Virus Nightmare..Lessons Learned

Virus Nightmare..Lessons Learned

by: Mal Keenan

I got a virus the other day, Thursday I believe and since then I have been making FRANTIC efforts to save all my info.

The most important thing for me to save are my Outlook Express emails and my Roboform passwords. That way I can at least access all the places I need, to download and reinstall all the software I use.

Thankfully I was able to still access my Laptop and very, very slowly (the system was painfully slow because of the damge done by the virus) start a process of trying to save my system without having to reformat the whole disk. I say thankfully because after a virus attack not everyone is able to even access the system.

I tried antivirus software, I attempted to fix things using the various กmalicious advertisingก expulsion applications (Adaware, Spybot etc.). All to no avail. After almost three days I resigned myself to the fact that it would have to be a reformat which means restoring my Laptop to factory settings. What a nightmare!

First of all I made a backup of my Outlook express email software, emails, account settings etc. For this I downloaded a great little free trial software application called Outlook Express Back Up Wizard, a free trial can be downloaded here:

http://www.outlookexpressbackup.com/ This software met by needs better than others I tried.

If you don’t use Outlook Express then you can download others by searching here:

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF8&rls=RNWE,RNWE:200435,RNWE:en&q=email+backup+free+downloads

The I did a search for some backup software to back up the files that I could and also to use for future occasions. After trying a few that either wouldn’t work on my system, or didn’t back up to the medium that I wanted (CD Rom Discs) I found a great tool that just did the trick and in fact I plan to buy as soon as the free trial is up. The software is called กNTI Backup Now 4 Deluxe Suiteก and it is so straightforward that even a tech dummy like me found it simple.

Again you can use the full version for 30 days free:

http://www.ntius.com/

I added my Roboform (www.roboform.com) passwords, my Internet Explorer favourites, my Outlook Express backup, my Microsoft Money backup files (For accounting purposes), as many software installation files as I had and most of the files and folders that I have used recently.

Of course what I also ralised is that I have not kept the Install files of loads of the software that I have on my Laptop. Bad mistake! This means that I will have to go search for these again to download to my reformatted system.

What I will do in future is save every Install file in itกs own folder with passwords, serial numbers and any other useful info in a notepad file alongside them.

The hard lesson I have learned is to make sure in future I do frequent backups of my system. I have been online since 1998 and never had any major problems. This is the first and I foolishly underestimated the damage a virus could do.

My next step is to get an external drive to use as a backup and as I mentioned to use it frequently.

I hope this has given you some food for thought. As I sign off here I am going to insert my Toshiba Product Recovery CDRom.

If I had taken the necessary precautions I wouldn’t have just lost three days of my time. Three days I could have been putting to better use.

Ah well, there is positive in every bad situation. Or at least thatกs what I keep telling myself:).

Copyright 2005 http://www.conceiveandbelieve.com

About The Author

Mal Keenan is publisher and editor of Home Business Tips Newsletter:

http://www.homebusinesstipsnewsletter.com/

Visit His Home Business/Internet Marketing Training Site Below: http://www.pluginprofitstraining.com/

This article was posted on February 13

by Mal Keenan

The Importance Of Email Backup

The Importance Of Email Backup

by: Alexandru Marias

Viruses, software failures, power failures, human errors, hard drive failures are only a few examples of what could destroy the data on a hard drive, including all documents, pictures, emails and other files!
Most home computer users don’t need an expensive backup solution; as they only need to burn the folders with important documents and pictures to a CDRW from time to time; this ensuring that in case of a disaster they can easily get them back.
Togeder with documents and pictures, itกs a critical operation to save the emails, attachments, address book and other important data from within the email client; otherwise in case of a computer problem the user will find himself in the impossibility to get them back, and this can be a really unwanted situation especially for webmasters or people who rely on their emails. Unfortunately many people actually start to do backup copies only after they lose data.
This article will explain how one can create a Outlook Express Backup copy ( as Outlook Express lacks a backup function ) This email program is usually installed with the Windows operating system and is probably among the most commonly used email programs today. While using Outlook Express is fairly easy, finding and backing up the emails can be a little more complicated. Since there are a large number of files and folders on a computer running Windows, the first problem is to find the files containing the emails. Outlook Express stores emails in .dbx files and there might be several different dbx files depending on how many email folders you have created in Outlook Express. If you are using Windows 98, you can probably locate your emails somewhere in the Windows directory. In Windows 2000 and XP, emails are usually stored somewhere in the user data or application data folder.
The easiest way to find out exactly where your emails are stored is to start Outlook Express, go to the Tools menu, and open the Options dialog box. In the Options dialog box, select the Maintenance page and click the Store Folder button. Here you can find the path to the folder containing your emails. To open the folder, copy the path and paste in the address field of the Windows File Manager. You should see a number of .dbx files and possibly some other files, too.
After locating the email folder, you can simply select all the files and press CtrlC. Then open the folder where you want to keep the backup copies (on another hard disk, a DVD or a network drive, for example) in Windows Explorer, and press CtrlV.
To backup the Address Book, you can follow these steps:

