Lessons on many subjects available online
In as much as I’ve taught Internet marketing and publicity classes, the idea of marketing yourself online is still very confusing to a lot of people. Let’s face it; our company has a department dedicated to this. Why? Because stuff changes all the time on the Internet; if we didn’t have a dedicated department researching this and reading all the “geek stuff,” we’d never be able to keep up. But for right now I want to give you the bottom line basics - because at the end of the day, we all need to start somewhere, and the best place to start is online.
Blogging: If you don’t feel like you can do anything online or you don’t have the time for extensive promotion, the quickest and simplest thing you can do is have a blog. A blog is a great way to keep your site fresh (search engines love sites that are updated often) and a blog is a great way to reach your reader. If you don’t have a blog or haven’t blogged in a while, take heart: start somewhere and plan to blog a minimum of twice weekly. You’ll need at least two posts a week to keep it current. The biggest problem though with new bloggers is deciding what to blog about. Well, here are some ideas:
· Talk about trends in the industry you’re in (this works even if you write fiction, talk about the publishing industry)
· Review other (similar) books - this is a great way to network with other people in your market
· Blog “in character” - readers love this!
· Develop your next story on your blog: you can ask for reader feedback on story direction, characters, etc.
· Lend your voice to a “hot” industry issue or controversy
· Comment on other blogs, or feature them on your blog
· Interview people on your blog
· Talk about the elephant in the room: if there’s a looming issue in your market, why not offer your insight on your blog?
Feedback and blog comments: if you aren’t getting people commenting on your blog, don’t despair, it takes a while to get folks commenting and offering feedback, but the more you can tap into issues your reader cares about, the more comments you’ll see popping up on your blog.
Publishing content: The Internet has really opened the door to publishing and pushing a lot of content online. Whether it’s articles, audio, or video, there’s a home for all of it on the ‘Net. Consider doing article syndication to start pushing content online. Here are some basic guidelines for article syndication:
· You don’t get paid for this syndication. This is always the first question I get when I talk to authors about syndicating their articles, book excerpts, or tip sheets. You post it online for others to use and promote you, what could be better?
· Your articles need to be helpful, not self-promotional. The more helpful they are, the more likely they are to be used. Yes, you can mention your book but my recommendation is to keep any and all promotion of it to your byline.
· Article titles are important. Remember that the title of your article must be descriptive, don’t make people guess what you’ve written about. If you do, you’ll find your pieces aren’t as popular as you’d like them to be.
· Articles should be a minimum of 500 words, a maximum of 2,000. Generally the most popular pieces are around 1,000 words. Don’t forget your byline and web site address. Also, and very important, get those articles edited before they go out on the ‘Net. Once you send them out, you can never get them back.
Participate: when it comes to online promotion, it’s really about participating. Think of the Internet as one big cocktail party. Go strike up a conversation with someone who you’d like to get to know better. Here’s a great way to do that. First, go to Technorati and find the top five blogs in your market, then watch them for a week or so and when you’re comfortable with what they’re talking about and the angle of their message, start posting comments and offering your own insight into their postings. Bloggers love comments and by participating you’re doing two things: you’re doing some virtual networking (aka cyber-schmoozing) and you’re promoting yourself via the link back to your site that’s part of your post every time you comment.
Conduct your own blog tour: after you’ve done some virtual networking and gotten to know some folks in your industry, you’ll want to contact them to see about guest blogging opportunities. Guest blogging is pretty simple, you post an article on a site (sometimes it’s also a Q&A) and you respond to comments that come in during that day or week that you’re guest blogging. Be ready to host a blog tour of your own and unless the content is really off-topic from your site, I recommend that you consider it.
Blog carnivals: if you haven’t participated in a blog carnival and you’ve been blogging for a while, then head on over to http://blogcarnival.com and get started. Honestly, it’s super easy. Just find a category/topic that you can speak to or have blogged on and submit those blogs for consideration. It’s a great way to virtually network and publish more content online.
Help promote the good stuff: do you get Google alerts on yourself? If you don’t, you should, and here’s why: how else will you know what people are saying about you online? Google alerts is a simple way to monitor the cyber-chatter and get in touch with folks who review your book or feature you on their site. You can also go to Technorati, plug in your name, company name or title of your book and see what you pull up, then you can subscribe to the syndication feed of the search (just hit the RSS button and it’ll automatically subscribe you to that feed). Once you have your feeds all ready to go you’ll want to promote all the good stuff.
