tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9794137590405027692024-03-07T23:43:32.011-08:00SUe The Writer's BlogAdventures in Writing for a LivingAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852704046421077875noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979413759040502769.post-34150365348496473912013-07-05T17:32:00.000-07:002013-07-05T17:32:27.405-07:00Security for Normal People, Part 6: Social Engineering
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Have
you ever received an email that looks as if it's coming from a
friend, but for some reason you get the feeling it may not have?
Listen to that little voice! There is a good chance that the hair on
the back of your neck is rising for good reason. There are </span><span style="font-style: normal;">numerous</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
</span><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>social engineering scams</b></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
that people fall prey to all the time. They go something like this:</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">1.
You get an email from what looks like a friend with a header like,
″OMG! What did you do last night?! I have the video!″ You
follow a link </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">to
what </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">looks</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
like YouTube or some other similar site, but wait! The video won't
play, because you don't have the latest version of Flash or some
other, similar program. ″Click here to download,″ the link says,
or, ″Click here to update.″ </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Don't
do it!</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
You'll probably be downloading a virus. (See </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Part
5 of this article series, </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">under,
″Be careful where you download from.″)</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">2.
You get an email from what looks like a friend that has a header
like, ″Help! I'm stuck here & all my money got stolen!″ You
open it up and it, indeed, does look as if it came from your friend's
account. The email claims that they're over in Europe or someplace
far away from wherever they live, their wallet/purse was stolen, and
they just need you to wire them $1,000 and they'll pay you back when
they get home. Now, for some of you, this scenario might be entirely
plausible, and for all I know it's happened to someone you know. But
don't assume that it's true. At the very least, check out their
story. Call them, and if you can't reach them, call their family.
Just don't send any money until and unless you can confirm that an
honest-to-God friend </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">actually</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
needs your help.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">3.
</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">You
downloaded something you don't even remember having downloaded, but
you must have, right? Because now you've got a virus! How do you
know? Because a pop-up window tells you just that. But, ″lucky″
for you, there's a solution right at hand! Because right there,
blinking and flashing at you from your monitor, is a company that can
help! They'll eradicate that virus, and they'll do it </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">for
free</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">!
All you have to do is . . . you guessed it! Download this file!
Right here, click now! </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Unfortunately
for you, if you fall for this one, </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">you
had no virus</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
. . . or at least you didn't . . . </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">until
you just downloaded one</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
in the so-called ″cure.″ </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">Now</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
you </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">do have </span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">a
virus. And on top of that, whatever you have just downloaded,
thinking it was the cure to all your computer-ills, also has just
opened up your system to the Bad Guys, who have installed a keystroke
recorder (allowing them to record every password to every account you
access, from your Facebook password to the online store for your
insurance's prescription drug program to your bank account), not to
mention software that will transmit that information back to them.
And now, they will also be using your home PC (and thus your IP
address, or what is basically your internet telephone number) to hack
into someone else's computer and rip </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">them</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
off. </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">They
may very well send emails using another scam to everyone in your
phone book!</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
Because that's the way these kinds of scammers operate.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">4.
You get an email from ″your bank,″ saying that their computers
have been hacked and that they need you to verify your log-in and
password. Only, it's not </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">from</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
your bank, that link in the email isn't </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">really</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
your bank's website. </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Look
closely. Squint. It will be exactly the same except for a few
letters. It will be BankFORAmerica.com or BankofAmerica.US instead
of BankOFAmerica.COM. When you look at it, it will look genuine, it
will have all the </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">normal
logos and such. But it is most definitely NOT BofA's actual site.
</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">So,
when you don't look and just log in, and use your password . . . they
know what that password is now, so they</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">'ll</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
go and drain your account. And you're lucky if they stop with that.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
5. Your computer freezes up, and nothing will work. You don't know
why. Until you see a window pop up that tells you that you've been
caught! You've downloaded porn or pirated movies or take your pick
of any number of embarrassing things. Any of which you may or may
not have done. But, OMG! This isn't just <i>any</i> warning . . .
oh, no! It's from the FBI! And the message says that your computer
has been locked because of these so-called illegal activities.
<i>However</i>, it goes on to say, lucky for you there is just a
small fine for this first offense, and if you pay it, they will, they
promise, unlock your computer. All you have to do to go out and
purchase $300-$500 of Money Paks and send them the long code on the
back of the card. <i>Whew</i>! That's all? And they won't come and
arrest you? Certainly worth it, right?</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Whether or not you've done whatever they say you've done, don't fall
for this one! This is one of the latest forms of scam, known as,
″The FBI Money Pak Virus<span style="text-decoration: none;">,</span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">″
or,</span></i><span style="text-decoration: none;"> ″The FBI Money
Pak Ransomware.″ Because that's exactly what they're doing:
holding your computer hostage. It may seem scary and your first
instinct might very well be to just pay them what they want, but
whatever you do, </span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>do not
pay them! </b></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;">As with any scam like this, </span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>panic
is your enemy</b></span></i><span style="text-decoration: none;">.
Stop and think it through.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;">As with other malware, the whole
point is to get control of your computer, whether it's to get money
from you, to get your account information (by which they can rob you
blind), or to use your computer to scam others (usually starting with
everyone in your address/phone book), or some combination of these
goals. If you pay them, not only do you have no way to know they'll
even unlock your computer, but there is also no guarantee that it be
clean (there is, in fact, very little chance of that!). </span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;">This virus, like any other –
and, just to be clear, it </span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">is
</span></i><span style="text-decoration: none;">a virus – needs to
be removed in the only way certain to eradicate a virus: </span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>reformatting
your hard drive</b></span><span style="text-decoration: none;">.
</span><span style="text-decoration: none;">(More on that further
down. . . .)</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Let me make this as clear as I can, because this is vital
information:</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><u><b>No matter what anyone tells
you, the only way to be CERTAIN you get rid of a virus is to REFORMAT
YOUR HARD DRIVE!</b></u></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">If
you take your computer to a shop, or you have someone come in to fix
it, and they claim they can be certain you're virus-free </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">without</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
reformatting, either they have an exaggerated opinion of themselves,
or they're lying through their teeth. Tell them, ″never mind,″
and get out of there, thank them and say you'll think about their
offer to help, or whatever you want to say, but don't let them near
your computer.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This
leads me directly into another scheme I've seen advertised</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
6. Do not fall for CleanMyPC.com, MyCleanPC.com, PCCleaner.com,
PCMatic.com, or any other ″registry cleaner″ or ″PC tuneup″
software. It's a scam. All of it. They claim they can get rid of
viruses, they claim they will speed up your computer, but at best
they are a waste of your money and/or time, and at worse they are
malware.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
There <i>are</i> things that can be done to speed up your computer to
a certain extent, like deleting unused programs, deleting browser
histories, or even maximizing your PC's memory. But you don't need
these programs to do that, and you certainly don't need to <i>pay</i>
for that (well, adding memory will cost you, but that might be worth
it, depending upon your computer and what you need it to do).</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
*****</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
So, what I'm trying to say here is that you should <b>be suspicious</b>.
Question claims and ask yourself if it seems reasonable. Does it
seem reasonable that the FBI would a) let you off for what ″they″
purport is a serious crime (I mean, that's implied, is it? Why would
the FBI be bothered with crimes that aren't serious, right?) with
just a fine? And would the FBI want you to pay said fine by <i>Money
Paks</i>? Seems unlikely, now that I've put it that way,
doesn't it?</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Also, and this is <i><u><b>important</b></u></i><span style="text-decoration: none;">
(at least you know that </span><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>I</b></span><span style="text-decoration: none;">
think it's important, since I've given it the Triple Emphasis Package
(bold, italics, </span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">and</span></i><span style="text-decoration: none;">
underlining):</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><u><b>When you purchase a computer,
make sure you either order, or make, rescue discs!</b></u></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">These
are the discs that you often have to pay a few bucks extra for (when
I ordered through Dell, they threw them in at my request this last
time, but before that I've had to pay an extra $15 for these). They
are used in case you get a virus and must reformat your hard drive.
