avoid scams and protect your personal data.
Consumers should know how to spot fake websites and deals that are too good to
be true.” Schneiderman warned that when
shopping online, consumers should only use secure Internet connections and only
process online payments on web pages that are HTTPS verified to protect
themselves against fraudulent companies.” </span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #333333;">This is
good advice. But the first warning sign
of an impending cybercon should be prices for merchandise way below retail or
wholesale value. You also need to make
doubly sure that the website you thought you were clicking onto is indeed the
one you arrived at. Cybercriminals are
amazingly good at creating knockoff websites that look just like the real deal. The only difference would be a subtle
spelling difference in the url. So be
warned and be safe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #c0504d;">On the Second Day
of Christmas my true love said to me, look what I won honey!</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGMEs_KBsuEoVIOV8ioWbhpAwt3Xqm3i-lbKMrwdSIOiWhIn7H9zCOOQgX60uX8acTtDUuSCwwWs0oTll1m6IYUNwRS0f2xuwdZgQV_LbQh4ANMPJRrQxARdQt723V22vInsh5djJycw/s1600/1contest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTGMEs_KBsuEoVIOV8ioWbhpAwt3Xqm3i-lbKMrwdSIOiWhIn7H9zCOOQgX60uX8acTtDUuSCwwWs0oTll1m6IYUNwRS0f2xuwdZgQV_LbQh4ANMPJRrQxARdQt723V22vInsh5djJycw/s1600/1contest.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">en.wikipedia.org</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt;">A variation
of the offers-too-good-to-be-true would have to be contests that notify you that
“You Have Won!” First of all if you are
unfamiliar with said “contest” do not accept the email, much less click on the
link. If you do go there odds are you are going to be
asked for additional personal information “needed” to send you your prize, or
you might even be asked for a credit card number to “cover shipping.” They don’t call them Con Tests for nothing
folks. Give the Grinch the boot.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<em><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;">“Consumers should be suspicious of any email,
messages, or posts on social networks promoting giveaways or contests that seem
too good to be true, e.g., free high-value gift cards, tablets, and
smartphones. These “contests” are often scams designed to bilk consumers out of
money and/or to collect consumers’ personal information for resale. Genuine
sweepstakes and contests are commonplace on the Internet; however, you should
avoid any contest or promotion that requires you to pay money or to perform any
sort of financial transaction. Also, think twice before participating in
promotions that require entrants to register with multiple third-party
websites; often these are ploys to build marketing lists. Promotions that
require users to provide more than simple contact information may even be phony
or run by scammers who resell consumer information to collect referral fees!”</span></em><span style="background: white; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #c0504d;">On the Third Day
of Christmas my true love said to me, let’s help this charity!</span></b><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While giving to a legitimate
charity is a noble act, you need to be extra careful to whom you donate your
hard-earned money. Fake charities are a
real menace to consumers and business owners alike. Before you donate, make sure you navigate
your way to a legitimate charity. A blog
by Credit.com titled “4 Ways to Avoid Charity Scams” advises,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">“It’s
so easy to click on a link in your email, break out your wallet for a
sympathetic caller or open a site from Facebook — but resist the impulse. When
you decide to donate, go directly to the website of the organization to whom
you want to give your money, rather than taking a shortcut. Not only could your
dollars never reach their destination, you could end up downloading malware or<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><a href="http://www.credit.com/personal-finance/identity-theft-what-you-need-to-know/" title="Identity Theft: What You Need to Know"><i><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #2f92e0; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">leaving yourself
open to identity theft</span></i></a><i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #c0504d;">On the Fourth Day
of Christmas my true love said to me, look what a little birdy told me.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnW0hXwQ0_09XnDSUSj5139FvlRFFz4xlZFcfLqIUwa_4KEa22L-ONvvuVPOBN4SKPhY1sSp9ap4UnaJD5fVuv_yesa2fv4u7eRb0tNY_0jYylqNL5v9WUHlATQjlIrugESj0Gyi8pQj4/s1600/1lilbird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnW0hXwQ0_09XnDSUSj5139FvlRFFz4xlZFcfLqIUwa_4KEa22L-ONvvuVPOBN4SKPhY1sSp9ap4UnaJD5fVuv_yesa2fv4u7eRb0tNY_0jYylqNL5v9WUHlATQjlIrugESj0Gyi8pQj4/s1600/1lilbird.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zazzle.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As I have pointed out in many other
blogs, always be doubly suspicious of email that was supposedly <span style="background-color: transparent;">sent to you by
a friend or family member that simply contains a line and a link along the
following, “You need to check this out!”
The only thing you’re likely to check out next is the local PC Doctor to
help you eliminate the malware you just unleashed on your system. Even worse, some of the latest hacking
software can even robotize your system, not to mention rifle it for any contact
emails for your family and friends. How
do you think they got your address in the first place?</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #c0504d;"><br /></span></b>
<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #c0504d;">On the Fifth Day
of Christmas my true love said to me, check out my new USB.</span></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">Other than
clicking on ads or email links, the quickest way to infect your system is to
plug in a Free USB. If you will recall,
this is how Iran’s Nuclear program was infected with the Stuxnet virus. One of their personnel inadvertently picked
up a USB that was left lying around only to plug it into a terminal.
So if you should be sitting in a coffee shop or copy center and see a
USB lying around on a table unattended, DO NOT TOUCH IT. You will thank me later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #c0504d;">On the Sixth Day
of Christmas my true love said to me, let’s grab a cup of coffee.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-Pv4R4g6rGmbWSKgz43MvKgnxqWTVDDN6qTnPj1B1SeYkmt3IWp5WukqhDv5Hdm0i8XJAblIdvWmLId8nFQb5mJ97T8IhKTUvBo6v5BHmL50G2YQ8InkNXCccCr36tTICYoYMUDGoRM/s1600/1coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-Pv4R4g6rGmbWSKgz43MvKgnxqWTVDDN6qTnPj1B1SeYkmt3IWp5WukqhDv5Hdm0i8XJAblIdvWmLId8nFQb5mJ97T8IhKTUvBo6v5BHmL50G2YQ8InkNXCccCr36tTICYoYMUDGoRM/s1600/1coffee.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From precisionnutriton.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: #333333;">Speaking
of coffee, you also need to be very wary of using public wifi these days. As of late everything from coffee shops to
airport terminals and public wifi systems at hotels</span><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 16.5pt;"> have been targeted by hackers
in order to gain access to unprotected systems. There was even a report of a number of hotels
in Japan that were infected with an insidious malware subroutine that was designed to target specific high-value executives in order to aid and abet
corporate espionage. Personally, I never
connect to public wifi. I use my
cellphone to launch a wifi hotspot. If
you do insist on using public wifi then you should have at least three layers
of anti-virus and anti-malware to protect you from unwanted intrusion. Because your real wake up call might not be
that double mocha latte after all.</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #c0504d;">On the Seventh Day
of Christmas my true love said to me, let’s get some money.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
Here’s the rub, it isn’t just your
personal electronics that can be hacked.
So can everything from ATM machines to gas pumps. Cybercriminals use credit card skimmers that
are designed to grab your credit card information or your pin numbers. Thieves have also been known to install their
own cameras in order to record your PIN as you enter it in public kiosks.
