The Latest Cool Tech Products from CES 2019 and Beyond

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Flickr

Last years CES was fantastic with lots of new innovations and upgrades to all the tech that tech lovers love. This year will be no different. This year's show will have an estimated 4500 exhibits, 2.7 million square feet of exhibit space and exhibitors from 155 countries. 2019 will be the year that many of the big name exhibitors will be showcasing breakthrough tech in smartphones, AI controls, health tech, bigger and better Smart TV's, next-gen home security and electric smart-car technology. So put on your favorite tech goggles as we Work the Web to Win to explore what's coming up at this years CES in Las Vegas.

Hector the Connector's Internet Predictions for the New Year and Beyond

Courtesy of Public Domain Pictures

By Hector Cisneros

For more than seven years now I have written a prediction article based on what I foresee for the new year and beyond. Some of these predictions are based on my research, others are based on trends I’ve perceived (based on my experience and what I know about technology and what people want).  Other predictions come to me in flashes from the great unknown. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, I will prognosticate about major changes affecting social media, SEO (aka Search Engine marketing) widespread lawsuits hitting businesses and the internet giants along with predictions about Bitcoin, terrorists, gargantuan internet breaches and much more. So, tighten your seatbelt and get ready for a wild ride as we zoom towards the not so distant future and gaze into what could soon become reality.

The Best of the Best This Year – Plus an Analysis of Why They did so Well

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

By Hector Cisneros

Wouldn’t it be great if you understood why an article you published did well (or poorly)? Better yet, how about understanding where your traffic is coming from, how long they spend reading your articles and if they then went on to read other articles. How about learning who your biggest referrers are and if bots are making up a large portion of your traffic. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we are going to not only cover the best of the best from 2018; we are going to teach you how to find out how that traffic found you and where that traffic came from. We will explore how we use Google Analytics and Blogger Stats to determine if our articles are providing useful content. So, get ready to learn some new secrets as we delve into the best of the best for 2018 and then Analyze why these articles did so well.

Is Social Media Losing its Usefulness to Business or has It Just Evolved

Courtesy of Air Force Medical Service - AF.mil

By Hector Cisneros

Organic Social Media effectiveness for producing leads seems to have peaked just before the last presidential election. During the run-up to that election, we saw skewed search results, increases in filtered newsfeed posts and many changes to the timeline algorithm. Then after the election, we discovered the massive sale of private account profile data, the sales of advertising to Russian groups looking to influence the election and a what seems to be a runaway Frankenstein algorithm that affects ad placement and the news timelines. If you add to this all the filtering that Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn have added to their user controls, you can begin to see why business social posts are not showing up anymore. In this episode, of Working the Web to Win, we will delve into these and other changes that have taken place and explore what effect this is having on a business’s ability to use social media as a means for marketing products and services.  So, whether you're using social media or not, this is a discussion you don’t want to miss because the long-term implications will have lasting effects right now and far into the future. So, put aside your posting schedule and get ready to decipher these changes as we explore the continuous evolution of social media for business.

Why Your Marketing Director Should Be Blogging

Courtesy of www.maxpixel.net

By Hector Cisneros

You hear a lot of business people talking about blogging. Many experts are saying that you should be blogging? Why is that? Is it because it's the latest marketing trend? Is it because it's easy to do, or maybe because it’s an easy way to grow a following or is it’s that it’s just a great return on investment? In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore the top 14 reasons every business should consider blogging as part of their marketing strategy. These 14 reasons will be eye-openers for some and rightful justification for others. So, take out your notepad and be ready to check these 14 reasons out as we explore “why your marketing director should be blogging.

26 Key Marketing Phrases that Every Business Owner Needs to Know

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Pixabay

We live in a world that is filled with techie terms and acronyms – Why? It's because people get lazy and don’t want to write or say a long phrase, so they abbreviate it and create acronyms. However, once these acronyms are created, they become communications weapons that advertisers use to bedazzle their prospects and clients. In our business, I hear sales reps talking in tongues, using words like SERPS, PPC, CPA, KPI, and GDPR as they present their wares as if they were magicians offering up magic incantations that produce miraculous page one results. The truth be told is that rarely do their claims match their results and it is because of this that most advertisers have a bad reputation. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore the top 26 key marketing phrases plus another 76, (102 in total) that are used in acronym form to bedazzle prospects. Our intention is to remove the veil of mystery from these words so our audience can make intelligent decisions when an advertising sales rep says – we can provide great clicks or Impressions, you can ask them, "What kind of conversions can you guarantee and what is the cost of client acquisition?” So, break out your notebook and copy down the phrases and definitions, and arm yourself with these 26 key marketing phrases as your shield against any bedazzling advertising sales rep.

