All Posts by Paul

Four Lessons I’ve learned from Blogging!

Paul

iPad 2 Launch // Austin by achimh, on FlickrBoy have I learned A lot!

I’ve not sure how many have seen the changes the last few days on my site.  If you haven’t you should really check it out and see just what I’ve done to better become better at blogging.   I’ve really done a lot in the past two weeks and that isn’t including what I’ve done with my life.   I’ve found a job that requires me to work on the weekend.  Some of you are probably saying OUCH, I know my kids will have to deal with me on the week days only for the time being.  If your wondering, I’ve decided to try to be less intrusive on the Advertising and see how that works.   I’ve pretty much have nothing to loose and everything to gain if more people will sign up for the newsletter.  I don’t know when I’ll post more regularly next week but I’m hoping once everything settles down, this will become a more friendlier place.   I decided to leave Hostgator behind in hopes to have the site load faster and be able to change it when I want to.   My choice so far is Squarespace, it seems to have what I want and let’s me do everything I’ve always wanted to do with very little effort.

Don’t accept mediocrity!

What is mediocrity? I won’t go into much detail but in simple english it is a person who accepts the average. When I first started blogging, I wanted to be extraordinary but that can sometimes be really difficult when it comes to blogging and knowing how to blog.   It really doesn’t matter what you think of yourself but what others think of your first.   If you can proof yourself better than the average person then you are more likely to set an example for the ones to come.   This is my dream, that I might be able to set some examples in todays society.  It can be hard and I’m sure it will always be interesting, to some that can be easy but others it is extremely hard to be successful blogger.  I’ve pretty much decided that nothing is going to stop me from being EXTRAordinary, but the path to that is going to be a hard and trechous one!  I’m sure it will get better in the days to come but the road less travelled always has sharp rocks! 

Don’t Sweat the Small stuff!

I used to worry about those small posts that no body really read.   It was something that was a constant reminder of what I’ve not done right.  I don’t know about you but this can be very hard for some, me included. I’ve learn that the small posts are just a way of testing the waters.   Something that comes with time and experience.   I won’t say that it is going to be easy but it will be interesting.  If your like me, I love to be interesting and not nothing.  Just think, you might be a the next big blogger.   I’ve no longer worried about my stats but I am using my comments and emails to find out how people are liking my post.  You just got to remember to not be dishonest with your readers, this will make their experience much better and yours.

Simpler is Better!

This is something that I’ve come to realize the last few weeks.   My blog got so bloated with stuff that I thought it was a cruise liner and not a yacht.   If your like me, sometimes you need to re-evaluate your blog and see where you can trim it down or make it faster.  I’ve decided on my blog to change everything and make it less intrusive with advertising, I think that is something that can help my blog grow.   It however will always take time and you can’t always expect it take off immediantly.  If your really want to make some money on your blog, you might consider reader ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income [Affiliate Link].  I’ve just started reading this book and have found it extremely helpful with my blogging and understand how to write a better post.  

Refocusing your posts!

Don’t always assume that your posts are big.  If you don’t sit down and think your article out, you may loose people.   If your going to post about your blog and not think of your readers experience then you are just asking for problems down the road.   I won’t tell you how to refocus but I will say this, if you want reader engagement then you must come up with your content and make it your passion.   It however just depends on you and no one else.  If your interested in learning how to become a better blogger, you might check out some of these books [Affiliate Link] to help you on your way.  

Paul Sylvester

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How computer viruses use word of mouth to infect systems!

Paul

Social Networks Hype Cycle (Photo credit: fredcavazza)

Social Network is Culprit!

I remember some very interesting Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites used in the past to get people to click on an infected link.  This is one of the oldest techniques.   The virus post something on your twitter account or your Facebook account about something really interesting.   Even if you trust your friend, sometimes the friend or twitter account that you know aren’t really in control of what they post.   This is the first line of trust that the virus makers use to spread their viruses until other computers and systems.   You should never click any link unless you know where it is going.  Although this is becoming less and less troublesome, I am sure it isn’t going away but just biding it’s time to come out and strike another day.

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Nokia Lumina Phones work with Straight Talk Sim!

Paul

Straight Talk Makes it easier!

If you’ve wanted to have another phone besides what is offered on their website.   This is the time to invest in a phone of your choice to use with Straight Talk.  According to their website this is what they say:  “BRING AN AT&T OR T-MOBILE COMPATIBLE GSM PHONE, OR AN UNLOCKED GSM PHONE make sure it operates on our compatible frequencies“.  Your probably wonder some questions.  I’m here to answer them.

What is the Compatible Frequencies?

