StarSoft Information Technologies

Today, more and more people are using their computers for everything from communication to online banking and investing to shopping. As we do these things on a more regular basis, we open ourselves up to potential hackers, attackers and crackers. While some may be looking to phish your personal information and identity for resale, others simply just want to use your computer as a platform from which to attack other unknowing targets. Below are a few easy, cost-effective steps you can take to make your computer more secure.

1. Always make backups of important information and store in a safe place separate from your computer.
2. Update and patch your operating system, web browser and software frequently. If you have a Windows operating system, start by going to http://www.windowsupdate.microsfot.com/ and running the update wizard. This program will help you find the latest patches for your Windows computer. Also go to http://www.officeupdate.microsoft.com/ to locate possible patches for your Office programs.
3. Install a firewall. Without a good firewall, viruses, worms, Trojans, malware and adware can all easily access your computer from the Internet. Consideration should be given to the benefits and differences between hardware and software based firewall programs.
4. Review your browser and email settings for optimum security. Why should you do this? Active-X and JavaScript are often used by hackers to plant malicious programs into your computers. While cookies are relatively harmless in terms of security concerns, they do still track your movements on the Internet to build a profile of you. At a minimum set your security setting for the internet zone? to High, and your trusted sites zone? to Medium Low.
5. Install antivirus software and set for automatic updates so that you receive the most current versions.
6. Do not open unknown email attachments. It is simply not enough that you may recognize the address from which it originates because many viruses can spread from a familiar address.
7. Do not run programs from unknown origins. Also, do not send these types of programs to friends and coworkers because they contain funny or amusing stories or jokes. They may contain a Trojans horse waiting to infect a computer.
8. Disable hidden filename extensions. By default, the Windows operating system is set to hide file extensions for known file types?. Disable this option so that file extensions display in Windows. Some file extensions will, by default, continue to remain hidden, but you are more likely to see any unusual file extensions that do not belong.
    
9. Turn off your computer and disconnect from the network when not using the computer. A hacker can not attack your computer when you are disconnected from the network or the computer is off.
10. Consider making a boot disk on a floppy disk in case your computer is damaged or compromised by a malicious program. Obviously, you need to take this step before you experience a hostile breach of your system.

Matthew S. Vesperman
StarSoft Information Technologies
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Viralized.com

When speaking about viral in relation to computers, you would normally mean those nasty little programs that destroy information on your computer and pass from user to user.  As such, it is a word dreaded by all computer owners, especially myself as I know from experience how difficult a major infection can be to deal with. However, whenever I speak of viral marketing, it is not what it seems and I certainly don’t mean using a computer virus to spread news about your business.

Think about how a virus spreads from one person to another. One person gets sick and through contact with other people they spread the virus to these people.  In turn, those people then also spread the virus further.  What is the next step after this? The answer of course, is an epidemic.  That is the very concept of viral marketing, to create an epidemic of demand for your business. The idea is to get everyone to spread your marketing message around because they want to. When I create Viral marketing material I do it with media or content that you will want to pass on! If you like the content and find it or entertaining or useful or maybe you feel compelled, you will pass it on to your friends and family. It could be an e-book on some subject that I know would be useful to you or perhaps even a video- the ideas are simply endless! However, you can also use viral marketing techniques in your business.

I have put together a viral marketing system that will explode your business! Take a look at my website and the tools I have put together! Why don’t you let me know what you think?

Matthew S. Vesperman

StarSoft Information Technologies

Products As Seen On TV

My Online Shop

My Free Articles
Viralized.com

A Great Idea For a Blogging Web Site is No Longer Enough

Protecting Your Personal Information

We all know that criminals are out there, waiting to steal our credit card information. These very criminals want credit card information so they can run up the charges then leave you holding the bags - with nothing to show for it. Even though some are local, most credit card criminals are in far away lands. Worse than that, they like to hide or go by other names so it’s virtually impossible to track them down. The most common way for criminals to get credit card information is through phishing, which involves a fake email that appears to be sent from your credit card company. Normally, this fake email states that there was an error with your account, or that it was accessed by unauthorized personnel and needs your attention.

 

Blogging 101

Blogging 101 is mostly about the blogging vocabulary. To understand blogs, you need to know the terms blog, platform, domain, and web host. Once you have mastered these key elements of blogging, you can enter any conversation about blogging with confidence. After you know what exactly a blog is, you will be on your way to passing the final exam of blogging 101. Blog is short for weblog, which simply means a series of online posts presented in reverse chronological order. That’s all! Most blogs are text, but there are also photo blogs and video blogs. The rest of blogging 101 has to do with the technical side of things. If you are setting up a blog, you will need a platform, a web host, and a domain. A blogging platform is a computer software program that allows you to write posts and to update your blog. Your platform is also what you use to design the look of your blog, from color scheme to font size. The web host is sort of like the virtual file cabinet where your blog is stored. Your computer communicates with the host when you upload or edit a post. The domain is the online address of your blog, and usually ends in ‘dot com’. Now that you know what a blog is, what a platform is, and what domains and hosts are, congratulate yourself!

 

Using Computers - It’s Not Rocket Science

These days it’s strange to hear people say, “I’m just not computer literate,” as computers have evolved from archaic scientific calculators to simple point-and-click type machines. We suspect that today’s “computer illiterates” are people who haven’t taken the time to experiment with such a machine. And we strongly believe that spending just twenty minutes with one could turn the most adamant technological caveman into any one of those who have fun wreaking chatroom havoc on the Internet today. Today, one only needs to learn how to manipulate a mouse, punch a few buttons on a keyboard, or really just turn the thing on to use a computer. It’s hard for some folks to believe, but the computers of this generation almost run themselves! For fun, let’s investigate just how little knowledge these thousand-dollar machines actually require.