This is Not your Granddaddy's Podcast – Content Casting is a Low-Cost Marketing Winner

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Flickr

In 2011, my business partner Carl Weis and I decided to test our belief that "Authoritative, High Quality, Relevant, Timely, Useful and Infotainment content is what Google uses to determine a web pages organic ranking. We felt that if a page was being visited, read, viewed, commented on and shared, it would signal to Google that this page deserved to be ranked higher than pages that did not receive this type of attention. To achieve this goal, we decided to write and produce a weekly live internet radio show that we would also record as video and then publish all three content pieces each week to our social following. We chose the key phrase “Working the Web” as our organic page one goal. After nine months of diligent work, we received multiple organic page one search listings for our web pages. Fast forward 8 years later and we are still on page one of organic search for that phrase. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore our method of Content Casting (aka podcasting in all its forms), and how its primary benefits help businesses succeed in a very competitive internet marketplace.

Opt-In Email Marketing is a Low-Cost Secret Weapon - Here are our Top 7 Tips

Courtesy of Max Pixel

By Hector Cisneros

Email is one of the oldest marketing venues on the internet today. Because of the worldwide spam problem, many businesses don’t engage in email marketing. This is a terrible shame. Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective marketing venues available. The statistics show that for those who use it, it is effective in both B2C and B2B marketing venues. It is one of the best lead generation weapons, it is highly scalable, it is extremely cost-effective, and its return on investment is hard to beat.  So why don’t more small businesses take advantage of email marketing? In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore email marketing from several angles, provide the reader with a wealth of email marketing information and detail our top seven email marketing tips to make sure that our readers get an edge using our secret weapons. So, sharpen your pencils and get ready to decode our secrets as we explore Opt-In Email Marketing as a low-cost Secret Weapon.  

Online Video Marketing is Hot! Here are 7 Ways to Succeed

Courtesy of Flickr

By Hector Cisneros

Video marketing is hotter than ever right now, but there are some hidden monkey wrenches out there you have to watch out for. We have been spreading the word about video marketing since 2011 (when most were not listening). Today, video is easier and cheaper to produce than it was back then.  Plus, there are many free publishing venues, so anyone who really wants to take advantage of the dynamic nature of video marketing can, (and for little or no capital investment). In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will provide you with access to comprehensive content, along with our top seven tips to help you improve your video marketing success. This will also include the details of what’s trending now and in the near future. So, put on your director’s hat and get ready to say “lights, camera, action,” as we explore video marketing – what makes it hot and the top seven tips to keep it that way.

Content Marketing Strategy’s & Tactic’s to Help You Beat Your Strongest Competition

Courtesy of PxHere

By Hector Cisneros

Most honest content marketing companies will tell you that a comprehensive SEO content marketing campaign will require a substantial investment to make it successful. If this is the case – does that mean that companies with smaller budgets won’t be able to compete with bigger companies? The simple answer is “Yes and No”! In the short run, companies with larger budgets should be able to outperform the smaller budget company with ease. However, if a smaller budget company is strategic and patient, it can definitely compete in the long run. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore strategies and tactics that companies with smaller budgets can use to compete with their larger competitors to gain organic ranking and traffic. So, put on your captains’ hat and military sun-glasses as we plan our attack on our bigger well-financed competitors.

The Latest on Cybercriminal Phishing Attacks with Fake Insurance Ads, Surveys & More

Courtesy of Pixabay

By Hector Cisneros

I have been writing about cybercrime for over seven years now, but this year I have seen a marked increase in targeted email phishing attacks based on my Baby-Boomer profile. Obviously, the boomers are coming of age, but I also attribute this increase to the recent massive cyber breaches at Yahoo, Equifax, Facebook, and other mega database holders. The massive Baby-Boomer population along with the above-mentioned massive breaches are all leading to a perfect cyber phishing storm because now cyber-criminals have everything they need to profile this population. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore the uptick in email phishing, its causes, its targets and what preventive measures you can take to prevent this perfect storm from sinking your cyber life. So, batten down your cyber hatches and get ready to be schooled on the latest cyber-criminal phishing attack along with the best ways to protect your cyber world.

