When you are considering changing or upgrading your broadband internet service, everyone seems to have an opinion. If you ask out loud for some helpful advice you are likely to get an avalanche of experiences and opinions - both good and bad. Here are 3 tips to help you sort it all out and decide which way to go.
1. Family and Friends
The great thing about listening to family and friends is that you know their personalities and you can put their opinions in perspective. Some people will always defend the product or service they chose to buy. You need to be wary of this type of recommendation unless you can get a balanced point of view from them.
Some people are negative by nature. If they tell you a particular broadband, cable, or Naked DSL provider is terrible then ask for some examples. Try and interpret if their evaluation of events is fair or if they are over-reacting.
Friends and family are a great source of recommendations - just make sure you take into account what you know about their personalities!
2. Online Forums and Chats
Going online for opinions is a great way to get a feel for the broadband market in your area. You'll be able to get a wider range of opinions on providers and plans than what you can find out from your family.
Just keep in mind that those who have negative experiences usually make the most noise. If there are some consistent complaints from a number of people it is a warning sign. If it is one loud, complaining customer, that it might not be worth worrying about. See the nature of the issue and make a judgment. Even the best companies can't avoid things sometimes going wrong.
Forums and chats give you a chance to ask questions to a large number of people - most of whom will have no vested interest in any particular internet provider except to give you their honest opinion.
3. Comparison or Review Websites
Websites that let you search, compare and evaluate broadband plans can be really useful. These sites can save you a lot of time and effort. But just keep in mind that their reviews may be influenced by payment from the providers. Many review sites hold their opinions independent - if it seems like you are being sold to then be suspicious. If the reviews seem balanced, then they are a useful source of information.
Regardless of the reviews, use any internet plan search and comparison tools to help you decide which plans and provider will suit your budget and your needs.
Summary
When looking for a new broadband or internet plan do some research on your own. Get an idea of the types of plans and providers that you think will work well for you. Then speak to your friends and family and check out some reviews online.
Evaluate all the information you have, trust your own instincts and make a decision. If you are really nervous about committing to a broadband provider you are unsure about, then choose a shorter contract. Many ADSL2+ and Naked DSL providers offer no contract options.
3 Tips to Choosing an Internet Service Provider (ISP)
Keep Your PC Safe - Internet Security for the Home User
As the number of cable modems and Wi-Fi networks increases, Internet security is becoming more of an issue. You may think that your Internet connection is safe from unwelcome and unwanted intrusion by hackers, but there are some things you can do to improve your security levels to stop hackers gaining access to your personal details, bank account numbers and passwords.
The reason that Internet security is becoming more of an issue now is that people are spending longer connected to the Internet. And unless that pathway is protected by high level security, the hackers will have more opportunities to find a way in. Hijacked machines (often known as zombies and forming part of botnets) are valuable to fraudsters and spammers. The trick is to beat the hackers at their own game.
There are three aspects of home Internet protection, sometimes referred to as the 'holy trinity'.
Personal firewall/intrusion detection
These are the firewalls that often come with your operating system. In older operating systems such as Windows 95 and 98, these systems have virtually no inbuilt security. Because these systems have now been superseded by more up to date software, it is advisable that if you are still operating Win95 or 98 to upgrade to a system that is supported by a Microsoft inbuilt firewall.
All versions of Vista, XP and 2000 are still supported by Microsoft and have inclusive firewall protection. For an additional layer of security, external firewall programs can be incorporated into your operating system as simply as downloading any other piece of software. It is advisable to talk to an expert, however, as some firewalls may not be compatible with your operating system and you may encounter run conflicts that could affect other aspects of your system.
The most popular free downloadable firewall is Zone Alarm, although for comprehensive coverage, Zone Alarm Pro is probably a better option. You can also set your Internet security levels to 'high' on your operating system if you are going to be on the Internet for prolonged periods.
Anti-spyware software
Spyware is software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge. That information is then passed to a third party (the hacker or fraudster) and suddenly your secure system isn't quite as secure as you thought it was. There are countless pieces of embedded software (often also known as 'malware') that piggyback onto downloads and install themselves into your operating system. These include BHOs (Browser Helper Objects) which hijack your browser and take it to their 'chosen' site whether you want to go there or not. Although annoying, these don't do any real damage. However, other spyware can count keystrokes and relay these back to hackers who, from this data, can uncover passwords and other information such as account numbers. Anti-spyware software stops this malware from infiltrating your computer and leaving your important information exposed.
Anti-virus software
A virus can devastate a computer. Designed to cause maximum damage to your data, viruses are created to cause mayhem and have no other purpose other than that. Anti-virus software is essential, particularly if you are using the Internet for long periods of time, and the best option is to include a package such as McAfee VirusScan in your operating system. Ensure that you update this program regularly (you will receive prompts from your computer on start-up).
No piece of anti-virus or spyware software can cover all threats, so it's a good idea to keep an eye out for updates and to combine several systems to cover your bases. There are also some things you can do for yourself when online to keep your PC and your personal details safe:
* Never open email attachments if you do not know who the email has come from, or even from friends. This is the easiest way to allow a virus to access your system.
* Avoid downloading files from sites you are not familiar with.
* Ensure that your security protocol is set to 'high' if you are going to be online for any length of time
* No bank will ever ask for your details via email. Any that do are scams and should be immediately deleted without responding and your bank notified of the scam attempt.
* If something looks suspicious (poor spelling, bad graphics), then trust your instincts - it probably is a bogus email or phishing attempt to get access to your personal details
* If you have a wireless network in your home, ensure that it is password protected.
* Never have the same password for all your sites.
With a little thought and preparation, you can keep your home PC safe from outside attacks and your details out of the hands of fraudsters.
Make the Move to Change IP
By: Virender Labroo
We know by now the importance of making the move to change IP. While the mechanics or detailed process can be overwhelming to Internet users, the idea and purpose of it is not. For more security online and for safe Web browsing, the online community has spread the word all over the Internet about the benefits of changing our IP address. The different steps and processes to change IP on your own have also been published for all the world to see. And considering all the hacking and all the threats to our Internet privacy are getting more rampant, it is about time we think about this seriously.