Sometimes if you don't have the option to purchase them, when you do
the initial set-up of your computer it will ask you if you'd like to
</span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">make</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
these, and you most definitely </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">should</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">!
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">However,
personally, I won't even </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">buy</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
a computer without rescue discs. If they're not offered free or at a
minimal fee (for the discs themselves and the shipping), then I don't
even want that company's computer.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><u><b>Without rescue discs, you
cannot reformat and recover your computer from a virus!</b></u></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Thus,
they are </span></span></span><b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">vital</span></span></b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Because
(and this is very important, so I'm repeating it!) . . .</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><u><b>No matter what anyone tells
you, the only way to be CERTAIN you get rid of a virus is to REFORMAT
YOUR HARD DRIVE!</b></u></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">If
you don't have rescue discs, and you need to reformat, at best, you
can borrow some from a friend with the same version of Windows, as
long as you have your registration </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">keys</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
(both from Windows and from any other software you have purchased).
You should have these listed somewhere in a hard copy, Just In Case
the worst happens. </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">At
the worst, if you don't have rescue discs, you may have to actually
go and </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">purchase</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
a copy of Windows or other software. (Before you resort to this,
call your OEM – Original Equipment Manufacturer – or whoever you
purchased the computer from, like Dell, in my case. They may be
willing to either provide the discs </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">(again,
there may be a small fee involved)</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
or give you your registration keys, so you can borrow a friend's
discs and use your own license. It doesn't hurt to ask, anyway!)</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This
is why it's so very important to </span></span></span><b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">be
prepared</span></span></b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
And by prepared, I mean </span></span></span><b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">backed
up</span></span></b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
(see Part 3 of this series of articles). If you have a milder virus,
you may be able to get some documents off of your computer before you
are forced to reformat it. If you </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">haven't</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
backed up, and you get a virus that locks up your computer, like the
FBI Money Pak Virus, you may not have that luxury. You may have to
wipe everything. Which means that all of your user-generated data –
documents; photos of your kids, dogs, and cats; bookmarks/favorites;
that novel-in-progress you're halfway through writing; and pretty
much everything you've used your computer for . . . ever . . . will
be </span></span></span><i><u><b>gone</b></u></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
And I mean </span></span></span><u><b><i>gone</i></b></u><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b><i>!</i></b></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">But
before you resort to reformatting without a backup, I would strongly
advise you to check with your friend the computer guru, your
neighborhood computer geek, or, if you really know no one else, a
local PC shop (which are more and more rare these days) or someone at
Best Buy or Fry's. Because once that data is gone, it's gone.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
best way to avoid all of this drama, though, is to not fall for these
schemes in the first place. But now you know the kinds of things you
might encounter, and this is by no means a comprehensive list. So,
once again I will say . . .</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><u><b>Be suspicious!</b></u></i></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852704046421077875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979413759040502769.post-72961186145484343362013-06-28T18:27:00.000-07:002013-06-28T18:27:11.799-07:00Security for Normal People, Part 5: Your Behavior
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
At the end of last week's article, I
alluded to the idea that no software – anti-virus or otherwise –
is going to mitigate your own bad behavior online. So what did I
mean by that?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It occurs to me that there are things I
do, or do not, do <i><b>automatically</b></i> because I know they are
security risks. Now, having been online since . . . well, when I
first got online, I was very young . . . Prodigy was still a thing
(remember Prodigy? Anyone? Bueller?); being on CIS (CompuServe
Information Systems) or GEnie (General Electric's answer to CIS)
meant you were a geek (I was on both); modems were 1200 baud if you
were lucky; Internet was dial-up only; and printers were dot matrix
(ask your parents).
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
My point is that I've had a number of
years to develop behaviors that are now so ingrained in me that I
don't even think about them . . . behaviors that have kept me from
having any major security issues. I've never had anything more
serious happen than being infected with the odd virus every now and
then, and much of that I owe to knowing what kind of behavior can be
dangerous. It's a challenge to write this, since some of these
things are completely unconscious at this point, but I'll give it a
go. . . .</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u>Be careful where you download from.</u>
You probably know this is important. But, though an anti-virus can
alert you to problems once they've occurred, or warn you about risky
behavior, it won't <i>stop</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> you
from downloading that file or program. Why? Because if you want to
download a new game or trial program, or whatever it might be, and
your anti-virus tells you you can't, what is the first thing you'll
do? Disable it! So then you have </span><i>no</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
protection. So the anti-virus will ask you if you are certain that
you want to download it, it will warn you that it could give you a
virus, but it won't </span><i>stop</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
you in the end. It's up to you to make sure that you're downloading
from a reputable source, that the website is what it appears to be,
and not a fake. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Be
careful of fake sites that look like the real thing, and always check
the URL (Uniform Resource Locator – also known as the website's
address) to make certain it is genuine. </span><span style="font-style: normal;">If
it says, ″<a href="http://www.yootoobe.com/">www.yootoobe.com</a>″
instead of ″<a href="http://www.youtube.com/">www.youtube.com</a>,″
you should run away! You'd be amazed at how many people don't
notice, or worse, don't check. It's entirely possible to create a
site that </span><i>looks </i><span style="font-style: normal;">like
the site you think you're visiting –</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
</span><span style="font-style: normal;">logos, images and all</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
–</span><span style="font-style: normal;"> but is really a fake.
This is particularly dangerous if it's your bank or other
financial-related site. This is one place where </span><i><b>spelling
really </b></i><i><u><b>does</b></u></i><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>
count!</b></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
If you get an email from what you </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">think</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
is your bank, and it has a link, </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>don't
click on that link!</b></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
If you look closely, what you think is a link to Wells Fargo may be
a link to ″welsfargo.com″ - notice the spelling? Only one ″L″.
It's the kind of thing that is easily-overlooked, and the Bad Guys
know this. This type of link can be used to get you to log in to
their </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">fake</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
site with your </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">real</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
password, which is then collected and used to drain your accounts.
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This
is what is meant by, ″phishing.″</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In
fact, people so </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">frequently</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">are
oblivious to</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
this sort of </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">ploy
that some phishers, who are either lazy or cocky . . . or both . . .
have even been known to use fake addresses like,
″<a href="http://www.hackyou.wellsfargo.com/">www.hackyou.wellsfargo.com</a>″
in the links they send out in emails. If it's hidden in an HTML
email – since you don't see the actual link – you </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">should</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
be able to see it in the address bar if you click on it and it opens
up a new tab or window. Which brings to mind a few more things you
should not do: don't click on links in emails (with few exceptions),
and don't use HTML mail.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Never
click on links in emails; type the URL in yourself, from scratch.</span></span></u><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">If
your bank or other financial institution, or any other important site
such as these, emails you, </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">they
shouldn't put links in the email; frankly, they should know better at
this point. But if you really believe it's from who you think it's
from, and you need to log in to your account, </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>do
not click on the link!</b></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
I can't stress this enough! What you should do is to open a browser
page and </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">type
in the address yourself</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
Yes, I realize that can be a little inconvenient, but it's much
better than suddenly having no money in your account and no way to
pay your mortgage or rent, let alone your bills, isn't it?</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<u><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Don't
use HTML Email.</span></span></u><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Most
people, it seems, use HTML in their mail. I suppose that's because
they don't know why they shouldn't. But if you use </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">text-only</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
in your email, for one thing, it can clue you in to a fake link like
I've described above. If you can't </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">see</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
the links, you have </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">no
chance at all</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
of spotting a fake. An HTML link to, say, Bank of America, can be
hidden behind the familiar logo. In other words, you click on what
</span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">appears</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
to be a genuine Bank of America logo . . . and it probably is . .