Select Tools | Address Book… from the menu in Outlook Express.
Choose File | Export | Other Address Book… from the address bookกs menu.
Select Text File (Comma Separated Values) as the export format.
Click Export.
Select the location you want to export your address book to using the Browse… button.
Give your backup copy a meaningful name.
Click Next.
Select the fields you want to include in your backup.
Finally, select Finish.
Click OK.
Click Close to end the process (successfully, I hope).

Additionally, there are several email backup utilities which can make the backup operation much easier. Outlook Express Backup Genie is one piece of software that can offer peace of mind by creating compact backup copies of emails, attachments, address book, signatures, blocked list, mail rules and settings periodically. The difference between using a automatic email backup utility and manual backups, is that the first can be scheduled to create backups quiet in the background at specified time intervals, and that it will include all email information ( signatures, blocked list, etc ) which otherwise would be more difficult to save. Also if ever the backup is needed, the application will ensure that the restore process is made smoothly. And, it works with top 9 popular email clients. The downside of using a automatic email backup utility is that it costs money, usually about 2030 USD as one time payment, while the manual backups are ofcourse, free.
The conclusion is that either manual or automatic, backing up emails is a critical operation for every computer user that would regret losing them.
A trial copy of Outlook Express Backup Genie can be found at: http://www.amicutilities.com/outlookexpressbackup/

About The Author

Alexandru Marias

http://www.amicutilities.com

This article was posted on May 23, 2004

by Alexandru Marias

Overview on Qualitative Data Collection Techniques

Overview on Qualitative Data Collection Techniques in International Marketing Research

by: Otilia Otlacan

This article is meant to be a brief review and reminder of some valuable yet often bypassed techniques to collect data on international markets and consumers.

When thinking of market research, surveys are most likely the first technique that comes to ones mind. However, surveys are a quantitative research and, in order to understand customer behavior and the social and cultural context in which our business will operate, we will need to perform some qualitative research as well.

Qualitative methods are most certainly a more appropriate option when in need of researching patterns and attitudes in customer behavior, understand the depth of the environment around the customer, and understand the cultural characteristics then influence a customer – especially when the marketer is not familiar with the country of culture.

There are certain situations where qualitative research alone can provide the marketer with all insights needed to make decisions and take actions; while in some other cases quantitative research might be needed as well.

We will stop by the main qualitative techniques and see how and where they can be employed in international marketing. Craig and Douglas (2000), mention three major types of qualitative data collection techniques:

observational and quasiobservational techniques;

projective techniques and depth interviews;

creative group sessions (synectics).

1. Observational and quasiobservational techniques

Observational techniques involve direct observation of phenomena (in our case, consumersก behavior) in their natural settings. Observational research might be somehow less reliable than quantitative research yet it is more valid and flexible since the marketer is able to change his approach whenever needed.

Disadvantages are given by the limited behavioral variables and the fact that such data might not be generalizable – we can observe a customerกs behavior at a given moment and situation but we cannot assume all further customers will act the same.

Quasiobservational techniques are reported to have increased in usage over the past decades, due to the large scale employ of surveillance cameras within stores. Such techniques cost less than pure observational ones since costs associated with video surveillance and taping are far lower than a researcherกs wage; the tape can be viewed and analyzed at a later time, at the marketerกs convenience. When performing videotaping of consumersก behaviors, they can be asked to give comments and insights upon their thoughts and actions while the conversation itself can be recorded and be further analyzed.

Pure observation: the marketer watches behavior of customers in reallife situation, either in situ or by videotaping the consumers (less intrusive). Videotaping can be specifically recommended when studying patterns of different cultures, since we can easily compare behaviors taped and highlight similarities and / or differences.