The Tao of SEO Revisited and Revised.

Courtesy of Pixabay

By Hector Cisneros

Six years ago, my business partner wrote an excellent article about how back in 2012, most SEO experts claimed, (what seemed to the average businessman) supernatural knowledge of what worked in search engine optimization. They almost always spoke in the cryptic vocabulary of their industry, making it difficult for any businessperson to understand what they were doing. To make matters worse, it was common at that time to gain search ranking through the use of so-called black hat trickery. This is something that is still used occasionally today. It used to be widespread. In fact, SEO has evolved into a multifaceted marketing endeavor with many moving parts. Any expert who tells you they know exactly how it all works is at best stretching the truth. There is a Taoist saying that goes, “Those who know do not say, and those who say do not know. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore what has evolved from what once worked in SEO marketing to what works today. My business partner’s article written in 2012 was ahead of its time since it foresaw many of the things that are required for success today. So, get ready to delve into search engine marketing from a whole new perspective as we explore “The Tao of SEO Revisited and Revised”.

Why Pay Per Click Frustrates So Many?

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

And What You Can Do to Get Better Results

By Hector Cisneros

Google AdWords is one of the most used and successful internet marketing tools available today. For many, it can be instant online gratification that can generate exposure, produce leads, and sales. For others, it can become a black hole that eats profits and produces little in the way of tangible results. Why does this immense dichotomy exist?  The answer is ignorance. Ignorance of the complexities of this platform can lead to many online marketing mistakes. The worst part is even once you get it right, you have to bear in mind this PPC platform is always evolving as Google strives to improve its product. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore seven common issues that frustrate businesses and pay per click managers alike when using Google AdWords (now called Google Ads).  So, take out your notepad to write down some e-tips, so you can avoid the pitfalls and learn how to profit by using AdWords.

Blog Marketing - What Works - Exemplified by Five Case Histories

Courtesy of Flickr

By Hector Cisneros

What makes a great blog? For that matter, what makes a great blogger? How can a blogger insure their blogging success? As a blogger, I received my training from several successful, experienced authors and writers, (including Dr. Ivan Misner, the Founder of BNI). I was taught that brevity is your friend. I was also taught that prose should be clear, clean, and concise, yet elegant. On top of that, your grammar needs to be impeccable. Your blogs need to open dramatically and beat a clear path that readers will want to follow. Then, your story needs to fulfill its promises by providing useful information that compels the reader to continue reading to the end of the story.

In this episode of Working the Web to Win, I will explore five case studies that show how would-be marketers made their blogging bones. I will detail their methods while exposing the good, the bad and the ugly paths to blogging success they took. These are true stories with some elements modified to hide the writers’ identities. The paths they followed will be explained in detail so you can learn from their mistakes, as well as from their successes. So, get ready to learn from these five blog marketing methods as we explore; “Blog Marketing – What Works Exemplified by Five Case Histories.” 

36 Social Media Myths and How to Slay Them – Part 3 of 3

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Pixabay

For some, social media has been a godsend. It has been the great equalizer for the masses, allowing the everyday person to stand up against companies that provide poor products or services. For small businesses that are consumer-oriented, it has been a blessing because of the testimonials and high ratings they receive, allowing them to compete with big business. But for some, social media has been a curse! Any business or person who has ever been hacked, scammed, bullied or wrongfully vilified in any way knows how dreadful and relentless social media can be. It is a two-edged sword that cuts both ways. Both the positive and negative aspects of social media create myths. Sometimes, it’s because what was once great about a particular platform is now gone. Other times it’s because a one-time negative event began a bad memory that became a legend. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, which is also the third installment of “36 Social Media Myths”, we will continue with myths 25 through 36 to finish the countdown. I also recommend reading Part 1 and Part 2 of this series to get the big picture. We will include a few hidden tidbits along the way as well. So, roll up your sleeves and get ready to write down the last 12 myths as we explore the top “36 Myths in Social Media”.