How can you do that? Well first off, offer a cyber-thank you to whoever mentioned you, reviewed your book or featured you on their site. Next, link to their site from your blog and finally, go to a few social bookmarking sites and bookmark these postings for enhanced exposure. Here’s how you do that: go to either Digg, Stumbledupon, or Delicious and create accounts (this takes just a few minutes). Then follow the instructions to bookmark a blog post or page on the site that’s featured you. This will help drive interest (and possibly traffic) to the site (which site owners will love you for) because you’re placing it in a public bookmarking system.
There’s a lot more you can do online, the possibilities are really endless - but what I’ve found is that the confused mind doesn’t take action, so the simpler you keep it, the more you’ll do. If only one thing on this list appeals to you, that’s great. Keep in mind, doing one more thing this week than you did last week keeps you moving forward and helps you continue to create marketing momentum for your book!
Penny C. Sansevieri, CEO and founder of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a book marketing and media relations expert whose company has developed some of the most cutting-edge book marketing campaigns. Visit AME.
A lot of people have thought about utilizing eBay in order to make their business grow. They certainly got their inspiration from those who succeeded with the help of eBay and has the opportunity to sell online. Unfortunately, not everyone has the idea on how to make money on eBay.
EBay selling is actually easy if you think about it. But for beginners, here is a list of some of the most effective ways of starting a business with eBay. Before you start with selling items, you have to make an account with eBay first. Remember to create a name which sounds professional.
First, decide what things you would auction off on eBay. Collect them and make it a point to make them look saleable. A large number of people start to make money on eBay through the things in their house that they need to get rid of. This is a great way to start since not so much capital is needed and it would be a less costly way of testing the selling waters of eBay. However, some buyers are picky. So for them, you also have to find new items outside your house while at the same time rummaging in your attic. Try to get the novel items at low-priced sales or at discounted stores. Better yet, if you have the money, you can opt to get a license for a wholesale business and contact a manufacturer.
Second, a good picture is worth more than a thousand marketing words. So take a bright and clear picture of the items you intend to sell online. Get a digital camera which will allow you to get a clear picture of even the smallest details of your product. It has been known in eBay that products without pictures are far less likely to sell than those with clear and distinguishable pictures.
Third, if you are a first time user of eBay, build a good reputation first. A large number of buyers do not tend to purchase from someone who does not have a good record in handling transactions. You have to buy online first in the listings then complete the transaction efficiently. Since buyers do not really know you, your positive feedbacks will serve as a pull for them to buy your products. It will be your trust foundation.
Fourth, after all these, you can now start listing your items in eBay. Be careful in making an effective description of the items you have for auctions. You can not depart from the true nature of your product but you can spice up the descriptions. Be clear in the words you will use, make sure that they can be understood easily. Come up with a realistic price—not too high that will shoo your buyers away, but not too low that will compromise your profits. Be precise on the available payment methods. If you can, you can also include a shipping method.
EBay selling is actually a commitment. You have to find time in looking for those saleable items. After which, you have to find the right words for describing those items. Complete the transactions carefully and honestly. If you have built a good reputation, after some time, you will have constant buyers. From there, profits will come easy.
Want To Find Out More About Selling And The Insider Secrets Of Ebay Then Please Visit http://www.auctionprofitsmasterclass.tadpublishing.com
Recent statistics, published by analysts IMRG, show British shoppers spent £26.5 billion online in the first six months of 2008. That is 17p in every pound a rise of 38 per cent from the same period in 2007. Although August 2008 saw a 10% drop in sales over July internet shopping transactions were still up 15.6% compared to last year and shoppers spent more than £4.4 billion.
Given the credit crunch and all that it means or may mean for business what does that indicate?
Well, according to the pundits, online sales are expected to remain strong despite the slowdown in the economy. They say that customers are being tempted into online shopping by rising fuel costs, falling disposable income and because they believe online retailing is more sustainable. Additionally price comparison sites lead online shoppers to the cheapest deals so consumers can buy essentials more cheaply online. This leaves a bit more to spend on leisure, holidays, electronics and other ‘non-essentials’.
