1. Don’t use the same password on every site, especially for email.

Nowadays, people use their email for everything. They receive bills and pay bills electronically and their email is the portal for everything. A person can’t sign up for anything without it leading back to their email. While email servers, such as Google and Yahoo, pay a ton of money to prevent hackers from being able to access email accounts, smaller sites do not. Smaller sites, such as forums, are easily hacked, and if individuals are using the same password on small sites as they are for the important sites, they can end up having their identity stolen. Once someone has access to an email account, they have access to everything. Think about it. How does someone request a new password if they’ve ‘forgotten’ it? It is sent to their email.

2. Read before agreeing.

Often times, sites will have boxes that can be checked that prevent them from sharing personal information. Be sure to only fill out only the required boxes and uncheck the rest.

3. Consider telling a white-lie.

Let’s face it, a number of sites people sign up for on a daily basis have nothing to do with serious matters. If the site doesn’t pertain to something important, where the information needs to be correct, such as with work, consider filling in false information.

4. If wary about shopping online, but can’t seem to avoid it every now and again, consider using credit cards that are only good for that one transaction.

A number of banks have the option to use one-shot credit card numbers that are only good for one use. Obviously this would become overwhelming if an individual shops on a continuous basis, but it is perfect for someone who only wants to do it now and again and is afraid of risking their identity.

5. Avoid links when dealing with serious matters.

If an email comes in from a bank stating there is a problem with an account, don’t click the links provided. Instead, call the bank to gather further information.

6. Be wary of surfing the web.

While everyone loves encountering new and exciting pages, it can put a person’s identity at risk. Not all sites and pages are created equal and some are less protected than others. If there is a lock at the top of the page, it is a secure connection. Never provide sensitive information on a site where a lock doesn’t appear.

7. Limit the information placed on social media sites.

Facebook and Twitter have become an epidemic, and while most individuals using these sites are surrounded by friends and family members, they are still vulnerable to the outside world and can easily fall victim to identity theft.

8. Avoid phishing scams.

Everyone has received the email of the poor man stranded in Africa (or some other foreign land) and needs money to return home because he only has solid bars of gold with him, or some other nonsense story. These are phishing scams and, while this story may not be all that believable, countless fall victim to the stranger’s plight.

9. Beware of entering sensitive information in public places.

It’s surprising how many times account information is stolen from people looking over other people’s shoulders, but it happens frequently.

10. Once it is on the web, chances are it’s there forever.

So, when all else fails, just don’t put sensitive information on the web. Avoid sending emails with important numbers, like account numbers and social security numbers. Be smart when using the internet.

Author Bio:

Fergal Glynn is the Director of Product Marketing at Veracode, an application security company that offers dynamic analysis tools.

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What does your audience want?

Everyone has a habit of reading two or more articles and reproduce the same matter in different words. No wonder, people are fed up with such time wasting blog posts. To be a successful blogger you must go the extra distance and do some extensive research. You should give information which is entirely new and the audience has never come across before.

Extensive background research

When you are doing background research for an article, try to include that information which prompted even you to say ‘wow’. Your readers will also appreciate if you write unique posts. Most of the posts by average bloggers do not have enough ‘wow’ material and this disappoints the readers. You need to incorporate good materials so that the readers stick with your blog posts. It is always a good idea to attach a video or an image with your blog to enhance the visual appeal of the write-up.

Let the readers enjoy

The bloggers nowadays are real smart and they always strive to provide good content to the readers. In addition they also invite the readers for their inputs regarding a post; in this way the readers feel that they are more involved with the blogs than before. You can also create a separate post mentioning the inputs received from the different readers and leave a space for the opinion and comments of others. Do not forget to respond to the comments left by the readers.

Have an engaging title

The title is a vital part of a blog post as it $indicates what the post is all about without giving away too much information. The language should be fun and punchy to compel the readers to read the entire post. Once you have finished writing the post, make an effort to clear the article of any unwarranted words, phrases and sentences that may put off a reader. The title can be funny and sensitive but not to the point of destroying the whole interest of the post.

The main aim of a blog post is to give enjoyment to a reader. If you miss out on this then the whole effort in writing goes waste. So along with the title your effort should be to make the post interesting throughout. Bits and patches of good content are good but not enough to ensure your longevity in this field.

About the author: Alyssa Clarke is a blogger who loves writing on tech sites the most. She is always on alook out for covering latest news in her posts that range from latest tech stuff to even firefox add-ons. Currently she is planning to do a piece on web and product design tips and tricks.

