Add New Content to Your Website with RSS Feeds

Add New Content to Your Website with RSS Feeds

by: Craig Desorcy

RSS Feeds are the latest in cuttingedge tools for alert webmasters. Globally, consumers are gobbling up this latest trend. The convenience of being able to monitor all of their favorite feeds in one place carries tremendous appeal. Webmasters and marketers find RSS feeds equally as attractive. The instant widespread distribution of content updates becomes a breeze with RSS feeds. Many believe that in the near future, webmasters who don’t utilize this optimal communication tool will be in the minority.

Joe banged the desk next to his keyboard, making his coffee tilt precariously. He was irate to say the least. For the past 15 minutes he’d been browsing websites looking for that tidbit of information he needed to complete his presentation due in 25 minutes. His growls would have intimidated anyone less courageous than the typical mountain lion, but Joe was fed up. To make matters worse, he knew that he’d recently visited a site with the information. His inability to recall which of the thousand sites he’d perused in the last weeks had him boiling.

In the cubicle to the right sat Sally, ขalwaysontime Sally.ข How did she do it? It seemed that everything she looked for was at her fingertips and only a minute or two away. If he weren’t so galled by his inability to find that one lit bit of info, he’d ask her. Of course her eyes would light up, she’d snap her fingers and say, ขOh I know where we can find that!ข The thought irked him.

The secret to Sally’s seemingly pristine organization skills…you guessed it RSS feeds all posted to one page. She had her favorite news feed, her favorite blogs, the latest marketing and computer tech feeds, and even Garfield her favorite cartoon all posted to one page. When it came time to look for a tidbit of information, Sally knew right where to go. In fact the last time, she’d had to spend time using search engines was when her cat had fleas, and she wanted to find out which flea shampoo was most effective.

Now, as a webmaster this information is highly valuable. Wouldn’t you love to have direct contact with your consumers on a daily basis? You would no longer be fighting with overzealous spam filters who ate your valuable updates for dessert! Your loyal consumers would never have to search, and be distracted by other appealing adds. Your latest news and products would before their eyes immediately and unhindered.

( The Easiest Way To Add RSS Feeds Go To http://www.effectiveinfo.com/AddRSS.html )

Okay, so you’ve made life easy for your consumer and found some room for profit in the process. How much do RSS feeds really benefit you? Literally, they will save you a fortune in time and money not to mention a hefty profit from increased web traffic. Let’s look at a few of the reasons why.

RSS feeds are easily changed and make updating your content so much easier. Not only can you make your loyal customers aware of your updates quickly, your updates will entice the spider to your web (a bit of a different twist, eh?). Literally, search engines are hungry for material that changes often, and will be drawn to your website more often by RSS feeds. This means more exposure, free advertizing, more traffic, and more money for you. A pretty good deal!

All right, now you know the secret to making life easier for yourself, and making a lot of extra money to boot. Enjoy, and…uh…you might want to wipe the coffee stains off your desk!

About The Author

For The Fast and Easy Way To Add RSS Feeds

Click here> http://www.effectiveinfo.com/AddRSS.html

This article is copyright © Craig Desorcy

Craig Desorcy is an Internet enthusiast who Lives and works in Japan, spending most of his free time on the internet running his blog and websites of interest.

Craig(at)effectiveinfo.com

This article was posted on February 05

by Craig Desorcy

Do You Know How To Defeat The Browser Hijacker ?

Do You Know How To Defeat The Browser Hijacker ?

by: Tom Jenson

Your browser now has a new start page and a new search page. Every time your browser loads a page that doesn’t exist, you end up at some strange site, probably filled with popup ads or worse pornography. Nothing you do, from resetting the home page in your options menu to rebooting your machine gets rid of the problem.

If you’re really unlucky, the first new page you try to load has called up so many pop ups that your machine will virtually lock up until professionally serviced.

Browser hijacking is a very real and annoying problem. If the hijacker program starts sending you off to pornography websites thereกs a real chance it might have caused pornography to be downloaded onto your hard drive. Porn on a work computer has the potential to get your into real trouble.