The Frequencies range from 380 to 1800 spectrum and thus if your looking for an unlocked cell phone, you can pretty much buy a phone with that range and it should work.   So if your like me and wanting to go to Amazon [Affiliate Link] or other places that might have an unlocked phone, this is the first thing you should look for.  You will see something like this on Amazon : “GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900” which is what you are looking for. Read More

How to Figure out if you have a Virus on your System!

Paul
Infected by Antivirus software

Series picked up!

Few years ago, I did a post called What is a Virus and why do I have one. It spawned someone wanting to find out more about the virus but I have been really busy with my personal to finish the series. I thought this would be a great place to pick it up because of my personal life has slowed down and I wanted to at least finish this excellent series that I was so determined to write about.  Even though I have an Excellent resource for Anti-virus tools and tips, I still feel I could expand on the subject just a little more!   In this series we will talk about a few things like:

  • Where does the Virus and malware usually hide!

  • How to determine if a file should be there!

  • Which anti-virus software is the best, in my opinion!

  • How to warn you friends of Family!

  • What steps you should take in the Future!

  • Windows isn’t the only system that can get infected!

As you can see there is going to be a lot to talk about in this series because I am sure most of you have these types of questions that you would love to get answered.   I won’t say I will cover the topic a 100% because there are always going to be Rogue Viruses and malware that will do something different.   This is after all going to be a generalization of a typical virus!

Where does a Virus and Malware Like to Hide on my computer?

I’m sure you’ve asked this question before and I’m going to help you out a little.  Having removed several different viruses off my own system and others, I will tell you where you should look and what you should look for!   Note: You should look but don’t hit the Delete key.   You just might crash your system and have to restore it.   Sometimes these viruses like to latch on to a system file and you will need an Antivirus software to remove it!

Most of the time they are in the Windows directories:

  • C:/Windows/  (look for names that should be there and either Google the file to see what is being said about it!)

  • C:/Windows/System32 (Do the same as above but also look for .DLL and double check)

  • Make sure there aren’t any Hidden Directories by going to Control Panel / Folder Options / View.

  • Check the Registry for Anything Suspicious!  (The quicked and easiest way for this is to just use Hijackthis and Let it make a TXT File and then let One of the Log Analyzers  check it out!)

  • Check your Windows Program Files C:/Program Files/ and C:/Program Files(x86).   Each directory has files that are going to be Essential to run Windows but that doesn’t mean you can look and search for a file or program.  You will however need to still Google the program when you want to know if it should be there or not!

As you can see there are many places where this like to hide but that doesn’t mean you can’t protect yourself.

How to know if I have a Virus or not!

This has been asked by many people on the internet.   I’m no exception because sometimes you just don’t know, and thus you will want to protect yourself.   I will however tell you some of the more common signs of virus infection and then let tell you my opinion on which is better.  For Right now, though let’s  explore some of the more common signs of an infection:

  • System seems slow — Although this isn’t always meaning a virus, it can be a good indication.

  • Network Slowness — Again, this isn’t always a virus because you could be downloading updates to Windows or other Window files.  It however should be kept an eye out for.   If your interested to see what might be hogging your connection you can always use NETSTAT to see what is being used on your computer.   Remember to make sure you Wifi is not being used by your neighbors.

  • Unusual Website Popups — This is pretty much showing something is being done without your permission.   So you can usually attribute this to Malware but not always.

  • Hard Disk is constantly on — This isn’t always about a virus but something being accessed to much and thus might mean someone Malware is using your computer to store data that they want to hide.

These are the usual tale tale signs of something that shouldn’t be there and thus you should do a system scan to make sure!

Which Software is the Best, in my opinion!

I might be a little biased when it comes to removing viruses and which Antivirus does the job.   I’ve even talked about some of them om my Antivirus page, so you can see I do know a little more than the average Joe.  This doesn’t mean I am a expert on the field but I do know which software seems to run best for removing viruses.   I’m still under the opinion that the free antivirus, which is Malwarebytes [Affiliate Link].   They are constantly updating their virus definitions and have always been there when I had a question.  I have no problems with them in any way and thus I tell people who I remove viruses from to go and buy it [Affiliate Link] because once you have it you are set for life.   No need to buy a license every year, you only have to buy once and you are set.

If your worried about having a virus, just go check out Malwarebytes [Affiliate Link] and they do have a free version that you can try before you buy.

Paul Sylvester

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How Small Business can increase profit in 30 days!