Changing or hiding our IP works by changing our location every now and then. Basically, each time we log on to the Internet, we get to have a different IP address. What makes our location important? Well, it is our IP and our location that malicious hackers would want to have in order to control our computer systems and private files. Once they get access to our real location, then they can abuse us in any way they want. They could throw in a number of viruses and crash our computers, or they could hack into our online accounts and pry into our affairs. Either way, the thought of someone invading our privacy online is never a good thing.
If there is one thing that Internet users have to be wary about, it is the hackers. We cannot underestimate them. Just last week a thousand Twitter accounts were hacked and the site was down for the most part of the day. A lot of Twitter users were upset. Now imagine this happening to your own computer system. A hacker finds out your IP address, and gets access to your computer. You're lucky if he only want to play a little and wrecks some of your files. But it will be bad if the hacker is malicious enough to bomb in various viruses and spy ware into the system, and crashing it.
What is worse than having your computer crashed is if the hacker turns out to be an identity thief. If he or she determines your IP, then she can get access to your online accounts and profiles. He or she can determine your login information which will allow him or her to enter your various accounts online. Your profile and your transaction history will be open to him, and he may get your credit card numbers and other financial accounts. When the hacker is through with you, you will end up with a lot of debts and a ruined reputation. Identity theft is also not an easy thing to counter so it is better to avoid this than to have it happen to you.
Whatever the case is, it is not good for you to have your IP address out for every Internet user to see. Hiding your IP is especially handy when you're a personal Internet user, working at home solo. Companies will have made their move to protect their system and files, but a personal Internet user will only have to rely on him or herself to protect his or her privacy. So make your move now to protect your Internet privacy. Make the move to change IP.
What Will We Accomplish If We Change IP?
By: Virender Labroo
It has been said over and over that we will be safer online if we change IP. Many Internet users are thankful for the warnings, and are mindful of the dangers. There are many IP changer programs online and there are forums and Blogs dedicated to guiding Internet newbie's how to change their IP addresses.
And yet there are still those who ask why it is important that we change our real location every time we go surf the Internet. There are still those who do not care if their real identities are being given away to the online community. They would ask, in a skeptical manner, what they would be able to accomplish if they change IP.
There are certainly some people who can go by surfing online using their real identities. These people may not have any accounts on the social online sites. They may not have registered themselves on online banking or any other e-banking programs. They may also not be interested in Twitter and Face book. Well, these people may certainly be safe from prying hackers who will get nothing from them. But these kinds of people are quite rare, seeing as how a huge chunk of the whole community of Internet users are so immersed in electronics and technology. The Internet also pretty much revolves around many lives now that a person would have at least one social site account.
To change IP might just be the protection you will need from online abuse. So what if you only have one social site account? A hacker wouldn't be interested in targeting a person with only one account online, right? Let us think one more time. We hardly know how a hacker thinks, especially if that hacker feels no remorse in stealing identities online. He or she might just want to use one detail of your identity, such as your name, and use it as he or she attacks other accounts.
We can do nothing but prevent this from happening to us. There have been many ways formulated to protect our privacy online and not get our personal information stolen. But we can never be hundred percent sure. One of the most formidable ways to protect ourselves online is to change IP. Surely even those skeptical of new technology would know that prevention is the best cure to an online disease called identity theft.
So what is it that we will accomplish if we change our IP address? We can hide our real identities; this is the main goal. In hiding our real identities and locations, we are able to surf anonymously online without worrying too much about our personal information given away online. Other advantages of this method is that we are able to prevent the onslaught of spam and other unwanted traffic that usually comes our way when we go shopping online.
Even new Internet users should pay heed to the dangers of identity theft and other cyber crimes. Even they would have to do something to protect themselves in the future. One answer has already been given. Even though it does not give a hundred percent protection against hackers, it will at least prevent you from becoming an obvious victim. This is what we will accomplish when we change IP.
Basic Explanation of Hyperlink Types
This article deals with the basic classifications of links. Links can be broken into many categories and types, and having the basic knowledge of what each category means is important. This article does not go heavily into actual linking strategies, since that is a far broader subject.
Reciprocal Links
Reciprocal linking is a classic and very common type of link. Also known sometimes as two ways linking, it is basically the process of link trading with other webmasters. It's the whole idea of 'You link to me, and I’ll link to you'. Oftentimes you will see websites with a 'links' page someplace on their site, often buried at the bottom someplace. These pages are filled with various links to other sites that hopefully have something sort of in common with the site you’re visiting.
Reciprocal links are falling somewhat out of fashion lately in favor of one way links, which are considered more powerful, and requiring less maintenance. It is widely thought that the search engines recognize the links are reciprocal ones and give the link somewhat less weight than if it was just a one way incoming link. One other issue with reciprocal linking is that once you setup a reciprocal link with another webmaster, you have to return to their site occasionally to check and make sure your link is still actually there. Overall this is still a powerful way to get links however and should not be overlooked.
One Way Links
One way links are links that are incoming to your site, but are different than reciprocal links in that you don't have an outgoing link back out to the site that linked to you. For instance if I throw up a link to the Google homepage, that’s a one way link to Google. They are not putting a link on their homepage back to here, though wouldn't that be nice! This is essentially the most basic type of linking there is, but it can also be the most powerful.
When the search engines go through someone’s site and see a link to your site, they give weight to your site. When they see that you are not linking straight back to the site that linked you, that you don't have some sort of linking agreement going on, they give it more weight as a link. The assumption is that someone of their own free will linked to your content, and did not require you to link back to them to do it. If that is the case, then your content must be of high quality. Since one way links are so powerful, and don't require any ongoing maintenance, most linking strategies out there today revolve around one way links of some form.
Three Way Links
Three way links are a variation on reciprocal links. However instead of the 'You link to my site, I link to yours' idea, the correct term would be 'You link to my site, I link to yours from a different site of mine'. It's basically a reciprocal link, but your incoming link is coming from some 3rd site instead.