Spyware, the generic term for software that installs itself and records your movements, information and other bits to send back to its source, is a general nuisance. Browser hijacking is a form of spyware that subverts your browser settings and leaves you in a bind. If you don’t have something that can prevent or at least detect and reset it, you could be in for some trouble.

Many savvy users who discover the problem find it very difficult to repair. Critical files like กInternet Optionsก are missing from the control panel of the operating system. So, now itกs time to sort through the various .dll files or ini file extensions looking for a configuration that was altered.

Next, the person experiencing the problem becomes so frustrated that they delete their browser and try to reinstall or the worst yet, completely reformat the hard drive convinced that it is irreparable.

Well, reformatting will work but only until the hijack software has been downloaded once more from wherever it was retrieved from in the first place. Most antispyware software contains code for detecting and removing browser hijackers; it requires activation of the software to detect it for some programs. Other pay versions include real time blockers that will actually prevent a browser hijacker from installing itself.

Unfortunately, spyware and its associated brethren are here to stay. The best defense is to employ protection that will guard against unexpected software additions and installs. Hijacking your browser may not seem as criminal as a virus that eats files, but if youกve ever experienced your browser being hijacked, then you’re aware with the frustration it causes.

Discover all you ever wanted to know about spyware. Latest discovery methods, latest incoculation treatments, latest removal techniques. Click for useful info and daily updated blog of spyware news and articles. Click http://www.spywarerevealed.com/

About The Author

Tom Jenson has worked in software development for 20 years. Heกs seen spyware develop from an occasional problem, to a daily, hourly threat to all pcกs. He made it a mission to research these threats, and work out how best to combat them. Now this series of article helps others protect their computers too.

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 09

by Tom Jenson

The Power Is In The Pipes: How To Get Maximum Leve

The Power Is In The Pipes: How To Get Maximum Leverage From Your Website

by: Michael Southon

What is the most important part of your online business? Many people would say: กmy websiteก. And that’s understandable – it’s the most visible part of an internet business.

But the real power in your online business is email. It’s the ability to reach your database of contacts at the click of a button. The efficiency of your email pipeline will determine how much money your business makes.

Your website is just a way of building your mailing list by collecting the email addresses of your visitors.

In fact, we’re not talking about one list, but several. Here are the lists that I maintain – they’re all people who at one time or another have visited my websites:

people who have bought my products

people who have signed up to receive my articles

people who have joined my affiliate program

people who have signed up for my email course

people who have joined my newsletter

So why are these lists so important?

Because most of your visitors won’t buy on the first contact. Statistics show that most people will need to see your message 7 times before they make a purchase. So if you’re not collecting the email addresses of your visitors, you are losing out on a lot of sales.

But there is one list in particular that is like gold. Itกs your list of previous customers. These people are predisposed to buying from you. In fact, some businesses make 80% of their sales from previous customers.

All well and good but what do I do with these lists?

Here are some ideas:

announce your latest product to your customer list

announce your latest product to your affiliates list

send your latest article to your articles list

announce your latest product in your newsletter

publish your latest article in your newsletter

announce ‘relatedก products to your customer list

send your latest article to your affiliates list so they can use it to promote your products

For each list that you manage you will need (1) an autoresponder account or an autoresponder script and (2) a way of capturing your visitorกs email address.

(1) Autoresponder Accounts

An autoresponder account gives you the ability to manage a list without installing software itกs all done on a remote website. Most autoresponder accounts will give you:

an email address for subscribing

an HTML form for subscribing

seven or more followup messages

a confirmation email to you every time someone joins

the ability to broadcast messages to your list

the ability to personalize your messages

database of your prospects

online stats

Here are some sites that offer autoresponder accounts:

http://www.aweber.com/

http://www.getresponse.com/

http://www.responders.com/

http://www.proautoresponder.com/

http://www.www.roibot.com/

http://www.infogeneratorpro.com/

http://www.replypro.net/

http://www.autoresponder.co.uk/

Now, autoresponder accounts cost between $17 and $20 per month. And with most autoresponder services you can only manage one list per account. So if you are managing 5 lists, that quickly adds up to a hefty monthly bill.

