|
Prevent Security Problems - excerpts from - 
Step 1: Use Anti-Virus Software - Using up to date anti-virus software is critical to your computer's security.
Step 2: Use a Firewall - Anyone using the Internet should install a firewall.
Step 3: Keep Windows Updated - Protect your PC from new vulnerabilities by using Automatic Updates.
Additional Safety Tips ...
Prevent Spyware - How to keep spyware off your computer
Use Safe Internet Practices - Avoid problems on the internet.
Resolve Security Problems ...
Virus/Spyware Troubleshooting Guidelines - Get help solving virus/spyware problems.
Internet Related Security Issues - When you're not sure if it's a bug or a problem with the Internet, look here!
Dell Community Forum - Virus/Spyware - Get answers from Dell customers helping each other.
Additional Resources ...
Dell Internet Security FAQ's - Frequently asked questions from customers like you
McAfee Support Site - Check with McAfee for the latest on McAfee products.
Symantec (Norton) Support Site - Nobody knows Symantec products like Symantec.
Trend Micro Support Site - PC-cillin and much more
Microsoft Security Site - Learn about securing Windows directly from Microsoft.
Google's Latest Update - Named Jagger
 Some of you probably noticed a dramatic update to Google that occurred on Oct. 18th. Most of Google's updates in the past year have been minor and not very noticeable. This one reminded me of the dreaded
"Florida Update" back on November 16th 2003. This was discussed on many SEO forums for months and months
and is still confusing to most.
WebmasterWorld
has been the traditional mechanism for naming updates and this
one has been labeled Jagger, not necessarily Mick ... Judging
by the number of forum posts and articles on this update, it seems
that Google changes haven't had such an effect on the minds of
webmasters and site owners since the infamous "Florida update"
in November 2003, which completely disrupted the search engine
rankings of many a small business site at the time. Unlike many
of the regular Google backlink and pagerank updates, every now
and then there's a much more noticeable change to Google's ranking
algorithms - this could well be the case with Jagger.
I immediately performed SE Rankings for most all of my clients and did NOT seem to see many changes, beyond the usual ... "up" 2 or 3 spots ... "down" 2 or 3 spots. But my own site (www.RichsWebDesign.com) took a big hit w/ Google and MSN. It dropped from 1st and 2 placed for most all of my terms (web design nc, wed design greensboro, web design kernersville, web designer nc, etc) to 40th or 50th. Not good for a SEO professional.
My MSN rankings immediately came back up the next day, but Google STILL ranks my site very poorly. I have looked very carefully at the sites that rank high for the above phrases and it simply does not make any sense at all! I am just glad that my work load is high right now and I am not in desperate need of new clients.
Just like the stock market, we'll just "ride this one out" and have patience. Those who panic usually are the big losers. ... I'll keep you up-to-date!
"Ten Simple Web Design Principles" Excerpts
from 
Website design has become so complex, with scripting, and dynamic content and pulling content from RSS and ATOM feeds and Ajax enhancement and ad rotation and . . . and . . . and . . .
I've got a sticky note right on the lower right corner of my monitor. On it are four letters. K-I-S-S A glance at those four letters reminds me that there are many people who surf the web who have no clue what all the above stuff means. So I have to Keep It Simple, Stupid! I have to make sure that my website designs function no matter what the skill level happens to be of the person who is using the page. And any person doing web building, whether you're a hot New York Web Design Company or a one-woman web design boutique in East Jibippy PA better remember these ten simple website design principles.
1. Each web page must have its purpose clearly stated.
2. Web Navigation must be clearly visible and easy to use.
3. Avoid clutter, distraction, and flashing/moving objects, and make things easy to find.
4. Business websites should have contact information easily visible.
5. Not everyone has broadband. Design it SLIM, and dialup users will love you.
6. Bells and whistles may be fun, but if a gadget or page element doesn't add necessary functionality, don't use it.
|
7. Not everyone can see well, so make the text contrast enough against the background, and run the page through a "colorblind filter" (http://colorfilter.wickline.org/) to check usability.
8. Because not everyone sees well, keep the text scalable, don't use fixed pixel or point sizes.
9. Keep page lengths "bite size", no more than two page-downs.
10. ALWAYS remember that the page user can override almost anything you do. Does your design scale and/or degrade well?
|
These ten simple website design principles can make the difference between a page that's easy to use and a page that surfers will click away from before it even finishes loading.
"Four-Step Defense Against Spyware and Parasites" Excerpts
from 
Everyone knows about spyware, parasites and other malware. I won't review them all here -- but what you may not know about is a Proven, Four-Step defense that will virtually guarantee that your computer is protected in a practical, simple manner.
Let me spoil the secret before you even read the article!
The steps are:
1. Install a good anti-virus program - If you are running any computer without a good anti-virus program these days -- you're committing cyber-suicide!
It doesn't really matter which one you use. There is such stiff competition between companies to keep up -- every one is pretty much about the same -- or at least -- it will be very quickly. So don't sweat it. Use any one you want -- but just be sure to use one!
2. Install Spybot Search and Destroy.
- I don't generally recommend products, but make the exception in this case because this program Really Works -- and is Free! (I DO encourage you to make a donation!) Get it at: http://www.safer-networking.org/en/download/.
3. Install Microsoft Anti-Spyware. - Many people believe that just because they have one particular anti-spyware program, that they are covered. Definitely Not! Spyware is one case where you absolutely Must use both a belt and suspenders. Microsoft Anti-Spyware is available at: http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/.
4. Keep everything up to date! - Last, but certainly not least, you absolutely must keep your operating system, anti-virus and anti-spyware products updated.
Removal and Cleaning - Ideally, these four steps should be done just after the system is first set up and before it ever hits the Internet -- but if this isn't the case, don't be surprised at all the viruses, parasites and malware you may find.
If this is the case, my recommended removal and cleansing method is a 'top-down' approach -- from the simplest and safest method -- down to the more difficult and dangerous.
October Search Engine News From
www.searchengine-news.com
Google - Google engineer Matt Cutts noted on his blog recently that Google is experimenting with contacting the owners of sites which violate Google's guidelines, and notifying them of a ban or penalty. The effort is targeted primarily at sites which are mostly legit but may have inadvertently done something Google didn't like, such as using JavaScript redirects or hidden text.
This is great news for most webmasters, since getting penalized by a search engine but having no idea why or how to fix the problem is a real day-wrecker. Now, however, Google plans to notify webmasters of the ban or penalty, what caused it, and what changes should made to get the pages reincluded in Google's index. Matt even posted this sample email: ... Source: http://www.mattcutts.com/blog/webmaster-communication/
MSN - MSN Search Rolling Out PPC in October. MSN's PPC program is expected to resemble in nature that which is offered by Google and Yahoo. We expect to see text ads that relate to the queries of MSN Search users.
Yahoo - Yahoo Debuts Instant Search. Now you can get results as you type for common searches and results from Yahoo Shortcuts. Here's a handy list of shortcuts: http://tools.search.yahoo.com/shortcuts/.
AOL - AOL announced in a recent news release that their new AOL.com portal is just out of beta and located at AOL.com
Yahoo! Search Marketing - Nothing new to report at YSM.
Ask Jeeves - AskJeeves.com president Barry Diller announced in September that his company intends to fire Jeeves, the iconic butler of AskJeeves.com.
336-408-9075
Rich@RichsWebDesign.com
|
|