According to Mike Petevinos, head of consulting for retail analysts Capgemini UK:
“Whilst online retail is not immune to the credit crunch, it is showing greater resilience than the high street. The online channel continues to grow its share of retail spend thanks to the traditional drivers of convenience and choice but these drivers appear to be magnified by the current economic environment. The ability to research and make more informed sensitivity is a key advantage of the online channel. The results for August demonstrate the maturing of e-retail. Online sales are starting to mirror more closely seasonal retail patterns, experiencing a dip in August for the second year running. We predict between 30 and 50 percent of all retail will be online in the next 5 years. This is because, as online reaches 20% of all retail sales, retailers experience a tipping point which forces them to seriously rethink the future viability of their business model. We have seen this happen for books, music/DVDs and electricals and as the industry as a whole reaches this tipping point in 2008, more categories are sure to follow.”
IMRG and Capgemini are not alone in their predictions. Verdict, the retail analysts also forecast that online retail sales would reach £44.9bn by 2012.
Verdict say: “some of this is ‘cannibalisation’ - people buying via their computers what they would previously have gone to shops for. There is still a need and place for physical locations - the key is to ensure that synergies with online retailing are exploited to drive footfall to stores, but having an Internet presence is vital. Giving the consumer choice by establishing strong links between the in-store and online offer is now essential and online will find itself extremely well-placed to capitalise on the falling consumer confidence and lower levels of disposable income currently impacting the retail market.”
PayPal also predict similar numbers. They say that by 2010, one in five purchases will take place on the internet and that online consumer spending will reach £39 billion by 2010. The company has warned businesses to start trading online now or risk missing out on potentially huge profits. Carl Olav Scheible, Head of Merchant Services at PayPal said: “Over the past few years we’ve seen the internet gradually eating away at the high street. By 2010, we expect substantial sums previously spent on the high street to have moved online.”
So, if you are involved in retail what do you need to do to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the web?
Here are our suggestions.
Get an ecommerce website
D’uh. Yes it is true. Some retailers don’t have a site and many don’t have an ecommerce site. Yet compared with the cost of rent and rates the costs for a really good site are very small.
Economize and optimise
We have mentioned search engine optimization frequently in our newsletters and in times of economic uncertainty it’s even more important to maximize good traffic. And optimization is not just about the traffic received, page views and time on site it’s also about the funnel all the way through the site to the checkout and payment.
Sponsor a click
Plenty of people are fearful of pay per click and have ‘wasted’ a lot of money on it. OK, if you want to be a DIY plumber and electrician go ahead, but remember to call in the professionals once the bodge is likely to ‘set the house on fire and flood it too!’
Actually it’s pure direct marketing and anyone can understand the principles:
- Price £100
- Margin 50% = £50
- Cost of sales marketing allowance 50% = £25
- Conversion rate for leads 10%
- Maximum average cost per lead £2.50
but it’s pulling the right levers that make it work.
Affiliate – get people to join your club
As we said previously “Like all marketing programmes, affiliate marketing is no panacea and requires dedication and hard work from all the parties, but there is plenty of research to show that when it is done properly it has very good ROI for all parties involved.”
Affiliate marketing has one more benefit in troubled times it allows you to grow your business with no upfront cost - you only pay per sale.
Don’t fail – use email
Your customer list is one of your most valuable assets and email marketing is very cost effective. Use it not just to “sell, sell, sell” but to build a relationship with your customers, add value with interesting offers and cement their loyalty.
Make them smile – go mobile
57 billion text messages were sent in 2007 in the UK. In May 2008 6.5 billion were sent. That’s looking like over 70 billion messages in 2008. As we say on our texting page use text marketing if:
- You like to be able to communicate instantly with your customers and contacts.
- You think any of your customers have ever forgotten an important occasion.
- You want to increase brand awareness and provide additional revenue streams for your business.
- You want an edge that the vast majority of other advertisers just don’t use.
Service the customer perfectly
Online customer service can be dire and yet service is what keeps customers coming back for more.
When you are online can you easily find the price, terms, address and phone number or email address of the company? Are they hidden away? Does that annoy you? If it annoys you the surely it’s the same for your customers?
Make it easy for them to be able to communicate with you directly and quickly. That’s by phone, email, online chat and even the good old fashioned mail.
Even more important make sure your staff know what they’re talking about and that you provide quick delivery, simple refund procedures and a feeling that they are special and not just ££££ signs in your till.
Richard Hill is a director of E-CRM Solutions and has spent many years in senior direct and interactive marketing roles. E-CRM helps you to grow by getting you more customers that stay with you longer.
