Too much Blogging Spam?

January 31st, 2009

Admin

It appears not everyone is familiar with the fantastic service that is ‘Akismet’!

If your Blogging is for fun or, like myself part of a small business that makes no money from it, ‘Akismet’ is the answer to your prayers? And it is Free! 

So far, for this site alone, it has caught over 72,000 spams (that would have kept me busy!)! Leaving me with the freedom to carry on Blogging.

So if you are new to Blogging or just have never crossed paths with Akismet I suggest you visit  http://akismet.com/download/ and discover how they can make your Blogging life fun, free and easy.

Business whilst ill?

January 30th, 2009

Admin

To my surprise I have just learnt that the Department of Health (DoH) are trying to encourage National Health Service Trusts to relax their 2009 Policies on mobile phone usage; not only for staff but also patients and visitors in wards and some public areas!

This is not set in stone and only guidelines have been published by the DoH. Those areas where the medical equipment is very sensitive (Intensive Care Units and Cardiac Wards spring to mind) obviously will remain mobile free.

The news got me thinking about my recent stay in hospital and how business would have faired if I had been able to use my mobile freely? I could have sat up in bed and been able to contact those people I really needed to talk with and the day-to-day running of the business would have been so much easier if I had been personally contactable at all times.

However, truth be told, during my first 5 days I couldn’t even discuss the weather, let alone anything business related - so perhaps unlimited availability would not be such a great idea after all?

Then I thought about that annoying person in the airport terminal; the one who has to ’shout’ business down the mobile phone, barking orders and letting the world know the success of his enterprise. Would I have been able to tolerate that from the visitor in the next bed (knowing I couldn’t get up and walk away) and what affect would it have on my recovery, my blood pressure, my nerves, my sanity, the client on the other end of my phone?

Imagine if every bed occupant had a mobile and every visitor that came to that bedside had a mobile and all the mobiles rang a different tune / sound at the same time - woo! Even with a minimum of 2 visitors per bed (in a 4-bedded unit) how much rest would be available with 12 mobile ring tones or conversations occurring simultaneously during the important recovery periods? Especially when I considered my state of mind when the sweet by comparison alarm of my IVAC pump beeped, just for the sake of it. 

Unless in the sanctuary of a single room the privacy aspect  of openly discussing business issues would be a concern! Actually even in a single room people are always ‘popping’ in and out to do dressings, observations, change I/V fluids or ask if you need anything - so no real privacy there either.

SO. Having contemplated the issue of business management and mobile phone usage in hospital my conclusion is that it is probably one of the worst things that could happen to any patient, be they business orientated or not and completely damaging to the overall recovery aspect of any individual.

I had no mobile phone usage during my recent hospital stay and it didn’t prevent me acquiring new business - from the Hospital Chaplain (of ‘Reeling Strings’ fame). In fact if I had been able to use the mobile I would probably have been all “talked out” by the time it came to meeting the Chaplain and would have been seeking solitude not conversation, resulting in a number of enterprises missing out.

Allow mobile phone usage in the ward Day Room if need be (where people have the ability to walk away - as opposed to being bed-ridden), but at the bed side - No Thank You.

Business and ill-health are most definitely not compatible with the 2009 hospital policy for mobile phones and I for one hope never to find it in any Doctor’s Order’s!

Really believable and new.

January 30th, 2009

Admin

Card telephone scam

Beware of the new Visa / MasterCard telephone scam that is catching even the wise out!

They don’t ask for any of your sensitive information, they already know it – apart from 1 tiny detail! 

How it works

They claim to be calling from the ‘Security and Fraud Department’ of said card and offer you their badge number, tell you their phone number to call them back on (on the reverse of the aforementioned card), give you a 6 digit code to quote and even tell you the name of the cards issuing bank and  the address to which the card is attached. Wow!

Their knowledge of your card details and their obvious concern for your security are the sleek bits.

They imply a ‘flag‘ has appeared against your card because of an unusual purchase pattern and want to ask if you have recently purchased a certain unusual item for just under the £500 bracket? When you say “no” they advise you that as it is a company they have been monitoring they will issue you a credit for the full amount in your next months statement. Still they don’t want anything. 