So make sure you cover the keypad with your hand before entering any
PIN.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #c0504d;">On the Eighth Day
of Christmas my true love said to me, I got a call from somebody.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
Thieves are also not averse to getting
on the phone, impersonating a lender, credit card company, or even the IRS in
order to try to pressure you into divulging personal information. While breaches of major retailers involving
tens of millions of stolen cards have and will continue to take place, when in
doubt you should call the number of the bank or the one on the back of your
credit card to make absolutely sure you are not being conned.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #c0504d;">On the Ninth Day
of Christmas my true love said to me, our package is in jeopardy.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWDTYy7Y0B27Jz1XHcrdx3d1XSt0mWqt2Mm9gGp03GmaUXeCrLvCO4KAMxyyJhQ5e8rFR1QyukriMlWTBiiMwkyiTavKM4XGNFy-BiR5l1R0T3Lz0OWmaAgLYG9tzyiISQZQ2hU2DZNI/s1600/1jep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQWDTYy7Y0B27Jz1XHcrdx3d1XSt0mWqt2Mm9gGp03GmaUXeCrLvCO4KAMxyyJhQ5e8rFR1QyukriMlWTBiiMwkyiTavKM4XGNFy-BiR5l1R0T3Lz0OWmaAgLYG9tzyiISQZQ2hU2DZNI/s1600/1jep.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">blog.ted.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Here’s another newsflash: The US
Postal Service, UPS, Fedex and other legitimate shipping <span style="background-color: transparent;">companies will not
send you an email if a package is hung up in transit. But cyberthieves will send you an email that
links to a clone of the shipper’s site in order to fleece you. Again, when in doubt call the company
directly. Do not click on a poisoned
link. And never, EVER divulge personal
or financial information unless you know to whom you are speaking. </span></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #c0504d;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #c0504d;">On the Tenth Day
of Christmas my true love said to me, have you ever been to Bimini?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
Along with bogus product come-ons are travel
deals that offer to Save You Big $$ on last-minute trips. While there are a number of legitimate travel
purveyors that specialize in last-minute trips, they will not solicit you via
spam email. You are required to opt-in
and register with them. The last thing
you want to do is schedule a trip that takes you nowhere but to the
cleaners. Travelers Beware.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #c0504d;">On the Eleventh Day
of Christmas my true love said to me, look at the card we got from Sonny.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Digital e-cards are sure to bring a smile to your face
unless they are not from the person you thought they were. While you might be thinking season’s
greetings, cyberthieves are into season’s greedings by hoping to get you to
click on a fake link that instead of bringing a twinkle to your eye will instead
give you a case of merry Malware. Again,
never click on a link unless you are sure that it is from a legitimate e-card
company like jibjab.com. (Also make sure
you mouseover the link in order to detect if the url on the card or email is
the one you are going to be taken to. If
you mouseover the link and the url that is displayed at the bottom of your
browser does not match up with the link on the email, don’t go there or you
will soon have a case of the Ho-ho-holiday blues.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 16.5pt; margin-bottom: 11.25pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #c0504d;">On the Twelfth Day
of Christmas my true love said to me, let’s try this free app honey.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTB5xrZ-Qs6wJ9_lcuepFXNF9X10Y8cWkTOkmmt5Yn3JVttIqi-kqA33Lyi_GS5D5uvy_lxnGrHD1bd9HXbTsYoHH5kIGa083NPBXbshX9N8FqZL25B2b6Y-EKAV2_Wp7INg3Wp79jd1w/s1600/1freeapp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTB5xrZ-Qs6wJ9_lcuepFXNF9X10Y8cWkTOkmmt5Yn3JVttIqi-kqA33Lyi_GS5D5uvy_lxnGrHD1bd9HXbTsYoHH5kIGa083NPBXbshX9N8FqZL25B2b6Y-EKAV2_Wp7INg3Wp79jd1w/s1600/1freeapp.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">As they
say, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
And when it comes to free apps, user beware. Man of them are designed by and for
cyberthieves. Like a vampire, these
denizens of the dark hope to get invited into your private space so they can
put the byte on you. Before loading any
app you need to check them out in advance.
Google their reviews and use protected sites such as googleplay, or itunes
or tucows.com since these sites vet their apps to make sure they aren’t
carrying any unwanted presents.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="line-height: 16.5pt;"><i>When he isn't playing Santa, Carl Weiss is CEO of <a href="http://workingthewebtowin.com/">Working the Web to Win</a> based in Jacksonville, Florida. </i></b></div>
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Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-43659531775723654132014-11-17T11:33:00.000-08:002014-11-17T11:33:54.933-08:00Big Mac Attack<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3R3WjGmudxKQhMJUenSW7tOzuCeaclBArJif6IPfXZZZGUOR7Jzpagrh1Lb5XWYks3sovuCmkrPVa6Tb1n9QYcf_84t24FrmQClUuLaSbFOg1Gqg5s3ImOX58Kb41VUI9ubC1vrJNlfY/s1600/0ios.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3R3WjGmudxKQhMJUenSW7tOzuCeaclBArJif6IPfXZZZGUOR7Jzpagrh1Lb5XWYks3sovuCmkrPVa6Tb1n9QYcf_84t24FrmQClUuLaSbFOg1Gqg5s3ImOX58Kb41VUI9ubC1vrJNlfY/s1600/0ios.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of itechcode.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It used to be that Mac, iPad
and iPhone owners used to poke fun at PC and Android </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">users, bashing them for
the many ways and means that malware compromised these non-Apple systems.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Of course when you maintain an iron grip on
who gets to develop software and hardware for you as Apple has always done,
then there are many fewer paths of infection that can compromise a system.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">PC and Android has always been a proponent of
open architecture which means that anyone and everyone was free to develop
everything from apps to operating systems.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">This makes them patently more vulnerable to backdoor hacking.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">However a spate of highly publicized iOS and
OS X security issues have left Apple devotees wondering what happened.</span></div>
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<em><span style="background: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">The New York Times recently </span></em><span style="background: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">reported
that “<i>While </i></span><a href="https://bgr.com/tag/malware/" target="_blank" title="BGR.com"><i><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #940050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">malware</span></i></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></i></span><i><span style="background: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">attacks have been possible<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><a href="https://bgr.com/2014/08/20/iphone-jailbreak-malware-app/" target="_blank" title="Watch out for this frighteningly smart malware that’s infected over 75,000 jailbroken iPhones"><i><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #940050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">against jailbroken
iOS devices</span></i></a><i><span style="background: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"> for
some time, a new piece of malware has been discovered that can infect
even<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><a href="https://bgr.com/tag/iphone/" target="_blank" title="BGR.com"><i><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #940050; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">iPhones</span></i></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></i></span><i><span style="background: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">that have not been jailbroken</span></i><span style="background: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">.“<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt;">Additionally,
Palo Alto Networks discovered a program called WireLurker which can be used for a number of nefarious
purposes including spying on users. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">“The point of entry seems
to be OS X computers, with researchers having found 467 malware OS X
applications in the unofficial Maiyadi App Store in China that were
downloaded more than 356,000 times in the past six months in the
region. Once on a<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i><a href="https://bgr.com/tag/mac/" target="_blank" title="BGR.com"><i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #940050; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0in; padding: 0in;">Mac</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, WireLurker can infect
any iPhone that’s connected via USB to the computer, and install malicious
applications. WireLurker is capable of
stealing a variety of information from the mobile devices it infects and
regularly requests updates from the attackers command and control server. This
malware is under active development and its creator’s ultimate goal is not yet
clear.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While the vulnerability of
these systems is troubling, what is even more frightening is that these two
hacks were not the only worms in the Apple.