.genuine in that the Bad Guys downloaded it directly from the Bank of
America website. And yes, that's easy. </span></span></span><u><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">I</span></i></u><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
can do it. (And I'm not even a hacker, I'm just a person with lots
of experience on the 'net who knows what's possible – though I
don't always know </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">how</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
it's possible. But this time I </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">do</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
know.) </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">HTML
email also carries a greater risk of virus. I won't go into the
technical details, because that's not what this series of articles is
about. Suffice it to say that HTML email is more dangerous in this
respect than text. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Other
reasons to </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">not</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
use HTML email seem obvious to me, </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">but
you may not know about them. Firstly, it's often slow. Why? It
requires more bandwidth. Now, this may not seem important to you
when you're on your high-powered desk-top, but if you're on Wifi, or
a mobile phone network, you might be able to see the difference.
Secondly, it often takes longer to appear than regular text, because
it takes longer to load. In other words, it just uses up resources
unnecessarily. T</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">hirdly,
you may not have any problems </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">composing</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
an email in HTML, but think about the recipients. Not everyone needs
or wants your email with fancy backgrounds and pretty colors.
(Personally I have my settings so that only text appears unless I
click to load the rest.) What's more, there are still a lot of email
apps that won't even </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">read</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
HTML email. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">In
the end, it's up to you whether or not to use and read HTML email,
but knowing that text email is less likely to be a security risk, I
hope you give this question some thought: do you even really NEED
anything more than text in your email?! Does it make </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">that</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
much of a difference to you? If you can't answer an unequivocal,
″YES!″ to those questions, I strongly advise you to turn it off.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Another
thing that people – especially younger people who have grown up
with the internet and mobile phones – do that they should probably
be more careful about is giving out information. People simply
overshare information . . . about themselves, about their families .
. . about all kinds of things. Without going into great detail (that
might eventually become another article itself), let me just say here
that it would be wise, before you post something on Facebook or
Google Plus or even Path, before you Pin or Tweet or Share, and
</span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">especially</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
before you Snapchat (because just because you </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">think</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
it will go away, doesn't mean it actually </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">does</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">)
. . . to ask yourself: do I </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">really
</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">want
to put this out their for all the world to see? Because on the
internet, that's what you're doing. Regardless of where you post or
how private you think it is, the rule of thumb is to </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>never
post anything you wouldn't want on the front page of the New York
Times</b></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Once
again, it looks like this is running long. So tune in next week for
more about how your behavior can affect your security . . . and why
you </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">should</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
be suspicious!</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852704046421077875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979413759040502769.post-47254849386536289612013-06-20T11:46:00.000-07:002013-06-20T12:07:04.432-07:00Security for Normal People, Part 4: Anti-Virus<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The other thing that occurs to me that
most normal people know they should do, but often don't, is to have a
good anti-virus.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Now, you may think that, because you
activated the free trial of Norton or McAfee when you got your
computer, you're covered, but . . . not so fast!</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Let me tell you why.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Firstly, how old is your computer? If
it's older than a few months, your free trial will have expired.
Secondly, even if you signed up with one of those companies and paid
them for a subscription, that may not be the best thing, which I'll
go into in a moment. But even if that <i>were </i>the <i>absolutely</i>
<i>best </i><span style="font-style: normal;">anti-virus software</span><i>
. . . are you updating it? </i><span style="font-style: normal;">Because
if you don't make sure that it's updated, either by manually
accessing the updates, or by setting the program to </span><i>automatically</i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
updat</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">e</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
itself, </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">it's
almost like having done </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">nothing</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.
Have you done that? Or, if you're doing it manually, are you doing
it on a regular basis? </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">(Personally,
I prefer having the program update itself, since that way you don't
just forget.)</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Now,
back to why Norton or McAfee isn't necessarily the best program to
protect yourself with. Which I can tell you in one word: ″bloated.″
Sometimes these programs are bundled and sold as a package called,
″Internet Security,″ which you're charged even more for, and
won't keep you any safer. Why? Several reasons. Firstly, because
even if you've spent the money, you probably haven't gone through all
of the settings and customized them. Secondly, again, ″bloated.″
If the anti-virus or ″Internet Security″ software is taking up
so much of your computing resources that it slows down your machine
(especially if it pops up while you're working) and you
ignore it </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">or
– worse – disable it, then it's like
you don't have anything at all. </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">But
frankly, even the anti-virus-only packages are bloated.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">The
folks that I listen to regarding security, again, are rather . . .
″in-depth″ is how I'd put it. Meaning they cover their topic
thoroughly, to the point where my brain just stops processing
information. Now, it's not actually meant for we mere dabblers, as
much as for </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">those
who are responsible for security in some official capacity. But
nevertheless, I listen, figuring that anything I do manage to pick up
in the process is icing on the cake. And one of the things I </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">have</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
picked up is that there is one anti-virus software that is both light
</span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">and</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
efficient, and that would be something you've never heard of called
NOD32, which is made by a company called <a href="http://www.eset.com/" target="_blank">ESET </a></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">(you
can also walk into any Fry's and pick up a copy on disc, which I
highly recommend, despite it costing a few bucks more)</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.
I've used it, and it runs quietly in the background without taxing
my resources, unlike the other two major companies' software, which
I've had literally freeze me in my computing tracks from time to
time. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">If,
however, you're looking for something free, which I have done on
occasion when NOD32 comes up for renewal and I've had a dry-spell in
cash-flow, </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">I
have another suggestion if you're using Windows (and yes, I used to
use AVG until I heard of this, and my sources tell me that this is
better). Go and download <a href="http://microsoft-security-essentials.todownload.com/?lp=adwords&kw=%2Bmicrosoft%20%2Bsecurity%20%2Bessentials&mt=b&ad=24579083238&pl=&ds=s&gclid=CJCk_7_J8LcCFcR_QgodX1IA7A" target="_blank">Microsoft Security Essentials</a></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.
It's free, and it's kept me virus-free until I can pay for the next
year of NOD32. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Which
reminds me . . . </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">don't
think that being on </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">an
</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Apple
device makes you immune to viruses! Sadly, that is no longer the
case. </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">I
don't know much about anti-virus software for </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Apple
devices</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
but </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">I
</span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">do know </span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">that
there's a version of the same software I recommended above called <a href="http://www.eset.com/Mac" target="_blank">ESET </a></span></span><a href="http://www.eset.com/Mac" target="_blank">Cyber Security for Mac</a><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">I
can't tell you if there's an equivalent to Microsoft Security
Essentials, but if anyone wants to chime in on that, feel free to
Comment. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Now,
</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">if
you already have Norton or McAfee, and you don't want to pay for
another program while that's still valid, I can understand that. I
will only tell you here that, if money's not an issue, I recommend
doing that; I would definitely do it myself. But as I've said
before, </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">some
</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">security
is better than </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">no</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
security, so if you can't or won't switch until your year is up, at
least you have </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">something</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.
Just remember that you shouldn't have two kinds of anti-virus
software at the same time. (I've known people who have done this,
thinking it's twice the protection, but all you accomplish is gumming
up the works, and neither program will work properly.)</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Also,
pay attention to any pop-up notices. Don't just click, ″OK″ to
whatever it wants just to get rid of the pop-up! Make sure you read
those, as they most frequently are warning you of some sort of
problem, like a suspect file. You may, indeed, want to follow the
recommended course of action, but you should be aware of what it's
warning you about. If you have a lot of warnings, you should look
more closely and see if there's a pattern. </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Frequent
warnings about the same thing justify further investigation, and
perhaps additional action</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Whatever
you decide to use, though, make sure that you keep it up-to-date by
updating regularly or having it auto-update, and </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">remember
that the software can't protect </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">you</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
from your own behavior. But that's the subject of another article. .