Trace measures: consist in collecting and recording traces of consumersก behavior. Such traces can be fingerprints or tear of packages, empty packages, garbage cans analysis and any other ways a marketer can imagine (itกs all about creativity here!). In eMarketing, trace measures come under the form of recorded visits and hits – there are numerous professional applications that can help an emarketer analyze the behavior of visitors on his companyกs website.

Archival measures: can be any type of historical records, public records, archives, libraries, collections of personal documents etc. Such data can prove to be of great use in analyzing behavioral trends and changes in time. Marketers can also identify cultural values and attitudes of a population at a given moment by studying mass media content and advertisement of the timeframe questioned.

Entrapment measures: those are indirect techniques (by comparison to the previously mentioned ones) and consist in asking the respondent to react to a specific stimulus or situation, when the actual subject of investigation is totally different. The marketer plants the real stimulus among many fake ones and studies reactions. The method is quite unobtrusive and the marketer can gather valuable, nonreactive facts. When the respondent becomes aware of the true subject under investigation (s)he might change the behavior and compromise the study.

Protocols: are yet another observational marketing research technique which asks respondents to think out loud and verbally express all their thoughts during the decisionmaking process. Protocols are of great value for determining the factors of importance for a sale and they can be collected in either real shopping trips or simulated ones.

2. Projective techniques

Such techniques are based on the respondentกs performance of certain tasks given by the marketer. The purpose is to have the consumers (respondents) express their unconscious beliefs through the projective stimuli; to express associations towards various symbols, images, signs.

Cooper (1996) suggested that projective techniques can be successfully employed to: indicate emotional and rational reactions;

provide verbal and nonverbal communication;

give permission to express novel ideas;

encourage fantasy, idiosyncrasy and originality;

reduce social constraints and censorship;

encourage group members to share and กopen upก.

Projective market research techniques can take the following forms, presented below.

Collages – used to understand lifestyles and brand perceptions, respondents are asked to assemble a collage using images and symbols from selected sets of stimuli or from magazines and newspapers of their choice.

Picture completion – certain pictures can be designed to express and visualize the issue under study and respondents have to make associations and / or attribute words to the given pictures.

Analogies and metaphors are used when a larger range of projection is needed, with more complexity and depth of ideas and thoughts on a given brand, product, service, organization. The respondents are asked to freely express their association and analogies towards the object being studied; or they can be asked to select from a set of stimuli (e.g. photos) those that fit the examined subject.

Psychodrawing is a technique that allows study participants to express a wide range of perceptions by making drawings of what they perceive the brand is (or product, service).

Personalization consists in asking the respondents to treat the brand or product as if it is a person and start making associations or finding images of this person. This technique is especially recommended in order to understand what kind of personality consumers assign to a brand / product / service.

3. Indepth interviews

These techniques of marketing research put an accent on verbal communication and they are efficient especially when trying to discover underlying attitudes and motivations towards a product or a specific market / consumption situation.

Individual indepth interviews are performed on a persontoperson environment and the interviewer can obtain very specific and precise answers. Such interviews are common in B2B practices of market research, for example when a company conducts a research about a product among their existing corporate customers.

Interviews can be conducted by phone or via internetbased media, from a centralized location: this can greatly reduce costs associated with market research and the results are pretty much as accurate as the facetoface ones. The only disadvantage would be the lack of nonverbal, visual communication.

Focus groups are basically discussions conducted by a researcher with a group of respondents who are considered to be representative for the target market.

Such meetings are usually held in an informal setting and are moderated by the researcher. Videotaping the sessions is common these days, and it can add more sources of analysis at a later time.

Focus groups are perhaps the ideal technique, if available in terms of costs and time, to test new ideas and concepts towards brands and products; to study customersก response to creative media such as ads and packaging design or to detect trends in consumersก attribute and perception. One of the important advantages of focus groups is the presence of several respondents in the same time, providing a certain synergy. Disadvantages refer mainly to the costs involved and the scarcity of good professionals to conduct the interviews and discussions.

To conclude, we have to keep in mind just how important nonsurvey data collection techniques are in todayกs market research. Not only they provide more depth of analysis but they can be performed in significantly less time than surveys and theyกre more suitable to be employed during the exploratory phases of international marketing research.