So far you haven’t told them a thing - they have told you all your sensitive card information, you have no reason to doubt they are not who they say they are. Then they sting!

The only thing they need from you is for you “to confirm you are still in possession of the actual card?” Even then no ‘long card number’ is requested, all they ask is that you;

“look at the 7 numbers on the reverse of the card”, then with knowledge they continue “the first 4 are part of your card number and the other 3 are the one’s you would normally use to make a purchase over the phone, or Internet, to prove you have the card with you?”.

“Can you please confirm the last 3 numbers for me?”, once done so he / she will inform you “that is correct”. SCAM COMPLETE!

They continue the conversation, thanking you for your co-operation and telling you not to hesitate to call them back if you have further questions, blah, blah,blah. End of call.

Is it a SCAM? You hardly said anything. They told you all your card details (or so you are made to believe) and they gave you reference numbers and telephone numbers - all you did was confirm those 3 numbers to prove you had the card.

That is ALL they wanted!

You have just made a purchase to the amount they initially quoted and your monthly Visa / MasterCard statement will show you have made many more purchases, not only running up your debt but also making it extremely difficult for you to file a fraud report on them (no specifics to remember).

What to do?

If you do get a call from a somewhat believable ‘Jason Richardson’, or who ever, from MasterCard or Visa, DO NOT be fooled into giving out your 3 digit PIN, instead tell him;

1. you WILL call the number on the back of your card (and DO IT)

2. you WILL ask for the Fraud Department (again, DO IT) and ask for him by name

If it is legitimate he will encourage you to do so, but I bet he is off that line as quick as a flash?

Visa / MasterCard will reiterate, that as they already know all your security details:

  1. They NEVER ask you for them - be that phone or Internet.
  2. May even tell you to file a police report to help stop these scum.

Please tell everyone you know as soon as possible. This is a very ’slick’ scam and, sorry to have to admit to it, devised by some very clever villains who will probably be very persistent in trying to get as much money as possible in the shortest time-scale.

These thieves are costing innocent people more than just money; it is heartache, it is pride, it is time, it is anger and, if it is a company card, it could be their business!

People don’t tend to read something that has pages of other recipients names to scroll through, even for something this important. So to get this out quickly you can always just copy and paste the important part and put it onto a new message then send it out to friends and family. Or if you are having problems copying and pasting please just send them straight to this page if it is easier http://www.nsnetworking.biz/blog/wp-admin/post-new.php ? (no information will be collected about them, or communication made from us to them in any way).

Let’s use the Internet for really good things and help stop people going through a living nightmare; or much worse for some of the families caught out by these criminals? 

Thank you. Kim

Business networking made easy

January 21st, 2009

Admin

I was recently in hospital and once my IV drip came down I was so happy to be able to ‘escape’, without the constant squeaking of the IV drip stand following my every move.  When the hospital Chaplain asked if anyone wanted to go off the ward to the Sunday Service I naturally jumped at the chance. And what an opportunity it proved to be!

I discovered he was part of a Ceilidh Band called ‘Reeling Strings’, and as fortune would have it he just happened to be looking for someone to sort out their website, host the website and assist in promoting the band.

One call to Neil and a draft idea was in the bands hands before Andy Willis (the Chaplain) could write another sermon. Agreement was forthcoming and before the week was out ‘Reeling Strings’ had their website built and hosted, launched on the web and promoted within the NSN Directory with space for ever changing text to be added.

Now I am not saying everything works out that easy, but perhaps b-2-b networking opportunities can sometimes materialise from the most bizarre circumstances!! One ill patient, one Hospital Chaplain and one conversation over a wheelchair.

The moral of this story is to constantly remind yourself there is always a networking opportunity, no matter the location or circumstances (okay, I would hold off at a funeral!), so always appear positive and animated about your business - no matter how rotten you may feel on the inside.

What exactly is Hosting?

