Danger, Danger: 5 Tips for Using a Public PC

There's a guy in New York who may have got into your personal business. If he did, he probably looted your online bank account.

Juju Jiang is serving time now after pleading guilty. But for a couple years, he bugged public computers with software that logged keystrokes. He used it to capture usernames and passwords. Some he used to steal money; others he sold on the web.

He got caught when he manipulated a victim's home computer while she was present. She watched incredulously as he methodically searched her computer. He was using GoToMyPC, which allows travellers to manipulate their computers from afar. The victim had used GoToMyPC previously from a public machine. Jiang stole her username and password.

Spying software can easily be placed on public computers, such as those in Internet cafés, airports, libraries and other public places.

With spying software, a criminal can grab your passwords and usernames. Ultimately, you could lose your money or have your identity stolen. That should tell you enough to be wary of public PC terminals.

Software is Unobtrusive

Spies usually use software because it is invisible to the untutored eye. Hardware to do virtually the same thing also can be used, by placing it between the keyboard and computer. But using it is too obvious in a public place.

The software programs, however, can record a victim's every keystroke. The keystroke loggers can then e-mail the collected information on a set schedule. Or it can be downloaded. Other software programs take screen shots of places you go. These, too, send their collected information via e-mail.

The spying programs are inconspicuous. Unless you know how to look for them, you'll never see them.

But don't forget there are other threats besides spy programs. Here's how to stay safe:

Here are five things to consider when you sit down in front of a strange computer:

Check for Spy Programs

Download X-Cleaner Spyware Remover at spywareinfo.com. Put it on a floppy disk. If the public computer you use has a floppy drive, insert the disk and run X-Cleaner from the floppy to check the hard drive. You do not have to install X-Cleaner.

Erase Your Tracks

When you use an internet browser, it keeps records of where you went. When you finish surfing with Microsoft Internet Explorer, click Tools > Internet Options. On the General tab, click Delete Files and Delete Cookies. Then click Clear History.

If you're using Netscape Navigator, it's a little more complicated. Follow these steps.

• Check the settings before going online. Click Edit and Preferences. Click the arrow next to Navigator and select History. On the right, find Browsing History. Change "Remember visited pages" to 0.

• Click on the arrow next to Privacy and Security. Select Disable Cookies and Disable Cookies in Mail and Newsgroups.

• When you finish surfing, click Edit and Preferences. Click the arrow next to Navigator. Click Clear History and Clear Location Bar. Go to Privacy and Security on the left side and click the arrow. Select Cookies. Click Manage Stored Cookies. On the Stored Cookies tab, click Remove All Cookies.

• Now go to Advanced, in the left-hand panel. Click the Arrow and click Cache. Click Clear Memory Cache and Clear Disk Cache. Protect Your Passwords

Browsers also track passwords. Before going on the web, if you're using Internet Explorer, click Tools > Internet Options . On the Content tab, click AutoComplete. Clear the four boxes.

When you finish surfing, again click Tools > Internet Options . Go to the Content tab and click AutoComplete . Click Clear Forms and Clear Passwords.

If you're using Netscape, click Edit and Preferences . Click the arrow next to Privacy and Security . Click Passwords . Clear the box next to Remember Passwords . When you finish browsing, click Passwords again, under Privacy and Security. Click Manage Stored Passwords. Select the Passwords Saved tab and click Remove All.

Netscape has a feature similar to AutoComplete. It saves data entered into forms. To disable that, under Privacy and Security, click Forms. Uncheck "Save form data from Web pages when completing forms." When you finish browsing, return to the Forms page. Click Manage Stored Form Data. Click Remove All Saved Data.

Cleaning out the browser will ensure that no one can track your surfing or grab your passwords with saved data. But a keystroke-logging program will still catch your passwords.

Probably the best password protection is a temporary password. Use it while you're on the road, then discard it.

Don't Rely on Encryption

There are a number of encryption packages on the market. They can be used to encrypt email. However, they encrypt the mail when the Send button is clicked. That's too late if a key-logging program is on the computer. It will make a record of the password and message as it is being written.

Use Some Common Sense

Public computers may be secure. But you really have no way of being sure. You can secure your home or business computer, but you can't be certain of what has been done with a public machine.

Approach these machines with care. Don't do any banking or stock trading on them if you can avoid it. Avoid credit-card transactions. Use a temporary password if you must check your email. And ask your system administrator how to "expire page views."

If you're just surfing, that should not be a problem. But avoid sensitive business if you can. There might be a Juju Jiang watching.

Daily Chores Win More Business

Doing chores is one of the things no one likes to do and therefore they very rarely do it. This means if you decide right here and now that you will do your business chores, you will be ahead of 80% of your competition.