But there are a few services that allow you to manage multiple lists with one account. Here are some of them:

http://www.rapidreply.net/

http://www.ezmailpro.com/

http://www.autorespondit.com/

http://www.1automationwiz.com/

http://www.royalresponder.com/

(2) Capturing Email Addresses

The most popular way to get new subscribers to your list is a กsubscribe formก that pops up when your website loads. I get 25 to 30 new subscribers a day using this technique. The HTML code for the subscribe form usually comes with your autoresponder account.

Another way to invite visitors to join your list is an กalert boxก. An alert box is a small gray dialogue box that pops up when someone visits your website. It usually says something like: กPlease subscribe to my Newsletter. 5 Free eBooks when you joinก. Itกs impossible to ignore an alert box you have to either close it or click OK to continue.

Alert boxes have two advantages over subscribe forms. Firstly, thereกs no form to fill in, so itกs much easier for people to join your list. People who have switched from a subscribe form to an alert box report 3 to 5 times as many subscribers.

Secondly, alert boxes capture only ‘realก email addresses the email address from the visitorกs client browser. You end up with very few Hotmail and Yahoo addresses, which means youกll have a much more responsive list. For more information about alert boxes, visit: http://www.optinlightning.com/

So to sum up, use your website to build several optin mailing lists and youกll have a private audience of people you can market to over and over again itกs the key to running a successful online business.

About The Author

Michael Southon Copyright 2003

Why Do Some People Get All The Traffic?

Receive the 5 Day Ezine Writer Mini Course and Learn how to create your own Free Traffic Machine: http://www.ezinewriter.com/

This article was posted on June 20, 2003

by Michael Southon

RSS Feeds Explosion

RSS Feeds Explosion

by: Tony Dean

Gain Massive Exposure For Your Service

Get your web site listed in Google and Yahoo in dayกs if not hours, I did, never pay $299 to be listed in Yahoo you can get your site listed if you have an RSS feed.

Googlebot and Yahooกs กSlurpก bot have never left my server since putting up a RSS feed, and syndicating it through RSS directories where it was quickly found by an eager, info hungry crowd of affluent types who are looking to spend their disposable income on something that captures their imagination.

With still only about 90,000 RSS feeds in the world, compared with about 6 billion web pages, if you put up an RSS feed of your own, your feed will get noticed very quickly like the same day!

Traffic to your web site will double, triple, or more from your RSS feed, and you will find more buyers coming in rather than freebie seekers.

If spam filters are putting you off sending out emailed newsletters, then keep in touch via your RSS feed and update it once, twice or more per day to get your info out that you want your subscribers to see.

Got a new product to sell?

Then put it in your RSS feed and it will be noticed the minute you upload the file to your server. Millions of people can now see your RSS feed, not only in a กfeed readerก software, but in feed compatible browsers such as the latest กOperaก and กNetscape 6ก.

RSS feed directories have sprung up for you to list your feed in, but there are up to 40 directories worth putting them in I list them in my latest ebook ‘really Simple RSSก with direct links to all the directories to submit to right away.

So how difficult is it to put up a feed?

If you can open กNotepadก and type, you can make a feed file to go on your server and this will be seen by countless people all over the world who are looking for the latest products to buy.

If you desperately need to raise awareness and create more exposure for your service or product, without spending huge amounts on advertising then you need to put up that RSS feed now before the Klondike of all rushes starts. The colossal explosion of information through the ‘third dimensionก of the internet is about to start the กfirst dimensionก was the text based information in dos that started as the internet which then was only for academics and scientists swapping information on research the กsecond dimensionก was the introduction of the graphical capability of browsers which allowed pictures, text and movieกs we now move inexorably onward through the ‘third dimensionก of RSS feeds and now everyone can become a news publisher, the newspaper and magazine publishers are in trepidation, their reign may now be coming to an end, all information in the future will be by RSS feed and กblogsก, in fact most 1824 year oldกs are now not even switching on the television, but cruising on the computer instead!