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This could be because someone:

• typed in the URL directly in their browser
• used a bookmark in their browser
• clicked a link from an email  with a non-web-based email client (like Outlook)
• clicked a link in a document (PDF, Word)
• clicked a link from within a secure site (https://)
• used a mobile app (which could come from twitter, stumbleupon, email, etc.)
• some JavaScript redirect links may not set a referrer
• some corporate intranets may strip out referrers
• if the user has browser plug-ins to mask their referrer
• some banner/PPC campaigns may not pass a referrer correctly
• The IE browser can sometimes be problematic & not send a referrer under certain conditions

Has anyone heard of any other reasons traffic would be identified as direct traffic in Google Analytics?

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Blog commenting, article spinning, article directory submission, profile links: such methods are still in the search engine optimization tool box for many internet marketers because they still work here and there. What these site owners don’t want to come to terms with is the fact that their success has a very short life span. Sooner or later, Google engineers will update their algorithm and their rankings will evaporate in seconds.

Rather than spending months trying to trick Google into ranking your content based on hundreds or thousands of subpar quality links, spend months on generating links that will last for decades. Realize that although those subpar quality links will get you a quick payoff in the short term, you are wasting a massive amount of your time because, sooner or later, Google will devalue those links.

Even short term success isn’t guaranteed. If you’re getting traffic from high ranking keywords, inevitably you’ll have people looking at what other type of content you have on the web. If people find thousands of spun articles that link directly to your site, written in language only Jabba the Hut would understand, you can be sure that they aren’t going to buy anything associated with your site’s brand. It’s pretty obvious when a site is looking to provide useful information and when it is looking to cash in by gaming Google. Eventually, your site won’t be a visited by harmless Googler, but a Google engineer who will manually inspect your site and determine its fate in seconds.

Yes, it takes a lot of time to write quality guest posts that are posted on established blogs. Yes, it takes a lot of time to seek out blog owners who are open to guest posts in the first place. Yes, it takes a lot of time to create content which people would naturally want to link to. However, all of those time consuming methods will give you more value in the long run because Google will value those methods for many years! Aside from guest posting and creating quality content, there are many other white hat methods that you can invest in…

• Infographics, which can be used as link bait.
• Youtube videos, which can give your site traffic and links, if you have interesting enough content.
• Message boards, which are hard to set up, but can be a source of sustained traffic and links that grows indefinitely.
• Press releases that may find their way on big news sites and provide you with traffic and links.

Too many SEO’s fail to think of their work as a long term investment, which is what it really is. Rather than trying to emulate the quick results of PPC with questionable linking practices, focus on creating value.

 Nickolay Lamm is an internet marketing specialist who manages InventHelp and InventHelp Scam.

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Believe it or not, such a billboard already exists in the form of sites such as pissedconsumer.com, ripoffreport.com, scambook.com, complaintsboard.com, and any online message board. Anyone, be it your competitor, a disgruntled employee, or customer with unrealistic expectations can write whatever they want on these sites. Because the aforementioned sites are powerful, these defamatory comments have a good chance of ranking for your name when you search for it.

Let’s assume the worst and that sites such as pissedconsumer.com and ripoffreport.com are ranking for your name. Although your first instinct may be to send a cease and detest order, the website itself, is protected by the Communications Decency Act of 1996. Trying to sue the poster is possible. However, suing the author for libel may be a very long and expensive battle ending up nowhere, though one which should be considered if you have the resources. If you can prove that published libel caused you significant harm you can go ahead and sue the person. Assuming changing your personal or business name is not possible, what else can you do?

1. Put out as much material online as possible, which features your name. The more of it you have, the less chance that sites such as pissedconsumer.com will show up for your name. This material can be in the form of articles, blogs, websites, social media profiles, and videos that have your name in the title. Unfortunately, getting defamation completely off the first page of the search results may take as long as a year. It all depends on how much of it there is. However, the effects of online libel can be mitigated in the short term.
2. If you have someone that is out to get you and you know that you are clearly in the right, make a blog, Youtube video, or website that explains the situation. And even if the negative comments are somewhat true, do your best to explain what you did wrong and how you are changing the way you do business. Creating a web property that ranks in the top three of the search results is easy to do. Your job would be to address the online comments in a way that puts you in a favorable light.