36 Social Media Myths and How to Slay Them – Part 2 of 3

Courtesy of Flickr

By Hector Cisneros

One of the most interesting things about social media is that it's diverse in application but homogeneous at the same time. What I mean by this is that every social platform has its own rules, limitations, culture, social etiquette and ardent followers. Yet it does have marketing principles that have not changed since I first wrote about them back in 2009. Regardless of these principles, people will post almost anything. In fact, social media is a good internet example of what my business partner Carl calls the Wild, Wild, Web because it reminds him of how the wild west was portrayed. Granted, there are some prohibitions, and each social network sets its own standards. For Example; Facebook tries to suppress porn, yet Twitter lets it thrive. Snap chat has always allowed Sexting, but Instagram only shut it down when there is a complaint. Because of this free for all, people push social media’s boundaries, and this creates an atmosphere of widespread myth. The rapid growth of social media also perpetuates the creation of new problems which also lead to new myths. Myths create erroneous ideas of what is allowed and what works in social media. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will cover part 2 by going over myths 13 through 24 of the 36 myths about social media networking.   I also recommend reading Part 1 and Part3 of this series to get the big picture. Together all 36 myths compromise the most comprehensive list of social media myths ever put together.  So, make sure you read all three articles. This will eliminate any doubts or misconceptions you may have, making social media and social networking your personal ally and your business marketing best friend.

36 Social Media Myths and How to Slay Them – Part 1 of 3

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

By Hector Cisneros

Social media platforms have been around since before the invention of the internet. However, modern social media sprang up starting with Blogger and LinkedIn in 2003, followed by Facebook in 2004, My Space in 2005, and Twitter in 2006. These social networks quickly grew to millions of subscriptions by the late 2000’s and today there are more than 2.3 billion social media subscribers. Most ideas of what social media does is erroneous. The myths of what its boundaries are and how it works as marketing venues are widespread and are often believed as true. With so much growth and rapid change, it's no wonder why there are so many misconceptions and myths about social media. This article will be comprised of 3 parts, covering 36 common myths that people and businesses have about social media. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will cover the first 12 myths. I also recommend reading Part 2 and Part 3of this series to get the big picture.  So, take several long breaths as we bring you the most comprehensive blog series covering more than three dozen social media myths so you won’t mistakenly fall prey to their misconceptions.

21 Common Marketing Mistakes That Lead to Advertising Failure

Courtesy of Flickr

By Hector Cisneros

Wouldn’t it be great if you could run an ad and it produced great results the first time it ran? It also would be great if every advertiser told you the strength and weakness of their marketing program? Or, if you made a mistake, that the advertiser would allow you to make a change so that you won’t keep throwing your money away for a year?  When I speak with business owners, I often hear them say that advertising is like gambling. To a great extent, this is true! But it doesn’t have to be. If you take the time to vet both the vendor and the process, you can eliminate a lot of the risk, especially if you pick a vendor who provides guarantees. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore 21 common marketing mistakes that businesses make when advertising their products or services. So, learn how to prevent or eliminate any mistakes in your current or future marketing foray as you read “Common Marketing Mistakes That Lead to Advertising Failure.”

14 Signs That Let You Know Your Website Needs a Refresh

Courtesy of Media Connect Partners

By Hector Cisneros

Today, the number of websites on the internet seems innumerable. Yet, how many are actually effective at producing business. The World Wide Web is the most dynamic business environment on the planet. It can be said that it evolves on a daily basis. However, few businesses update their web pages very often. In 1994 there were fewer than 3000 published websites. The web was so new that few businesses had heard of the internet. In a mere two decades, the number of websites has exploded to a quantity never foreseen.  The milestone of 1 billion websites was reached in 2016 and today there are 1.7 billion of them. Yet, it seems that only about 200 million are active. These, in my opinion, are the winners of the web. Why don’t businesses update their websites? Is it because they are following accounting practices where they depreciate the cost over a specific period? Or, is it because they are ignorant of the importance of the need to update their investment? In this episode of Working the Web to Win, I will explore the costs, benefits, and ways to maximize the return on your website investment. We will explain the current evolution of website ranking factors, traffic generation, and financial return. So, open your browsers and be ready to evaluate your websites as we decode how to get a real return on your website investment.