 

Is Online Shopping Secure?

Whether or not online shopping is secure is one question which gets asked over and over again by those who are considering making a purchase online. Unfortunately there is no simple answer to this question which will apply to all online shopping situations. However, there is a list of questions which online shoppers can ask to assist them in determining whether or not it is safe to purchase the item they are seeking online. A few of these questions deal with the online retailer’s reputation, the security of the server and the return policy offered on the items. This article will discuss some of these questions in an effort to help readers make informed decisions regarding online shopping.

Is the Online Retailer Reputable?

Determining whether or not an online retailer is reputable should be the first step shoppers take before deciding whether or not to make a purchase online from a particular online retailer. This is important because shoppers are much more likely to be satisfied with purchased from a reputable breeder than they are to be satisfied when the purchase is made from an online retailer with a less than favorable reputation. There are a few methods shoppers can use to verify the reputation of the online retailer. Consulting the Better Business Bureau is just one of these methods which can be very beneficial to the shopper. Here the shopper can find information regarding previous complaints against the online retailer and can use this information to determine whether or not the retailer has a reputation for dealing fairly with customers. Online retailers who have been in business for a few years and do not have any complaints against them or have very few complaints against them can generally be trusted while shoppers should be wary of consumers who have many unresolved complaints against them or who have only been in business for a short period of time.Is the Server Secure?

The security of the server used to complete the online purchase should also be questioned by online shoppers. This is a valid concern because identity theft can cause a tremendous amount of problems for the shopper. However, there is a very simple way in which an online shopper can determine whether or not the website is secure. Whenever submitting sensitive data such as credit card information the shopper should carefully examine the web address. A secure website will have a prefix of https:// while an unsecured website will have a prefix of http://. If the website is not secure the online shopper should consider making the purchase by calling customer service instead of submitting the information via the unsecured website where it can be vulnerable to being intercepted.

What is the Return Policy?

Carefully reviewing the return policy of an online retailer can also give the shopper a good indication of whether or not the seller is reputable. In general the return policies offered by online retailers should be very similar in nature to the return policies offered by traditional retailers with the exception of special provisions for handling the shipping of the product back to the retailer. Return policies which are unusually restrictive should be considered suspect by the shopper and may indicate a need for the shopper to do some additional research before deciding whether or not to patronize a particular online retailer.

 

Matthew S. Vesperman
StarSoft Information Technologies
Products As Seen On TV
My Online Shop

What you should know about Blogging!

Are you aware of the new way to keep your friends updated of the things happening in your life? This is a revolutionary way in the internet that can let you keep a personal diary that can be viewed by many people. This is called the weblog or more popularly known as the blog or blogging.

A blog is like a journal where you can write or post your daily activities on a regular basis. The term blog is the short term for web log. Blogging is the act of adding, writing and maintaining a blog.

There are several types of blogs. These are the following:

• Personal blog – this is the most famous type of blog used in some of the friendly hub in the net. This is defined as the online diary or journal, where you can post your poem and other literature piece.

• Cultural blog – it discusses all about music, arts, theater and other popular culture.

• Topic blog – it focuses on the function like some of the search engines present now. Some writers who want to write about something unknown can use it.

• Business blog – this talk about the stock market and other business related topics. It is also use to promote businesses, to talk about economics in forum type and manage information.

• Science blog – it is the mode used to disseminate information and data. However, scientists only use this mode for simple scientific data and information because they believe that it could damage the credibility of their science as many people can read it.

• Moblog – it contains all the information from a mobile phone.

• Collaborative blog – this kind of blog is written by two or more writers. Particular site is open for all the writers to write together with others.

• Eclectic blog – it focuses on niches individually or collaboratively made.

• Educational blog – this is used by students to record the things they learned from their teacher including the activities done in a day.

• Directory blog – this blog gives a regular update of all the visited links. It focuses on particular news and happenings.

• Forum blog – it functions as an internet forum. It allows two or more bloggers to post discussion on the net.

• Spam blog – this is a form of persuasive advertising. Commonly known for the name splogs. It is characterized by the use of bold letters and self-claim advertisements.

There are many web-based blog journals available online. You can post your own blog, too. Anyone can start writing a blog. In many cases, it is free. How do you start making a blog?

Here is how, follow the following steps in writing a blog.

1. There are many blog sites available online that offers free blog posting. They also offer free accounts with many features.

2. You can blog in private and in public. Many blog site offer a blog that contains a password, only a few can read your blog. You can also post a blog that can be read by anyone.

3. You will be given an option to choose the scheme of your blog site. You can edit your own color, layouts and schemes according to your taste and personality.

4. You can write your own blog and post it afterwards.

5. Many offer more schemes for you to personalize your own blog site. You can even post a picture and testimonials from friends like most of the friendly hub do today.

6. By sending the URL to your friends, you can now publish your own blog.

You should keep your writings interesting as it can be. Do not focus on topics that readers do not find interesting. Remember to post only writings that are not offensive so readers will become more interested in your writings. You should also check your spellings and other relevant mistakes that can ruin your credibility as a writer.

Use words that can be easily understood by readers. Proofread your writings before posting. Never copy others blog, you can be issued a case called plagiarism.

With this, you are able to let the people know about what you want to speak. Information will be easier to deliver this time. Visit some blog sites and start writing your emotions.

Matthew S. Vesperman
StarSoft Information Technologies
Products As Seen On TV
My Online Shop