In early October a Russian security company discovered another flaw in
OS X that enabled hackers to take control of infected 17,000 devices using
Reddit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Rt.com reported, <em><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal;">“</span></em><em><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">One of them turned out to be a complex multi-purpose backdoor that
entered the virus database as Mac.BackDoor.iWorm.</span></em><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">” It has
not yet been determined how the malware spreads, but Russian experts say that
once a Mac has been infected, the software establishes a connection with the
command server.”</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"> </span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">http://rt.com/news/193032-mac-infected-hackers-reddit/</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', sans-serif; font-size: 18pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">While hacking in general has
always been a concern to computer users, what has really been causing many
Apple users to wake up in a cold sweat are the number of ways in which hackers
have been not only gaining but using their access.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfizzme9MO6OhLog_5VHnKJsDtHkmWoTApfvrqbCDOvBcX8iwldpxC4vK8v6_br6e1E8ktH28K_ww-vPR6KJ-snN6oO6mnj4uxyCO0b8xrI0_PSn4Qr896ppk2C5w0ryf2dVx64Cbnzo/s1600/1cbs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsfizzme9MO6OhLog_5VHnKJsDtHkmWoTApfvrqbCDOvBcX8iwldpxC4vK8v6_br6e1E8ktH28K_ww-vPR6KJ-snN6oO6mnj4uxyCO0b8xrI0_PSn4Qr896ppk2C5w0ryf2dVx64Cbnzo/s1600/1cbs.jpg" height="146" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image courtesy of CBS News</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Case in Point: </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">On
October 28 Fox News published a report concerning journalist Sharyl Attkisson
who reported that her CBS computer and personal iMac had been repeatedly hacked
and its contents accessed, including information pertaining to an article on
Benghazi that was critical of the current Washington administration.</span> <span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Fox News further reported
that, “</span><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Further scrutiny of her personal desktop (by a consultant
hired by CBS) proved that the interlopers were able to co-opt her iMac and
operate it remotely, as if they were sitting in front of it.”</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/10/27/highly-sophisticated-hacking-sharyl-attkisson-computers/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/10/27/highly-sophisticated-hacking-sharyl-attkisson-computers/</span></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Inside Every Dark Cloud<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">And if hacks on iMacs and
iPhones weren’t bad enough, Reuters reported on October 21 that Apple’s iCloud
storage service in China had been hacked resulting in messages, passwords and
even photos being compromised. Employing
a technique known as a Man-in-the-Middle attack, hackers were able to
superimpose their own site between the users and the iCloud server. The sophisticated attack was reputed to have
been perpetrated by the Chinese government.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The reuters.com article went onto say
that, “<i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">An Apple representative declined
comment on the allegations that Beijing was trying to spy on Apple customers,
but noted that the company had updated its technical support page to provide
advice on how to protect against such attacks. We’re aware of intermittent
organized network attacks using insecure certificates to obtain user
information, and we take this very seriously.”</span></i> <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/21/us-apple-china-security-idUSKCN0I92H020141021"><i><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/21/us-apple-china-security-idUSKCN0I92H020141021</span></i></a><i><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b>Rotten to the Core?<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZJBFSKUcIXbOeMq53tYkGe2rzBGjAYdtuh7TkKW7JmqXp2AYnr4BC2pFW3NEmBIuuYlEScov8o4YWAwA5z4YKYGxMcBuGXcOBsMsATBLDpHLdjG0qVLrHa-6E_MOZ9BdTP7mvrJkgk4/s1600/1micro.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQZJBFSKUcIXbOeMq53tYkGe2rzBGjAYdtuh7TkKW7JmqXp2AYnr4BC2pFW3NEmBIuuYlEScov8o4YWAwA5z4YKYGxMcBuGXcOBsMsATBLDpHLdjG0qVLrHa-6E_MOZ9BdTP7mvrJkgk4/s1600/1micro.jpg" /></a>While these
well-publicized security breaches have given a number of people pause to
reconsider Apple’s new found vulnerabilities, there are still a number of
people and organizations that still <a href="http://www.livetradingnews.com/">http://www.livetradingnews.com/</a> that detailed Home Depot’s recent security breach. After the retail giant’s Microsoft-based
payment data system was relieved of 53 million email addresses and 56 million
credit card account numbers, the company bought two dozen new iPhones and
MacBooks for its senior executives.<span style="background-color: transparent;">believe that the latest big Mac attack is
no cause for alarm. Quite the contrary,
if you read the November 10 blog by livetradingnews.com, you will find that:</span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
“<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt;"> </span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">It is not that Apple
devices have not faced any security problems in past. They even had security
issues but still Apple Inc. iPhone and MacBooks are comparatively secure
platforms. They can deal with the malware and other threats in a much better
way. Still, whether the use of Apple Inc. MacBooks and iPhones can solve the
problem of security breaches for the Home Depot or not, time will tell. It is a
high time for The Home Depot to seriously find the cause of the problem.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><a href="http://www.livetradingnews.com/home-depot-inc-nysehd-use-apple-inc-nasdaqaapls-iphones-macbooks-81726.htm#.VGPA_PnF8do"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">http://www.livetradingnews.com/home-depot-inc-nysehd-use-apple-inc-nasdaqaapls-iphones-macbooks-81726.htm#.VGPA_PnF8do</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
The sad
fact of the matter is that regardless of the type of machine that you, I, or
multinational corporate executives choose to use, there is no way to completely
bulletproof yourself against hackers.
All you can do is make sure you keep your machines protected with at
least three layers of anti-malware software, keep your software updated or face
having to answer the toughest of all questions that comes with any big Mac
attack, “You want fries with that?”<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 17.25pt; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b>Carl Weiss cooks up online controversy </b><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">every Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern on</span></i></b><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a><o:p></o:p></div>
Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-11677544246767728522014-11-10T12:35:00.001-08:002014-11-10T12:36:23.645-08:00Will Pay-To-Play Payoff Online?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">It’s said that the best
things in life are free. But as Berry
Gordy so aptly added in 1960, “But you can keep them for the birds and
bees. Give me money, that’s what I
want.” </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The song aptly named, ‘Money
(That’s What I Want)’ went onto become the first hit for Gordy’s Motown record
label Tamla. It also went onto be
covered by many prominent recording artists such as the Beatles, the Rolling
Stones and the Doors, among others. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Even though fifty four years
have passed since ‘Money’ first became part of the public consciousness, the
concept behind it seems set to make a revival on the Internet if a number of
powerful portals have their way.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLAVsoc8lihhaf9F3BvydmnlYTtVHpIS0dHK8IhqsaNXAKexLDk6ZGMzqH-dFGgb8E8ddFo6ZUYuWK4CXnHhvXmO3O6UhlzdfUaAhGIQCI6w4gMPSnX4dO7e3SM62CZjUkDWXf-g1OsI/s1600/youtube2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiLAVsoc8lihhaf9F3BvydmnlYTtVHpIS0dHK8IhqsaNXAKexLDk6ZGMzqH-dFGgb8E8ddFo6ZUYuWK4CXnHhvXmO3O6UhlzdfUaAhGIQCI6w4gMPSnX4dO7e3SM62CZjUkDWXf-g1OsI/s1600/youtube2.jpg" height="136" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">As recently as three days
before Halloween 2014, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki publicly confirmed that
Google’s video portal was considering the introduction of a subscription
service. Since other popular video
portals such as NetFlix which started as a subscription service and Hulu which
began </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">as free only to turn into a subscription service, have been using a
monthly pay-to-play charge to vend everything from first run movies to
television series, this isn’t likely to cause people to run screaming into the
streets.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The chief difference between
the likes of Netflix and Hulu when compared to YouTube is the fact that they
both stream professionally produced feature-length content.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Whether or not a portal where the lion’s
share of the content is created by amateurs can make a go of it is anybody’s
guess.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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An article in the NY Times sums it up
like this: <i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif";">YouTube’s subscription effort is still in the very early phases,
according to a person with knowledge of the matter. In essence, the company is
making phone calls to potential partners, including anyone from big media
companies like Disney to popular individuals with millions of subscribers, to
see if they might be interested. At
first, the model is likely to be similar to YouTube’s long-planned subscription
music service, which Ms. Wojcicki said would be introduced “soon.” Rather than
an entirely new paid YouTube, there would be several subscription services
based on certain topics – for instance, a subscription service with nothing but
video games. </span></i><a href="http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/28/youtube-weighing-new-subscription-service/?_r=0"><i><span style="font-family: "Georgia","serif";">http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/28/youtube-weighing-new-subscription-service/?_r=0</span></i></a><i><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia","serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="story-body-text" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">Currently
YouTube produces revenues for airing in-stream ads that are displayed on
participating videos on the world’s most popular video portal that streams more
than 4 billion videos per day. The
portal has also gone to great lengths to partner with homegrown content
producers such as these ever popular channels: PewDiePie, Stampylonghead, SkyDoesMinecraft,
and CollegeHumor, just to name a few.