What do we mean by a business chore? A business chore is made up of many items. Here are some that you can put into your schedule and if you do them on a regular basis, you will get that feeling of satisfaction that comes with a good day of business just from following up:


First - Take a handful of the cards you collected from the last networking event (or trade show) you attended and put them into your database. You can use Outlook or other CRM type software to do this. The key here is that you create a category for the event. For example, if you attended a Chamber of Commerce networking event on July 20, you would create a category Chamber Events (you may also want to put the year). When you enter the contact information, you will then select Chamber Events as the category.

Did you know that people attending Chamber networking events only follow up 1% of the time? Here is your chance to put in the contact information and then...

Second - Decide what method you want to use to follow up with the contacts you just entered. If you want to send an email, I would suggest you have several drafts you can choose from and then customize it for that particular individual (remember we do business with individuals and not organizations). If you create your emails in Word or other word processing program ahead of you can prepare several versions for different scenarios. I suggest you create at least 5 different ones. Then all you need to do is pick the text, fill in the blanks, and send the email. What could be easier?

Email is certainly the easiest method of connection but not all email gets through because of spam blockers or the recipient does not recognize your name and trashes it before it is opened. You must look to using a number of connection methods including using the telephone.


Third - Use the contact information you have just entered to follow up your email with a phone call to set up a time to meet on the phone. The key here is that you are booking 15 to 20 minutes of phone time to discuss potential. You are not selling your products with this first phone call. Most often you will end up leaving a quick message and will recycle the redial until the next day. Don't waste your time dialing the same person several times in one day.

Fourth - Even though you may have sent an email and made a quick phone call, you follow up chores for the day are not complete. If you think there may be business you can do with the prospect, you next chores is to send a card, personally addressed and written with envelope and stamp. Sound tedious? Well it does not have to be, I found a system that works beautifully! I use a program that does all of this for me. If you want to try it out go to www.SendOutCards.com/11666 I have setup a guest account for you to play with (you can send out 1 or 2 cards on my nickel). The id and password to get into the account is midnight. The results I have obtained from sending out these cards has been overwhelming. Everyone I sent a follow up card to has responded - that is 100%. Amazing!

In summary there are three chores you need to put into your calendar for the first thing each morning. You should do these chores everyday to achieve maximum results


First, enter new contact information into your Outlook or CRM program.

Second, send an email to follow up.

Third, make a quick phone call to set up a telephone meeting.

Fourth, send a personal card in the mail (see the item above to get access to instant cards). If you can do these four chores everyday, your business will blossom.

czech republic investment property

Since the Czech Republic joined the EU in May 2004, it has attracted more and more investment to the country. So in 2007, is the market still viable for those searching for a Czech Republic investment property?

According to the Czech Statistical Office, records for the first six months of the year indicate that the Czech Republic is enjoying a prosperous 2007, and overall confidence in the economy reached a record level in August. Alongside the healthy economy, the country is also seeing an increase in consumer spending, which is good news for the property market and good news for those wishing to buy a Czech Republic investment property.

Most investment is focused on Prague, a central destination that is easy to get to with cheap daily flights. Prices for apartments in Prague are increasing at 20 percent per year with gross rental yields currently around 7.5 to 8.5 percent. The average investor has been buying their Czech Republic investment property for around £150,000 in the capital’s top locations, Prague districts 1 to 5. But this city has prices to suit all pockets from £30,000 to hundreds of thousands of pounds. PragueProperty4Less currently has five city developments with apartments available across the £39,200 to £250,000 range. They anticipate a capital appreciation of over 10 percent a year for the next five years.

For those searching for a low-budget, buy-to-let Czech Republic investment property, brand-new property will soon be available in the second largest city, Brno. Prices here are about two-thirds of those in Prague, and as the economy has strengthened, the area has attracted much regeneration. There are several projects underway, including two city centre developments with units starting at £28,000 and £39,500, both due for completion in Spring 2008. And a family friendly development complete with playground and pond, with units from £30,000, due for completion in 2009.

Prague is still the tourist hotspot for a Czech Republic investment property but investments in the world-class golf and ski resorts outside the city are also worth a look. With a golf revival in full swing, property at the Obora Golf Village at the Monachus Golf Resort is one prospect for a Czech Republic investment property. Units currently available include three bungalows, ranging in price from £146,200 to £212,200, and three villas, from £171,700 to £228,400. Or you may choose to invest in the thriving ski resorts. The Krkonose region, also known as the Giant Mountains, encompasses many towns and resorts with potential for a Czech Republic investment property. Situated close to the ski lifts in Rokytnice nad Jizerou, three apartments are currently available ranging in price from £51,000 to £65,000. There is also a range of property for sale in the Giant Mountain resorts of Svoboda nad Upou and Harrachov,and in the family-friendly Sumava region.

