Author Archive for Theo McLanahan

How Viruses Can Attack More Than Just Your Computer

Published
by
Theo McLanahan
on August 7, 2008
in Computers
. 0 Comments
by Theo McLanahan

You would be hard pressed to find any computer connected to the Internet without some type of anti-virus software to protect from the thousands of viruses circulating the World Wide Web. However, viruses can hit more than just computers. We need to learn how to protect all vulnerable technology such as routers, networks, and servers.

Routers are used to route network traffic, and are basically a special type of computer. Servers work to serve computers on a specific network.

They typically have more space, more memory, and are faster. There are several different types of servers, such as web servers, file servers, and email and ftp servers.

Anti-virus software is a must for all of these types of systems. They are vulnerable to the same viruses which plague our PCs. Therefore we must work diligently to ensure that they are protected from malicious viruses such as Trojans.

One way that servers and routers can be infected by viruses is from computers which are connected to them. Users can help by ensuring that there computer’s are virus free and thereby prevent the spread to servers or routers.

Users can do this by not only installing and running anti-virus software, but also by using Internet browsers which allow them to limit what types of websites can be visited and what those websites that are allowed may install.

It is also important for all users on a network to be diligent when it comes to opening emails. Most viruses are spread via email attachments which usually come in the form as an executable file, but may come with image attachments as well. Users should never open an email attachment if they don’t know the source or if it hasn’t been scanned for viruses.

In order to better protect servers, routers, and other important systems on our networks, technology companies are working towards better security options. Preventing viruses is vital to keep networks running smoothly.

About the Author:
Is your PC secure enough? Find out what you should be doing to keep it safe from viruses, spyware and other online security threats at the Online Security Toolkit website. Visit http://www.onlinesecuritytoolkit.com for more information.

Big Goals for a Small Business

Published
by
Theo McLanahan
on July 17, 2008
in Small Business
. 0 Comments
by Theo McLanahan

In the past several years, small businesses have frequently produced items that have gone on to become tremendously popular nationwide. Your business can accomplish similar things if you and your workers are ready to combine all your efforts, putting them together in order to accomplish great things.

A business cannot reach a big goal without the help of everyone involved. Consider what it will take to accomplish your company’s goal and then make each person responsible for a small part of the overall goal. As the individuals complete their respective parts, you will come closer and closer to having success in reaching the big goal.

When deciding what goals to set, everyone should be involved. This way, everyone will know who is responsible for what aspect of the project and they will be able to offer ideas and suggestions to help one another. You will also be in a better position to encourage productivity and an overall positive attitude within your staff, which will in turn aid them in realizing their individual parts of the company’s goal.

Keep morale high by challenging your employees with small side projects and rewarding them whenever the reach a stairstep goal.

When your employees are motivated, they are naturally more productive. Assigning them goals in the first place also helps out on this. If you have ever been someone’s assistant, you know how much more productive you can be when you fully understand the assignment you have been given.

A positive work environment will definitely help your employees reach their goals. As their leader, your attitude affects everyone’s attitudes. When you are stressed out and angry, it can bring the whole workplace down. On the other hand, when you are upbeat and energized, other people will feel it and become that way, too. Attitudes are very contagious, so it is better to spread good ones than bad ones.

Small companies are completely capable of accomplishing truly great things. But a leader with a negative attitude who treats their employees poorly and fails to meet important deadlines will affect everyone very negatively. Instead, let your good example show employees the high standard of work you expect from them.

Commending your employees whenever possible, maintaining a positive attitude, and having confidence in your business’s ability to reach its big goals will influence your workforce to do the same. Soon your small business will be realizing your dreams, doing big things.

About the Author:
Looking for free article content for your website or email newsletters? Visit Articles Gone Viral where you’ll find articles on many different subjects, all available for you to use. Get more information at www.ArticlesGoneViral.com

Why It’s So Important to Make Graphics for Online Businesses

Published
by
Theo McLanahan
on July 16, 2008
in Internet Marketing
. 0 Comments
by Theo McLanahan

Essential to doing any sort of business activities on the Internet, a website acts as a sort of online store front, presenting your business to countless international customers. The success or failure that your Internet based business has is greatly influenced by the graphics you choose to use on the website.

Above all else, well made, high quality graphics will give your website a great professional touch. Conversely, the entire website will be affected negatively by low quality graphics or images that are poorly arranged, blurry, or otherwise unappealing aesthetically. Right or wrong, visitors to your site will judge your entire business based on the appearance your graphics present. If they consider yours to be amateur, they probably won’t be real excited to do business with you.