Google’s algorithm is constantly changing and the good news for professionals and businesses is that sites such as pissedconsumer.com may be harmed by future Google updates. However, your reputation, which is most likely your most significant asset, should not be left to chance. Take a proactive approach to marketing yourself online now, whether or not defamation is popping up for your name in the search engines.

Nickolay Lamm is an internet marketing specialist who manages InventHelp and InventHelp Scam.

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DuckDuckGo

Google’s in for some stiff competition when DuckDuckGo, now still a relatively secret search engine, spreads to the masses. Perhaps the biggest benefit of DuckDuckGo is it doesn’t collect nor does it share your personal information like Google does. In addition, DuckDuckGo doesn’t make users scroll through dozens of pages to find an answer. Let’s say you want to find out when the 2012 Presidential Election will be held. DuckDuckGo will return the answer at the top of your search page. Web users also enjoy the Web of Trust, which allows them to determine which sites are safe enough to visit, and pointless pages thrown up just to make revenue but without any real content never appear in search results.

Blekko

Blekko is a dream come true for those web users fed up with spam and being taken to pages from content farms and promises spam-free results. If a website’s content does not live up to Blekko’s strict requirements for quality, it isn’t included in the search results, quite a difference from Google. Users can also use the settings to ensure theirs searches are related to specific topics, such as news or the date content was published.

Ixquick

The self-described “most private search engine” in the world, Ixquick does not store users’ browsing histories, nor does it keep track of IP addresses, making it an ideal option for web browsers who want to keep their information private. In fact, all searches are encrypted to provide you with complete privacy.

Yippy

Yippy is an ideal search engine for families and those who are fed up with porn sites ending up in their search results. The search engine promises extremely tight security. It asserts that it doesn’t store any of your private information, your search history, your email addresses, and other vital information. Search results return with a box on the left hand of the screen, allowing you to choose which way information is best presented to you: By time, by source, or by sites.

Gigablast

Gigablast advertises itself as the “Green Search Engine,” as it runs on wind energy, providing search results for an estimated 10 million web users. Gigablast has been around for nearly a decade, and the search engine searches through all websites on a particular keyword or phrase, rather than just individual pages. Parents can use the “family filter,” and Gigablast implements numerous spam filters to ensure users aren’t greeted with spam websites on search result pages. While Google, Yahoo, and Bing are currently the most popular search engines, particularly with English speakers, web users do have other options that offer them more flexibility, more privacy, and promise they won’t be inundated by spam and useless content that often show up in the search results from the more well-known search engines.

Frank Anderson is an Internet researcher and writer. He has been working on exchange 2010 hosting for some time and continues to learn about what the Internet is capable of.

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Though Microsoft claims the leaked site is nothing more than an “internal design project,” media sources all over the Web are asking one question: is Microsoft launching a rival to Google+?

Microsoft Turns Out to Be Mystery Owner of “Socl.com” Domain

While researching the recent sale of the domain name “Social.com,” a Fusible.com reporter made another discovery: “socl.com” was also sold on behalf of an unknown client. That unknown client? None other than Microsoft.

Later, reporters discovered a teaser landing page on Socl.com. The landing page read, “Welcome! With Tulalip you can Find what you need and Share what you know easier than ever” (prior capitalization left intact). The site appeared to be a social media addition to Microsoft’s search engine, Bing. The landing page offered log-in buttons for both Twitter and Facebook.

The landing page also held a variety of non-working links that included a link to a “See how it works” demo as well as the project’s terms and conditions. The Twitter sign-in link did function and revealed that if authorized, the Tulalip app would be able to:

• See the tweets on a user’s timeline,
• Post tweets,
• Update the user’s profile,
• See the user’s followers and
• Follow new people.

Microsoft’s Response

The Tulalip landing page was ripped from the web shortly thereafter. A message on Socl.com now reads:

Thanks for stopping by.

Socl.com is an internal design project from a team in Microsoft Research which was mistakenly pulished to the web.

We didn’t mean to, honest.

The Punches Kept Coming

Just north of Microsoft headquarters, there’s a Native American reservation with a familiar name: the Tulalip tribes. Upon hearing the news of Microsoft’s impending search engine of the same name, the tribes wasn’t exactly flattered. The Tulalip name is a trademark of the tribe, which operates a successful casino under the trademark. ”We just don’t want anyone using it in a bad way. It’s our name,” a tribe member told a local news station. Microsoft met with the tribe to explain that the name was strictly intended to be an internal code name and would not be used publicly.