Will you have an input into this ‘third dimension?

About The Author

Tony Dean is a published author and owner of web site at: http://www.ebooksales.com. His latest ebook is:’really Simple RSSก Subscribe to his ezine, send blank email: [email protected]

This article was posted on November 26, 2004

by Tony Dean

How To Stop Spyware From Infecting Your System

How To Stop Spyware From Infecting Your System

by: Ray Bonneau

Spyware is becoming more and more of a problem. When I visit a cusomters site and inspect the computers I always find some kind of spyware on the system. I know that many people have been unaware of spyware, but hopefully now that the word is spreading that people will be more aware of the problem and setup a good defense. I get a get calls or questions to the effect of กWhy is my computer running so slow? I just bought the computer recentlyก. Most of the time this is because of spyware. Spyware programs will load on boot up and take up your computer memory that will reduce your performance. I will go over my typical setup to prevent and battle spyware. This system works if all of the current spyware has been removed properly. I will leave that to another article.

Spyware is loaded on a computer over the Internet without the user knowing. It is loaded in the background through holes in a userกs computer setup. Internet Explorer has been very vulnerable to spyware and is a major reason why so many people are getting infected. Spyware ranges from more benign programs to more extreme programs that will hijack your browserกs startup page or cause pop ups to occur relentlessly. The following is the defense system that I use, and I strongly suggest that you use.

1. Download and install all of the latest updates to your software. Once a week you should be checking for software updates to install. This will help protect you against the latest threats.

2. Use a firewall. Many people have a direct connection the Internet and do not setup and run a personal firewall. This can potentially be very dangerous. Firewalls should be running for protection against many potential problems including hackers, spyware, and data protection. Windows XP has a built in firewall. Make sure you have updated your system to Service Pack 2 (SP2) if you have Windows XP. Microsoft has added many security features and fixed bugs in this update and should be updated as soon as possible.

Sygate Personal Firewall is a free personal edition firewall that works pretty well. You can download it at http://smb.sygate.com/products/spf_standard.htm

3. Install and run Spybot Search & Destroy. Spybot is a great spyware detection and removal tool. This is a free tool that should be run often to make sure spyware has not been loaded onto your system. Every time that Spybot is used make sure that all of the latest updates are downloaded first. Updating to the latest Spybot files will allow detection and removal of the latest spyware programs. You can download Spybot at http://www.safernetworking.org.

4. Install and run Adaware. Adaware is another free spyware/adware detection and removal tool. Iกve found that using just one spyware detection tool is not enough. Using these two tools will detect and remove a majority of the spyware programs on your machine. This tool should be run in conjunction with Spybot. Again, make sure the latest updates are downloaded and installed each time Adaware is used. Download it at http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software/adaware/.

5. Use an Antivirus program. Viruses can cause a lot of headaches for people. Since Viruses have been well publicized, I have noticed many people have an antivirus program installed. However, people never update to the latest definition file. This is a must because the latest definition file will provide defenses against the latest viruses. If you do not update this file, you are only protecting yourself against the viruses that are known to the date of the definition file. Either setup your antivirus program to automatically update the definition file every week, or make sure that you manually update the file every week.

6. Use Mozilla Firefox 1.0 browser. Change your browser to the recently released free Firefox browser. Internet Explorer has many holes that spyware programs target and exploit. Microsoft has tried to keep up and release updates to fix the problems, but it seems like after every fix a new vulnerability is discovered. To protect your system, just download Firefox and start to use it as your default browser. Firefox is setup very similar to Internet Explorer; so learning how to use the new browser will not be a problem. You can configure the browser to block popups. This is a nice feature to battle those annoying popup windows. It also has a great tab feature. This allows you to open multiple pages inside one browser window. Visit http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/ to download the latest version.