While some of PewDiePie’s videos
have garnered as many as 59,917,883 views, it is questionable how many people
would choose to pay to play short videos with titles such as ‘How to Get
Ebola,’ ‘Corpse Party,’ or the animated ‘Brain Transplant.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="story-body-text" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span style="color: #333333;">The Backstory</span></b></div>
<div class="story-body-text" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">While the
idea for an online subscription model is hardly new, what YouTube is hoping to
capitalize on is the ever growing disenchantment many people have toward
broadcast and cable programming. What
with the advent of the four-minute commercial break, as well as the ever more
costly way in which cable companies charge families for the hodgepodge of
channels foisted on them, even major players such as HBO have started to
realize that people want better choices.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpD1bOXm_NlHdIEQQRNGhyx_Sdr0pHVDUbuV1W9BVEWwlH9AKCtV5f7NqOFGfVinB1nZ16FdxIUktqwJiiaBEp9cTd_sNcD2-UNyXtr7huZYEr5yZcBD5icDugzV47svMCiq2DOURXvlE/s1600/hbo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpD1bOXm_NlHdIEQQRNGhyx_Sdr0pHVDUbuV1W9BVEWwlH9AKCtV5f7NqOFGfVinB1nZ16FdxIUktqwJiiaBEp9cTd_sNcD2-UNyXtr7huZYEr5yZcBD5icDugzV47svMCiq2DOURXvlE/s1600/hbo.jpg" height="159" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="story-body-text" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">The NY
Times article added: </span><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;">An example
is the service </span></i><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/business/media/time-warner-chief-to-brief-investors-on-plans-for-growth.html"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #326891; font-family: Georgia, serif;">recently announced by HBO</span></i></a><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;">, which said that next year it will start a
stand-alone streaming service aimed at “cord cutters,” people who want cable
quality shows but refuse to pay several hundred dollars a month for the jumbled
mess of cable channels.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="story-body-text" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333;">That’s right, starting in 2015 HBO will begin a pay-to-play online
streaming service that will not require a subscription to a traditional TV provider. Recognizing the fact that there are currently
more than ten million homes in the US that do not subscribe to either cable or
satellite TV services but who do have Internet access, the CEO of HBO, Richard
Plepler announced that the opportunity was ripe for direct-to-web programming.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="story-body-text" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333;">While 10 million households seems like a drop in the bucket when
compared to the sheer number of consumers with cable or Satellite TV access,
the number of households that are expected to switch to services such as
Netflix continues to grow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="story-body-text" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif;">“Netflix
has more subscribers in the United States than HBO, which counts about 30
million subscribers. But HBO delivers more profits because of lower costs and
its distribution through cable and satellite providers. HBO generated $4.9
billion in revenue in 2013 and about $1.8 billion in operating income. Netflix
had $4.4 billion in revenue in 2013 with $228.3 million in operating income.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="story-body-text" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333;">The Boob Tube vs YouTube<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlkVnrg-TqTDSyBnWHI-zjz6kbyxewfp_fn1SUt-iY77DgfK74MaCRNbBRfJpCax5HJiXy0nfaaxWUDCuLmO0hvoa9YpjyWbQXT7kAYhMZ_GCW7mRN7hdL7-CbHn6PTVZoR1eL_cYd28/s1600/boobtube.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlkVnrg-TqTDSyBnWHI-zjz6kbyxewfp_fn1SUt-iY77DgfK74MaCRNbBRfJpCax5HJiXy0nfaaxWUDCuLmO0hvoa9YpjyWbQXT7kAYhMZ_GCW7mRN7hdL7-CbHn6PTVZoR1eL_cYd28/s1600/boobtube.jpg" height="259" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="story-body-text" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">The real
question for portals such as YouTube is how much of an impact it can make on
the viewing public. Currently the Boob
Tube outguns YouTube four to one, seeing as how most American adults watch an
average of four and a half hours of broadcast and cable programming per day on
average versus about an hour of online video.
It has been suggested that YouTube can try to bump these numbers up by
either improving the technology and/or trying to create higher-quality content
that people will come back to watch week in and week out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="story-body-text" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">To this
end, YouTube has built production studios in such places as New York, LA and
Sao Paolo, Brazil, to help their ‘creators’ produce more TV-like programs. They are also seeking to woo show producers
with Hollywood or broadcast TV experience, many of whom are underemployed. Whether YouTube can reinvent itself as an
entertainment service that people will lineup to pay for is still in
question. But as the world’s viewing
habits change and companies with online audience loyalty continues to grow what
does this hold in store for the future?
Will popular blogs start charging readers to peruse their pages? Will social networks demand a fee to allow
their users to connect with more than a handful of friends? Who knows?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="story-body-text" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333;">Just as
the opening of Pandora’s Box unleashed a number of unintended and unwanted
problems for the masses, what is left to discover is whether pay-to-play is to
become a benefit or a burden to those who want the web to remain free? While the future of pay-to-play Internet
programming is anything but a sure thing, I will leave you with a little pearl
of wisdom from a man who was clearly ahead of his time: Berry Gordy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="story-body-text" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; mso-background-themecolor: background1;">
<span style="background: rgb(204, 204, 221);">Money don't get everything it's true</span><br />
<span style="background: #CCCCDD;">What it don't get, I can't use</span><br />
<span style="background: #CCCCDD;">Now give me money</span><br />
<span style="background: #CCCCDD;">That's what I want</span><br />
<span style="background: #CCCCDD;">That's what I want, yeah</span><br />
<span style="background: #CCCCDD;">That's what I want<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="story-body-text" style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">While Carl
Weiss doesn’t always get everything he wants, you can listen to him every
Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern on</span></i></b><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin"><b><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"> BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a><span style="color: #333333;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-51557345415901380652014-10-17T07:09:00.000-07:002014-10-17T07:09:43.589-07:00Can Crowdfunding Kickstart Your Business?<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By Carl Weiss</span></div>
<b id="docs-internal-guid-7bc3f012-1e5a-95cb-bd6b-add2c24f6282" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Many people have used crowdfunding sites to jumpstart new businesses or take existing businesses to the next level. With a proliferation of crowdfunding sites such as Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, RocketHub and more, these sites have given a number of entrepreneurs the chance to fund a pet project or business that would have otherwise languished. </span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Let’s face it, banks are not exactly throwing their cash around these days. Friends and family cannot always be relied upon to have the wherewithal to back your dream. Credit cards while another opportunity for self-funding is fraught with many risks, especially since the credit card companies draconian policies can suddenly ramp up your interest rate to twenty five percent or more. This is one of the prime reasons that crowdfunding is got its start.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Is Crowdfunding Music to Your Ears?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While most people think the phenomenon of crowdfunding is an invention of the 21</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 10px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: super; white-space: pre-wrap;">st</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> century, its roots can actually be traced back some four hundred years to a time when many publications were sold by subscription before the first copy came off the presses. However the trend to branch out to other business models is indeed a recent development. While there is some conjecture as to which website was the first to offer crowdfunding, Wikipedia lists ArtistShare which started in 2003. Slanted toward the recording industry, the site was designed to allow recording artists to raise funding from fans in order to expedite the expensive process of bringing out a new album. (Imagine how Mozart would have jumped at the opportunity in the 1770’s to have thrown off the yolk of the church and embraced crowdfunding in order to have artistic control of his career.)</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">By 2006, there were three more hats in the crowdfunding ring: EquityNet, Pledgie and Sellaband. While Sellaband was another CF brand devoted to the fan funding of recording artists, EquityNet and Pledgie were something else altogether. Founded in 2005, Equity Net was designed to help startups and existing businesses raise equity capital from accredited investors. Used by more than 10,000 entrepreneurs, EquityNet provides access to 20,000 individual investors, including angel investors. To date it has helped companies raise more than $200 million. <a href="http://pledgie.com/">Pledgie.com</a> was the first site to take crowdfunding to a whole new level by allowing a broad spectrum of entrepreneurs, artists, philanthropic causes and others to use the Internet to fund their project s. Created in 2007 by Mark Daggett and Garry Dolley, the site permits anyone the opportunity to pitch their project in order to solicit donations. (The site has a list of 50 categories under which to solicit funds.)