What’s the Future for Socl.com?

Most agree that it doesn’t look like Microsoft is crafting an entire new social network, especially given Microsoft and Facebook’s partnership. Instead, the Tulalip project will probably be more of a social-infused search. Some sources are predicting that Microsoft is trying to beat Google to the social search game since G+ hasn’t been combined with standard Google searches yet.

So what could be the future for Socl.com? Would all Bing + Socl searches include your friends, families, and colleagues’ interests? For example, if a freelancer “likes” a copywriting blog or a content writing services company on Facebook, would that freelancer’s Twitter followers see those results first in a Bing search for “writing?” If your niece tweeted a link to an upcoming photography exhibit, would that exhibit be highlighted in a local “things to do” search?

New network? Bing supplement? Mere “internal design project?” Whatever the Tulalip project may be, it’s clear that the Bing vs. Google battle is far from over.

Image Source: Ronada via Flickr

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As with the forthcoming business profiles, with the confirmation of a Games feed to come in Google Plus, Google is trying to one up the social behemoth of Facebook. Probably one of the most annoying things that I find with Facebook is that everyone’s game updates and notifications clog the chatter from your friends, your enemies, and those random people you haven’t talked to since elementary school.

Why wouldn’t Google try and add and refine a Games section? They are a major investor in Zynga – the creators of the Facebook addiction, Farmville. It will be interesting to see what kind of games they roll out on the Google Plus games feed or however they will be doing it – the ‘confirmation’ of Google Games was a mention in the help center of ‘shared games,’ and someone who had a lot of time on their hands went really deep into the code of Google Plus and found the logo for Google games and also some very interesting API actions.

We are an ADD over-stimulated disaffected internet population these days – we aren’t in the yesteryears in middle-of-nowhere Worcester MA. Heating oil is not how we power our devices, and we aren’t easily amused by staring at the ceiling all day – kids are glued to the computer, are pasty white from lack of sun…Long story short, we have short attention spans, and if Google can’t recognize that and leverage that, and do it better than Facebook has, people will return to what it familiar and continue to clog our Facebook news feed about the new farm they just built or the person that they just shot or whatever.

Some of the games that might be going into Google Plus include some of the typical Facebook games – there are speculations about everything from zombie killing games to puzzle games, poker and retro shooter games.

As there has been no official announcement from Google about the Games stream and what kind of capability it has, we are just going to have to wait and see what happens, and what news Google is going to release – and when.

Google might be tied up at the moment with the bad press from the business profiles business – and might be wary of releasing any new features in Plus at the moment. Or – it could be the exact opposite and Google will want to release new features on their social network to push the previous mess out of people’s minds.

Hopefully Google will be introducing Games soon – I’m curious what this clash of social networking titans will look like when all the cards are on the table, and the two end up being fairly comparable.

Emma Taylor is a writer for an international consulting company, and has been for the past four or five years. A geek at heart, she has always been interested in technology and the digital world.

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1. Banging at the gates of Google+ to get a prized invite,
2. Already in Google+ but struggling to understand it, or
3. Still clueless about the whole G+ ordeal. Aren’t Facebook and Twitter enough? Now Google throws this into the social media mix?

Right now, getting into the walls of Google+ is kind of like getting through an airport: it’s all hurry-up-and-wait time. You raced to get an invite, but now you’re sitting and twiddling your thumbs, waiting for users to arrive.

Most people still aren’t on Google+, and those that managed to get an invite still have no idea what to do with the thing. Circles? Sparks? Hangouts? The most common stream on G+ is “I have no idea what I’m doing on this thing.”

The good news for savvy businesses? You get to gain a jump on the competition by being an early adopter of G+. As fledgling Plus users slowly figure out their latest social media acquisition, you’ll one of the first up-and-running Plus users in the field.

Step One: Choose Your Profile Picture Wisely

Even more than Facebook or Twitter, finding a killer profile pic is essential on Google+. Your picture acts as your virtual calling card; it’s the first and the only thing G+ users see when they come across your name.

Google+ requires square-shaped avatars, so choose accordingly. Select a high-resolution image that will immediately grab G+ users’ attentions– but make sure it’s relevant to your business.

Step Two: Sort Out Your Circles

You know how you have one lump of people who “follow” or “like” you on Twitter and Facebook? That one lump is comprised of various interested parties: potential clients, colleagues in your field, or the three immediate family members you convinced to join your page when it was still in its infancy. Whatever you share goes out to the entire lump of people.