About The Author

Otilia Otlacan is a young Marketing certified professional with expertise in eMarketing and eBusiness, currently working as independent consultant and epublisher. She developed and teach her own online course in กPrinciples of eMarketingก and is also a volunteer Economics teacher.

You can contact her via her Marketing resource portal at http://www.TeaWithEdge.com.

You can freely republish this article as long as you attach this resource box and enable the link within.

This article was posted on April 13, 2005

by Otilia Otlacan

The Importance Of Email Backup

The Importance Of Email Backup

by: Alexandru Marias

Viruses, software failures, power failures, human errors, hard drive failures are only a few examples of what could destroy the data on a hard drive, including all documents, pictures, emails and other files!
Most home computer users don’t need an expensive backup solution; as they only need to burn the folders with important documents and pictures to a CDRW from time to time; this ensuring that in case of a disaster they can easily get them back.
Togeder with documents and pictures, itกs a critical operation to save the emails, attachments, address book and other important data from within the email client; otherwise in case of a computer problem the user will find himself in the impossibility to get them back, and this can be a really unwanted situation especially for webmasters or people who rely on their emails. Unfortunately many people actually start to do backup copies only after they lose data.
This article will explain how one can create a Outlook Express Backup copy ( as Outlook Express lacks a backup function ) This email program is usually installed with the Windows operating system and is probably among the most commonly used email programs today. While using Outlook Express is fairly easy, finding and backing up the emails can be a little more complicated. Since there are a large number of files and folders on a computer running Windows, the first problem is to find the files containing the emails. Outlook Express stores emails in .dbx files and there might be several different dbx files depending on how many email folders you have created in Outlook Express. If you are using Windows 98, you can probably locate your emails somewhere in the Windows directory. In Windows 2000 and XP, emails are usually stored somewhere in the user data or application data folder.
The easiest way to find out exactly where your emails are stored is to start Outlook Express, go to the Tools menu, and open the Options dialog box. In the Options dialog box, select the Maintenance page and click the Store Folder button. Here you can find the path to the folder containing your emails. To open the folder, copy the path and paste in the address field of the Windows File Manager. You should see a number of .dbx files and possibly some other files, too.
After locating the email folder, you can simply select all the files and press CtrlC. Then open the folder where you want to keep the backup copies (on another hard disk, a DVD or a network drive, for example) in Windows Explorer, and press CtrlV.
To backup the Address Book, you can follow these steps:

Select Tools | Address Book… from the menu in Outlook Express.
Choose File | Export | Other Address Book… from the address bookกs menu.
Select Text File (Comma Separated Values) as the export format.
Click Export.
Select the location you want to export your address book to using the Browse… button.
Give your backup copy a meaningful name.
Click Next.
Select the fields you want to include in your backup.
Finally, select Finish.
Click OK.
Click Close to end the process (successfully, I hope).

Additionally, there are several email backup utilities which can make the backup operation much easier. Outlook Express Backup Genie is one piece of software that can offer peace of mind by creating compact backup copies of emails, attachments, address book, signatures, blocked list, mail rules and settings periodically. The difference between using a automatic email backup utility and manual backups, is that the first can be scheduled to create backups quiet in the background at specified time intervals, and that it will include all email information ( signatures, blocked list, etc ) which otherwise would be more difficult to save. Also if ever the backup is needed, the application will ensure that the restore process is made smoothly. And, it works with top 9 popular email clients. The downside of using a automatic email backup utility is that it costs money, usually about 2030 USD as one time payment, while the manual backups are ofcourse, free.
The conclusion is that either manual or automatic, backing up emails is a critical operation for every computer user that would regret losing them.
A trial copy of Outlook Express Backup Genie can be found at: http://www.amicutilities.com/outlookexpressbackup/
Alexandru Marias

About The Author

Alexandru Marias
This article will explain how one can create a Outlook Express Backup copy.

[email protected]

This article was posted on June 09, 2004

by Alexandru Marias

Why Stick With Email Clients Like Outlook?

Why Stick With Email Clients Like Outlook?

by: Iulia Pascanu

Trying to figure out a stream in banning one email client or another is no easy job. As soon as somebody rises up saying Outlook is bad, somebody else comes saying itกs good and the other one is bad. And the story goes on and on.

On one hand, email clients like Outlook Express and (even more) MS Outlook do a really good job when it comes to user friendliness. What email client allows you to use more options on the agenda, bell ringers, flag wavers and contact managing tips than MS Outlook?