It is thought that the search engines don't particularly care much for three way linking. The thought is that you may be trying to fool the search engines into thinking you are getting a one way link from someplace, when its really just a reciprocal link in disguise. One use of three way linking that is common is for when you have 2 very popular sites, and one brand new one. The idea is that 'I link to your brand new, unpopular site from my very popular site, and instead of me linking back to you from my new site that isn't as popular. I will link to you from one of my other, very popular sites so you get a better weight with the search engines'. Three ways linking is fairly common, but I don't do it and I would not recommend it.
Email Frenzy
“I know that you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant”
RICHARD NIXON
According to the Radicati Group an estimated 183 billion emails are sent every day. That’s around 2 million emails every second sent by 1.2 billion email Users! Moreover, there are an estimated 516 million business email boxes worldwide. That’s a heck of a potential for mis-communication, misunderstandings, angry words, bad feelings and loss of productivity if the messages go wrong.
Communication experts say that email is good for INFORMATION and CONFIRMATION. However it’s not good for EMOTION or PERSUASION. It is very difficult to convey enthusiasm, empathy or sincerity via email. You can type the words, but one doesn’t get a sense of the way the words are conveyed, and therefore the message can be misinterpreted.
Here are some tips on email etiquette.
When sending:
•In character, e-mail is somewhere between an informal telephone call and a formal letter, but an e-mail can be easily kept as a permanent record – a phone call is more difficult. Avoid slang, careless writing, thoughtless comments, too many dots or exclamation marks.
•Consider the recipient – who really needs to know? Is it ‘nice to know’ or ‘essential to their job to know’? Consider using group names very carefully – it may save you time but does everyone on the group list really need that message?
•Talk to your boss about the types of information he/she needs to be copied in on.
•Beware of humour and sarcasm – unless you know the recipient very well.
•Where is the recipient? If they are in the same office area, why not talk to them instead? Think of how long it takes to ‘talk’ the message compared to having to write it out.
•Don’t use email as an excuse not to talk to somebody. Barriers in communicating with difficult people can be broken down by hearing your voice, or perhaps seeing you, to build better rapport.
•Never email in anger. Calm down first, or consider an alternative method – email can never convey emotion. Face to face can be a much more effective way of getting how you feel across to an individual.
•Indicate the subject of the e-mail, and the purpose, in the subject header, to help the recipient e.g. ‘Leadership Training: Joining Instructions below’.
•Keep to business issues, avoiding personal e-mails and gossiping.
•Include ‘pleasantries’ at the start of the email e.g. ‘Hope you’re having a good week’ or perhaps a ‘Thanks for doing that last project so quick’ before you launch into your reason for emailing.
•Emailing bad news can be seen as ‘the coward’s way out’ because you don’t want to face the reaction. Also you can’t guarantee when they’ll read the bad news.
•Re-read the message before sending, putting yourself in the recipient’s shoes – what is the tone like? What unintended messages could the recipient see? Am I being succinct enough?
•Be careful about criticising people and organisations by email. A hasty remark by phone will be forgotten, on email there is a permanent record.
•Avoid writing in capital letters (to some this is the equivalent of shouting, and it makes it more difficult to read) and be carefully about emboldening words.
•If you classify all your e-mails as urgent, people may gradually stop treating them as such.
•Be careful about copying the message to the recipient’s manager – some people may view this as untrusting and underhand.
•Break the email ‘tennis’ – it’s far quicker to pick up the phone than reply with an email.
When reading:
•Deal with e mail at set times of the day ONLY– two or three times per day is a good guide. The tendency is to open email as soon as one arrives – if it was that urgent, the sender would have picked up the phone.
•Turn off the automatic ‘incoming email alert’ facility.
•Remove unwanted e-mails regularly – one user had 350 e-mails in his inbox after 3 days holiday! Always question WHY you keep an electronic copy?
•Set regular times e.g. last day of the month, to review and delete your e-mails.
•Set up folders for recipients. Important people such as the boss, the boss’s boss, and key customers could go into one folder that you check more frequently.
•If you feel emotional after reading a message, give the sender the benefit of the doubt and assume there has been a misunderstanding. Have you read the message carefully? Are you quite sure you’ve understood?
•If it’s about a complicated topic, or it’s a request for ideas or opinions, consider replying by phone, or meet up with the person.
•If you are out of the office for a few days, set up an automated ‘out of office reply’, giving an alternative person’s name who may be able to help.
•Send joke emails to your home inbox for reading later.
How to Get Burned by Your Internet History
Burned by your Internet history? What do you mean? Perhaps you are not aware but your personal computer is one big, powerful recorder of all your computer activity. Whether you are searching the Internet, browsing the Internet, having chat sessions, sending or receiving files or doing whatever your computer is capturing every keystroke and recording your tracks about where you have been, what you have viewed and what you have done.
Oh, you say that is no big deal. I’ll just delete my Internet history and temporary files with the tools offered by my favorite browser. Well, think again. Are you aware that there are numerous visible and hidden files where all this information is written and stored? Unfortunately, the tools offered by your favorite browser do not erase or eliminate all these files and it’s not all your Internet browser’s fault.
Did you know standard Windows file deletion options utilized by your browser do not physically delete the files? What are deleted are the index records detailing the file’s location and physical properties. The physical or actual file is still there and ready to be recovered by data recovery software that can be successfully used by both novice and experienced users. Until the original deleted physical file has been overwritten by another physical file, the original physical file is recoverable.
So what does all this mean to me? Absolutely nothing if you have not been visiting websites or doing activities that could create a compromising situation if discovered by your employer, spouse or significant other. Now, if you have been to websites, sent questionable emails or had off-color chat sessions that you shouldn’t have then you are in position to be placed in an embarrassing and compromising situation if discovered by the wrong individual. Perhaps, you are in this last situation and don’t want to get burned by your Internet history and tracks?