The above spyware prevention system should help your computer or network stay protected and running at optimal performance. If you have never run a spyware program such as Spybot or Adaware I think you will be amazed at what is detected on your system. Sometimes I find over 100 suspect spyware programs installed on computers. No wonder your system is running slow.

About The Author

Ray Bonneau owns an on site computer repair and information technology solutions company in the Dallas, TX area. They perform on site repairs for residential and small businesses; focusing mainly on providing IT support for small businesses. Visit http://www.dallascomputersolutions.com for more information or to sign up for a monthly newsletter. Ray can also be reached at [email protected].

This article was posted on December 16, 2004

by Ray Bonneau

Make Your Site Grow With The Times

Make Your Site Grow With The Times

by: Florie Lyn Masarate

How do you ensure the continuous flow of sales and other positive aspects that your site gives you? Go on with your usual distribution and promotion of your print ads. As with these prints, your site should be updated in order to have people coming back for recent information. It would be a waste of time and a disappointment for them to go to your site to see the latest and get the read the same things that they have read like one or two years ago. If your site is like this, you have just signed an invisible termination of contract of a useful and worthy site.

Update your site from time to time. Give your readers the latest and not the latest some years back. Having readers read outdated information will not win you any points. There is also a possibility that these people would never try to visit your site again after getting that impression. From the time you started your site, you should have been aware of the responsibility that comes with it. Sites are cheaper than any reading materials that you need to send on a time basis. Think about it, costeffective and very accessible. Give the readers what they need and update your site.

Put reference section where you can note things like the recent changes you have made in your site. This lets people know that your site is being maintained. Nothing like a good reminder every now and then for people who are too statusconscious.

Remove outdated pages but make them still accessible for those who may need to go back to old information. This information not only becomes little of use also can be confusing. Removing them often would be wiser than having them pile up and taking so much of your site space and making you pay much more. Why continue to confuse and anger the people by giving them this information when you can give them far better things than that?

Check the search engines constantly if your site is still as accessible as before. Check also if people are finding it easy to search for your site in these engines. There are some search engines that uses meta tags that holds keywords and description of your site for easy access. You could try writing a page that explains your company, what it does; its services and other resources you offer. Different search engines have different preferences in the way your sites should be displayed. There are those who prefer meta tags and those that choose content page.

A site that can change, evolve, and grows is a definite candidate for the kind of site that people keep coming back for more.

For comments and inquiries about the article visit http://www.ucreative.com

About The Author

Florie Lyn Masarate got a flair for reading and writing when she got her first subscription of the school newsletter in kindergarten. She had her first article published on that same newsletter in the third grade.

This article was posted on August 11

by Florie Lyn Masarate

iPod users get the picture

iPod users get the picture

by: David Llennac

iPod users start to get the picture and it’s turning out to be colorful fun!!

The latest generation of hi tech gadget users are watching the different media they use start to converge as Apple launches its latest grab for the market with iPod Photo. Not only can you listen to all your music on the go, or organize your business and social life, but now your entire photo collection can be viewed at hand too. With the latest color screens iPod users can turn the favorite toy into a slideshow which is set to music. Watch this with friends hanging out at the beach or connect it to your TV and away you go.

Imagine putting your holiday photos to your own sound track and being able to view it wherever you want, well this is now possible to do, and with the 60GB version you can hold up to 25,000 photos. Of course, if you want to mix these up with music the storage would be shared but still with the longer lasting battery in the new generation of iPod you can get up to 5 hours of slideshow or 15 hours of music according to Apple.

All this is possible to use with your Apple Mac or PC using Autosync to make the synchronization of your music and pictures automatic. Visitors to http://www.auctionsandmore.com/articles2/3 are informed of many of the features of the latest iPods and the best deals around for purchasing these items. From their website you can access hundreds of online deals for the whole range of iPod products.