As the country enjoys one of the best economic growth rates in the EU, much of the county is benefiting from major regeneration projects, giving those wishing to purchase a Czech Republic investment property much greater choice. Central Bohemia is one such area and, located 30km southwest of Prague, you’ll find the town of Beroun. Those who bought a Czech Republic investment property last year in the Beroun district have already seen the value of their property rise by 20 percent. Property is currently available in the northwest area of Beroun at ‘The Bakery’, a modern refurbishment of an old bakery building. Enfield-based company Trojans International is offering 38 units at ‘The Bakery’ priced from just £20,000 and due for completion in September this year.

With continued regeneration and economic success, the figures are still making sense for those looking for a Czech Republic investment property.and in the family-friendly Sumava region.

As the country enjoys one of the best economic growth rates in the EU, much of the county is benefiting from major regeneration projects, giving those wishing to purchase a Czech Republic investment property much greater choice. Central Bohemia is one such area and, located 30km southwest of Prague, you’ll find the town of Beroun. Those who bought a Czech Republic investment property last year in the Beroun district have already seen the value of their property rise by 20 percent. Property is currently available in the northwest area of Beroun at ‘The Bakery’, a modern refurbishment of an old bakery building. Enfield-based company Trojans International is offering 38 units at ‘The Bakery’ priced from just £20,000 and due for completion in September this year.

With continued regeneration and economic success, the figures are still making sense for those looking for a Czech Republic investment property.

CUTTING NEWS ! - Frank Thomas Joins Roadmap To Riches .. It's official !

Todays home entrepreneur's tips:

eBay (A subset of List Building)
eBay? Free Advertising?

Ok, so technically an auction listings cost 35 cents… But one sale can easily make you a profit, and you’re allowed to sell nine of the same product in one auction at that price… So this is one exception I’m going to keep in this book because it’s really BETTER than free, all things considered.
So where does the Advertising part come in?
Simply place an information package of some kind, even if it’s just an article on your niche, and sell that infoproduct in an extremely cheap auction listing. Most people sell these things for 1 penny, although the difference between 1 cent and 35 cents really isn’t that much of a difference to the buyers looking for this information.
Naturally there are no other costs like shipping or insurance, because delivery is a simple digital download. Further advertising is up to you, and it is always a matter of just giving eBay some additional fees to make your listing stand out more. If your listing is profiting, try starting the next listing as a “Gallery item” for another 35 cents, and go up from there until you’ve reached a point of maximum returns.
Here’s the great part about this tactic: The winner of the listing’s email address is automatically sent to you via email, through eBay itself. Sell a bunch of those info packets, and you’ve built yourself one of your industry’s most targeted lists!
Don’t feel too left out if you haven’t mentally joined these two concepts together before now. Not too many people have, unless they bought the secret from someone on eBay themselves.
The fact is that eBay already has the lion’s share of traffic, and more importantly, of people in the purchasing mindset. Compare this to Google’s Traffic, which is composed of people in the “researching” mindset. It’s not hard to imagine why serious marketers prefer eBay’s traffic to Google’s Traffic!
Advertising on eBay is as simple as being there in the first place, using a few well-searched keywords. Finding those keywords isn’t too difficult either; all you really have to do is search for expired listings and sort by the price. This way you’ll easily see which auctions recently got the most money in your niche, and then all you have to do is model your campaign like theirs, listing your product under the same category!
Drawbacks?
Although the Delivery Time and the Quality of the traffic is world class, the Quantity is not infinite… It depends on your niche, of course, but the competition on eBay can be fierce as new auctions will be placed above older ones all the time. Still, with people happy to search keywords you’ve still got a good chance of being found even between the first day or the last few minutes of the auction.
Effectiveness in drawing a large amount of traffic all depends on how good your auction’s sales copy is. Luckily, you can model your auction off others that have done well in the past.
Make no mistake about it; selling infoproducts on eBay is a world-class list-building strategy. That’s about all there is to it, but most people overlook this very powerful way of building your list because it seems too awkward, or they don’t want to take the time to put an info-packet together.
If you sell a product online, then you’ve got to face the fact eventually that this is some of the most targeted, “buyer-frenzied” traffic that exists. If you’re not using this tactic, then you’ll not only be depriving your business of a constant stream of better-than-free advertising, but you’ll also be missing out on a large source of clients that you aren’t likely to be able to reach otherwise.
The fact is that everybody eBays nowadays. That’s why I can use eBay as a verb! In fact I’ve seen a statistic recently that showed $14 of every $100 spent online, worldwide, is spent through eBay now, and this number is still growing! It is clearly the single biggest mover of money on the planet.
People from ALL walks of life can be found there, right when they have their credit cards in hand looking to spend… I don’t even know of another source of traffic that comes close!
When used correctly, you can build up a niche market list on any topic with this technique, and reach an unprecedented 50% or more of that market over time.