If so, then protect your privacy by using a privacy control software solution that insures the elimination of Internet and computer activity history on your personal computer. Don’t rely on the deletion tools provided by your Internet browser or Windows! Their shortcomings may be your downfall as you get burned by your Internet history creating personal anguish or employment troubles.
Don’t get burned by your Internet history. Get your privacy control software tool today and insure your privacy and confidentiality!
Would you like to learn more about protecting your Internet privacy and erasing your Internet or web activities? Check out http://www.InternetErasers.net now! Internet Erasers is an independent review site helping you make informed decisions about Internet privacy and security software. Our trusted reviews are created with knowledge and passion for the subject.
Each product featured on our website is compared with its competitors for functionality, performance and value providing you with the knowledge to make an informed selection and buying decision. In addition to our in-depth product reviews we offer other helpful tips and advice to improve your computer's performance, privacy and security.
Wipe Out the Harassing Emails of Cyber Stalkers using a Reverse Email Trace
There are very few families left that do not have at least one computer that is used for the family to surf the World Wide Web. It is a great place for kids and teens to study and research for homework, to play games and have fun, and to perform various needed tasks for work. There are dangers however that lurk in several areas of the web that every parent and individual should always keep an eye out for. Although there are many things that are always being done to keep the Internet a safe place to be, there are still all sorts of problems that can happen.
Stalking is one such problem that has caused frightening problems for a large number of people that regularly get on the Internet. AOL, Yahoo, Gmail, and many other types of email accounts are often the target of criminals that get their kicks from stalking innocent individuals on the web. If this is a problem that you have faced, it is important not to just allow it to happen. First and foremost you should consult the authorities, and then your next step should be to consult with an experienced private investigator. Using a reverse email trace, the knowledge of an investigator can help you to wipe out the harassing emails you have been receiving from cyber stalkers.
This beneficial type of investigation is as easy as supplying an expert with the stalkers email address. A few of the benefits about having a reverse email look-up performed is will not cost you a large amount of money, and the detailed results will be sent to you in a very short period of time. Revealing the identity of a stalker can also help authorities to put a permanent end to the activities the criminal is partaking in. Your entire family will benefit when you make the decision to wipe out the harassing and threatening emails of cyber stalkers that are bothering your family, and you can do this through the use of a reverse email trace.
Some of the detailed information that can be revealed is the name of the stalker that is causing the harassment, the street address where the individual lives, the geographic location where they live, the type of browser that is being used, links to websites they visit, and other forms of helpful information.
Don't waste any time in wiping out the harassing emails of cyber stalkers. Consult with a professional that knows how to use a reverse email trace to put an end to frightening threats
Copyright (c) 2010 Ed Opperman
About The Author
Ed Opperman is President of Opperman Investigations Inc.If you need help with a cyber stalking investigation visit http://www.emailrevealer.com
A Guide To The Different Types Of Network Servers
There are a few different types of network servers, and they are all intended to perform a very specific task. The question that many people have pertains to what exactly a server is, and for that reason we are going to talk about the concept, and then we will take a look at a few of the network servers that perform the various tasks within a business.
A server can refer to a piece of software, or it can refer to an entire computer. When you have an entire computer functioning as a server it is referred to as a dedicated server. If you have a computer housing multiple servers, it is a non-dedicated server. In many cases this is referred to as a 'box', and no business would be complete without at least one of these.
VoIP
The types of servers out there are quite varied. First of all there is the VoIP server. It stands for Voice over IP, or Voice over Internet Protocol. This is not a server type that you would normally see in a private home, but in business you might see it quite a bit. The size and power of a VoIP server will depend highly on the number of users that need to access it.
Web
Another type of server that you will find common in businesses is the HTTP server. This is a fairly powerful type of server that hosts web pages and in some cases can become a file server. It is not often used as a file server however, because this is the job of the FTP server.
File Hosting
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol and is used solely for hosting and the distribution of files. FTP can be used for either small or large files, and is available in two varieties: Client and Server. Both of these can be obtained as free open source, or they can be paid for. Paid versions obviously have more support, but free versions have the advantage of being...well...free.
This is a list of some of the more basic servers in a business. The file server will be the most useful in any business as you are no doubt going to find out. The others will come in handy, and web servers will be useful for advertising. There are a number of other different server types out there that you might be interested in using however, among them being a mail server. The important thing to remember is that you should of course only strive to use the servers that your business truly needs. In other words don't overreach, and don't invest in technologies that simply will not be useful to you.
Stick to these guidelines every time you find a new server that may be worth using. Figure out what your exact requirements are and what system would best suit it, then find the quickest way to implement it. You will find that in this modern age of e-commerce, servers are of great use to large and small businesses alike.
Basic Explanation of Hyperlink Types
This article deals with the basic classifications of links. Links can be broken into many categories and types, and having the basic knowledge of what each category means is important. This article does not go heavily into actual linking strategies, since that is a far broader subject.
Reciprocal Links
Reciprocal linking is a classic and very common type of link. Also known sometimes as two ways linking, it is basically the process of link trading with other webmasters. It's the whole idea of 'You link to me, and I’ll link to you'. Oftentimes you will see websites with a 'links' page someplace on their site, often buried at the bottom someplace. These pages are filled with various links to other sites that hopefully have something sort of in common with the site you’re visiting.
Reciprocal links are falling somewhat out of fashion lately in favor of one way links, which are considered more powerful, and requiring less maintenance. It is widely thought that the search engines recognize the links are reciprocal ones and give the link somewhat less weight than if it was just a one way incoming link. One other issue with reciprocal linking is that once you setup a reciprocal link with another webmaster, you have to return to their site occasionally to check and make sure your link is still actually there. Overall this is still a powerful way to get links however and should not be overlooked.
One Way Links
One way links are links that are incoming to your site, but are different than reciprocal links in that you don't have an outgoing link back out to the site that linked to you. For instance if I throw up a link to the Google homepage, that’s a one way link to Google. They are not putting a link on their homepage back to here, though wouldn't that be nice! This is essentially the most basic type of linking there is, but it can also be the most powerful.