The ease of use perfectly molds on human indolence. That means I would never question about Microsoft Outlook being or not a good email client if it comes together with my Office pack that comes together with Windows that comes together with my computer.

Here is another red flag: MS Outlook is not free as long as Iกm paying for my Windows license. This should count when choosing an email client.

Moreover, everything is so easy to install with those cute wizards, and installing sessions are ready within minutes.

Until… well, until I spend enough time online, using email, starting to receive viruses, worms and other creatures that do bad things to computers. If you ever had to do one of the following when using Outlook or Outlook Express:

try very hard not to click on a message subject that looked suspicious; anyway, not without using a small trick (that used to work for me): pressing Shift, selecting the suspicious messages and then hitting Del,

try hard not to select some very good and very important messages together with the suspicious ones,

accept phone calls from extremely upset clients accusing you of infecting their computers with God knows what worm (personally got in trouble with BugBear),

working on an extremely low system because an efficient AV is doing its job scanning, updating, warning, locking etc.

delete all your Outlook contacts in order not to become infectious for friends and clients in case your computer somehow got infected,

…then you know what itกs like. Both Outlook and Outlook Express, while different applications, with no related history, have security as their weakest link. And thatกs why some people switch to other email clients that are said to be more secure.

It is true that most worms are today Outlook dedicated because Outlook has both more users and more security holes. It is also true that Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates set security as a top priority back on 17th January 2002 (itกs been almost two years by now). While I don’t mean to ban Outlook or Outlook Express, Iกd like to choose the best for me, and the best doesn’t seem one of the fore mentioned, at the moment.

About The Author

Iulia Pascanu writes for http://www.emailmarketingsoftware.org/ where you can find more information about Email Marketing Software.

Please feel free to use this article in your Newsletter or on your website. If you use this article, please include the resource box and send a brief message to let me know where it appeared: mailto:[email protected]

This article was posted on January 21

by Iulia Pascanu

Googleกs Trap, DMOZกs Nap, And Yahoo!กs Crap

Googleกs Trap, DMOZกs Nap, And Yahoo!กs Crap

by: Dean Phillips

On November 16th, 2003, Google commenced an update (the Florida update) which had a catastrophic effect for a very large number of websites and, in the process, turned search engine optimization upside down. It is common to give alphabetical names to Googleกs updates in the very same way that names are given to hurricanes, and this one became known as กFloridaก.

In a nutshell, a vast number of pages, many of which had ranked at or near the top of the results for a very long time, suddenly disappeared from the results altogether.

To so many on the Internet, Google has become the omnipotent กhand of Godก and itกs sickening! Why are so many people falling into the trap of optimizing their websiteกs to cater to Googleกs everchanging algorithms? I refuse to play that game! I personally could care less about my search engine rankings. I never have. My search engine rankings go up and down like a yoyo! They have for years. Yet, Iกm still able to comfortably support myself and my family.

If you only remember one thing from this article, remember this: DO NOT DEPEND SOLELY ON SEARCH ENGINES FOR YOUR TRAFFIC! Find alternative ways to attract traffic to your website. If you’re fortunate enough to achieve a high search engine ranking, consider it a bonus. But DO NOT MAKE THE SEARCH ENGINES A PRIORITY!

Why? Because when you stop to consider that Google, DMOZ and Yahoo! has millions and millions of pages in their directories, youกd really have a better chance of winning the lottery, than getting high enough in the results pages where itกs going to make a significant difference in your traffic.

In fact, I receive a very tiny percentage of my traffic from the search engines.

So, whereกs my traffic coming from? Well, the vast majority of it comes from the dozens of articles Iกve written that have been picked up and published on popular websites. I also get traffic via word of mouth, newsletters that my articles are published in, and a few other secret methods that I use.

Yes, like Colonel Sanders, I too have a secret recipe!

And if all of the search engines disappeared tomorrow, Iกd be just fine, because Iกm a marketing man. I know how to market myself and my service. I was lucky enough to be born a กbaby boomer.ก That means I had the honor and privilege of personally seeing firsthand, some of the greatest copywriting in history. I took lots of notes and learned my lessons well.