. .</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852704046421077875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979413759040502769.post-72211714215729912092013-06-13T13:28:00.000-07:002013-06-20T12:02:48.251-07:00Security for Normal People, Part 3: Back-Up<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Since I've been on a bit of a roll, I
might as well continue with the kinds of basic things that also fall
under the security umbrella. Now, if you're a computer-nerd, you
probably already know these things. But if you're just a normal
person who knows they <i>should</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
be aware of security, but doesn't </span><i>really</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
know what that means or where to begin, this (along with my two
previous articles) is for you.</span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Other
than mobile phone security and how to make a password that is both
hard to crack and actually </span><i>possible</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
to remember, there are a few other basics you should know. While I'm
not an expert, I have acquired </span><span style="font-style: normal;">this</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
knowledge through experience and listening to other geeks and various
podcasts, most of which will seem tedious and somewhat boring to
regular folk (because frankly, some of it is over </span><i>my</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
head, too; at a certain point it turns into white-noise hum). </span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">However,
I've got a pretty good handle on the basics, and my intention is to
give you a place to start. After all, </span><i>some</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
security is better than </span><i>no</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
security. </span><span style="font-style: normal;"> Think of it this
way: if you lock your car doors, a thief might keep moving looking
for unlocked doors; if you have a Club, the thief will prefer someone
with just locked doors. The more security layers you have, the more
of a nuisance it is to someone trying to get in, and the more likely
they will just move on to someone with </span><i>less</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
security. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">I</span><span style="font-style: normal;">f
you are interested in learning more, at least you'll know what to
look for when you investigate. (You can email me if you need further
resources, but for most people I think that these articles are
probably sufficient, assuming </span><span style="font-style: normal;">you</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
even get all the way through them!)</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
So, here goes . . .</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">This
time, I'm going to talk about backing up. And yes, it still falls
under the general heading of security, because if your other security
measures fail, you will still have your data </span><span style="font-style: normal;">if
you're backing it up</span><span style="font-style: normal;">, even if
you need to take your computer in to a shop to be worked on. Here's
the thing about doing that, and your local computer shop </span><i>should</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
warn you, but sometimes they assume you know: </span><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>ALWAYS
BACKUP YOUR COMPUTER BEFORE YOU TAKE IT IN TO BE WORKED ON!!!</b></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
Because if you get a virus, the only </span></span><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">real</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
way to be certain that it's been eradicated is to reformat the hard
drive, </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">which,
by the nature of what that means, </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>will
destroy all of your data</b></span></i><i><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></i></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">It
</span><i>should</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> go without
saying that you should back up </span><span style="font-style: normal;"><b>regularly</b></span><span style="font-style: normal;">,
but most people don't. Even one of my friends, who has gone to school
to become a bona fide computer geek </span><span style="font-style: normal;">(and
if he reads this, you know I mean you!)</span><span style="font-style: normal;">,
ignores this vital function himself, and has lost data because of it.
The important thing to remember is that it's waaaaay easier to
retrieve data that has been backed up than to have to hire an expert
to retrieve it for you. It's also much, much less expensive. If you
have a hard drive crash and need to get vital data off of it, it can
cost you </span><i>thousands</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> of
dollars, and there's no guarantee it will be successful. So just
make backing up a part of your life; get used to it. There are
painless and inexpensive ways to do this, so take advantage of them.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">There
are two ways to go: back up yourself, or pay someone else to do it.
If you are like most people and you don't have the time and simply
don't want to be bothered, sign up for something like </span><a href="http://www.carbonite.com/" target="_blank">Carbonite</a><span style="font-style: normal;">.
It's relatively inexpensive (about $60 a year for one PC, though
they have other plans, </span><span style="font-style: normal;">depending
upon how many devices you need to back up</span><span style="font-style: normal;">),
and once you set it up, you don't really have to think about it.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">If you
don't like that idea, or you're just a DIYer, there </span><span style="font-style: normal;">are
other ways to backup. </span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">But
firstly, there </span><span style="font-style: normal;">is a strategy
you should follow called 3-2-1. </span><span style="font-style: normal;">That
requires a little explanation. You see, most people don't really
understand what a back-up </span><span style="font-style: normal;">actually</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
is. They think that if they copy their data (documents, photos,
videos . . . basically any type of file that is user-generated –
that is to say, made by </span><i>you</i><span style="font-style: normal;">)
to a CD or DVD, or jump drive, or whatever, they can then delete it
from where it originally was, because they now they have a backup.
Let me emphatically tell you that, </span><i><u><b>THIS IS WRONG!</b></u></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
And the fact that I'm using capital letters, underlining, bold, </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">and</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
italics –</span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
all at once!</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
– should tell you just </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">how</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
wrong it is. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
This is important, so I'm throwing the Full Emphasis Package at it:</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><u><b>ANYTHING YOU HAVE ONLY ONE
COPY OF IS ***NOT*** BACKED UP!!!</b></u></i></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
Let me repeat that:
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><u><b>ANYTHING YOU HAVE ONLY ONE
COPY OF IS ***NOT*** BACKED UP!!! </b></u></i>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Unless
you have several copies of your data, it's as good as gone. You are
one stray power surge </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">away</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
from having </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">nothing</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
The only way to be reasonably sure that your data is safe is to use
the 3-2-1 strategy. (And even this is no guarantee; it merely
increases your odds of being able to retrieve your data.)</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
What this means is:</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;">″</span><b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">3″:</span></span></b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
You should have 3, count 'em, </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">three</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
copies of any one file. </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">That
means, </span></span></span><b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">an
</span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">original</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
and 2 </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">copies</span></i></b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;">″</span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>2″:</b></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">They
should be on </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">at
least </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">2
different types of media (such as a hard drive, a CD, a DVD, a jump
drive, or ″</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">in
the cloud″</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">).
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="text-decoration: none;">″</span><b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">1″:
</span></span></b><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">One
copy of the data should be off-site. </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">If
you sign up for Carbonite, or some other, similar service, you have
this part covered, but you still need to make sure you have the two
other copies. If </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">you
don't like </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Carbonite
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">(there
are other, similar services, but some people simply don't like them)</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
or for whatever other reason you want to do this yourself, </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">there
are other ways to accomplish this same thing. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">A
secondary, external hard drive that automatically copies everything
you deem vital is great, but it's </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">not</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
off-site. </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">(It's
fine to have a backup on an external hard drive if you're </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">also</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
using Carbonite or have some other method of off-site storage.)</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
If, however, you take that hard drive (and you should have at least
two to do this properly, </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">so
you can switch off</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">)
and mail it to your mother or friend in another region for
safe-keeping, that will do it. You can also get a <a href="http://db.tt/UbKNVcc1" target="_blank">Drop Box</a><a href="http://db.tt/UbKNVcc1" target="_blank"> account</a> (follow this link to get an extra 500MB of space for yourself, and I will get the same, which I will very much appreciate!)</span></span></span>. Again, there are other, similar places; Google: ″Drop Box
alternative″ or ″cloud storage″ to find them, and regularly copy
your most vital files to one such site.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">If,
however</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
you want to back up music (and you have a lot of it), or videos
(which are much larger files) cloud storage might simply not be
practical. In that case, I recommend the external hard drives, or
even just CDs and DVDs. As long as you pack them up and ship them
out regularly to someone outside of your region, it'll be fine.
(Note: </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">T</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">he
reason I say ″region″ here is that if you are in, for instance,
an area where there are frequent hurricanes and you send them to
someone who is </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">also</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
in that kind of area, it might not help much. A friend of mine in
hurricane-country sends her things to me here, in the desert, where
I'm far more likely to have an earthquake, and vice versa.</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">)</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This
might sound a little overly dramatic, but just think how you'd feel
if you lost your children's baby pictures, or the novel you</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">'d</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
finally completed, or home movies of your long-dead relatives. It
can happen. Don't </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">let</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
it happen to </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">you</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">!