January 21st, 2009

Admin

When I ordered my very first website I had absolutely no idea what Hosting was, all I understood was that it was part of the service. Today is a different matter, and for those people who are like me here is the answer to the leading question - in what I class as the easiest format (without the jargon) to understand.

To view an advert on the TV the advertising company pay the television channel to screen it on their behalf. It could be extremely well made and capable of generating a great deal of sales, but if it is not screened no-one will ever see it!

The same applies to your website. For many people to know about your product and your business they need to be able to view your website (like the advert). Having your website Hosted on the World Wide Web (WWW) is the same as having the above advert screened on the TV.

Advert = Website

Television = WWW 

Screened = Hosted 

I hope this clarifies the matter for some of you, sometimes the IT jargon can be difficult to grasp when there is so much to take in?

Website statistics

January 21st, 2009

Admin

Scenario: Both ‘Barack Building Ltd’ and ‘Obama Dance Company’ saw their website ”hits” rise from 6,500 in October to 206,000 in January! Is this great news, or should they be ignored due to the U.S Presidential inauguration? Which one would you choose?

When used properly web statistics can be the answer to your future marketing and strategy plans. An enormous subject as a whole so we will address each part separately.

“How many site hits?” is of no use in isolation, as displayed above. Many of the hits may be traffic accidentally finding your site whilst searching for the US President by name? These tend to leave the site in seconds; but not a given? Some will like the design or content and will spend a moment or two looking around (your 90sec - 2 min visitor).

So statistics regarding ‘hits’ can be matched up with duration of visits, 0 - 30 seconds may be the accidental visitor where 5+ minutes can generally be deemed as a visitor of note.                                                      

1 - 2 minutes can be highly informative and should never be dismissed lightly, as previously stated they can validate your actual site and assist when re-evaluating your mode of advertising! Did they add you to their ‘favourites’ to remember the site for future reference, hence the 2 minute stop-over? What page did they come in on and what page did they leave the site from (all available

You can further reduce the numbers by checking the ‘key’ words or phrases the search engines used to send visitors your way. If they were “Barack Obama” obviously an accidental visitor, but if they were “builders Fife” they are genuine web traffic, even if they left before 90 seconds!

We previously implied that the 30-90sec. visitor was accidental but now we have mentioned that this may not always be the case - they may have searched you out specifically but when they got to your site found it too bland / too busy / too many adverts / too static / too much flash or so slow to load they clicked exit before their PC showed your home page.  That decision is usually based on what you like or dislike about other sites - we know you can never please everyone, but do take account of this when analysing your stats.

So the next time someone explains they received so many ‘hits’, or asks you how many you received you can ask in relation to which other website statistic? The couple mentioned above are only the tip of the ice berg and as this area builds hopefully so will your enthusiasm for analysing statistics (if you don’t already do it that is?).

Please note: We are not trying to teach our Grannies to suck eggs only provide snippets of information to match some of the questions we get asked! 

Still to come: Ways to look at Unique Visitor statistics and the act of adding you to Favourites.

Migrant workers and students?

January 20th, 2009

Admin

The government has stated that the new rulings for businesses, planning to bring in workers from outside the European Economical Area and Switzerland, will be the biggest shake-up to this particular system in 45 years. This ruling also applies to students, so Educational Institutions should also be following this through, if not already fully aware of the system? 

Any business will need to be licensed as a sponsor by the Home Office UK Border Agency and it will be the category of the worker that will indicate the deadline for the licence to be in place - anywhere from the end of November 2008 onwards.

To gain precise information on the points system that is in place please visit the most comprehensive website on the matter:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/employers/points/whatisthepointsbasedsystem/

The above link will lead you directly to the ‘UK Border Agency. Home Office / employers / points / what is the points based system’ website page.

If you have ever tried to emigrate to Australia (or know someone who has) then you will have some knowledge of a similar system to this one; one based on allocation of points.

This is vitally important information for any business or educational facility and we would strongly recommend you visit the site, even if you are uncertain if the criteria applies to yourself, your employees or students?

Securing Intellectual Property Rights

January 20th, 2009

Admin

Today I was asked by a person starting up a new Internet based business if I knew how she could licence intellectual property for both herself and her client’s? I had to admit I didn’t and wouldn’t really know where to start.