</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqy8S7dbYMJPBSwwPnr2TOJQpGMkWWMiJJ38KRa3LfgRxVsgYPykbPmOCqvUGrUBTd7261GtywEv8Ke8e_Tn6lOeo59fiJRXNSqfEIEYz74fmnTQXM9PbiwHS_5LtSWNWH8HunAze0w0/s1600/kickstarter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkqy8S7dbYMJPBSwwPnr2TOJQpGMkWWMiJJ38KRa3LfgRxVsgYPykbPmOCqvUGrUBTd7261GtywEv8Ke8e_Tn6lOeo59fiJRXNSqfEIEYz74fmnTQXM9PbiwHS_5LtSWNWH8HunAze0w0/s1600/kickstarter.jpg" height="84" width="320" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, it wasn’t until 2008/2009 that crowdfunding hit the big time with the introduction of such sites as IndieGoGo, KickStarter, and RocketHub. Whether it was a combination of savvy marketing or just being in the right place at the right time, these three platforms definitely made their mark by raising funds in a big way. To date Kickstarter is the current BMOI –Big Moneymaker on the Internet, having raised more than $10 million for smartwatch startup Pebble alone, along with a number of other multi-million dollar funded projects. For a list of the top-10 Kickstarter projects go to </span><a href="http://www.bornrich.com/top-10-kickstarter-campaigns-raised-money.html?view=all" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.bornrich.com/top-10-kickstarter-campaigns-raised-money.html?view=all</span></a></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not to be outdone, IndieGoGo raised more than $2 million apiece this past year for the independent films Lazer Team and Gosnell the Movie. They also raised more than a million dollars for a video series called Tabletop Season 3 that is all about tabletop games. To see more go to: </span><a href="http://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2014/09/50149-crowdfunding-best-top-10-successfully-funded-kickstarter-indiegogo-films/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2014/09/50149-crowdfunding-best-top-10-successfully-funded-kickstarter-indiegogo-films/</span></a></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then there’s RocketHub.com. While not yet as well-known as Kickstarter or IndieGoGo, this crowdfunding platform begun in January of 2010. Just like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, on RocketHub you get to pitch your project, select a funding goal and choose a deadline by which to raise funds. The chief difference with RocketHub is that if you do not reach your stated goal you get to keep the funds raised minus 12%. (8% fee charged for unsuccessful projects + a 4% transaction fee.) With both Kickstarter and IndieGoGo you need to achieve or exceed your strike number in order to collect your prize.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Of course, there are other crowdfunding sites that have joined the fray as well, such as FundRazr, Fundly, GoFundMe, Microventures, FundaGeek, Peerbackers and more. Each of these platforms have their rules and regulations, fees and disclaimers. Before selecting a platform you need to read the rules and regulations thoroughly. However, even this doesn’t mean you will be accepted, much less successfully funded. The bad news is that if you are rejected, it is difficult if not impossible to find out why or what you need to do to meet a site’s criteria since most of the crowdfunding sites do not have a customer service number, chatroom or email address to which funding hopefuls can respond. The good news is that with all the CF sites out there, just because you crash and burn on one doesn’t mean you will flameout on another. (It’s all part of the learning curve.)</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zuQNKUSAeZE_iusbMZVtexe1pBrIhZBhpvJfHUL-fvXcve9FYkFiPi-6-cGcL79VtKmQsJ7BdBX-qBQ6KDs7j34p_6wbbvOzMy8QTb_A51kPqiDZtWOOamjTs_0KdNfPh9VFRiVjgf4/s1600/kickpot1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zuQNKUSAeZE_iusbMZVtexe1pBrIhZBhpvJfHUL-fvXcve9FYkFiPi-6-cGcL79VtKmQsJ7BdBX-qBQ6KDs7j34p_6wbbvOzMy8QTb_A51kPqiDZtWOOamjTs_0KdNfPh9VFRiVjgf4/s1600/kickpot1.jpg" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Also, recent changes to the rules at Kickstarter have opened the doors for projects that would have previously been turned down out of hand. Take for instance Zack Brown, the Potato Salad Guy. His proposal that sought to raise $10 to make potato salad instead raised $55,492 when it went viral. (Talk about supersizing your order.) Not only didn’t Zack’s project have any definitive objectives, once he raised $55k he wound up hiring a bunch of lunch trucks to throw a potato salad party with his windfall. (He deemed the event PotatoStock.) Check out Zack’s project at: </span><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/324283889/potato-salad/comments" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/324283889/potato-salad/comments</span></a></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Go Fund Yourself</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know what you’re thinking… How do I get some of that salad, the green kind? The first thing you have to do is decide on which type of crowdfunding model fits your needs best. That’s right, this is not a one-size-fits-all industry. Currently there are three flavors from which to choose:</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<ol style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Reward-Based Funding – Just as the name implies, while this model does not require you to give up points or pay back funds raised in this way, you do need to provide something of value (real or intangible) in order to use this model. Rewards could be anything from having your name written on the closing credit roll to books, t-shirts and/or real merchandise being created for the funds raised.</span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Equity-Based Funding – As the term implies in this funding model you are required to give up a percentage of the business or points in a movie. </span></div>
</li>
<li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: decimal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Credit-Based Funding – This third model can provide funds that are paid back just as you would a loan. This form of funding also encompasses micro-loans which is another form of crowdfunding that has reached a worldwide audience.</span></div>
</li>
</ol>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Which Platform is Right for You?</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When it comes to selecting the best platform that fits your needs, the first thing you need to do is search the CF site for current and previously funded projects. See how closely they conform to your proposed project. Look for failed as well as successful projects and try to determine what went wrong. Then write up a proposal which while not plagiarizing that of a successfully funded campaign closely emulates its format. (Even this does not mean that the project will be given a green light. It just makes the odds of acceptance better.)</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Then comes the fun part; creating your presentation. This should include visual elements such as one or more videos, photos of your finished product or prototype, photos of you and your team and so on. The better you convey the excitement and timeliness of your project from concept to completion the better the chance it will resonate with those considering funding it. In fact, it is this last part of the process that is the most important to successfully raise funds: your audience.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPzy2cbVPgZpYHKcEVqbxddkllHTn-mVT4MopXAEF-USt6XwdM2sTEFf5ZMuxjxNv7XbfkiFV4uxHpYChq5dXO4J883Yqyd3YARxDnkWDNh5JmiNAaIDbLHFdCkrYs50T6wo4tT5Fq7Y/s1600/kickpot2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiPzy2cbVPgZpYHKcEVqbxddkllHTn-mVT4MopXAEF-USt6XwdM2sTEFf5ZMuxjxNv7XbfkiFV4uxHpYChq5dXO4J883Yqyd3YARxDnkWDNh5JmiNAaIDbLHFdCkrYs50T6wo4tT5Fq7Y/s1600/kickpot2.jpg" /></a></div>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While major CF sites have anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of viewers that doesn’t mean that each and every one of them is going to see your proposal. So if your idea to raise funds is to set it and forget it you could be in for a rude awakening. Since most projects are restricted to a 30-60 day term in which to raise funds, the onus is on you to get the ball rolling fast and early. This means that not only do you need to write your proposal, shoot videos and photos, but you also need to start networking as soon as the project goes live.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">This boils down to having your troops in place to hit the beaches and start fanning the flames. Through the use of social nets, email blasts, text messaging, phone calls as well as up-close-and-personal grassroots in your face meetings you need to get your friends, family, coworkers and anyone else you can convince to not only buy into your project, but get their friends, family and coworkers to do the same. The beauty of the CF community is that if you can get the ball rolling then many times the crowd and sometimes the owners of the funding site will rally around your cause. If on the other hand you think you can simply plug your project in and walk away you are going to be disappointed.</span></div>
<b style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></b>
<div dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">However, as I mentioned earlier in this blog, just because you crash and burn doesn’t mean that your hopes to raise funds are over. Lick your wounds, learn from your mistakes and try another CF platform to toot your horn. Who knows, maybe you too can use crowdfunding to kick start your business.</span></div>
<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Carl Weiss is president of </span><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Working the Web to Win</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">an award-winning digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville, Florida. You can listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern on</span><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">BlogTalkRadio</span></a><br />
Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-1367442760348343462014-10-03T10:58:00.000-07:002014-10-03T10:58:15.329-07:00Can Dirty Tricks Deep Six Your Business?<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">There was a time not long ago
when the search engines began cracking down on what were termed Black Hat SEO
Techniques. Tactics such as keyword
stuffing, serial websites, and link farms, just to name a few, were deemed
verboten by every search engine on the planet.