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
one other thing I wanted to mention is a book that I've heard about
for photographers, called </span></span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-DAM-Book-Management-Photographers/dp/B008SM9ES6" target="_blank"><u><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers</span></span></u></a><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">that
I am told is excellent. So if you're into photography, and you have
any aspirations of being a professional, go take a look. Because you
don't get a second chance at photographing someone's wedding.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I
</span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">had</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
planned on including other things into this article, but since, once
again, it turned out longer than I thought it would, I will simply
have to cover another aspect of basic security in my next article.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I
hope someone out there is getting something out of these! Please
leave a comment if you are, or drop me an <a href="mailto:suethewriter@gmail.com" target="_blank">email</a></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="background: transparent;"></span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">!</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852704046421077875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979413759040502769.post-56952645497849163752013-06-07T17:57:00.000-07:002013-06-20T11:57:49.599-07:00Security for Normal People, Part 2: Security and Passwords<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
On first glance, passwords don't seem
all that complicated. But too many people use their birthdays, their
anniversaries, the names of their pets, or other such easily-hacked
information, that an article for normal people – who may not have
the experience that I do – about what makes a good password seems
like a good idea.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The most commonly-used password,
according to ZDnet, is: “password,” believe it or not. The
second most common is: “123456.” Also on the list: “letmein,”
“baseball,” “superman,” and “111111.”
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
What this tells us is that most people
aren't terribly concerned with their passwords.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
They should be.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Being hacked can lead to many problems,
aside from the obvious having someone drain your bank account and
purchasing expensive items on eBay or Amazon and sticking you with
the bill.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Because, make no mistake, once someone
has one of your passwords, they can also very likely get into your
network and do all kinds of things that will affect you, not to
mention your credit report, adversely. And then there's your
computer. If someone gains access to your computer it can be used
for all kinds of purposes – the most common being as a way to use
<i>your</i> computer for what I will just refer to here as Bad
Things.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I won't go into a great deal of detail
here on what these things are, or how they are done, because that's
not really the point. The point this: there are many Bad Things that
can be done by devious people who can and will gain access to your
computer, files, and/or network. You're just going to have to trust
me on this.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
The other point is that, though there
are other things you can do to help protect yourself, creating good
passwords are among the most basic. This is something easy that
anyone can do; you don't have to be a computer whiz or a
cryptographer, you just have to follow some basic advice.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Firstly, I'll give you the <i><b>Don'ts:</b></i></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><b>Don't</b></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
use any single dictionary word – i.e., any single word that can be
found in a dictionary. There are programs that are capable of trying
every word in a dictionary in an extremely short amount of time.
</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">This
includes compound words as well</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><b>Don't</b></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
use your birthday, your spouse's birthday, your children's birthdays,
</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">current
</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">phone
numbers, pets' names, </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">current
</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">address</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">es</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">social
security numbers,</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
credit card numbers, or any other piece of information that is either
easily obtained, easily guessed, common, </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">secret,
</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">or
discoverable – and when I say, “easily,” I mean by people who
have abilities or access to things you probably don't have access to,
most likely because they've hacked a database that this information
is </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">in</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<i><b>Don't</b></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
use words related to your favorite fandom, which is to say, if you're
a </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Star
Wars</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
fan, don't use things like, “lightsaber,” “Jedi,” or
“theforce,” or any other word or catch-phrase from or related to
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Star
Wars</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
The same thing goes for </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Star
Trek</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Game
of Thrones</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Harry
Potter</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Grimm</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">Lost
Girl</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">or
any similar universe that has its own vocabulary. And while I'm on
the subject, don't use words in Klingon, Castithian, Dothraki, or any
other language that is made up for a Science Fiction or Fantasy
universe. The same rule that applies to dictionary words applies to
these; there are hackers who can run through an entire Klingon
dictionary in a very short time, too. </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Amazing,
I know, but true, nevertheless.</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
You'll just have to </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">take
my word</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
on this.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">And
by now you're probably thinking, “What's left?”</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">So,
now I'll tell you how to make good, secure password</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">s</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
There are a number of strategies, any one </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">of
which</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
(or combination thereof) will help you come up with solid passwords.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Firstly,
the longer a password is, the harder it is to crack. While many
sites will only let you do eight characters, some will allow you to
create much longer ones. I'd say that unless you've got highly
sensitive information or are security-conscious to the point of
paranoia, usually somewhere between 8 and 16 characters is
sufficient. </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">(I</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">f
you're using a password locker, such as LastPass, you might just want
to use the password creation function and set it to 16 characters.</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">)
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Other</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
thing</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">s</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
that make passwords stronger </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">are</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
including both upper- and lower-case characters, numbers, and special
characters (such as $ or %, and so forth). Or, better yet, all of
the above. The more of these things you include, the harder it is to
discover your password. </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">If
you use a mnemonic method (or even if you don't), which often won't
include special characters or numbers, you can also add a little
something additional to all passwords, like, for instance, the phone
number or zip code from where you lived as a kid (of course, if you
inherit your parents' house, you might have to come up with something
else).</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">So,
knowing what makes a password stronger gives you several ways to
create passwords. . . .</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">1.
Use three short dictionary words that are unrelated, connected with
or interrupted by upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and/or special
characters. For example:</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">bear!Arm53soccer
is good, though if you want go a little further: be2ar!Arm53soc7cer
is even better.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Which
may be hard to crack, but may also be a little difficult to remember.
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">(</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Though
y</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">ou
might come up with some weird memory trick even for unrelated words
like this: “If the bear ate my arm, I'd miss the soccer game.”)</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">So,
a couple of strategies that may make remembering your passwords a
little easier. . . .</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">2.
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Use
a mnemonic device to create your passwords, such as </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">t</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">he
first letters of a line of a song, or a quotation, using capital
letters, for, say all nouns (or any other part of speech you like),
for example, using this technique, taking the first line of Edgar
Allan Poe's “The Raven,” and capitalizing the letters that
represent nouns, you would get, “ouaMdwIpwaw,” which may not roll
off your fingers, but is reproducible, as long as you know the poem.
Of course, there are </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">no
numbers or special characters in this, so as I mentioned above, if
you add your childhood zip code, and you're from Boston, you might
get, “ouaMdwIpwaw02134,” which is probably pretty hard to crack.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">3.
Make up your own word, then add capital letter(s), numbers, and
special characters. So, I just made up a word, “suvavatinz.” I
know it's not a word because I just Googled it. If you include
less-frequently-used letters in your word, like z, or q, in your
made-up word, so much the better. But now, add a cap or two and an
old phone number, and you wind up with “suVaVati</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">N</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">z</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">9084873311,”
and that's pretty hard to figure out, too. </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">A
good way to remember your made-up word, though, is to give it a
meaning that makes sense to you – in this case, it sounds like a
competitor to No Doz to me.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">You
can mix and match these methods, but </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by
now</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
you probably get the idea now how to go about making up </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">your
own relatively secure passwords. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">There
are a few other things you should think about doing for basic
computer and Internet security, in addition to mobile phone
precautions and good passwords, so I'll do a separate article about
those. . . .</span></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852704046421077875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979413759040502769.post-86143460157926699252013-05-28T14:46:00.001-07:002013-06-23T16:50:53.984-07:00Security for Normal People, Part 1: Security and Phones<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Firstly I must apologize for my long absence here. I've just been extremely busy with some great new clients. However, one of my clients had an experience
recently that made me think that I should write a little about
security in general, and mobile phones in particular.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
What happened to that client is that
their smart phone was stolen. It's something we all dread, we all
think will never happen to us, and therefore, something most of us
don't prepare for.
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So here are a few recommendations that
I'll be making to my clients . . . <i>all</i> of them, because
frankly, <i><span style="text-decoration: none;">everyone</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
</span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">should</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
know these, but not everyone </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">does</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Firstly,
most smart phones come with the ability to set a combination or
screen-lock of some sort, which is the first line of </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">defense</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.