The latest iPods are set to rock the market once again with their latest visual addition. The only question is….where will all this convergence end up? Soon these multi function devices may move into the area of telecommunications with the prospect of watching digital TV or videos. Perhaps our mobile phone will become our MP3, video and still camera with 5 megapixel definition. Who knows? But for the time being Apple have once again moved ahead in the harddrive, handheld multimedia gadget race.

iPod is produced by Apple which can be found at: www.apple.com.

About The Author

David Llennac is working in the field of Education and is the owner of the website http://www.auctionsandmore.com.

This article was posted on November 16, 2004

by David Llennac

DVD ROMs

DVD ROMs

by: John Gibb

DVD CD ROMs have become predominantly the most used CD drive for desktop and notebook computers. They are very reliable and now come as a standard in most computers. If you are looking for a laptop then make sure it has a DVD ROM, this will give you extra speed for normal Cds, and you will be able to watch your favourite DVDs while you travel.
I often sit up late watching DVDs on my laptop after a hard working day.
If you are interested in Desktop computers, then the DVD drive will enable you to watch your favourite DVDs on your monitor. I currently have a 21inch monitor and a 5.1 computer surround kit. This brings DVDs to life and acts just like a home cinema system, however the quality is even better.
Most DVD ROMs will come in speeds ranging from 4 to 10 speed. This is more than adequate to watch the latest DVDs, play the latest games, and use and install the latest software. Normal CDs can only perform at a certain speed, and it is a lot lower than what the DVD ROM offers. I hope you have a better understanding of why DVD ROMs are now used more than a normal CD nowadays. It is basically all part of bringing a home entertainment system at the best quality closer to everyone.
This is one of the unique articles posted weekly on http://www.computerandprinterreviews.com.

About The Author

John Gibb is currently the webmaster of several guide websites. http://www.computerandprinterreviews.com is his latest addition.

This article was posted on July 25, 2004

by John Gibb

Marketing with RSS and Blogging Technologies

Marketing with RSS and Blogging Technologies

by: Mark Vandorone

The Rise of RSS and the Blog in Marketing

Factors such as newer restrictions placed on email marketing, failed email marketing campaigns, including ISP blocking which included over 40% of email being marked as unread, trashed or returned, have motivated internet marketing experts to devise newer ways of getting their message across. Some of these techniques known as RSS and Blogging promise to be the latest hit parade of the Internet and are the latest buzzwords in the Internet community.

Simply put, a blog is a Web Log which is an area on a website or a page setaside for visitors to write articles and comments. A blog is a relatively simpler way of publishing content or information on the web and does away with the technical issues like HTML layout, FTP, etc. of putting up a web page.

A blog can be read with a standard browser, or alternatively, can be read by a special program called RSS reader, which actually stands for Relatively Simple Syndication. Current technology allows the conversion of standard web pages into blogs or by providing a feed to its content by producing an RSS document that can be made available unfiltered to a clientกs desktop via a wellknown URL.

A variety of readers are available on the Internet as free downloads.

About The Author

Mark Vandorone is the founder and CEO of Five Marketing, a quality provider of highly targeted traffic for your online marketing campaigns. Stop putting up with junk clicks and poorly converting traffic from PPC search engines! go to http://www.fivemarketing.com.

This article was posted on August 27

by Mark Vandorone

Watching the Watchers : Detection and Removal of S

Watching the Watchers : Detection and Removal of Spyware

by: Tom Jenson

If spyware were a person and he set himself up in your house, you are likely going to do one of two things. Youกll kick him out yourself or youกll call someone (such as the police) to do it for you.

Employing tools that detect and remove spyware from your PC, whether itกs at home or at the office, should be on the list of top things to do for your complete protection, and the protection of your children. Spyware is a generic term for insidious programs designed to track, store and report back on your actions on the computer, whether you’re logged onto the Internet or not. The most benign forms began as adware, software that tried to make sure the end user didn’t receive any ads they wouldn’t be interested in. The theory is great, but the practice has been warped by abuse.