Ah… the Internet: ripe with opportunities, curiosities and all kinds of wonderful things. And that’s just one side of it, too! On the other side you have the opportunists, individuals who are curious to break into your personal information, and also wonderful talents of virtual exploitation. For every great thing about the internet, there is likely a bad thing to make the odds even… that’s just the way things work, when it comes to humans. And let’s not forget the Internet is essentially the world’s largest human network.
There are many people out there on the Internet who are genuinely willing to help you with advices, tips and tricks as well as strategies to achieve whatever you’re trying to do. Conversely, there are people whose designated goal is to steal from you, hack into your personal accounts, and generally disrupt your regular cyberspace routine. I don’t mean to put you off against the Internet, but you should think of this as a call to action: action against the dark side of the Internet and the evils it can brew. While there’s not much you can do against it, you certainly can learn how to avoid becoming a victim too often. Oftentimes it’s just a matter of being cautious and careful while knowing what to look for.
Case in point, we shall discuss phishing attempts - a form of password hacking. As the name suggests, these kind of dark-hued exploits revolve around the concept of retrieving your passwords, login details, or private information in a way that you’ll actually hand out such information without realizing so. For example: many eBay accounts are compromised by a hacker sending out hundreds of thousands of emails that look to have come from eBay. The email contains a call to action, or basically asks you to click a link which you *think* is an official eBay page. The page is really a fake, and as soon as you enter your details they are compromised. Nowadays, there are some highly creative and ingenious phishing scams going around, which get progressively more sophisticated. But as long as you watch out for certain details, there’s no reason you’ll end up getting tricked.
For example, if you ever receive an email asking for personal information of any kind. Be it your email provider, your dating service, or even your bank… Think about it, for a second: why would someone that already knows your login details (since they were inserted in the database from the beginning) would ever contact you asking for such details? The answer is simple: they wouldn’t! It really doesn’t make sense, but many, many people are scammed this way. So do us all a favor, and when you get any kind of email message asking you to “input your password to confirm your account” or something of the like… always think before you act. And never act by handing your personal information on a silver platter… 99,9% chance that any email asking for your personal information or login details is a phishing attempt. As rule of thumb - if something smells fishy on the internet, it probably is or just be cautious. Don’t end up with with fish on your face!
Written by Relationship Solutions - an expert on password hacking and relationship advice for troubled spouses.
Diameter protocol is an upgrade of the older AAA protocol, Remote Authentication Dial In User Service (RADIUS). So what good are these AAA protocols? Let us start by defining what AAA stands for. Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) are the major processes required when an entity requests a connection to a network service. Both Diameter and RADIUS protocols provide these services for anybody or any machine that wishes to make contact with a network.
Services requiring AAA protocols include ISP’s, web servers, Wireless Networks, and other services that need authentication of an entity before providing a connection. Connecting to an ISP providing dial-up connection requires a user of an ID and a password. The process starts by verifying the account from the ISP’s valid entries, once verified it continues to search for privileges given to the user before allowing it to access the accounting section of the network. Diameter protocol uses an enhanced method in performing the process.
Advanced features of diameter protocol include error management and notification, enhanced AVP (attribute-value pairs), and reliable connection through the use of TCP and SCTP instead of UDP. RADIUS can perform the basic function of an AAA protocol however, the demand for more reliability and security made the advent of diameter protocol. This includes the requirement of wireless network providers for advance roaming features.
Diameter protocol uses peer-to-peer standard. This means that an entity implementing the protocol can either be the client or server. A client may request a connection to the server by sending an Accounting-Request. This request will then be verified by a Capability-Exchange-Request (CER) message and once recognized for compatibility the receiver will then be sending Account- Answer message.
To secure diameter messages, it is required that a diameter stack must use IPsec and an optional TLS (Transport Layer Security) to convey these messages. Diameter data is carried in the form of AVP containing routing information and AAA information. Messages can be in different forms, but are synchronous from both the requesting entity and the server. A counterpart message form is located at the server to transport back responses to the client.
A connection can be established by sending a request to another diameter peer. Once a responding peer is detected, a client diameter will then issue a unique session-id to determine the time frame of the connection. The session-id holds the information for the session as the communication continues. The session will be constantly monitored by the diameter server to determine to connectivity of both nodes. If a recipient is not present, a termination session will be sent ending the connection.
Diameter stack allows developer to integrate the protocol to any application that complies with the requirement. Through the diameter stack, an application may be able to support applications or interfaces with extensions Cx, CCA, Dx, Rf, Ro, and Sh. A diameter stack should also be compliant with the 3GPP or 3GPP2 standards.