Mine is an Android, and has one built-in, located in
Menu/Settings/Location & Security. This particular one uses dots
and you create a pattern sliding your finger through them. I'm sure
that both BlackBerrys and iPhones both have some version of this kind
of screen-lock, and if it doesn't come with it (like my previous
Android didn't), you can most likely download a free app that does
this.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Next,
if you have any confidential data that is accessible on your phone,
it should absolutely be password-protected. And </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">under
no circumstances</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
should you EVER leave the, “keep me logged-in” box checked. It
might be a pain to keep typing in the password on your bank app, but
trust me that you'll be very glad you did if your phone is lost or
stolen.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">I
think it </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">should</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
go without saying that you should be careful who you trust with your
phone, as well as any confidential information. I also have a client
who showed a college assignment </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">file</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
to a classmate they </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">tho</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">ught
trustworthy, only to have a good portion of </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">their</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
work stolen and presented as the work of the </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">thief,
thus also getting my good-natured client in trouble as well. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">You
should also obviously be extremely careful with regards to passwords.
Please, don't keep your passwords on a sticky-note on your desk. If
they're </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">so</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
hard to remember </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">that
you need to do that</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
then they're too complicated; </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">the
whole purpose is defeated</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.
At the same time, you need to keep track of them, and you shouldn't
really use them for more than one account. I know, I know . . .
who can come up </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">with
</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">–
let alone </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">remember</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
– the number of passwords you'll need, if you use a distinct
password for each account? </span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">So
what you really need is one of two things. The first would be a
place you can keep your passwords written down that is </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">not</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
accessible online (don't put a file called “passwords.doc” on
your desktop – and yes, I actually know of </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">more
than one person </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">who
did </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">this</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">!).
</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">This
would be a low-tech solution,</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
such as a notebook that is stored someplace secure, but that you can
access yourself, like in a journal mixed in with a bunch of other
books on your shelves. </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">If
you have something offline like this, it means no one can hack into
your home network and retrieve them. It also means that you're going
to have to remember the ones you need most often, and that, if you
need a less-frequently-used password, and you're not home, you're out
of luck </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">(or
you have to have someone else you trust know where to look for them)</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">.
But on the </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">plus
side</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">,
it won't be wiped out if you get a virus and have to suddenly
reformat your hard drive.</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">The
other option is to use a password “vault” program, such as
<a href="https://lastpass.com/index.php" target="_blank">LastPass </a>(the only one I've used thus far, </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">which</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
is recommended by <a href="http://twit.tv/people/leo-laporte" target="_blank">Leo LaPorte, The Tech Guy</a>, and <a href="http://twit.tv/people/steve-gibson" target="_blank">Steve Gibson</a> of
<a href="https://www.grc.com/default.htm" target="_blank">Gibson Research Corporation</a>, though I'm sure there are other ones
that are equally good). The basic idea of these is that they record
and encrypt your passwords and then you no longer need to remember
one for each site . . . you need only remember </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">one</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">:
your Master Password. </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">LastPass
(and probably others) will also create a random string of characters
as a password if you tell it to, and use a different one for each
site, which is extremely hard to crack. </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Remember
the client whose phone was stolen? I signed them up for LastPass.
The one thing you need to remember is to NEVER, UNDER ANY
CIRCUMSTANCES, SHOULD YOU CHECK THE BOX THAT SAYS “KEEP ME SIGNED
IN,” </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">in
LastPass,</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
or you've just negated all that work you just did setting </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">up
</span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">the
program. </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Not
to mention making yourself just as much or possibly even </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">more</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
vulnerable than you were </span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;">without</span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
LastPass.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Also be extremely careful with whom you
share your passwords, because if you ever <i>do</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
reuse them for more than one site or program, and you give out, say,
the password to your Facebook account, so a friend can post photos
for you, and you've reused that password, what's to say that “friend”
won't try to get into Amazon or some other store site where you've
stored your credit card information? If the passwords are the same,
not only have you just bought your so-called friend some new tech,
but who knows what else? </span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">If you
have to share an account for any reason, before you give your account
name and password out, check to see if there's a sub-account you
might be able to set up, in order to maintain ultimate control over
that account. </span><span style="font-style: normal;">(Also, never,
ever give any account information to your employer or potential
employer. Aside from being an invasion of privacy, it's also against
the End User License Agreement, which mean</span><span style="font-style: normal;">s</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
that account could be canceled for no other reason than that.)</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">This
is where something called Two Factor Authentication </span><span style="font-style: normal;">(or
Multi</span><span style="font-style: normal;"> </span><span style="font-style: normal;">Factor
Authentication)</span><span style="font-style: normal;"> comes in.
Even if you have to share a password, if you have this, it helps
protect you. This is when you create a password, and then are asked
for your </span><span style="font-style: normal;">alternate </span><span style="font-style: normal;">email
address, </span><span style="font-style: normal;">phone number, and
possibly to select and complete security questions like, “What was
the make and model of the first car you owned?” or, “Who was your
first girlfriend/boyfriend?” or even, “What was the name of your
third-grade teacher?” Don't ignore these! They're there to help
you; take them seriously! (You can and should make up the answers,
as long as the answers are something you will remember. </span><span style="font-style: normal;">I
never use my mother's maiden name or other such easily-obtained
information.</span><span style="font-style: normal;">) So if someone
steals your phone and tries to change your bank password, and your
phone gets the text message with the verification code, you may also
get an email alerting you to the fact that someone is trying to
tamper with your account, so you can take appropriate action. In the
meantime, the person with your cell phone still may be trying to
answer some question like, “Who was your favorite singer in high
school?”</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Now,
if your phone </span><i>does</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> go
missing, there are several ways to approach it. If you think you
just left it somewhere in your daily travels, or, as I have done more
than once, had it fall out of your pocket in your car, the first
thing to do is call it, and see if you hear your ringtone. But if
you think it's actually been </span><i>stolen, </i><span style="font-style: normal;">may
want to track it (there are apps that will allow you to do that; I
believe all iPhones have that installed by default), you may want to
call your phone company and have it disabled, or you may use software
you previously installed (yes, there's an app for this, too) to brick
it, or wipe the entire phone, thus rendering it as useless as a
brick.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
I have some advice
on passwords and other security measures as well, but they can take
up their own articles, so I'll deal with them separately.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">The
whole point here is that you really need to set things up ahead of
time. </span><span style="font-style: normal;">You need to set up</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
the apps for screen-lock, phone location, or wiping your phone </span><i>now</i><span style="font-style: normal;">,
</span><i>before</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> anything can
happen. You need to be careful to whom you give access </span><span style="font-style: normal;">to
</span><span style="font-style: normal;">your mobile phone and your
passwords. You need to set up </span><span style="font-style: normal;">Multi</span><span style="font-style: normal;">
</span><span style="font-style: normal;">Factor Authentication on any
account with confidential or financial information. Basically, you
need to prepare for the worst and then, if you're lucky, you will
never have to use any of these tools. The best time for this is when
you get a new phone, because you're setting everything up anyway.
But if you're reading this and you haven't really given much thought
to this, start with the easiest thing (the screen-lock) and work on
the rest as time allows. </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"> You can thank me later.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
Update: 6/23/13: I've just found an Android app called "Lookout" that's supposed to protect your (Android) mobile phone by detecting malware and allow you to track your phone, and even wipe it if need be. I'm installing it right now. At some future point I will probably post more about it, once I've lived with it a while. Watch this blog!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852704046421077875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979413759040502769.post-24458196560944151162013-04-08T14:50:00.000-07:002013-04-08T14:50:37.374-07:00Wax On, Wax Off
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">A few
weeks ago I went to meet a writing client in her store, and I noticed
that next door was a karate studio, or dojo. They had pamphlets out
about their free women's self-defense classes, and I just had to
check it out!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">**********</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I know
next to nothing about the martial arts. Like many other people, what
little I <i>do</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> know comes from
movies and TV. In other words, my prior knowledge of the subject
consisted entirely of, “Wax on, wax off.”*</span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So
when I recently discovered that the local dojo holds a free, monthly
women's self-defense class, I wondered whether it was even something
I could do. </span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Certainly,
it seemed like something I <i>should</i> sign right up for. After
all, I'm a small woman (5'2” and 95 pounds) who often runs around
town by herself – shopping, doing errands, meeting clients, and so
forth – and so I'm often in a potentially vulnerable situation.