There are a number of tools available for the detecting and removing of Spyware. AdAware is a very reputable piece of software that detects, isolates and removes spyware from your PC. Available for free download, AdAware was one of the first antispyware programs to be available.

AdAwareกs drawback, however, is that it must be run to detect already installed spyware and it does not prevent spyware from being downloaded as you surf the Internet.

AdAware offers a paid version labeled AdWatch that includes a real time prevention tool. Spysweeper, Spybot, ASquared, Microsoft AntiSpyware and many, many others all offer varying levels of protection from spyware. Ultimately, preventing the installation of such programs in the first place will serve you better.

Yes, it may cost a small investment or donation for licensing the product. However, remember that spyware can tie up your CPU, RAM and Internet connection to the point that you can no longer perform daytoday functions on your machine or connection with any type of speed or normalcy.

Free programs work well for detecting and removing spyware, but itกs advisable to check out the website offering the antispyware for free. Some programs are just more spyware in disguise. Choose reputable software rather than just any ad that pops up in your email box.

Making sure you have antivirus software, working firewall and up to date patches for all of your software will improve the performance across the board.

Even if you install and utilize very reputable antispyware software, the best advice to preventing spyware installation on your machine is avoiding the downloading of unknown products or attachments from your email.

Don’t download programs from people you do not know, nor should you enter every contest and game that may be offered through popup banners or email. Itกs not enough to be able to detect and/or remove spyware. You have to prevent it. And, this starts with some simple action that any computer novice can perform.

Discover all you ever wanted to know about spyware. Latest discovery methods, latest incoculation treatments, latest removal techniques. Click for useful info and daily updated blog of spyware news and articles. Click http://www.spywarerevealed.com/freespywareremover.html

About The Author

Tom Jenson has worked in software development for 20 years. Heกs seen spyware develop from an occasional problem, to a daily, hourly threat to all pcกs. He made it a mission to research these threats, and work out how best to combat them. Now this series of article helps others protect their computers too.

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 11

by Tom Jenson

Does Microsoft Show Hackers How To Attack?

Does Microsoft Show Hackers How To Attack?

by: Jim Edwards

After another security hole recently surfaced in Microsoftกs Windows operating system, the software giant released a patch this past Friday to plug the possibly devastating กback doorก which allows hackers to potentially seize control of any pc running Windows.
The latest threat, กDownload.Ject,ก infiltrates computers after users surfing with Microsoftกs กInternet Explorerก web browser visit websites infected with the virus.
This newest security patch covers Windows XP, 2000, and Windows Server 2003.
Several factors make this latest development more disturbing than past discoveries of security problems with Internet Explorer, currently the most dominant web browser on the market.
First, it demonstrates very clearly that criminals discovered they can use the power of viruses to very profitably steal important bank, personal, and credit data from people on a large scale.
Second, it took Microsoft what many would consider a very long time to come up with a patch for this problem.
Before a fix appeared, Microsoft told everyone who uses Internet Explorer to stick their finger in the dyke by putting their web browser security settings on high, rendering it impossible to view or use features on many websites and webbased services.
Third, expect this to happen again as new holes open in the future when Microsoft makes Windows more complicated, adds layers of code, and generally makes the operating system more complex.
This may sound like business as usual, however, I think this story actually points to a much deeper problem, one for which Iกm not sure a simple solution exists.
Though free and reasonably reliable, many people do not automatically update their Windows operating system through the update service on Microsoftกs website. (I won’t even get into how many people don’t operate uptodate antivirus protection.)
Whenever Microsoft publishes a security update, especially for a highly publicized and obviously widespread security breach, thousands of people will not immediately download the update.
In fact, tensofthousands of users will not download these security updates for days, weeks, even months (if ever).
So let me ask what seems like a very elementary question: By publishing security updates that point out very obvious flaws in their system, doesn’t Microsoft also point the way to exactly where the holes exist?
Let me put it another way.
Doesn’t this rate the same as discovering that the local bank vault won’t lock and then announcing the details on the front page of the paper along with the dates and times no bank guard will be on duty?
After all, if tensofthousands of users won’t immediately get the Microsoft Security Patch, don’t those patches show hackers exactly which holes get plugged (and which, logically, must already be open without the patch)?
It doesn’t take a hacker with more than a basic set of skills to recognize where and what holes got fixed and then reverseengineer how they can get into computers that don’t get updated.
Now, do I have a concrete, 100% bulletproof answer to this problem? Unfortunately, I don’t have more than a common sense answer…
At this point, your best defense rates staying current on the latest threats and how to defend against them.
Keep your antivirus software current, your firewall up, and your Windows software updated with the latest security patches.
Though not a perfect solution, at least youกll have a fighting chance to prevent, or at least minimize, any possible threats.
For more information from Microsoftกs website, go here http://www.ebookfire.com/downloadject.html