The reasons why were obvious: If you could cheat them to beat them,
there was no way that search engine operators could guarantee the validity of
their searches. Back in the early days
of the Internet, there was little that the search engines could do to curb this
trend since their spiders were not savvy enough to understand what it is they
were reading. However, this is no longer
the case. What this means is if you
either knowingly or unknowingly hire a practitioner of black hat SEO, you could
find your site sandboxed or even de-listed.
As a result, you need to take care when entrusting your online business
assets to a third party.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The good news is that Black
Hat SEO firms are a dying breed. The bad
news is that a number of former black hatters have retooled their heinous
skills in order to turn a profit. What I
am referring to is the growing danger of online dirty tricks, where an
unscrupulous business owner willingly pays to have a competitor’s reputation
besmirched or even to cause overt damage to their web presence in such a way
that it becomes difficult or even impossible to do business on or offline.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt;">Here’s how it works:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">What’s In a
Name</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">? – Everyone knows how online
reputation sites have changed the way in which we do business. Whereas in years
past a shoddy business could operate with impunity, today the first place that
a disgruntled customer will go are to sites like Google Local, Yelp, Angie’s
List, Ripoff Report or other reputation sites to lodge a complaint. While a boon to consumers, many of these
sites allow people to post complaints anonymously. This opens up the doors for underhanded
competitors to post fabricated complaints against a competing business in order
to damage the competition. Worse still:
a number of these complaint mills offer no way for a business to address or
reverse a complaint. This means that once posted, it’s is nearly impossible to
seek redress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Yellow Press
Express </span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">– Another way to damage a
company’s reputation is by publishing inflammatory blogs, newsfeeds and press
releases about a competitor. Sound far-fetched? Back in May of 2011, ABC News reported that
Facebook admitted hiring a major public relations firm to pitch anti-Google
stories to news outlets across the U.S.
The blog went onto elaborate the fact that a cottage industry of sorts
has sprung up where writers are paid to write comments on review sites that
either boost a given business or criticize it. <a href="http://abcnewsradioonline.com/business-news/nasty-competition-fuels-dirty-business-tricks.html">http://abcnewsradioonline.com/business-news/nasty-competition-fuels-dirty-business-tricks.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The Hack
Attack is Back</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> – Hackers can also be
employed by a competitor to do everything from launch Denial of Service attacks
on your website, to attempting overt industrial espionage. Several businesses were even damaged by
hackers when they subverted ownership of a company’s social sites or even
closed or deleted a company’s social site or blog. Wresting control of another person’s online
asset is surprisingly simple. Even if
that fails, it is child’s play to create a social site or website that spoofs a
competitor’s, thereby giving the hacker carte blanche to post all sorts of
slanderous material. Just like identity
theft, if this should happen to your business, it could take months sort out the
mess this creates. Since these tricksters can be located anywhere in the world,
trying to seek redress for any damage done can prove to be all but impossible.
(See our previous blog, “<a href="http://workingthewebtowin.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-hack-attack-is-back.html">The
Hack Attack is Back</a>.”)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Fraud Free
For All</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> – Another way that
competitors can strike is by making fraudulent purchases. In a recent CNN Wire report, Uber, a San
Francisco ride-sharing service was accused by competitor, Lyft, of having its
employees order and cancel some 5,000 rides since last October. The article goes onto say: <span style="color: #948a54; mso-themecolor: background2; mso-themeshade: 128;">“</span></span><i><span style="background: white; color: #948a54; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-themecolor: background2; mso-themeshade: 128;">Lyft claims 177 Uber employees around the country have
booked and canceled rides in that time frame.</span></i><span style="background: white; color: #948a54; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 15.0pt; mso-themecolor: background2; mso-themeshade: 128;"> </span><i><span style="background: white; color: #948a54; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-themecolor: background2; mso-themeshade: 128;">Bogus
requests decrease Lyft drivers’ availability, which could send users to Uber
instead. But it’s not just the company that suffers. Canceled rides jeopardize
income that Lyft drivers depend on — plus they spend time and gas money en
route to passengers who have no intention of taking a ride. </span></i><i><span style="color: #948a54; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-themecolor: background2; mso-themeshade: 128;">And even when Uber employees don’t cancel, Lyft drivers complain to
headquarters that they take short, low-profit rides largely devoted to luring
them to work for Uber. Lyft claims to
have cross-referenced the phone numbers associated with known Uber recruiters
with those attached to accounts that have canceled rides. They found, all told,
5,560 phantom requests since October 3, 2013.”</span></i><span style="color: #212121;"> </span><span style="color: #212121; font-size: 12.0pt;">While
the article goes onto state that there was nothing to suggest that Uber’s
corporate office</span><span style="color: #212121;"> </span><span style="color: #212121; font-size: 12.0pt;">commissioned or sanctioned the canceled
rides, it states there is the potential for a competitor to create havoc in a
company by the use of such a tactics. <a href="http://kdvr.com/2014/08/11/uber-accused-of-dirty-tricks-to-damage-competitors-business/">http://kdvr.com/2014/08/11/uber-accused-of-dirty-tricks-to-damage-competitors-business/</a></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><i><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-style: normal;">
</span></span></i><!--[endif]--><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The Ultimate Inside Job</span></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"> – If you have ever wandered inside a casino then you
know that they are awash with security cameras that record everything from the players
and dealers on the gaming floor to game supervisors and security guards that
handle either chips or cash.
Unfortunately, most small businesses do not have access to this kind of
technology. As a result, this leaves the
doors open for a competitor to have one of his or her minions infiltrate your
business. As the old saying goes, “It’s
hard to find good help.” However, for underhanded competitors it’s oh-so-easy
to find bad help by hiring a saboteur that is paid to join your ranks. Once inside a company, the damage that can be
done by an interloper is incalculable.