If you are looking for more information related to then feel free to visit http://www.traffixsystems.com
If you are looking for more information related to diameter stack then feel free to visit diameter protocol from TraffixSystems.Com.
One of the most common ways in gathering backlinks for a website is by submitting articles to directories. Every successful submission assures a writer of a reliable link back to the promoted website. However, though submitting an article increases links what an author aims is the traffic that visitors of the article directory could bring to the website and the reference they can make to the website. Link from the directory is not enough to promote a website, but the traffic coming from the directory will definitely lift the status of the website.
To attain the goal of article submission, articles should be submitted to the right directory under the right category. What good is an article if not submitted under the right category? It does not stop there. Writings should be published on a suitable directory. There are thousands of directories available, but only few can provide the right and constant traffic you need for your website.
There are two types of directories, paid and free article directories and an author should be aware of this prior to submitting an article. Paid directories offer authors fast approval and easy access of articles. Normal submission can take a minimum of four (4) days to a maximum of two (2) weeks prior to getting an article approved. Nevertheless free article directories are the perfect choice. An author does not need to spend a single cent and there is an assurance that more authors are accessing it since it’s free.
Directories are managed by different organizations offering the same service. It is understood that they will definitely implement different set of rules. They have their own authors who will review every entry to the directory. This is to ensure that entries submitted are in conformity with the rules and will preserve the integrity of the site. For fast approval of articles, punctuation, grammar, and spelling mistakes should be avoided.
Content of the article should be weighed before submitting it to any directory. Factors such as keyword density, choice of words, popularity of the topic, and accuracy of information provided are key components to the success of a submitted entry. Directories do not allow entries with too much keyword causing it to lose the main point of the article. An article containing 1-3 percent keyword will most likely make it to the directory rather than an entry with 5-6 percent keyword though rich with information.
For articles that need to be submitted to several directories, it is very important to understand the importance of the author’s name and bio-box. Articles submitted to numerous directories must have identical author’s name. Using a different author’s name on different directories may result to issues that could lead to removal of account. Publishing an article under a different author’s name may violate the anti-plagiarism rule an article directory implements.
If you want to reach audiences of Israel then it is a good idea to visit Israel articles directories and submit your article at business articles.
Computers are everywhere, from your grocery store to your library, even in your car. Schools are teaching children how to use these devices from the time they enter Kindergarten and there are quite a few six year olds who can surf rings around their parents and grandparents. Most homes have a computer in them and searching the Internet, typing up reports, or simply organizing files is a common way of life. Other than turning the computer on and off and checking your e-mails, you find yourself lost in the information age.
Have no fear, my computer challenged friend. There are a variety of ways to turn yourself from computer illiterate to computer guru. Most of these ways are inexpensive and take up a little bit of your time. Some of them can be done in the luxury of your own home at your own pace. You can learn how to use your computer more efficiently, try out things you’d never thought you’d do – like creating basic computer graphics – and use it more as a tool than for entertainment.
If you don’t have or want to put out a lot of money to take a few basic computer courses, check with your local library to see if they offer free classes. Because most libraries now use a computer based cataloging system, they will offer classes to help older patrons learn how to navigate a computer. Many also offer classes that teach the basics of using programs such as Microsoft Word, a word processing program used for typing reports, letters, and articles such as this one. If your local library doesn’t offer these classes, ask them to find out what it would take to start them up. Check with your local Senior Citizen Center as well for free classes. These may be only open to seniors, but they may have information on other free classes available in your area.
Check with your local college for non-credit computer classes. Many community colleges usually offer these in the evenings. They are specifically designed for people to brush up on their skills, learn the basics of using a computer, or how to use a specific program. These classes are fairly inexpensive and meet one to two times in the evenings for about an hour to an hour and a half. Sometimes colleges offer these classes in beginner, intermediate, and advanced lesson plans, so choose accordingly.
If you are comfortable enough with a computer to teach yourself how to use other programs, instruction courses can be found on the Internet. These are usually step-by-step tutorials that you can work through at your own pace. Programs range from learning how to create complex databases in Microsoft Access to creating your first webpage using Adobe Dreamweaver. Some even offer a certificate of completion at the end.
No matter what level you are at in using a computer, keep in mind that it is a tool that can make your life simpler. Don’t be afraid to try and use it. And feel free to let your six year old give you a hand surfing the net.