When the search engines go through someone’s site and see a link to your site, they give weight to your site. When they see that you are not linking straight back to the site that linked you, that you don't have some sort of linking agreement going on, they give it more weight as a link. The assumption is that someone of their own free will linked to your content, and did not require you to link back to them to do it. If that is the case, then your content must be of high quality. Since one way links are so powerful, and don't require any ongoing maintenance, most linking strategies out there today revolve around one way links of some form.
Three Way Links
Three way links are a variation on reciprocal links. However instead of the 'You link to my site, I link to yours' idea, the correct term would be 'You link to my site, I link to yours from a different site of mine'. It's basically a reciprocal link, but your incoming link is coming from some 3rd site instead.
It is thought that the search engines don't particularly care much for three way linking. The thought is that you may be trying to fool the search engines into thinking you are getting a one way link from someplace, when its really just a reciprocal link in disguise. One use of three way linking that is common is for when you have 2 very popular sites, and one brand new one. The idea is that 'I link to your brand new, unpopular site from my very popular site, and instead of me linking back to you from my new site that isn't as popular. I will link to you from one of my other, very popular sites so you get a better weight with the search engines'. Three ways linking is fairly common, but I don't do it and I would not recommend it.
Make the Move to Change IP
By: Virender Labroo
We know by now the importance of making the move to change IP. While the mechanics or detailed process can be overwhelming to Internet users, the idea and purpose of it is not. For more security online and for safe Web browsing, the online community has spread the word all over the Internet about the benefits of changing our IP address. The different steps and processes to change IP on your own have also been published for all the world to see. And considering all the hacking and all the threats to our Internet privacy are getting more rampant, it is about time we think about this seriously.
Changing or hiding our IP works by changing our location every now and then. Basically, each time we log on to the Internet, we get to have a different IP address. What makes our location important? Well, it is our IP and our location that malicious hackers would want to have in order to control our computer systems and private files. Once they get access to our real location, then they can abuse us in any way they want. They could throw in a number of viruses and crash our computers, or they could hack into our online accounts and pry into our affairs. Either way, the thought of someone invading our privacy online is never a good thing.
If there is one thing that Internet users have to be wary about, it is the hackers. We cannot underestimate them. Just last week a thousand Twitter accounts were hacked and the site was down for the most part of the day. A lot of Twitter users were upset. Now imagine this happening to your own computer system. A hacker finds out your IP address, and gets access to your computer. You're lucky if he only want to play a little and wrecks some of your files. But it will be bad if the hacker is malicious enough to bomb in various viruses and spy ware into the system, and crashing it.
What is worse than having your computer crashed is if the hacker turns out to be an identity thief. If he or she determines your IP, then she can get access to your online accounts and profiles. He or she can determine your login information which will allow him or her to enter your various accounts online. Your profile and your transaction history will be open to him, and he may get your credit card numbers and other financial accounts. When the hacker is through with you, you will end up with a lot of debts and a ruined reputation. Identity theft is also not an easy thing to counter so it is better to avoid this than to have it happen to you.
Whatever the case is, it is not good for you to have your IP address out for every Internet user to see. Hiding your IP is especially handy when you're a personal Internet user, working at home solo. Companies will have made their move to protect their system and files, but a personal Internet user will only have to rely on him or herself to protect his or her privacy. So make your move now to protect your Internet privacy. Make the move to change IP.
What Will We Accomplish If We Change IP?
By: Virender Labroo
It has been said over and over that we will be safer online if we change IP. Many Internet users are thankful for the warnings, and are mindful of the dangers. There are many IP changer programs online and there are forums and Blogs dedicated to guiding Internet newbie's how to change their IP addresses.
And yet there are still those who ask why it is important that we change our real location every time we go surf the Internet. There are still those who do not care if their real identities are being given away to the online community. They would ask, in a skeptical manner, what they would be able to accomplish if they change IP.
There are certainly some people who can go by surfing online using their real identities. These people may not have any accounts on the social online sites. They may not have registered themselves on online banking or any other e-banking programs. They may also not be interested in Twitter and Face book. Well, these people may certainly be safe from prying hackers who will get nothing from them. But these kinds of people are quite rare, seeing as how a huge chunk of the whole community of Internet users are so immersed in electronics and technology. The Internet also pretty much revolves around many lives now that a person would have at least one social site account.
To change IP might just be the protection you will need from online abuse. So what if you only have one social site account? A hacker wouldn't be interested in targeting a person with only one account online, right? Let us think one more time. We hardly know how a hacker thinks, especially if that hacker feels no remorse in stealing identities online. He or she might just want to use one detail of your identity, such as your name, and use it as he or she attacks other accounts.
We can do nothing but prevent this from happening to us. There have been many ways formulated to protect our privacy online and not get our personal information stolen. But we can never be hundred percent sure. One of the most formidable ways to protect ourselves online is to change IP. Surely even those skeptical of new technology would know that prevention is the best cure to an online disease called identity theft.
So what is it that we will accomplish if we change our IP address? We can hide our real identities; this is the main goal. In hiding our real identities and locations, we are able to surf anonymously online without worrying too much about our personal information given away online. Other advantages of this method is that we are able to prevent the onslaught of spam and other unwanted traffic that usually comes our way when we go shopping online.
Even new Internet users should pay heed to the dangers of identity theft and other cyber crimes. Even they would have to do something to protect themselves in the future. One answer has already been given. Even though it does not give a hundred percent protection against hackers, it will at least prevent you from becoming an obvious victim. This is what we will accomplish when we change IP.
A Guide To The Different Types Of Network Servers
There are a few different types of network servers, and they are all intended to perform a very specific task. The question that many people have pertains to what exactly a server is, and for that reason we are going to talk about the concept, and then we will take a look at a few of the network servers that perform the various tasks within a business.
A server can refer to a piece of software, or it can refer to an entire computer. When you have an entire computer functioning as a server it is referred to as a dedicated server. If you have a computer housing multiple servers, it is a non-dedicated server. In many cases this is referred to as a 'box', and no business would be complete without at least one of these.