Just another weapon you put up in your arsenal of "guerilla methods".

Custom Vinyl Decals and Magnetic Signs Give You a Competitive Advantage

If you own a small- to medium-sized business, you likely face stiff competition for customers or clients. In such a competitive marketplace, the business that comes out on top is the one that uses every means available for creating brand awareness and advertising its products or services. Even if your marketing efforts include splashy media campaigns, costly pay-per-click search engine marketing, and direct mail pieces, you should also take advantage of less expensive means for sustaining awareness of your company. If you don't have a large marketing budget, it's even more important to find creative ways to build awareness of your company and get the word out.

One of the best ways to advertise is through the use of signage. Huge billboards might be cost prohibitive, but there are a variety of less expensive types of signage that can bring customers into your retail store, drive traffic to your website, and create an awareness of your products and services. Best of all, high quality customs signs can be ordered over the Internet at a fraction of the cost of creating custom signs locally. What follows is an overview of the types of signage that is available and how you might incorporate it into your business.

Custom Vinyl Decals: If you own a retail store, your doors and windows are essentially premiere advertising space. When you create a custom vinyl decal for your door or window, you have a powerful advertising mechanism. Custom vinyl decals are also ideal for bumper stickers, so if you belong to a booster club, are advocating for a political cause, or want to provide a giveaway to your customers, you can design your own bumper

Custom Window Lettering: Lettering with your business' name on it is important for your storefront, but vehicle lettering can be an even better advertising bet. When you have custom vehicle lettering, you are advertising your business whenever you or your employees are behind the wheel. You can customize these vinyl graphics to incorporate your logo, your business name, your website address, your phone number - or anything else you want potential customers to know.

Custom Banners: Whether you're having a sale or another type of event, custom banners draw attention to your business. When you design your banner, you can include your logo and have access to a wide selection of colors, fonts, special effects, borders, and graphics.

Magnetic Signs: If you need signage that is temporary, magnetic signs provide you with inexpensive yet valuable advertising. For example, if you or your employees use their personal vehicles for deliveries or to call on customers or clients, magnetic signs can easily be attached to the vehicle and then taken off at the end of the day.

Other Types of Signage: The best custom sign companies can produce a huge variety of signage. In addition to custom vinyl decals, window lettering, banners, and magnetic signs, they can also do everything from custom wall lettering and custom wall graphics, to boat lettering and registration numbers, to license plates and digital decals.

Virtually every business that advertises - from network marketers to franchisees - can utilize these inexpensive marketing methods to spread the word without breaking the bank.

Custom T-shirts and What Kind to Purchase

Deciding on what kind of shirts to print on is sometimes the most important part of getting custom t-shirts done correctly. However most people are the least informed on this part of the process. So I thought I would try to educate people about this part of the decision making process.
There are many different bands, fabrics, weights, finishes, styles to consider. T-shirts are as ubiquitous as any advertising forum available today. Brand loyalty is great but from my experience most people can’t really tell the difference if two similar shirts are juxtaposed.
I will try to inform you the factors that you should consider. When choosing a shirt I would ask the following questions. What kind of apparel do I want to get printed? 100% cotton, 50/50 blend, ringer tee, raglan tees, jerseys style, tank top, sweatshirts etc. Next is what color of garment? Not all colors are available to you depending on the style of shirts you pick, so be flexible. When deciding on color you are faced with pigment-dyed, tie dyed, whites, lights, & darks. As a rule of thumb whites are the cheapest, then lights, darks, and finally the especially colors get more expensive.
This is just the beginning. Now here is a list of options to which ever type you have chosen. Sleeve length, ¼, ½, ¾ or long sleeve. Color style: regular color, scope neck, v-neck. Tank tops: spegheggeti strap or regular tanks. Also inquire as to the size of the arm holes. They vary significantly from brand to brand. Consider your audience when deciding on the cut. You can choose between classic which most of fit into this category but also available are fitted and youth cut for children. Even more you can find most regular cut t-shirts up to 6xl but not in all colors. Lastly tall’s are also available to you. The more you deviate from the norm the higher the prices become. This is basic supply and demand. Most every manufacturer makes a white 100% cotton t-shirt so they fight harder for your business with price. If you choose 3xl, navy, tall, long sleeve with pocket the number of manufacturers making this product is reduced so the prices are higher. Simple economics 101!
Now if you have selected sweatshirts to print. Here some extra choices to make. Hooded or crewneck, heavy weight or light weight, ¼ zip, full zip just to mention a few.