Are You Currently Living in Digital Update Hell?

Or are Companies Providing Updates Too Often Without Testing them?

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Have you noticed the huge increase in updates lately? Over the last three years, we have seen a tremendous increase in the number of monthly (sometimes weekly) updates for digital devices (i.e., computers, tablets and smartphones, etc.). If you’re exclusively an Apple or Linux user, you aren’t feeling the same pain as those who are using a Windows 10 or a Windows-Android mix. However, if you're using Apple products mixed with other platforms, you would have noticed the increase in the frequency of updates as well. The problem is growing, and the increase in update frequency is eating into employee productivity and increasing the cost due to mission-critical digital device downtime. Last week alone, my Windows 10 computer received an update that took four restarts to complete (about an hour of time). After the update was finally completed, I received several unexpected black screens when trying to post pictures to our blog while using Chrome. This is not an isolated event. These types of issues are being reported on an almost daily basis, and there is no end in sight to the increase in the frequency of updates that are likely to take place in the future. To make matters worse, each OS update causes a cascade of out of synch revisions where antimalware apps, browsers, applications, IoT systems and smartphone apps become unstable and begin to crash unexpectedly.  In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore the growing problem that the current state of update frequency is causing and will provide some guidelines to help mitigate the problem. So, break out your update scheduler and set your calendar as we learn how to tame update hell.

Massive Data Leak Exposes 340 Million Americans Personal Data - Now What!

Courtesy of Flickr

By Hector Cisneros

How valuable is your Personal Data? It’s extremely valuable, at least according to the data aggregation company Exactis. They collect and sell consumer and business data to marketers and resellers all over the world. They have collected information on 218 million individuals, 110 million U.S. households, 88 million verified email addresses and 112 million records with residential phone numbers. The fact that you have probably never heard of Exactis, or that they have collected so much personal data isn’t surprising. What’s very scary is the fact that this data was easily accessible to anybody with only a little internet search knowhow. In other words, any hacker could (and may have) downloaded this massive database, making it easy to profile, imitate, or go after almost every citizen, family, and business in the United States. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we’ll discuss this massive data leak along with several other huge data breaches that have just taken place in the last few months. So, hold onto your internet passwords and lock down your social accounts as we explore the ever-growing massive data breaches that are making U.S. citizens vulnerable to hack attacks.

Grow your Business by Going Mobile

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Flickr

Back in 2012, I wrote my annual Hector the Connector Prediction article where I stated that making your website mobile friendly was critical to your long-term internet marketing success. Back then few websites were mobile friendly. HTML 5 did not exist yet, and the only way you could truly have a mobile website was to build a separate website designed to fit mobile platforms. These sites were formatted for smartphone or tablet and were easy to spot because they had the designation “.mobi” attached to them. In 2012, the majority of web surfers were using desktop computers. Most smartphones only used 3G (4G LTE was still new) and 99.999 percent of all websites were built for a desktop platform. Today, more than 52% of all web traffic is mobile (i.e., from smartphones). In Asia, it’s more than 65%! Today’s online marketer needs to make sure their web assets are mobile friendly, or they’ll miss out on more than half the traffic! In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore what is needed from your mobile-friendly web assets and what it takes to succeed in a mobile-dominated internet. So, get out your smartphone and get ready to browse the changes you need to make to become 100% mobile-friendly.  

6 Ways to Successfully Take Your Business Online

By Ashley Lipman

Image courtesy of Flickr

No matter how successful your business is, you know it’s not reaching its full potential unless you take it online. This may be a bit complicated, but it’s well worth it!  Most of your audience is online, and so are your competitors. Therefore, it’s time to take a step forward to ensure your business successfully evolves with the rapidly changing market trends. Confused about where to start? Check out the following guidelines for a smooth transition online. 

Social Media Secrets of the Rich and Famous

Courtesy of Wikipedia

By Hector Cisneros

I love the song dirty laundry by Don Henley which portrays the news industry as a system that lives off the glory and misfortunes of celebrities and the rich and famous.  However, this article is not about the dirty laundry of the rich and famous; It's about how anyone can grow an audience to a very large number by implementing marketing elements that are reciprocal to the fans it targets. Most social media articles about the rich and famous, only talk about who reached a huge following, not how they achieved their results. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore the principles of social networking that we have been espousing for several years now. So, get ready to absorb these social media principles as we unveil the evolved rules of social networking of the Rich and Famous.