Well what a difference an afternoon makes? Whilst reading a business magazine I came across the very subject and instructions regarding the website to visit to gain an insight into this complex subject.

A 24 page PDF document that has been well presented by the UK Intellectual Property Office (operational name for the Patent Office), it provides all the pointers to consider and websites, addresses and contact numbers for various information.

So for anyone else who wants to discover more on the vast subject of licensing intellectual property, have a handy ‘check list’ to consider, further sites of interest to visit and the most important aspect of all - written in plain English, I would recommend you visit the following site http://www.ipo.gov.uk/licensingbooklet.pdf

This link will take you out of NSN and onto a government website. I have attached the details for your convenience but you can always copy the above website and paste it into your own address bar for added security :- always a good idea if you are travelling between sites and are not sure where the link will end up.

Google makes changes to own icon.

January 20th, 2009

Admin

Google have made a tiny change to the look of their address bar, with a minature new ‘logo’ style icon known as a favicon (ours is a minature map of Scotland and located just before the URL address (http://) at the top of the page).

Why am I bothering to tell you this?

Do you recall, during 2008, when the Font style for the word ‘Google’ changed? Being highly aware of Internet crime I, on noting the alterations, thought I had landed on a ‘copy cat’ site and was bracing myself for every virus the site could send my PC.

Luckily none arrived as the change was made by Google itself (as is this new one), but it did cause me a headache as I stopped “Googling” until I received clarification.

Due to the above I am writing so that others can be made aware of this small but significant change. Significant particularly for those amongst us who are bombarded daily with bogus bank sites asking for changes to personal information.

With Internet fraud so wide spread and mock sites looking ever more realistic we are constantly being warned to look out for those tiny changes that show a site may not be the genuine article.

In this case you can be assured that this is a calculated change by Google, but do continue to be cautious when leaving one website for another - not all will be a simple ‘branding’ exercise or harmless!

If you come across information that may be of interest to other readers, please Email me through the website contact page. If you put your name and business name with the Email I will print both on the NSN Blog.

Who is falling for these scams?

January 20th, 2009

Admin

After a few years now of being told my bank account requires updating and “click here” to make the appropriate alterations I have to wonder why the Scammers are still trying that technique? Are people still falling for them?

I have to admit they are getting smarter as the months go by, the early days of bad logo’s have now been replaced with genuine looking headings. The bad spelling of old is now an articulate piece of work worthy of any author and the request to up-date your account details has manifested itself into the threat of losing your bank account access if you don’t follow the link there and then! But who are they still convincing?

Every time a PC is turned on someone has the Halifax, Nat West, PayPal, Mint or any other institute that deals with money asking for details (some in very convincing ways I must admit) but at the same time every single one of the legal establishments make it very clear they will NEVER ask for account details on-line. So who are they still convincing?

Perhaps it is not a case of trying to get you to disclose your details - perhaps it is a case of getting the few who are unfortunate enough to click on that link, are they the one’s they are after? Damage done before you can click out of the bogus site!

Talking of clicking on bogus sites we appear to be inundated with messages that tell us to “click here” if not all pictures are revealed. To make that action more likely they have come from what appears to be reputable business sites - trust them? Think not; straight into spam folder. 

Now some Russian speaking individuals seem to be giving it a go! My site statistics clearly show a massive increase in visitors to the site from Russia, this in turn matches up with my Spam folder. Unfortunately they will improve their tactics, if the rest of the Spams are anything to go by and I think their 1st mission will be to get someone to translate without obvious spelling mistakes.

So all in all the following will end up in the SPAM folder - poor spelling, Russian sites, no pictures visable and possibly the one that is even older than the banking institues one - “May I introduce myself, I have much money to invest and need your help?”, classic money laundering opportunity without the actual money going your way - only your bank details (here we go again)!

If you have been caught out please let me know (through the site contact form), I don’t even want your name only the way they did it so I can carry on adding to this and if your information saves just one person then that is months of sheer misery you would have saved them from.

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