On G+, everything’s sorted out in separate circles, and you choose what you share amongst those circles. It’s kind of like having various virtual mailing lists for all of the people in your life. You can send an article you’ve written solely out to your colleagues or share a business special amongst your past clients. Create a VIP Club for your frequent customers or post pictures of your newborn that only your family can see.  

Step Three: Invite People to Follow You

Google+ allows you a relatively lengthy introduction space, so use it wisely. Write an engaging introduction that invites people to follow you. G+ introductions also allow links, so  be sure to link to your website and your various social media profiles. Also, make sure your page’s searchability is set as “Visible in Search” so people can find you on Google.

Step Four: Utilize Sparks

Sparks are essentially a live Google feed for something you’re interested in. For example, a “Movies” spark would keep you easily updated on movie reviews, upcoming films, or casting rumors. Utilize this for your business by easily following industry trends. For example, if you’re a content writing business like Copypress, you’d follow things like “SEO Copywriting,” “Social Media Marketing,” “Blogging,” etc. Then with the click of a “Share” button, you can easily share applicable links with one or more of your circles.

Since G+ is still brand new, you’re not competing with mega-businesses like you would on Twitter or Facebook. Jump in now and build your audience before the G+ waters get too crowded for you to stand out!

Image Source: Topgold via Flickr

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In the earlier days of Google, this was an effective strategy. However, things have changed and it is now more effective to spend time writing a few quality articles than it is to build a content farm out of mediocre articles. Low quality articles litter the internet, frustrate visitors and make the lives of legitimate website owners that much more difficult.

High quality articles are not written with the sole intention of hitting keywords. High quality articles are written with the reader in mind first. The best articles are those that are unique, well-written and backed by research. Visitors to your website can tell instantly whether or not the content is worth spending the time to read.

Here are four reasons why quality trumps quantity in the realm of article writing:

Quality Articles Provide Value to the Reader

By “value,” I’m referring to articles that readers find useful, interesting, entertaining or though-provoking. These articles reward website visitors for spending the time to read what you’ve written. This generates good will among your visitors and encourages repeat website visits. Every visitor that bookmarks your website is one less visitor that you have to earn through Google.

High quality articles also generate more natural links to your website. When people stumble upon well-written content, they are more likely to share that content with other people. This generates links on social media sites such as Facebook and on third party websites. Those links bring more direct traffic and help your site rank higher in search engines.

Let’s look at an example:

A 500 word article on the topic of wireless internet is way too short to fully explore such a wide-open subject. There’s nothing inherently wrong with short articles, but a 500 word article on “wireless internet” is highly unlikely to provide any real value to the reader. A better approach would be to drill down to a more specific topic and then thoroughly cover that topic.

Quality Articles Generate Trust

If you consistently provide your readers with useful information, your readers will come to trust you. Not only does this trust earn repeat visitors and more backlinks, but it also makes your readers more likely to listen to your recommendations. People who trust you are more likely to buy your products and click on your affiliate links.

But remember: trust is not earned in a day. Trust is earned over time by posting high quality articles again and again. No matter how many articles you publish every day, it takes time to develop a relationship with your visitors. That is why it is so important for you to always write high quality articles, even if it means a slower rate of production.

Quality Articles Last Longer

High quality articles last longer because they remain useful to your readers. A thorough “how-to” guide of some sort can last for years if the subject remains relevant. Once again, these articles encourage repeat visits to your website.

As an added bonus, high quality articles stick around longer in search engine results. When people share high quality articles over a long course of time, those articles slowly generate new links and maintain high rankings in search engines. Low quality articles eventually fall off the top page of Google and collect dust in the vast archives of the internet.

Google No Longer Rewards Content Farms

Google has actively stepped up its efforts to weed out obvious content farms from its search engine results. The recent Panda update was designed specifically for this reason. Google has always stated that its goal is to provide the most relevant and high quality search results possible for its users. Websites that simply pump out low quality content all day long do not provide searchers with the information they want.

The Panda update goes to show how important quality content is. Hate ‘em or love ‘em, you have to admit Google has a good handle on what kind of search results people like to see. If Google places greater importance on quality than on quantity, you can bet the people that use Google do as well. Besides, common sense tells us that people would rather find a few snippets useful information than a truck load of filler text.

by James Wilson

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