Back then, mailorder was the Internet of its time, and boy was there marketing talent everywhere! You should really do yourself a favor sometime and go to the library and read the old mailorder books. Some great titles to look for include, กHow To Get Rich In Mail Order,ก by Melvin Powers, กMoney In Your MailBox,ก by L. Perry Wilbur, กHow To Make A Fortune In Mail Order,ก by Al Stern and กBuilding A Mail Order Business,ก by William A. Cohen .

Youกll come away a lot smarter and youกll discover some ingenious ways to market your website, besides the search engines.

Will somebody wake up DMOZ? I hear they’re sleeping on the job. DMOZ (The Open Directory Project) is another prime example of why you shouldn’t depend on search engines or directories. Iกve heard and read countless horror stories about DMOZ taking 9 months to a year or more to add new sites to their directory, and in many cases not adding perfectly qualified sites at all. Iกve also heard their directory is not kept up to date, because the editors can’t keep up with the workload.

In addition, itกs been widely reported that they don’t respond to emails, don’t inform you if and when you’re site is rejected, and that some of the editors are rude and arrogant.

Who cares how much weight Google places on being listed in DMOZ? You don’t have to put up with that nonsense! Find alternative ways to attract traffic to your website.

Yahooooooooooooooooo! I want you to read what it says on the info page for submitting to Yahoo! Express:

กWe established Yahoo! Express as part of a suite of services that Yahoo! has created to service small business needs. Through Yahoo! Express, we can ensure that sites suggested by merchants such as yourself are viewed and evaluated in a timely manner by Yahoo!กs editorial staff.

Your payment and participation in Yahoo! Express guarantees that within seven business days a member of Yahoo!กs editorial staff will look at your site and consider it for inclusion in the Yahoo! directory.

Please keep in mind that payment does not automatically guarantee inclusion in the directory, site placement, or site commentary. As with all sites suggested to us, final judgement remains solely with Yahoo! editors. Yahoo! Express Guarantees All Yahoo! Express submissions will be evaluated within seven business days. You will receive an email response within seven business days, stating whether your entry is accepted or declined. (If your entry is denied, you will be told why.) The Cost of Yahoo! Express Yahoo! Express requires a US $299.00 nonrefundable, recurring annual fee per submission, or US $600.00 nonrefundable, recurring annual fee for submissions offering adult content and/or services. Yahoo! Express does not guarantee a listing in the Yahoo! directory, nor does it guarantee the type of placement or description that your site will receive if accepted. Please read our Yahoo! Express Terms of Service to review the terms and conditions of Yahoo! Express.ก

Are you kidding me? What a bunch of crap! Why, why, why would anyone want to just hand over their money to Yahoo! that way, without any type of guarantee?

Iกve just given you shining examples of the arrogance and total lack of respect Google, DMOZ and Yahoo! has for the very people they depend on to keep them in business.

I say we show them the same kind of respect they show us. Get out of the Google trap, let DMOZ nap, and don’t accept Yahooกs crap!

Remember: DO NOT DEPEND SOLELY ON SEARCH ENGINES FOR YOUR TRAFFIC! Find alternative ways to attract traffic to your website. If you’re fortunate enough to achieve a high search engine ranking, consider it a bonus. But DO NOT MAKE THE SEARCH ENGINES A PRIORITY!

About The Author

Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer, publisher and entrepreneur. Questions? Comments? Dean can be reached at mailto: [email protected].

Website: http://www.letsmakemoney.net

This article was posted on October 08, 2004

by Dean Phillips

Google, Yahoo!, Pandoraกs Box And The Lottery

Google, Yahoo!, Pandoraกs Box And The Lottery

by: Dean Phillips

In the fall of 1990, the musical group Snap had a monster number one hit record called, กIกve Got The Power.ก

Nowadays, a search engine and a directory (AKA) Google and Yahoo!number one and number two respectively, have ‘the power,ก and we handed it to them on a silver platter.

The aforementioned search engine and directory are the two biggest players in the multi billion dollar payforsearch industry.

Our stubborn and foolish reliance on search engines have helped to open up a กPandoraกs Boxก of greed, arrogance and theft.