Let's face it, all of us are inevitably, at least occasionally, in a
position to become a victim. </span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">And
I </span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><b>do not</b></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
want to be a victim.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">On the other hand, I had some
reservations. I also have some injuries from an auto accident that
left me with some weaknesses – a serious spinal injury for which
I've had surgery and pretty severe psoriatic arthritis (a cousin to
rheumatoid arthritis). I really wanted to go, though, and so I did,
figuring that at the very least I could observe and see what was
involved before deciding to participate. </span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">There were a few other people there in
addition to the instructor, but they seemed to be more advanced
students who had just come to help out, in addition to the man who
was playing the attacker. However, besides myself, there were only a
couple of other students.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">So, I took the plunge.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">I
informed </span></span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Sherese,
the instructor, of my injuries and that I might not be able to do
everything, and she said we could work around it. And we set to
work.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
I had no idea I was going to get such a workout!</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">It
wasn't long before I was breaking the grip of Arthur – the lovely
man who was playing </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">the
</span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">attacker
– and striking back with hands or elbows, kneeing, or kicking him
in places that are vulnerable (and not necessarily where you might
think!). You see, the goal of this class isn't necessarily to learn
a particular discipline, such as karate, or even to learn how to
fight. The goal is to </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">avoid</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
being injured: in other words, the goal is </span></span></span><i><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">to
get away</span></span></i><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.
</span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
Remember that saying, “She who fights and runs away lives to fight
another day”? That pretty much sums up the philosophy here.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
We went through several scenarios of how someone might attack and
strategies for responding. And as it turns out, “wax on, wax off,”
isn't really that far off. </div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
The principle it works on – muscle memory – is valid. Or, in
other words, you need to practice. Having competed in figure skating
as a teenager, I am very familiar with this idea. If you do
something over and over again – such as a long program, or, in this
case, the basic response to any physical aggression – it becomes
second nature. Something you can almost do in your sleep.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
I can't count the number of times that I ran through my skating
programs in an early morning practice without actually thinking about
it, suddenly finding myself at the end. Ever drive somewhere and
then not remember having done so? Only knowing that, well, there you
were?</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
Same idea. “Autopilot,” they call it.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
You just have to keep practicing until you do it without thought.
You should just react.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
This being a new discipline to me, I had to acclimate myself to the
positions involved. Balance is very important, and I kept feeling
like I was not in a stable enough position to step forward and use
leverage to break Arthur's grasp. So I asked to go through the moves
in slow-motion to figure out what foot to put where so as not to put
myself in a position to end up on the ground. Another thing you want
to avoid is getting too close; stepping forward can be aggressive,
but for someone my size, it's an invitation to get picked up and
carried off. These things were demonstrated with great patience by
Sherese and Arthur many times over.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
Because of my injuries, I was worried I wouldn't be able to do much
at all. But it turns out that an elbow is just as effective as a
hand, and in my case, even more so. And from first ballet, then
skating, and now the walking I do every day, my legs are in pretty
good shape, so I learned how to use them.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
We went over different attack approaches, and how to thwart them.
Twist out of a grip, knee in a thigh, elbow to a bicep. We were
practicing, and I had Arthur as an opponent. At one point Sherese
stopped what she was doing with another student to come over to me.
Apparently she had heard the noise it makes when you hit someone in
exactly the right spot on a muscle. She said she hadn't made that
noise herself until she had faced an opponent in competition.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
Now, I know a lot of people who are afraid of <i><u>really</u></i>
fighting, lest they injure their opponent, “the attacker.” <i><b>I</b></i>
am <i><b>not</b></i> one of those people. Firstly, Arthur is much
taller than I am, and a conservative guess would mean he outweighs me
by a mere 50 pounds (and since muscle weighs more than fat, I would
think he weighs more than . . . well, than I think). Secondly, he
was wearing protective gear, and I felt that there was little, if
any, chance that tiny little me would do anything more than get in a
lucky shot and give him a moment of discomfort. And thirdly, I had
come there to learn how to defend myself and to get away, preferably
without anyone pursuing, as well as without bodily injury. How would
I know if I were doing it right if I didn't really give it my all?
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
So I did give it my all. And I was extremely sore the next day. But
I don't care, because if I ever need to use what I learned, a few
bruises would be a small price to pay. I don't pretend to be ready
for a fight, but at least if I ever <i>am</i> attacked, I have <i>some</i>
idea of what to do, how to do it, and what to aim for, as well as
what my goal should be.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
I would love to be able to go back and practice. I don't know that
karate, or any martial art, would be for me. But I would highly
recommend to all women – especially those of us who are small and
therefore might be mistaken for a good target – to go check out
your local dojo. Perhaps you have a branch of the one I visited
(<a href="http://www.ussd.com/" target="_blank">United Studios of Self Defense</a>) where you live.
And even if you don't, you still might find a good self-defense
class. Take advantage of it!</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
Disclaimer: If you have a spinal injury, or some other injury that
might affect your ability to do this, or might be affected <i>by</i>
it, I have to stress that you should check with your doctor before
doing anything like this. But, assuming you <i>do</i> get the okay,
let the instructor know. They can help you compensate and figure out
how to work around it.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
*Note for anyone not recognizing the quote, it's from the classic
1984 film, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087538/" target="_blank"><u>The Karate Kid</u></a>. Everyone should see it at least
once. It had a couple of sequels,<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091326/?ref_=sr_6" target="_blank"><u>The Karate Kid, Part II</u></a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097647/?ref_=sr_4" target="_blank"><u>The Karate Kid, Part III</u></a>, which were actually pretty good as sequels go. Both worth a viewing as well, if you haven't seen them.</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" id="title-overview-widget-layout"><tbody>
<tr><td id="img_primary" rowspan="2"><br /></td><td id="overview-top"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852704046421077875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979413759040502769.post-63796024939244616062013-02-21T11:28:00.000-08:002013-02-21T13:29:05.220-08:00Why Facebook Does Not Replace Your Own Business Web Site<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you have a small business and think
that you don't need a dedicated web site of your own, think again.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I have noticed in my research that a
great many businesses--most of them mom-and-pop-sized, though some
surprisingly large--have no web site to call their own. Their
business name, when put into the address bar, is often either not
taken, or takes me to an entirely unrelated business, sometimes with
the same name, but hundreds or even thousands of miles away.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
A Google search often reveals that they
have no site of their own. Over and over again, I have looked up
local businesses in a search engine and scanned the results, only to
find everything <u>but</u><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">
a web site. Now, granted, in a few cases, a URL (Uniform Resource
Locator) for that company </span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">does</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
turn up, but it's not the same as the business' name. Obviously this
can't always be helped, since there might be another business with
the same in another state, or even another country. It happens.