Working The Web - How to Get High SEO Ranking on YouTube

Courtesy of Flickr

By Hector Cisneros

For years you have heard consultants say that you must make your video content go viral. Yet few of them ever tell you how to actually achieve this feat of marketing magic. Is it the title that gets people excited enough to share your video? Is it the headline that compels people to view and pass it on? Is it perfect timing or who you know that matter most, or is it just dumb luck that gets you there? In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will pull back the curtain of this wizardly marketing magic so all of you will be privy to what it takes to achieve high YouTube SEO Ranking. Now get ready for lights, camera, and action as we explain the art and science of making videos rank high and go viral.

Will the New General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Give us More Privacy and Security?

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Pixabay

On May 25^th headlines everywhere were touting the announcement of the new EU GDPR law that was going into effect. Even if you didn’t see the headlines on the news, you would have been inundated by the many emails from a wide assortment of internet and SAS providers. They were all telling you about their updated data protection and privacy policies and were asking you to read it and agree to them. How many of you actually read any of these new policy updates? What do these new policies mean? Are they the answer to Facebooks data selling misconduct or the fact that Equifax dragged its feet for months before informing the public of its massive data breach? Is it the action of our government finally coming to our rescue? In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will find answers to these questions and many more as we delve into the meaning of the new GDPR law here in the United States. So, get ready to dig deep as the implications of the General Data Protection Regulation spreads across the fruited plain.

Working The Web - 21st Century Tech and Techniques for Losing Weight

Courtesy of Pixabay

By Hector Cisneros

If you are like me, you want to be the best at what you do. However, being the best requires that you are strong, fit, healthy and are in a good state of mind. Only then can you be your best. New technology, revised methodologies, and new discoveries have made losing and keeping unwanted weight off a reality. Needless to say, these recent innovations are helping thousands of people get down to their ideal weight and regain their health. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore what these exciting innovations are and how they are changing lives all around the world. So, step off that scale and get ready to see the pounds fly off as we explore 21st Century tech and techniques for losing weight.

Working The Web - Is Pay Per Click Eating Your Lunch? — Here's How to Make It Pay Off BIG!

Courtesy of Creative Commons Images

By Hector Cisneros

You’re an internet entrepreneur, all excited with your new business, idea or product and you're told by many that you can get on page one of Google using AdWords (Google PPC platform is also known as pay per click). You are certain that the key to your success is being found on Google, so you sign up for AdWords or AdWords Express, give them your credit card info and fill out the AdWords Wizard. A week goes by, then two, then four and you soon realize a lot of money is going out, but little is coming in from your advertising. We have seen this same scenario play out so many times, on Google, Bing, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other platforms, so much so, that it’s almost a cliché. Sometimes a business starts out with some success, but before you know it, the only company making money from your pay per click advertising is the pay per click platform itself. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explain the right way to go about setting up and using any pay per click platform because PPC advertising, shouldn’t be eating your lunch, it should be making you money. So, put away your credit card and take out your notepad, as we show you how to turn your pay per click advertising, into clicks that produce cash.

Working The Web - Methods and Tools to Help you Achieve an ADA Compliant Website

Courtesy of Wikipedia

By Hector Cisneros

Last week I shouted as loudly as possible about the multitude of problems that the website industry has with ADA compliance. Truth be told, this compliance issue is not just related to the ADA guidelines. For the most part, following the best practices for web page construction would make most websites around 80 to 90 percent compliant. For that matter, it would also make them mobile friendly, because they would be using responsive formatting which includes alternative text, titles, views, etc.… But here are the facts. Most website owners (and even some website builders) are still stuck in 1999 when it comes to making sure that all the T’s are crossed, and I’s are dotted by strictly following W3C guidelines. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will provide a detailed outline of what websites need to adhere to the new ADA guidelines. We will also discuss the need to meet responsive guidelines (i.e., mobile-friendly) as well as basic requirements that are often left unfinished by amateur and even so-called webmaster site builders. So, take out your notepads and get ready to create your own website compliance checklist as we explore the latest ADA website guidelines published by the W3C.