Yahoo! Express is a perfect example of all three of those evils! Check out their terms:

กPlease keep in mind that payment does not automatically guarantee inclusion in the directory, site placement, or site commentary. As with all sites suggested to us, final judgement remains solely with Yahoo! editors. Yahoo! Express Guarantees All Yahoo! Express submissions will be evaluated within seven business days. You will receive an email response within seven business days, stating whether your entry is accepted or declined. (If your entry is denied, you will be told why.) The Cost of Yahoo! Express Yahoo! Express requires a US $299.00 nonrefundable, recurring annual fee per submission, or US $600.00 nonrefundable, recurring annual fee for submissions offering adult content and/or services. Yahoo! Express does not guarantee a listing in the Yahoo! directory, nor does it guarantee the type of placement or description that your site will receive if accepted. Please read our Yahoo! Express Terms of Service to review the terms and conditions of Yahoo! Express.ก

I mean, think about this for a second. You pay $300 to $600 to get listed in their directory, and they tell you they can’t guarantee your website will be listed. And by the way, if your website is rejected, weกll just keep your money!

Why does Yahoo! do that? Because like กlambs going to slaughter,ก we allow them to!

Hereกs another example of greed, arrogance and theft? Check out this statement from Google:

กWe are exposed to the risk of fraudulent clicks on our ads. We have regularly paid refunds related to fraudulent clicks and expect to do so in the future. If we are unable to stop this fraudulent activity, these refunds may increase. If we find new evidence of past fraudulent clicks, we may have to issue refunds retroactively of amounts previously paid to our Google Network members.ก

Now, I don’t know about you, but I for one refuse to believe that bunch of poppycock about Google being powerless to stop click fraud. The problem is, thereกs no incentive for them to stop it. It really doesn’t matter to Google how many times someone fraudulently clicks on your ad. Why should it? It doesn’t affect their pocketbook. They still get their money either way!

And they don’t even have to worry about processing an avalanche of refunds, because many of their advertisers don’t even know how to analyze their log files. Therefore, they have no idea how much money they’re losing. So, they just keep right on replenishing their payperclick accounts, foolishly hoping to catch กlightning in a bottle!ก

Why isn’t Google doing more to prevent click fraud? I don’t know exactly, but I have a couple of theories. First of all, Googleกs advertisers haven’t expressed the necessary outrage to effect change. Secondly, I believe Google has looked at the bottom line and determined, itกs actually a lot more cost effective to issue a few refunds than to develop the technology to eliminate click fraud.

Otherwise, Google would have stepped up to the plate like a true leader and said something similar to this ficticious statement:

กNothing is more important to us than our customers. They helped make us who we are today, and we will not let them down. We are determined to meet and defeat click fraud head onno matter how how long it takes or how much it ultimately costs!ก

By not issuing the above statement or something along those lines, Google revealed its true colors!

In my article, ‘the Truth About Search Engines: Playing A Game You Can’t Win,ก I compared the odds of getting a high ranking in the search engines akin to winning the lottery. This is what I wrote:

กIf you go strictly by the numbers, Yahoo!, MSN and Google are the กBig 3ก of search engines and directories. Between them, they index millions and millions of pages in their directories. Although Google claims to index over 4 billion.

However, thatกs a subject for another day. The point is, out of all those millions and millions of pages, thereกs room for only a very few websites at the top of the results pages.

That means, if you go strictly by the number of indexed web pages in their directories, you have a better chance of winning the lottery, than getting high enough in the results pages to where itกs going to make a significant difference in your traffic. Thatกs not my opinion, itกs a fact!ก

After that article was published, you should have seen some of the emails I received from angry SEO experts, telling me I didn’t know what I was talking about, and writing something like that was reprehensible and irresponsible journalism!

Irresponsible journalism. Really? As the saying goes, ‘the proof is in the pudding.ก So, Iกm going to let my readers do the math:

According to a recent study by Inktomi and NEC Research, there are currently over two billion websites on the Internet. Google, Yahoo and MSN are considered the กBig 3ก of search engines and directories. In other words, those three generate the majority of traffic.

Now, we all know the top 10 is considered prime real estate, with regard to the search engines. Studies have shown that if you’re website is listed outside of the top 10 spots, thereกs a significant dropoff in traffic. Unfortunately, there are only a total of thirty top 10 spots among the กBig 3.ก

Are you still with me so far? There are only thirty available top 10 spots, and an estimated two billion websites on the Internet. You do the math! Thirty and two billion sure sound like lottery odds to me. What do you think?

About The Author

Dean Phillips is an Internet marketing expert, writer, publisher and entrepreneur. Questions? Comments? Dean can be reached at mailto: [email protected].

Visit his website at: http://www.letsmakemoney.net

This article was posted on October 31, 2004

by Dean Phillips