With You in Technology
Adam White
Adam is a non-technical writer for www.Discover-VoIP.info. There he discusses Internet Phone Hardware and Wireless VoIP Headsets.
In life, it is the moral responsibility for the elder to teach the younger, or for the experienced to teach the inexperienced. In internet life, the same moral responsibility applies in regards to correct use of email.
One large difference is that, in internet life, it is very often the younger who are the experienced. The current waves of growth in internet usage, the new users, are largely from the older generations.
Accordingly, it becomes the responsibility of the experienced users to educate and train newer users in the correct usage of email. One simple way of imparting this education to lesser experienced internet users is to politely refer them to this article at http://www.BestPrac.Org/articles/netiquette.shtml
The internet life carries it’s own versions of courtesy, privacy and security issues that all users need to know. Hence a new word has entered the vocabulary - Netiquette. (Internet etiquette.)
For example:
* In internet and email culture, ALL CAPITALS IS AKIN TO SHOUTING and is universally seen as rude and impolite.
* New email users often forget to include a brief “Subject” line on their emails, or do not understand the importance of it. Ordinary postal service “snail-mail” does not ordinarily require a heading about the contents of the letter on the outside of the envelope - though most posted periodicals and many commercial accounts nowadays do identify the contents or level of importance on the outside of the envelope. Email, however, operates very differently from snail-mail. Never omit a subject line, and keep your subject line brief and relevant. Without a subject line, your email will probably be seen as yet another junk email and be deleted unread by the intended recipient. More commonly, it may not even reach the recipient at all. Many ISPs filter suspicious looking emails and delete them without delivery. A blank subject line to an email filter is like waving a red rag in front of a bull.
* Never send emails to people you do not know without their express permission. Only send email to people who you know, or who have clearly indicated that they want to receive correspondence from you. Violation of this act of Netiquette can land you in all sorts of trouble. You will be labelled as a spammer. In some states or countries, you risk being charged with criminal or cival violations of the law for sending unsolicited email. Even in countries or states where there is no specific law prohibiting unsolicited email, it is regarded as bad manners and offensive. If you check with your ISP, you will almost always find that they reserve the right to terminate your internet connection if they receive complaints about you for sending unsolicited email.
* Even when sending email to people that you do know, only send them what they are likely to want. Not everyone you know wants jokes or other “chain email” forwarded to them. Not everyone shares your sense of humour or has the time while connected at work to be reading frivolous emails. If you like forwarding jokes or other “chain emails” to your friends, check with them first to be sure they are happy to receive them.
* Think before you type. Type, then think again. Unlike face-to-face or voice-to-voice communications, the easily and quickly typed email can all too easily be a source for expressing your feelings in the bluntest of ways. Similarly, the hastily written word may lack feelings and not express the emotions that can be sensed with eye contact or voice modulation in other forms of communications. It is too easy to forget that there is a human at the other end - not just a computer. You can very easily damage your own reputation and destroy friendships with thoughtless emails. Once an email is sent, you cannot retrieve it. The damage is done.
While to the experienced user all of the above is simply common sense, as the old saying goes “Common sense is not really all that common.” These basics are not innate within the human sole. Newcomers need to be taught.
When to use To:, CC: or BCC:
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Another vital area of appropriate email usage goes beyond merely being courteous in your communications - the correct use of To: or CC: or BCC when adding recipients to the email your are sending.
All popular email software and all web-email accounts give you a choice of these three different ways to add a recipient for your email. (Sometimes you might need to check your software menu and enable BCC as a visible option. It is not a visible option by default in all email software, unfortunately.) Your choice has vital privacy and security implications, so it is important to know which to use and when. While “To:” is self explanatory, a brief definition and history of CC: and BCC: will help you understand their correct usage.
* CC: is a term from old fashioned typists. It stands for “Carbon Copy”. In days of old, prior to photocopiers or word processors with laser printers, copies of letters were made by inserting two sheets of typing with a sheet of carbon paper in between into the typewriter. When a secretary typed a letter that was meant for one person though another person (other other people) was to receive a copy, and the first person was to be informed that a copy was being sent to another person, the typist would add a line under the signature at the end of the letter, along the lines of:
CC: Joe Bloggs.
Jane Smith.
This convention alerted to direct recipient to the fact that the letter had also been sent to other specific people.
If you did not want the direct recipient to know that copies were sent to other people, you’d simply not include a CC: line at the end of the letter.
* BCC: stands for “Blind Carbon Copy”. It is the electronic equivalent of sending a letter to multiple people without a CC: line. It means that people receive the email without any trace of who else is also receiving it being revealed.