VoIP
The types of servers out there are quite varied. First of all there is the VoIP server. It stands for Voice over IP, or Voice over Internet Protocol. This is not a server type that you would normally see in a private home, but in business you might see it quite a bit. The size and power of a VoIP server will depend highly on the number of users that need to access it.
Web
Another type of server that you will find common in businesses is the HTTP server. This is a fairly powerful type of server that hosts web pages and in some cases can become a file server. It is not often used as a file server however, because this is the job of the FTP server.
File Hosting
FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol and is used solely for hosting and the distribution of files. FTP can be used for either small or large files, and is available in two varieties: Client and Server. Both of these can be obtained as free open source, or they can be paid for. Paid versions obviously have more support, but free versions have the advantage of being...well...free.
This is a list of some of the more basic servers in a business. The file server will be the most useful in any business as you are no doubt going to find out. The others will come in handy, and web servers will be useful for advertising. There are a number of other different server types out there that you might be interested in using however, among them being a mail server. The important thing to remember is that you should of course only strive to use the servers that your business truly needs. In other words don't overreach, and don't invest in technologies that simply will not be useful to you.
Stick to these guidelines every time you find a new server that may be worth using. Figure out what your exact requirements are and what system would best suit it, then find the quickest way to implement it. You will find that in this modern age of e-commerce, servers are of great use to large and small businesses alike.
Email Frenzy
“I know that you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant”
RICHARD NIXON
According to the Radicati Group an estimated 183 billion emails are sent every day. That’s around 2 million emails every second sent by 1.2 billion email Users! Moreover, there are an estimated 516 million business email boxes worldwide. That’s a heck of a potential for mis-communication, misunderstandings, angry words, bad feelings and loss of productivity if the messages go wrong.
Communication experts say that email is good for INFORMATION and CONFIRMATION. However it’s not good for EMOTION or PERSUASION. It is very difficult to convey enthusiasm, empathy or sincerity via email. You can type the words, but one doesn’t get a sense of the way the words are conveyed, and therefore the message can be misinterpreted.
Here are some tips on email etiquette.
When sending:
•In character, e-mail is somewhere between an informal telephone call and a formal letter, but an e-mail can be easily kept as a permanent record – a phone call is more difficult. Avoid slang, careless writing, thoughtless comments, too many dots or exclamation marks.
•Consider the recipient – who really needs to know? Is it ‘nice to know’ or ‘essential to their job to know’? Consider using group names very carefully – it may save you time but does everyone on the group list really need that message?
•Talk to your boss about the types of information he/she needs to be copied in on.
•Beware of humour and sarcasm – unless you know the recipient very well.
•Where is the recipient? If they are in the same office area, why not talk to them instead? Think of how long it takes to ‘talk’ the message compared to having to write it out.
•Don’t use email as an excuse not to talk to somebody. Barriers in communicating with difficult people can be broken down by hearing your voice, or perhaps seeing you, to build better rapport.
•Never email in anger. Calm down first, or consider an alternative method – email can never convey emotion. Face to face can be a much more effective way of getting how you feel across to an individual.
•Indicate the subject of the e-mail, and the purpose, in the subject header, to help the recipient e.g. ‘Leadership Training: Joining Instructions below’.
•Keep to business issues, avoiding personal e-mails and gossiping.
•Include ‘pleasantries’ at the start of the email e.g. ‘Hope you’re having a good week’ or perhaps a ‘Thanks for doing that last project so quick’ before you launch into your reason for emailing.
•Emailing bad news can be seen as ‘the coward’s way out’ because you don’t want to face the reaction. Also you can’t guarantee when they’ll read the bad news.
•Re-read the message before sending, putting yourself in the recipient’s shoes – what is the tone like? What unintended messages could the recipient see? Am I being succinct enough?
•Be careful about criticising people and organisations by email. A hasty remark by phone will be forgotten, on email there is a permanent record.
•Avoid writing in capital letters (to some this is the equivalent of shouting, and it makes it more difficult to read) and be carefully about emboldening words.
•If you classify all your e-mails as urgent, people may gradually stop treating them as such.
•Be careful about copying the message to the recipient’s manager – some people may view this as untrusting and underhand.
•Break the email ‘tennis’ – it’s far quicker to pick up the phone than reply with an email.
When reading:
•Deal with e mail at set times of the day ONLY– two or three times per day is a good guide. The tendency is to open email as soon as one arrives – if it was that urgent, the sender would have picked up the phone.
•Turn off the automatic ‘incoming email alert’ facility.
•Remove unwanted e-mails regularly – one user had 350 e-mails in his inbox after 3 days holiday! Always question WHY you keep an electronic copy?
•Set regular times e.g. last day of the month, to review and delete your e-mails.
•Set up folders for recipients. Important people such as the boss, the boss’s boss, and key customers could go into one folder that you check more frequently.
•If you feel emotional after reading a message, give the sender the benefit of the doubt and assume there has been a misunderstanding. Have you read the message carefully? Are you quite sure you’ve understood?
•If it’s about a complicated topic, or it’s a request for ideas or opinions, consider replying by phone, or meet up with the person.
•If you are out of the office for a few days, set up an automated ‘out of office reply’, giving an alternative person’s name who may be able to help.
•Send joke emails to your home inbox for reading later.
Learn Email Monitoring Instantly
The electronic based communication has made it very easy for everybody to stay connected with their near and dear ones across the globe. This ease of communication has some side effects also. Earlier the employees of a corporate office never took personal calls during working hours and the office equipment was never used for personal work.
The scenario now has changed drastically, the communication is so easy that employees stay connected to their friends and folk 24X7 and freely communicate with each other during working hours. This communication can take place through various modes such as emails, instant messages, and mobile phone’s messages. Most employers are left confused as to whether they can keep a track of the personal communication of their employees. The answer is yes!