All this being said remember my earlier comment about not being able to see much a difference when two like products are juxtaposed. Brand loyalty is great but for my money if I need buy a large quantity of t-shirts to print. I go with the brand that has the best price. Don’t substitute a 50/50 5.6 ounce for a 100% cotton heavy weight to save a nickel but if you are purchasing 100 shirts and you can get brand “A” for 1.99 and Brand “B” is 2.49, buy wisely. Lastly if you really don’t know what to pick look in your own closest and find the t-shirt that has been the best for you and chances are you can order the same brand. Good luck on all your custom apparel purchases.

Custom Printed T-Shirts- Top Seven Tips for Using Them in Your Business

When you decide to create your own business you often find that there are a number of expenses that you do not think about. Uniforms, advertising, things to raise employee morale, and promotional items are all costs that people often overlook but can quickly add up. Custom Printed T-shirts are a great way of taking care of all of these things. This list will give you seven tips that will help you be successful when choosing the right company to use and the right products purchase. We hope to remove some of the information asymmetry that small businesses, especially those which are new to the process. We want you to know what to look for so that you can be a more educated buyer.

7. Know what it is that you need the shirts for. Many times, people will call a firm that they have found and ask for a quote on custom printed T-Shirts. While we don’t discourage the effort and enthusiasm, the truth is that when you approach a deal, you need to know more about what you want. This does not mean that you need to know the inner mechanics of screen printing and embroidery digitization, but you should know what the shirts are going to be used for. If you are using them as an outdoor uniform, then you might want heavy material. If you need jerseys for a company basketball team, perhaps a less expensive and cheaper 50/50 blend would be better suited for your needs. The point is you don’t need to know the exact product that you are wanting, but you should know why you need them and what you expect to get out of them.
6. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. This is more than a way for you to figure out if you are getting what you want or if you and your printer are on the same page. Screen printing is not something that just anyone can one day decide they want to do. It requires technical knowledge as well as equipment and time. By asking a few questions about the process and the product, you can often gain insight into the condition of the business. Why settle for doing business with someone who doesn’t deserve your trust.
5. Take into account the additional costs. Custom printers often deceive their customers by not including details like artwork, shipping, and setup. Make sure that if you need artwork or graphic design that you figure out whether that is included and if not how much extra it will cost.
4. Don’t forget about additional items. While screen printing and custom T-shirts are one of the greatest advertising tools and great for a number of things for you company, they aren’t the only product available. We assume that if you are reading this article that you have already discovered or thought about the advantages of custom printed T-Shirts, but there other promotional products that can complement your T-Shirts. I recommend you find a firm that can do both. Usually they are able to offer discounts and if not it is still much more convenient to deal with a single firm then to try to deal with multiple companies all trying to sell you the same thing. In addition, often you can save on shipping and digitizing fees if you use the same company.
3. Order a few extra. One mistake that people often make is that they order too few or just enough of the custom printed shirts that they have nothing to spare. This seems like a good idea because people don’t want to get suckered into having a bunch of extra T-Shirts, but that is a short term strategy that many people end up regretting. The problem is that when people do not order enough they often have to go back and reorder one or two T-Shirts. This seems fine, but screen printing makes doing a single shirt not cost effective. The benefit is that you receive economies of scale, so going back to reorder a single T-Shirt means that you may have incur a significant rise in cost.
2. Know when you need your product ready. Many customers call up too late and find that they are either going to be charged more money for a rush job or that it is simply impossible to do the job in a short period of time. Giving yourself extra time means that you will be less stressed and that your product will turn out great.
1. Use the internet and don’t worry about local. The internet allows people from all over the country to have access to the best deals and products. So even if you are located in New York, NY and your screen printer is located in Portland, OR, you can still get the same service and coverage that you would from a local printer. In fact, it may even work out better because it gives you, the customer, and access to the best from a much larger geographic area. The internet is your friend. It has helped the printer, now let it help you.

I hope that you have found these tips helpful. As a screen printer, I often find that my customers want to be educated and my own company www.taylormadetshirts.com wants to work with educated customers. That is why I am offering you some insights into getting screen printing and custom T-Shirts done. I hope you will give my website a chance and see how I can help, but if not I at least hope that you can use this information to help your own small business.

Mike Thompson