Everything from client lists, to suppliers, and even in some cases
social security numbers can be purloined by a wily competitor. Armed with the keys to the vault as it were,
this kind of access can not only harm a company’s bottom line, it can destroy
in from within. Also, if a hacker wants
to gain access to a server, there is no easier way than being able to plug an
external thumb drive into a system. If
that wasn’t bad enough, Amazon even carries a book in its listings entitled,
“How to Steal Your Boss’s Job.” Talk
about an inside job!<i><o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">When it comes to doing
business, competition isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s been known to spur innovation and force
an industry to tighten its belt, which in many cases improves prices for
consumers. (Remember when laptops used to retail for $2,500?) However, if a competitor decides to go to the
dark side and employ dirty tricks, the only numbers you’re likely to see could
be the Deep Six.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<b><i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Carl
Weiss is president of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www./workingthewebtowin.com/">Working the Web to Win<span style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">,</span></a></span></i></b><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> <b><i>an award-winning
digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville, Florida. You can
listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern on</i></b><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin"><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="color: black; text-decoration: none;"> </span></i></b></span><b><i><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a></span><br />
Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-680021923205174082014-09-26T11:34:00.003-07:002014-09-26T11:34:35.372-07:00DIY SEO<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_Share_of_Searches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="English: a chart to describe the search engine..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="221" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fd/US_Share_of_Searches.jpg/350px-US_Share_of_Searches.jpg" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">English: a chart to describe the search engine market (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_Share_of_Searches.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you own a small business and have a website or
plan to launch a basic business website in order to get</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> more visibility, it is
imperative to consider Search Engine Optimization, otherwise known as SEO for
your new website so that it can be found by prospects. This is especially
important if you plan on selling goods directly on your site. The rub is that many times web designers
spend more time fretting on form rather than function. As a result, many websites that we have
surveyed are lacking many of the on-page SEO elements that are needed to get
properly indexed by the search engines.
To address this conundrum you need to either hire a knowledgeable
optimization expert, or you can try a little DIY action. When you consider the number of website analysis
programs on the market, DIY SEO is not as much of a mission impossible as many
people believe. In fact, if you invest a couple of hours a month on your
website’s SEO then you can do it yourself. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
<br />
Before you start your analysis, it is important that you select the right
keywords or phrases for your website. That is to say, you need to select the words
or phrases that someone who is unfamiliar with your business would enter on the
search engines in order to find businesses like yours. For example, if you have
a furniture business, you must have the keyword furniture somewhere in your
domain. We can take a second example, say your business is plumbing and fitting
services provider, then you must have the keyword ‘plumbing’ or ‘plumbing
services’ somewhere in your domain name.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="zemanta-img" style="text-align: right;">
<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Google_wordmark.svg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Google Science Fair" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="124" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fe/Google_wordmark.svg/350px-Google_wordmark.svg.png" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now that you have some suspects lined up you need to
weed them out. The best way to do this
is by entering your keywords and phrases into Google’s Keyword Planner which is
found by accessing your Adwords account.
(If you don’t have an Adwods account you can set one up by going to
adwoords.google.com.) The tab for the Keyword Planner is located under the
Tools tab at the top right of the page. Once you enter your suspects into the
Keyword Planner’s lineup it will come back with the traffic count for each and
every keyword or phrase entered. More
importantly it will also suggest other keywords and phrases along with their
respective traffic counts. The biggest mistake
that most people make is to either choose too many keywords or choose keywords
with little or no traffic. The Keyword
Planner is the perfect tool to help you identify the best keywords to target.<br />
<br />
Once you have selected the right keywords or phrases for your site now you need
to plug them in. There are several areas
that you need to apply these keywords, namely your Meta Tags, the Alt Tags and
at the beginning and end of your website. The Meta Tags are located directly
below the Title Tag. An example of how
these tags should be formatted is listed below:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: #881280; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><meta </span><span class="webkit-html-attribute-name"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">name</span></span><span style="color: #881280; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">="</span><span class="webkit-html-attribute-value"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">keywords</span></span><span style="color: #881280; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">" </span><span class="webkit-html-attribute-name"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">content</span></span><span style="color: #881280; font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">="</span><span class="webkit-html-attribute-value"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Jacksonville Video Production | Jacksonville
Video Production Companies | Jacksonville Videographer”></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="webkit-html-attribute-value"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="webkit-html-attribute-value"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><meta
name=</span></span><span class="webkit-html-tag"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"</span></span><span class="webkit-html-attribute-name"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">description"</span></span><span class="webkit-html-tag"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><span class="webkit-html-attribute-name"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">content</span></span><span class="webkit-html-tag"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">="</span></span><span class="webkit-html-attribute-value"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Jacksonville Video Production and Viral Video
Marketing. Local, Affordable and Effective. 3D Animation & Motion Graphics.
904-410-2091</span></span><span class="webkit-html-tag"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">"/></span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="webkit-html-tag"><span style="font-family: "Courier New"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Next come the Alt Tags which are descriptors used at
the end of the code for every image on your website. Since search engine spiders can’t see images,
these descriptors tell the spiders what the image is all about. While many people ignore the alt tags this is
a mistake since it is another way to let the search engines know how to rank
your site. Below is some sample code
that shows you what the alt tags look like.
Make sure all off yours are complete if you ever hope to make it to page
one of any search engine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><img id="JaxVideoProdlogo"
src="Resources/jaxvideoprodlogo.png" width=366 height=74
alt="Jacksonville Video Production Logo"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Next you need to include the keywords in your
content. Whether you are creating verbiage for your website, blog or video you
need to find a way to insert the keywords and phrases into each and every one
of these. Just don’t go crazy with the
keyword density or you risk being penalized by the very search engines you are
trying to woo. (In fact there is a black
hat SEO term called keyword stuffing that every search engine knows and
loathes.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So the key is to use the desired keywords in your
content in a fitting way. That is to say, it should not look like keywords are thrown
in unnecessarily. Always remember that content is designed first and foremost
to be read by human beings. This means
that keywords should be used only in the proper time and place. They should also be grammatically correct. </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Last but not least the most important keyword or
phrase should be used at the beginning and end of your website in a font that
is bold and italicized. This lets the
spiders know that the word or phrase is important. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Off-Page
SEO<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Ei3e2twjREdIfRS6BZe5sRFDHYandiH6fzU8ochvgw7XMkm-W11_YzMRhQRg3BLy5_8Tc2USJzfly5z4WvGCr_R7G-ZDj2lW0E0XJ86d42Vp3oTrhxR_iwZC-9IKaJt3Mfax4RC2EoY/s1600/searchenginespiders.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Ei3e2twjREdIfRS6BZe5sRFDHYandiH6fzU8ochvgw7XMkm-W11_YzMRhQRg3BLy5_8Tc2USJzfly5z4WvGCr_R7G-ZDj2lW0E0XJ86d42Vp3oTrhxR_iwZC-9IKaJt3Mfax4RC2EoY/s1600/searchenginespiders.jpg" height="169" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In today’s content-rich world, even the best on-page
SEO is not going to usually be sufficient to</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /> generate a page one result on most
search engines. But it is a good
start. To really get into the game and
get the spiders to sit up and take notice you next need to start providing
regular content that is valuable and interesting.<b> (That’s right folks, the
spiders have learned how to read.)</b>
Weekly content has become king due to the increased competition of the
marketplace. People are eager to learn what’s new and exciting with your
business. They want to know how you can
help them save time and money or overcome obstacles. They want to hear what other customers think
about you. Since most people rarely
update their website this makes it difficult for people and spiders to find out
the latest about news regarding you and your business. That’s what blogs and social networks are all
about. They are also good for creating
backlinks to your website which is another benchmark that the spiders use to
rank sites.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">When it comes to self-promote your website you need
to use both On-Page SEO and Off-Page SEO techniques. Once your website receives
good ranking on all the major search engines, do not stop your Off-Page SEO
activities. You should continuously work for your website each week so that