Email Monitoring
An employer can monitor the emails of the employee. The government has authorized the employers for this under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. It is advisable for the managers to draft an email monitoring policy for the employees and keep them regularly updated on the new and old terms of this policy. The email monitoring policy should be very specific and should clearly state the objectives of the policy, the purpose of monitoring the emails and scope of the monitoring system.
The employees should also be told that what all is acceptable regarding the content of the emails, that is they should not be allowed to write in their mails something that is racist, harassing or sexual in nature. Just a tip for the employees, please do not think that you can ever outsmart an email monitoring system, all the unsent mails, incoming mails, out going emails, and even the deleted emails can be viewed by the company officials.
Protect Data
Most companies across the world have adopted the electronic way of communication. This communication though very convenient to use is a very big threat to the company’s confidential data. The IT teams in companies are always seen fighting hard with the external threats to protect data.
These threats can be Trojans, viruses, or bugs. The IT team generally does not pay much attention to the communications that are taking place via emails. An email can be even more dangerous than an external virus attack.
An email possesses the capability to leak out secret information like:
•cerebral property of an organization
•secret information regarding the working policies of the company
•highly confidential data
If the above stated information gets leaked it can be of great threat to the business especially if it lands in the hands of the competitors.
Protect Network
We all know that Internet has now become the backbone of every business. You can not do without Internet if you want your business to prosper. On the contrary Internet is the biggest threat to a company’s security. It is very important and complicated to protect network.
To begin with the process of securing a safe network one should always take into consideration the data and information that needs protection. It is extremely necessary to then install special security software like the firewalls to keep a check on all the incoming data. Also make sure you have proper and automatically updated antivirus.
Online Backup Service
Online users these days can relish the advantage of a remote or managed backup service to backup and store data files on the internet. This service is known as online backup service. And those who provide this kind of service are known as online backup providers.
A special kind of software program runs the online backup systems by following a certain routine which is usually done on a daily basis. The programs functions include collection, compression, encryption and transferring of data to the online backup servers.
These days with computers becoming an integral part of our lives we need a certain method which can help us save more and more information in such a way that it never gets lost. Our reliance on the internet for most of our work has been on the rise continuously. And so, online backup services are the most convenient option for us today.
There are some conventional backup options for us like saving documents in external hard drives or portable memory sticks, but the problem with these methods is that they are not accessible everywhere. On the other hand, on the internet you can access any file or website anywhere and that too at a very fast rate.
Now, let’s talk about some important features of online backup services. Opened file backups are such services where you can backup files like outlook files or SQL database files which are left open all the time. This simplifies the jobs for IT administrators to do their backup work at any time. This service is very useful to enterprises as their backup products support this service natively.
Next up are the multi-platform backup services which can run backups on many platforms at a time. This means that backup can be performed on Windows, Macs or Linux or even UNIX systems simultaneously. Backup services for networks are known as Network backups. They can perform backups between all computer systems located on a LAN from one computer or device.
Some backup services have the feature of backing up the data from different locations pretty easily and at the same time. These services are known as multi-site backup services. The last of the features is the Continuous backup or the CDP. This service can backup data continuously or at a specified time.
These features prove that online backup services are the ultimate choice for internet users today. Not only are these online services efficient, but also very economical. There is no need for any external equipment and there is no fear of any damage or theft either. Your USB or hard drive can be broken or stolen but nothing can happen to data that is safely stored on the internet.
Moreover, your data when stored on the internet can be retrieved at almost any moment. All you need is a computer with an internet connection. Computers after all are machines and anything can go wrong with machines. So we must take necessary measures in advance to protect our vital information from being lost forever. And with online backup services are sure to make file sharing and storing 100% safe and secure.
Firefox 4 browser Download Record
Mozilla’s new Firefox 4 browser was downloaded twice as much in its first 24 hours as Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 9 on its first day.
Some are speculating Microsoft’s decision to keep IE9 off its 10-year-old Windows XP operating system may be helping the multi-billion dollar company’s biggest competitor — a self-described non-profit organization — in the web browsing market.
Firefox 4 picked up about 5 million downloads on day one, according to Geekwire.com’s Tom Bishop, and had nearly 8 million by Wednesday morning.
But it’s Google Chrome that Mozilla Firefox is really competing with.
Firefox once owned an all-time high 47.9 percent of the browser market, back in July 2009, or a month after the release of Firefox 3.5. Back then, Internet Explorer and Chrome owned 39.4 percent and 6.5 percent of the market, respectively. Fast forward to today and you’ll see that Firefox and Internet Explorer have both dropped substantially, to 42.4 percent and 26.5 percent, respectively. Chrome, now with 24.1 percent of the market, has experienced an astronomical rise in usage.
(Lesser used browsers Safari and Opera have for the most part maintained four percent and 2.5 percent shares of the market, respectively.)
With Firefox 4 out in the wild and doing well, Chrome isn’t sitting idly by.
The latest browser market-share stats, from just before the release of the new browsers, put Internet Explorer at 56.8 percent, down from 68 percent two years ago. Firefox has held relatively steady over that period, but the big gainer has been Google Chrome, which rose up from practically nothing to now boast nearly 11 percent of the worldwide market.
But keep in mind that Microsoft is voluntarily limiting its market, not only by making Internet Explorer exclusive to Windows but also by declining to make the new browser work on Windows XP. Even though Windows XP is nearly 10 years old at this point, more than 40 percent of Internet users are still clinging to it, putting IE9 at a disadvantage in the numbers game by not supporting XP.
Firefox, in contrast, continues to support Windows XP. Mozilla knew coming in that it would have a built-in advantage, based on Microsoft’s choice to support only the newer Windows Vista and 7.
“That’s a decision that they get to make, but it sure did surprise us, because the best metrics that we’ve got say 40 to 50 percent of the web is still on XP. That’s too big for us to just leave them behind,” said Johnathan Nightingale, the Firefox engineering director, in a recent interview.