Given those definitions, there are simple guidelines as to when you should use To:, CC: or BCC: in the emails that you send:
* If your email is being sent to just one person or email address, place it in the “To:” section.
* If your email is being sent to more than one recipient and all the recipients truly need to know who else is receiving it, put all the addresses in the CC: section.
* If your email is being sent to more than one recipient but there is no urgent reason for all the recipients to know the names and email addresses of everyone else to whom it is being sent, put all the addresses in the BCC: section.
(Some email software requires at least one address to be placed in the To: section. If yours insists on this when you are trying to send a CC or BCC email, put your own email address in the To: section.)
Understanding these basic principles of email usage has many benefits. It preserves the privacy of your contacts. It prevents lists of names and email addresses being sent to strangers when someone you send an email then forwards it to others. It helps to prevent viruses, worms and trojans being accidentally spread by your friends with out-of-date antivirus programs.
Most of all, it shows the people with whom you communicate that you are sensible and responsible in your online behaviour. It shows that you take their privacy and security seriously. It builds trust in your communications.
Trevor A. Johnson is Chairman of the internationally active Anti Spam organization BestPrac:Org (http://www.BestPrac.Org) which promotes internet industry standards of Best Practice for the Prevention and Elimination of Email Spam.
Leopards don’t change their spots. With laws and accepted standards in regards to unsolicited bulk email marketing, a.k.a. spam, having tightened in recent years, so too has the resolve of spammers to find loopholes to justify their wicked deeds.
The growth and now almost complete global acceptance of confirmed-opt-in standards (sometimes called “double opt in”) for email newsletter subscriptions has been encouraging. It has certainly gone a long way towards distinguishing between legitimated, wanted periodic emails and unwanted spam.
Confirmed-opt-in works like this: An ezine publisher seeking subscribers places a form on a webpage inviting people to submit their email address to subscribe. Of course, there is a risk that malicious submissions could be made, so the confirmed-opt-in subscription mechanism sends a confirmation email to the address provided, requesting that the owner of that email either reply to the email, or click on a specially coded link within that email. As the only person who has access to reading that request for confirmation is the true owner of the email address, a confirmation is solid proof that the subscriber is genuine and not added to the mailing list by some other party.
A confirmed-opt-in also provides the subscriber with the comfort of knowing they are dealing with an honest publisher. In short, if a subscription is NOT via a confirmed-opt-in method, web users are well advised not to provide their email address at all.
Given the now nearly universal acceptance of confirmed-opt-in subscriptions to email periodicals in order to distinguish them from spam, it should not surprise that spammers themselves have turned their attentions to exploiting the otherwise virtuous confirmed-opt-in mechanism into something that appears to legitimise their dirty spam marketing practices.
Welcome to the new and nasty world of “confirmed-opt-in-spam”.
A growing trend in bulk email marketing (some of which is legitimate, some of which is not) has been the use of a “squeeze page”, also known as a “name-squeeze”. While such a marketing mechanism may be completely above-board, honest and spam-free, the worry is the growing trend of misuse of the squeeze page by spammers to create a confirmed-opt-in email list to which to send unsolicited marketing materials.
A squeeze page, of itself, is not an evil tool. Used properly, they can be a very effective and legitimate marketing mechanism. They work as follows:
An email publisher attempts to increase their subscriber base by offering a free gift to new subscribers to their newsletter or ezine. For example, the offer may be for a free PDF ebook, or a downloadable video clip or similar giveaway. The idea is that this extra bit of incentive will encourage more people to subscribe to the email publication. The subscriber receives a confirmation email to which they either reply or click a specially encoded link within the confirmation email. They are then either emailed the free gift or automatically directed to a web page from where they can download it for themselves.
In the hands of a spammer, a deceptively similar strategy is employed:
The spammer offers a free gift in return for your email address. When you provide your email address in anticipation of receiving the free gift, you receive a confirmation email. Again, either a reply or a click on an encoded link confirms that your email address is legitimate and that you are indeed the person requesting the free gift. The free gift is then supplied.
Did you spot the difference between the honest use and the spammer’s technique?
Unlike the honest publisher, the spammer does not tell you that you are subscribing or opting-in to receive a regular newsletter or future marketing emails. The person providing the email address and confirming it is only expecting to receive a single ebook or other free gift, unaware that they are now on someone’s mailing list and about to be bombarded with marketing emails.