Graphics are most effective when they express your brand’s concept to the public while helping customers to quickly and easily recognize your product. Consider one famous example, the Nike “swoosh.” This internationally known symbol appears on the company’s website amongst other images of shoes and athletes that conjure up sports related thoughts.

Nike’s concept, “Just Do It,” is well represented by the images and graphics that are placed on the company’s website. Think for a moment about how you would feel if, upon arriving on the Nike home page, you were greeted with pictures of cookies, cake, and ice cream. You would surely be confused and would probably start looking for the website you were actually after in the first place.

The same theory applies to your website; if the graphics do not convey the message you are trying to send, your visitors will end up confused and click away. The quality of your graphics also affects success of your affiliate programs as well as the number of incoming links you may receive.

Asking other businesspeople to join up with you in an online affiliate program brings with it a certain level of responsibility. Since you are requesting that they sell your products and services, you will want to have high caliber graphics on your website. Otherwise, affiliates will be hard to find. They will not be able to advertise or promote your products if you provide them with poor quality graphics.

Becoming part of a link exchange means that others will display the image you present them with on their website. If you give them a low quality image that will detract from the visual quality of their websites, they will be much more likely to refuse your offers at making a professional partnership. Any graphic you use as part of a link exchange should be of the very highest quality.

As you can see, graphics play a big part in your business. If you do not have experience with graphic software or don’t feel that you are the best one suited for creating your graphics, you should hire a graphic designer. It may cost more up front, but think about how much money you would lose by having a poor image as your graphic. It is well worth the investment to hire a professional.

About the Author:
Is article marketing part of your promotion strategy? If so, be sure you submit at an article directory that actually pays you for your articles. Find out more at http://www.articlesgoneviral.com

How Your Domain Name Attracts Customers

Published
by
Theo McLanahan
on June 21, 2008
in Internet Business
. 0 Comments
by Theo McLanahan

The quickest way to getting eyeballs on your business these days is by establishing an online presence and central to establishing a powerful online presence is choosing a domain name that will attract the right customers.

Somehow, there hasn’t been enough emphasis placed on choosing a domain name that attracts the right customers, so allow me to expound on this subject with some tips you can put to immediate use for your next website or blog.

1. Choose A Descriptive Domain

What your website offers should be clear from the domain name. Don’t make your potential visitors guess at what they’ll find on your website.

eg. If your name is Lisa Barstow and you run a hair salon, get a domain like lisashairsalon.com instead of lisabarstow.com. Unless you already famous, or want to become famous, your own name isn’t the best option.

Also, try to keep your domain name within a range of 13-15 characters, as shorter domain names tend to stick in people’s minds. It also makes it easier for them to type out your web address in their browsers without too much head scratching.

2. Select A Keyword-Rich Domain Name

It’s becoming increasingly important for business owners to have their websites indexed and ranked well in search engines like Google.com, MSN.com and Yahoo.com. And it helps this cause tremendously if you have a keyword-rich domain name. The reason for this is simple: Your potential customers search using specific keyword phrases to find what they’re looking for.

Spending the time to research your keywords and find a domain that uses them, while still meeting the first criteria (descriptive, short as possible) is well worth the time.

Of course, there are other SEO tactics to implement for better rankings, but getting a keyword-rich domain name is the first step towards ensuring your website will be search engine friendly. Avoid using any weird characters like apostrophes and even hyphens in your domain name as this will eventually affect rankings.

3. Can You Use A Different Extension Than .com?

Well, the answer is yes and no. There’s no reason you can’t use a different extension like .net or .biz if that’s the only way you can get the domain you want. It’s not the best choice however, because everybody thinks in terms of .com. If your site uses something else, it’s going to be an uphill battle to get people to recognize your site. If someone else already owns the .com version, they’re going to get a lot of free traffic thanks to your marketing.

How would you like your potential customers to end up on your competitor’s client list thanks to the time and money you spend on marketing?

If you’re setting up a website for specific types of organizations, a non-profit group for example which should use .org, the best way to go is to stick with .com.

So, don’t rush headlong into purchasing a domain name without first taking the time to research keyword phrases that would be a perfect match for your product or service. You can perform this much needed research at websites such as www.wordtracker.com, www.keywordtumbler.com and www.goodkeywords.com. It requires some effort, but acquiring the keyword phrases that are used by prospects and incorporating them into your domain name will pay off handsomely for years to come.

About the Author:
Are you struggling to get your internet business started but feel adrift in a sea of gurus and products promising the world? Visit the Internet Marketing Chaos blog for a hype-free look at how to start and run your business, at http://www.netmarketingchaos.com