It's unavoidable: their ideal URL had already been taken. But you
find a way around that, and you move on.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">What
I mean to address </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">here</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
is those businesses who don't even bother. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
I understand how a business-owner can think that a site of their very
own, with their own domain, isn't necessary. If I were a small
business person whose company was coming up in searches and listed on
Yelp, or Urbanspoon, or Citisearch, perhaps I would think that's
enough. I might think that between that, and the fact that I have my
own Facebook page, I don't really need my own domain. Because, after
all, those are complicated, and expensive, and I don't really know
how to go about doing all that. I might think that.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">And
I would be completely and utterly </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>wrong</b></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
reason for that mistake can be summed up in one word: </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>control</b></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">You
see, while a Facebook page may </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">seem</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
almost like your own domain, it's not. While it's great to be listed
on yellowpages.com or Dex or Manta, like Facebook, they are very
different. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">You,
the business-owner, have </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><b>no
control over them whatsoever</b></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Yes,
some of them offer a way for the person whose business is listed to
contact them and add information, or even correct it when it's wrong,
these processes can be long and drawn-out. If they make even a minor
mistake--say, in your business hours--anyone who is viewing that
information may think you're not open when you </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">are</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">,
and that can cost you business. But say a customer who, through no
fault of your own, was unhappy or dissatisfied with a product you
sold them or a service you provided, and out of spite (because there </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">are</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
people like this) posts a bad review or says something bad about your
company. There may be a way to request that it be removed, or to
post a response with an explanation. But while you're going through
that process, there is often no way to counter that. You have no
control over it. And if you rely on one of these sites to promote
your business, you're stuck.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Having
your own domain and site may not counteract that bad review, but it
does give you the advantage of being able to post the positive
comments and feedback you receive. Also, since often when your
potential customers search for your business, your own site is the
first to come up (aside from the paid advertisements), they will
likely see </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">your
own</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
site first. They may never get to that other site to see the false
bad review.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">You
might be asking yourself at this point what this has to do with
Facebook. Facebook, it turns out, seems to many people like it's the
main part of the internet. But it isn't. It's a business like any
other. And while it's great to have a place you can put information
about your small business, it shouldn't be </span></span></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><u><span style="font-weight: normal;">any</span></u></span><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">
company's main place on the internet. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
Again, you have no control over it.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
Yes, you can add and delete information. (I won't go into the
every-changing rules and privacy settings here; if you use Facebook
at all, you're familiar with that.) But as a very large entity,
Facebook has to automate many things. And sometimes people get
caught up in that. You can have your account suspended without much
notice, if any, for any number of reasons. If their automated
systems believes for any reason that you have violated the TOS (Terms
of Service), you can be suspended.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
This is not unique to Facebook, of course; they are simply the
largest entity with this issue. A friend of mine had this happen
with a blog site she uses. Some automated subroutine looked at her
blog and, for whatever reason, decided that it resembled a pattern of
spam. Like me, she is a writer, and uses her blog to display her
writing and keep her followers interested. But one day, she just
couldn't log in. She was informed of the supposed issue, so she made
the prescribed report, and was told that a human would have to check
her blog and determine if it could be restored.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
It took nearly six weeks.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
She had absolutely no control over this process, nor could she even
tell any of her regular readers what had happened, that it was all a
mistake, and that she would return . . . eventually.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
This sort of thing happens all the time, be it with my friend's blog
or with some poor person who was either accused of posting something
inappropriate or against the TOS on Facebook.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
This, above all other reasons--and there are many!--is why you, as a
business-owner (small or otherwise) should have your own domain and
your own web site.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
Often this isn't as expensive as you might think, depending upon how
elaborate your site needs to be. But for a small business, having
that control is absolutely vital!</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852704046421077875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979413759040502769.post-25667744650009203602012-12-30T11:49:00.000-08:002013-01-18T10:02:58.156-08:00A Blog for Your Business<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Prospective clients sometimes ask me
why they might want to consider having a blog.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
I'm sure there are many circumstances
that I won't think of right now, since every business is different.
But there are many reasons to <span style="font-style: normal;">have a
blog if you're a business. </span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">A blog
can help keep your clientele returning. Obviously every business
should have a web site. But really, how often do you update that web
site? If you're like most people, and unless you run a very large
company with many different kinds of products, it's not that
frequently. I have seen business web sites that have not been
updated—let alone rewritten entirely—in </span><i>years</i><span style="font-style: normal;">.
Now, granted, if the web doesn't play a major role in your business,
or if your business is something that hasn't changed much in a long
time, that might be all right. For example, the car wash I used to
use could go a long time without an update because their business was
so obviously service-oriented, and their entire site consisted of a
page with their hours, location, phone number, and some coupons that
were perpetual. </span>
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
But most businesses
aren't car washes. Whether you sell a service or a product, you will
want your customers to return, and they'll be more likely to do that
if you give them a reason to. A blog can do that. Not only can a
blog help to attract clientele in the first place, by having
information about how your product or service will solve a
prospective customer's problem, but it can increase sales by giving
them a reason to return.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Say,
for instance, that you have one great product that you now sell on
your site. If you add a blog to your site, you can use it to let
your customers know when you'll be introducing </span><i>another</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
great product. It gives you a built-in clientele for new products.
Think about it: if you've purchased something from an online store
once, been happy with the product and service, aren't you more likely
to return to that place for future purchases?</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
People can now
subscribe to blogs—to grab new blog articles automatically and read
them at their own convenience. As a business-owner, wouldn't you
love to have someone include your company's blog in their reading
whenever you update it?</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">Now,
as for what goes </span><i>into</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
that blog . . . of course that's going to depend on your business.
But generally speaking, there are a few categories of content that
seem obvious.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Firstly, you could
include articles about a particular product: how it works, what
advantages it has over similar items, highlight specific functions
that it does very well, or even introduce new accessories or related
items. For example, if you sell software, you may want to explain
why it's especially good for those who work in a specific field.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Another thing you
could incorporate to your business' blog is client testimonials or
success stories. Explain why one person bought your software rather
than a different package, and how it's made their work easier.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">And
yet another type of blog article you'd want in the mix is of the
tips-and-tricks variety. Show your clients the fantastic flexibility
your software offers, and how to accomplish something they might not
otherwise have thought of doing, or how to do it in a simpler way
that saves them time, effort, and money. In other words, teach them
something they might find useful, but might not otherwise come
across.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
If you decide that
a blog can help your business, it's always best to have a
professional writer compose your articles. Unlike a personal blog, a
business-related blog represents your company, and should reflect
professionalism. A good blog-writer will work closely with you to
make certain they understand what the goal of a particular entry is
and to get the details right. But if you feel that you want to write
your own articles, at the very least you should have it proofread.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Finally, while a
blog may not bump your sales immediately, consistently interesting,
well-written blog articles can help your excellent products or
services build a steady clientele that will continue to patronize
your business over and over, for years to come.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852704046421077875noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-979413759040502769.post-87971578563314552742012-12-27T11:22:00.000-08:002012-12-27T11:22:33.641-08:00Well . . . Here I Am. . . .
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Around the holidays, and during the
summer vacation months, it's very slow in the freelance writing
business. Or at least that's been my own experience.
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
So what's a freelance writer to do?</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Start a blog, apparently.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
It's either that, or file. And I hate
to file, so . . . well, here I am. . . .</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Yes, I can, and will, work on my own
projects over the Christmas and New Year holidays. But it's also a
good time to try something new . . . to experiment.</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
And this <i>is</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
an experiment. Because I'm not really sure just yet what form this
blog will take. Unlike a blog I might do for a client, there isn't a
single audience I'm targeting and writing for. If this were a
client's blog, it would be simpler, because most of the time (with
few exceptions) a client is a business, often a one-man-band or
Ma-'n-Pa kind of small business, though occasionally larger. I write
about a product or service, and the target audience is the business'
clientele.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
But here I suppose
I might have two distinct audiences: perhaps some of my clients or
prospective clients will be reading, but some of my readers might be
other writers as well.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Which would be
excellent.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
So, while I can
give clients or future clients some insight into how writers--or at
least how <i>I</i>--work, and answer any questions they might have,
it would also be very cool to hear from other writers--freelance or
otherwise.
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Either way, feel
free to post a reply, comment, or question. I'll do my best to
respond.</div>
<div style="font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16852704046421077875noreply@blogger.com0