To be sure, Firefox isn’t squeaky clean. In recent years, more than 80 percent of the Mozilla Foundation’s income has come from Google. The nonprofit has been accused of changing features in Firefox, under pressure from the advertising industry. But of the big three, only Firefox stands a chance of remaining somewhat independent, a voice for customers, not advertisers.
IP Changer for the Yong Adults to Protect Their Identity and Privacy on the Internet
IP Changer software is a neat software application that enables rapid change of your IP address by use of multiple private proxy servers at multiple locations around the country and the globe. This will be significant for almost any one who is on the net for virtually any length of time. Teenagers and young adults who’re in their high schools or colleges at this time can hardly imagine living without social media sites such as My Space and face Book or their cellular phones. They have grown and prospered with it.
Internet privacy and security are of great concern and hot topics for discussion in business, personal and public policy forums. However, there doesn't seem to be a lot of discussion or concern expressed with specific regards to teenagers and young adults.
Similarly, the risks of insidious crime of identity theft is rarely addressed with young adults in mind. It is frequently but falsely assumed that folks who steal private and personal identity information are only interested in credit card numbers or bank account numbers for stealing money. This thinking ignores that identity of young adults will be of even greater value to those thieves. It needs to be noted though, that in additional to more talked about financial identity theft, medical, driver's license and personal charecter identity theft is much more insidious and damaging. It si very possible and has happened many a times you could be arrested for crimes you never comitted only because the real criminal used your social security number or your stolen or even a fake driver's licecnse.
Credit card issuers are prone to aggressively push credit cards and debit cards to teenagers and young adults. some times even before they turned eighteen and crooks start working on stealing these numbers almosyt immediately. Actually, using social security number of minors is safer for the thieves because they're not monitored and would not know until much later in their lives. Therefore, it is important for young adults who’re active on the web to educate and safeguard themselves against loss of identity and privacy while surfing the net.
Young adults own the social media of Face Book and My Space and again it is vital to teach them to protect their identity. It is important that when you are on the internet, especially on social sites that you be extra careful to protect your sensitive personal data. The main and vulnerable identifier on the internet is the IP address.. Your IP address is often a unique numerical identifier that can locate your computer's precise location along with give hackers the entry point to your computer and risk having your identity stolen.
You can browse the net safely and securely and protect your identity by routing your internet connection through different proxy servers located at many different location with the help of IP changer Software. Your real IP address is never revealed to the sites you visit. They solely see one of several IP addresses of these proxy servers. You will discover excellent IP Changer Software available out there that also encrypt your data on the internet, thus protecting the young adults from being victim of Identity theft and other internet crime early in their lives.
Download managers accelerators : Quick tips to increase your Internet Speed
Getting an Internet connection is one thing and getting a speedy Internet connection is another thing. Increasing the Internet speed is not a big task, as it can be increased through a number of easy steps. Read on to acquaint yourself from the various effective tricks of increasing your Internet speed.
The first and the easiest way to increase your Internet speed is to close or remove all the programs that could be using the Internet. You may not know, but things like MSN Messenger, Skype and AIM are some of the tools that can slow down your Internet speed tremendously. So, a shortcut to increase your Internet speed is to remove these things or close them for a while. For this you can simply go to Start and then to Control Panel and Add/Remove Programs.
Another useful and quick tip to increase your Internet speed is to re-install some programs that you are using. Sometimes, certain programs do not run correctly on the system thereby, making the Internet speed slow. The best way to deal with such a problem is to re-install such programs on your system.
Next you can look at using internet speed optimization software which use advanced algorithms to quicken up your internet speed. You can find a bunch of such software by visiting our section network tools. Moreover if you are looking to increase your download speeds then it would be prudent for you to check out popular download manager applications which use compression and route variance techniques to improve the speed of downloads. A number of such software can be found in our section on download managersand all you need to do is to select a tool appropriate for your need.
How to Get Burned by Your Internet History
Burned by your Internet history? What do you mean? Perhaps you are not aware but your personal computer is one big, powerful recorder of all your computer activity. Whether you are searching the Internet, browsing the Internet, having chat sessions, sending or receiving files or doing whatever your computer is capturing every keystroke and recording your tracks about where you have been, what you have viewed and what you have done.
Oh, you say that is no big deal. I’ll just delete my Internet history and temporary files with the tools offered by my favorite browser. Well, think again. Are you aware that there are numerous visible and hidden files where all this information is written and stored? Unfortunately, the tools offered by your favorite browser do not erase or eliminate all these files and it’s not all your Internet browser’s fault.
Did you know standard Windows file deletion options utilized by your browser do not physically delete the files? What are deleted are the index records detailing the file’s location and physical properties. The physical or actual file is still there and ready to be recovered by data recovery software that can be successfully used by both novice and experienced users. Until the original deleted physical file has been overwritten by another physical file, the original physical file is recoverable.
So what does all this mean to me? Absolutely nothing if you have not been visiting websites or doing activities that could create a compromising situation if discovered by your employer, spouse or significant other. Now, if you have been to websites, sent questionable emails or had off-color chat sessions that you shouldn’t have then you are in position to be placed in an embarrassing and compromising situation if discovered by the wrong individual. Perhaps, you are in this last situation and don’t want to get burned by your Internet history and tracks?
If so, then protect your privacy by using a privacy control software solution that insures the elimination of Internet and computer activity history on your personal computer. Don’t rely on the deletion tools provided by your Internet browser or Windows! Their shortcomings may be your downfall as you get burned by your Internet history creating personal anguish or employment troubles.
Don’t get burned by your Internet history. Get your privacy control software tool today and insure your privacy and confidentiality!
Would you like to learn more about protecting your Internet privacy and erasing your Internet or web activities? Check out http://www.InternetErasers.net now! Internet Erasers is an independent review site helping you make informed decisions about Internet privacy and security software. Our trusted reviews are created with knowledge and passion for the subject.
Each product featured on our website is compared with its competitors for functionality, performance and value providing you with the knowledge to make an informed selection and buying decision. In addition to our in-depth product reviews we offer other helpful tips and advice to improve your computer's performance, privacy and security.