your competitors will not overtake your ranking. Yes, you will require lesser
effort and time to do the maintenance work as part of the Off-Page SEO once
your website receives good ranking. If you do not have the time to promote your
website, you can also outsource some or all of your online marketing tasks. Just take care to thoroughly check out any
SEO expert that you are considering turning your web presence over to or your
site could wind up DOA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
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<b><i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Carl Weiss is president of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i></b><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://workingthewebtowin.com/"><b><i><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">Working the Web to Win</span></i></b></a></span><b><i><span style="background: white; color: #6699cc; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">,</span></i></b><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></i></b></span><b><i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">a
digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville, Florida. You can
listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4pm Central on</span></i></b><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin"><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></i></b></span><b><i><span style="color: black; mso-style-textfill-fill-alpha: 100.0%; mso-style-textfill-fill-color: black;">BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a>. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670665902691909173.post-50307911705471826952014-09-15T12:43:00.000-07:002014-09-15T12:52:31.418-07:00Google Gives Everybody the Bird with Their Pigeon Update<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">By Carl Weiss<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="zemanta-img" style="text-align: right;">
<div class="zemanta-img">
<div class="zemanta-img">
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:White_homing_pigeon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Many of these birds are used for the release i..." border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/6/6d/White_homing_pigeon.jpg/350px-White_homing_pigeon.jpg" height="150" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">SEO is for the birds, at
least in terms of the last two updates from Google, the first of which was </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"> called Penguin and the latest that has been deemed Pigeon. While birds of a feather, there are big
differences when it comes to the intent of the two most recent algorithm
tweaks.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Penguin Puts a Chill on Black Hat Operators<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">First released back in May of
2012, Penguin was designed to penalize websites that were deemed to be using
deceptive online marketing techniques to achieve ranking on the world’s most
popular website. What this meant was
that anyone using such tactics as keyword stuffing, link farming, hidden text
or any of a number of other back door techniques employed specifically to
generate search engine ranking was punished by having their sites relegated to
the backwaters of Google. In some cases
if the infractions were serious enough, Google delisted these sites, meaning
that they would never again appear in search.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The reason that Google was
able to accomplish this was due to the fact that their spiders were now
sophisticated enough to not only read what was on a site, but they were able to
comprehend the meaning of what they read.
This made the job of sifting through hundreds of millions of websites
possible. Prior to that it was necessary
to flag a site and then have a human being physically check it out so that it
could be determined whether black hat tactics were being used. When you consider that more than 130,000 new
websites are published every day, this was a superhuman task prior to 2012.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Pigeon Flies the Coop<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="float: right; margin-right: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img">
<div class="zemanta-img">
<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Male_Pigeon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Male homing pigeon, (showing of ;-)" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Male_Pigeon.JPG/350px-Male_Pigeon.JPG" height="263" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">Male homing pigeon, (showing of ;-) (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Male_Pigeon.JPG" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Where Penguin concerned
itself with identifying and penalizing cheaters, Pigeon is more interested in
improving localized search parameters. In
fact the most pressing reason that Google commissioned its latest update was
due to local directory Yelp complaining that its listings were being unfairly
weighted in Google search. What this
means is that local directories will benefit directly by the latest
update. If your site is not listed, or
if your directory listings are incomplete or inaccurate now is the time to
address this issue.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Another vital task is for
website owners to police their online reputation and to embellish it by
actively pursuing a policy that encourages satisfied customers to rate your
website. Face it, sooner or later you
are going to rub a customer the wrong way.
While in the past this could have produced a snub, what it is more
likely to produce today is a ding. By
ding I mean a negative review on any number of local directories such as Google
Local, Yahoo, Yelp, Angie’s List, etc.
Since many companies have no policy that encourages satisfied customers
to post positive reviews, all that leaves for the public to find online are
negative ones. Even if you have to offer
a reward to customers in order to get them to post positive reviews, the reward
to your business far outweighs the cost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Learn a Few Tactics from Homing Pigeons<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><div class="zemanta-img">
<div class="zemanta-img">
<a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Homing_pigeon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Homing pigeon" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Homing_pigeon.jpg/350px-Homing_pigeon.jpg" height="282" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="350" /></a></div>
</div>
</td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">Homing pigeon (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Homing_pigeon.jpg" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">If you really want to create
a local sensation on Google then you need to take a lesson from homing
pigeons. These birds have been known to
find their way back to their nests after being released as far as 1,100 miles
away from home. So long has their
ability been known and so accurate was their homing instinct that Genghis Khan used
the birds as a pre-aviation version of air mail.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Like the homing pigeon, if
you want to achieve outstanding local results then it is vital that you start
feathering your next with local content.
This can include everything from location specific landing pages with
keyword sensitive urls, to blogs and social posts that are keyed to local events. Also make sure that you include a Google map
on your site and landing pages. Include
(and label) videos and images that pertain to your locale. In short, anything and everything that points
out your location is going to be vital to getting Pigeon to roost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Instead of Merely SEO You Need to be Concerned with
GEO<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">If you want Pigeon to make
sure that people in your neighborhood can find you, then you need to make sure
the name of your neighborhood is included on your website, landing pages, your
blog, your videos and your social posts.
As geotargeting gets more and more prevalent you need to seed your site
with geographical breadcrumbs that can be seen by the spiders. Just make sure that you don’t overpopulate
any content piece with them or you might wind up being considered a spammer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Keep in mind if you find out
that Google Pigeon has done to your site what pigeons the world over do to
statues, the best way to keep pigeons from dropping all over you is to leave breadcrumbs
in front of someone else’s door.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container zemanta-img zemanta-action-dragged" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eggs_of_homing_pigeon.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: clear:right;"><img alt="Eggs of the homing pigeon" border="0" class="zemanta-img-inserted" height="150" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Eggs_of_homing_pigeon.JPG/350px-Eggs_of_homing_pigeon.JPG" style="border: none; font-size: 0.8em;" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption zemanta-img-attribution" style="text-align: center; width: 350px;">Eggs of the homing pigeon (Photo credit: <a href="http://commons.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eggs_of_homing_pigeon.JPG" target="_blank">Wikipedia</a>)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">The Top 5 Ways to Feather Your Nest:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">1.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Use location specific landing pages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">2.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Create more location specific content such as blog
posts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">3.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Encourage your customers to review your site on local
directories.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">4.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Generate more local links<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">5.<span style="font-size: 7pt;"> </span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">Make sure your local profiles are accurate and
complete.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><i><span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-size: 12.0pt;">Carl Weiss is president of<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></i></b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="http://workingthewebtowin.com/"><b><i><span style="background: white; color: #6699cc;">Working
the Web to Win</span></i></b></a><b><i><span style="background: white; color: #6699cc;">,</span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: white; color: #333333;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">a digital marketing agency based in Jacksonville,
Florida. You can listen to Carl live every Tuesday at 4pm Central on</span></i></b><a href="http://blogtalkradio.com/workingthewebtowin"><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="background: white; color: #6699cc; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></i></b></span><b><i><span style="background: white; color: #6699cc;">BlogTalkRadio</span></i></b></a><span style="background: white; color: #333333;">. </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Carl Weisshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06403691587433567111noreply@blogger.com0Jacksonville, FL, USA30.3321838 -81.65565099999997829.8936813 -82.301097999999982 30.770686299999998 -81.010203999999973