Some very well known internet marketing “gurus” use and widely promote the use of this deception and misuse of squeeze pages, thinking that mere confirmed-opt-in or even the ability to subsequently opt-out makes it a legitimate practice. It isn’t. If such a shoddy marketeer sends you follow-up material without prior warning, without your express and knowing consent, that sender is spamming.
Beware of the squeeze page spammer.
Next time you see a free gift being offered online in return for your email address, check for these three things:
# Is there any clear mention that you are subscribing for future emails, or are you just being offered a free gift with no mention of an ongoing email relationship? (If the latter, why do they need to know your email address?)
# Is a detailed privacy policy displayed or clearly linked (not hidden or hard to find) that explains how and why email addresses are collected, whether privacy is assured or if they reserve the right to use it for other purposes, what your rights to removal from their database and future emails may be, and so forth? (A professional privacy policy is a rather lengthy statement for even the simplest of websites. Don’t place too much trust in single-sentence assurances.)
# Never forget the old adage: If the offer sounds too good to be true, then it almost certainly is.
The author, Mr. Trevor A. Johnson, is Chairman of the internationally active BestPrac:Org Anti Spam organization (http://www.bestprac.org) which promotes internet industry standards of technical and ethical Best Practice for the Prevention and Elimination of Email Spam.
Despite legislation prohibiting spam in most countries of the world, spam is still as prevalent today as it was prior to the legislated prohibitions. Computer users, particularly home and private users, need to know and implement five essential security measures to prevent the majority of spam from ever reaching their machine.
1 : Keep your operating system up to date. All major operating systems contain security flaws. When these are discovered, the software manufacturer will quickly issue security patches for users to download and install, often automatically if the user chooses such a setting in their operating system’s preferences. Keep your operating system up to date at all time.
2 : Install a software firewall. Some operating systems these days come with a default firewall, though third party firewalls tend to offer greater levels of protection that those provided with an operating system. Several of these firewalls are available by online download at no cost and offer strong protection against hackers attempting to get in to your machine, as well as malicious software installations trying to covertly send email or other communications from your machine without your knowledge.
3: Install antivirus software and keep it up to date. In recent years, viruses have become a popular method for spammers to infect hundreds of thousands of personal computers with “trojans”, thus turning them into unwitting “zombies” capable of being controlled remotely to send unlimited quantities of spam. If your machine is infected, you could be spamming hundreds of thousands of other people and not even be aware that it is happening. Protecting your machine is not only for your own protection. It is the responsible thing to do to contribute to the protection of the internet as a whole. New viruses are released by vile offenders almost every day, so keep your antivirus software updated, either manually or by selecting auto update settings, daily.
4: Install anti spyware software and keep it updated. Spyware, also known as adware or malware, can be used in similar ways to viruses and trojan to invade your privacy, compromise your machine’s security and send emails or other electronic communications without your knowledge. Some of the more advanced antivirus software packages also include spyware protection, while others don’t. In either case, it is wise to have a standalone anti spyware package installed on your computer. Some of the better anti spyware software packages are available for download online without cost, so no computer owner should overlook this form of protection.
5: Only use email accounts that are filtered at the server level. If your email accounts are not filtered for both viruses and spam by your ISP or other email provider, close the account and find a new provider immediately. Don’t rely on installing your own local spam filter as spam should ideally be stopped at the server level so that spam and email borne viruses never reach your machine at all. No spam filter is 100% accurate, so it is fine to have your own local spam filter for the rare spam that your ISP or email provider’s server-side filter misses, but do not rely on your local protection alone. Another sound idea is to filter incoming email through one of the major web-based email services. These can be configured to receive POP3 email from your ISP or from your domain (if you own your own website) and filter your email. You may either check your now filtered email via the web interface, or pay a token annual fee (though some are at no cost) to be able to automatically download your web-account filtered email into your choice of local email software such as Outlook, Outlook Express, Thunderbird or others.
These five measures will not stop all spam from reaching your computer. All internet users have other responsibilities to be careful in regards to whom and where they disclose their email address, never open unsolicited attachments, and other such security considerations. Combined, though, these five measures will most likely reduce your future spam volume by at least 95%.
The author, Mr. Trevor A. Johnson, is Chairman of the internationally active BestPrac:Org Anti Spam organization (http://www.bestprac.org) which promotes internet industry standards of technical and ethical Best Practice for the Prevention and Elimination of Email Spam.