About The Author

Jim Edwards is a syndicated newspaper columnist and the coauthor of an amazing new ebook that will teach you how to use fr^e articles to quickly drive thousands of targeted visitors to your website or affiliate links… http://www.TurnWordsIntoTraffic.com
© Jim Edwards All Rights reserved

http://www.thenetreporter.com

This article was posted on July 08, 2004

by Jim Edwards

How To Stop Spyware From Robbing You

How To Stop Spyware From Robbing You

by: Tom Jenson

Booting up the computer in the morning seems to be taking longer and longer. The pauses between asking for a web page and it loading increase. Suddenly, even keystrokes aren’t registering on the screen as quickly as normal. Is your PC on the verge of a breakdown or has some version of spyware made a nest for itself on your machine?

The average user doesn’t contemplate that the numerous websites, free offers, giveaways or games they surf in a day will damage their computer. And, nor does this average surfer believe they could be downloading potentially hazardous software that is going to cause their computer to go on the blink, eternally.

The Internet is teeming with fantastic websites, information, tools and interactive activities. Some of these cost real money and some don’t. Itกs easy to take a freebie and feel like you got the better deal, but when a lot of freebies come packaged with spyware to infect your machine, the free price tag isn’t really worth it in the long run.

Spyware is an umbrella term covering malware, adware, viruses and worms. Virtually any type of software (benign or malicious) will track, record and send your activities (online and off) back to its source. Similarly, in the beginning, adware was designed with the idea of preventing end users from being besieged by unwanted advertisements. However, those more interested in harvesting your personal data, whether it is credit card numbers or other personal information, have unfortunately warped the idea.

Prevention is the best remedy for all of these ills. Good antivirus software, effective firewalls and reputable antispyware tools can save you time, money and a lot of headaches later. Most users don’t think it can happen to them, yet the best viruses and worms are so insidious, you don’t even realize it is happening at first.

Benign programs that just want to know the type of items for which you like to shop, can interfere with your Internet connection, overwork your CPU and even tie up valuable RAM. While it may not กmeanก harm, it will become a nuisance when left unchecked.

With the numerous antispyware tools available on the Internet and in your software stores, it doesn’t make sense to stick your head in the sand. Ignoring problems on your computer doesn’t make them go away. Because spyware can come in so many forms and be potentially fatal, it doesn’t make good sense to allow it the opportunity to inflict damage before doing something about it.

Comparisonshop the various available antispyware tools. There are many sites that cover current information on the antispyware upgrades and latest problems. Educate yourself to your options so that you can invest in the type of software that will work for you.

Discover all you ever wanted to know about spyware. Latest discovery methods, latest incoculation treatments, latest removal techniques. Click for useful info and daily updated blog of spyware news and articles. Click http://www.spywarerevealed.com/

About The Author

Tom Jenson has worked in software development for 20 years. Heกs seen spyware develop from an occasional problem, to a daily, hourly threat to all pcกs. He made it a mission to research these threats, and work out how best to combat them. Now this series of article helps others protect their computers too.

[email protected]

This article was posted on September 11

by Tom Jenson