Paul

Google Chrome Google Chrome (Photo credit: thms.nl)

Always speak the truth, think before you speak, and write it down afterwards.     Lewis Carroll

Imagine yourself  wanting a certain item or service but you really don’t want to waste gas looking around.   So you pull up you Ipad or your computer to Google for that particular subject.   If you want to get the most value of the item or services that you are going to pay for, then keep reading.     Most Small businesses aren’t thinking that way, they are expecting people to walk in and buy their stuff without first seeing what is available.   I’ve come to the realization that 9 out of 10 small businesses in my local Evansville, Indiana aren’t using their business to the fullest on the internet.

It begins with Thinking outside the box!

No small or big business will ever be making their true potential by being like everyone else.   I am not saying that you have to go to the extreme but there are ways you can make it more  accessible to the clients that your looking for or who are looking for you.   It takes 7 times for anyone to actually buy something from you or your company.   If your not doing the Rules of 7 right now, you are not going to make the most out of your business.   I recently found this out because I was looking for a job online trying to find business that I might be able to work for and I had a really good brain storm.   Most of the local business here aren’t following the Rules of 7 and I am here to volunteer my services to anyone who might want help converting clicks into profit.

Social Media

If you haven’t hired someone to do this then you are just asking for donations sort to speak.    Not having a Twitter account, a Facebook account, a Foursquared account, and a website promoting the products or services, just makes your work that much harder.  Just like Glasses USA [Affiliate Link], if you look at their website you will see they have a Facebook, Twitter, Email newsletter, and a Youtube account.   Each of them are making Noise and make sure people see there product to click and buy.  Just because you have them, doesn’t mean you should ignore them or not use them.   You might have to pay someone to blog about your product or service but if you don’t then you are loosing potential from your product or even service.   The harder someone has to look to find you the less likely they will find you, this is something that I’ve always believed in and will always blog about.

Customer Reviews

Another thing to consider when having a business is what are people saying about you on the internet. If your not monitoring these things then you are not going to fully understand your customers and that might hurt you in the long run.  It is essential to have customers who will proclaim your product, for example Glasses USA [Affiliate Link]. On their Customer Testimonials Page [Affiliate Link], you can see that their constantly putting up the good things people are saying about their products.  Thus they are showing potential customers just how well they are doing.  It is however a good indication also when it comes to employees and if customers aren’t happy with someone’s performance this is also a great way to re-enforce the idea of customer loyalty.

Customer Loyalty

This is something you must always strive for because without that you will not make any money or profit won’t increase.  Customers who are loyal to you might pay a little bit more if they feel your company is working hard for them, whether it be groceries or buying a car.   If they feel like the company is the best they will go out of the way to tell people and also keep coming back, this I think is the best model to  strive for.   Nothing sells like word of mouth advertising but that also means you have to know your customers and make an effort to show them you are one of them.   If your just trying to push your product then you are just trying to make money but if your showing them you care, then you are showing your potential customers more than just wanting to make money.   Your showing them you care about your product or service and that you believe in it!

Know when you’ve done wrong!

Let’s face it, no company in the history of time has ever been a 100% right.   There will always be times when a company did something or said something that makes them look EVIL.   If you ignore that then you are telling your customers you don’t care, but if your acknowledged it and ask for forgiveness then you are telling your customers you really do care.  Most small businesses aren’t hearing what is being said about them on the internet because they are blind to the idea that it isn’t something they should worry about, but I tell you this if your not worrying about it then you are risking your business to the word of mouth customers.  There will always be two sides to the coin, even if you didn’t know now.  You will know sooner or later because a customer might just bring it up when they call you asking why this other customer said that.   If your not prepared what people are saying then you can’t possibly have a answer  to the question and might even loose a potential customer because of it.

Some Local business to mention are:

I’m going to share with you some of the local businesses that I see that could benefit from this web post and encourage them to contact me if they are looking to make even more profit then they are now.   I am willing to discuss in detail what they are doing wrong and help them improve their customer experiences for a small fee!

  • Bucks and Jakes Outfitters — Great website and Business location just needs to improve on what they are already doing!

  • Baumberger’s Furniture — One of those business that had to shrink down because they were not doing some of this already!

  • Penske Truck Rentals — I’ve check them out and they are good but they could do better!

  • Paradiseink — This is a new site but seems they need a lot of different things to help promote their service and products!

  • Desktopdoctors — This business has some stuff already doing that but could do even more!

These are just a few that I’ve been looking at the last few hours and realized that they could be doing some stuff really differently and bringing in even more customers.   I think if you have read this article you probably are asking your self how you could make your business grow.   If you follow these tips you could make even more money but it is all how you do it.  If you like what you read please consider re-tweeting this and also posting it on Facebook and other social media sites!<

Paul Sylvester

 

 

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