Is Any Website Safe from an ADA Compliant Lawsuit?

Courtesy of Creative Commons Images

By Hector Cisneros

There is a famous line in Shakespeare’s play Henry the VI, that says “Kill all the Lawyers”. This is what half the business owners say when I tell them that businesses are being sued for ADA website compliance issues. The other half try and stick their head in the sand and say, that’s impossible, or I’m too small for them to come after me. When I first read about these ADA compliance lawsuits, I was shocked. As I dug deeper, I found the growing number of lawsuits troubling and very scary as I pictured the tremendous cost that businesses worldwide would incur. Because this issue is complex, I will break this subject down into two articles. This is the first installment which will address the problem. The second will address methods and tools to achieve compliance. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will provide the truth about this impending legal epidemic and provide much-needed clarity as to where the tsunami of lawsuits is headed. So, break out your digital Clarence Darrow and get ready to learn how this legal quagmire is already taking its toll.

Is Cyberbullying out of Control in the US

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

By Hector Cisneros

Cyberbullying – It's one of the scourges of the Internet. Although the Internet has brought us endless abilities to communicate with each other, made research extremely easy and made it possible to engage in worldwide commerce it has also allowed the transfer of old analog bad behaviors and unleashed them as new digital evils. Cyberbullying and Trolling are two that have multiplied because they are easy to engage in and because they are harder to monitor. Having said this, both cyberbullying and trolling can be controlled and in fact, be reduced if internet users know what to look for and they know what to do. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore the current widespread dangers of cyberbullying and trolling, how to recognize it and what you can do as a responsible parent and adult to put a stop to it. So, tighten your grip as we expose how widespread cyberbullying is and what you can do about it.

Cybercriminals Do It in the Dark - Your Information for Sale on the Dark Web?

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

By Hector Cisneros

The Dark Web! It’s a term you hear people bantering about quite a bit today. Are hackers buying and selling your info on the Dark Web! Are cybercriminals using the Dark Web as a means of attacking our government, our businesses, and our personal digital devices with impunity? What are the costs and the dangers we currently face?  There is no doubt in my mind this problem has mushroomed because of the cybersecurity incompetence of companies like Equifax, Yahoo, and others that have allowed cybercriminals to gain access to our personal data. The headlines about the Russians hacking our political system has finally brought to the forefront the danger that cybercrime brings. Today, our government needs to declare war on cybercrime if we want to keep this peril at bay. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore the current threat cybercrime is exposing us to, we will look at the ongoing cost, and we will look at what could and should be done to ameliorate this threat. So, press on to learn how to mitigate your risks and hide your digital footprints as we tackle the perils of the Dark Web and the sale of your personal data.

Do EULAs (End User License Agreement) Help or Hurt End Users

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

By Hector Cisneros

EULAs – What are they? Who reads them? What do they do and how do they affect us? Whether you know what a EULA is or not, they have a direct impact on your digital life. They affect the security of your private data and they determine whether you have any recourse as to the quality and serviceability of the software product you have acquired. In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore the oddities, pitfalls, and dangers inherent in today’s EULA’s. So, get ready to take this information down and break out your decoder, this way you will be able to avoid the dangers and drawbacks of today’s End User License Agreements.

IRS Scams are on the Rise - Are You Vulnerable?

By Hector Cisneros

Courtesy of Vimeo

In January of 2018, I received a robocall telling me that the IRS was suing me for fraud and that I must call the phone number provided right away. I deleted the voicemail and blocked the number so that I would not receive another annoying call.  Then in February, I received a similar robocall telling me basically the same thing. Again, I deleted and blocked the number. Then around March 20^th, I received a third Robocall call professing the same fraud. This time I saved the voicemail so that I could show it to the authorities. On April 5th I received an email from a CPA (whom I don’t use) asking me to download and open a “DocuSign” file for my taxes.  Again, this was a phishing attack. What do you do when you are being bombarded by cybercriminals who are trying to penetrate your financial defenses. How can you win against such constant attacks? In this episode of Working the Web to Win, we will explore the current rash of IRS scams and cyber-fraud that takes place in the new year, and we will provide prudent measures you can implement to ensure the protection of your financial data and identity.