Is Too Much Technology Bad for Business?

Courtesy of Flickr

By Carl Weiss

Having worked the web professionally since 1995, I can remember a time when we weren't so hardwired to technology.  Sure a lot of the elements of online life that we take for granted today were already in vogue back then, like Apple vs PC, inkjet printers, zines (the forerunner of blogs), and even cellphones had already made the scene.  The chief difference between then and now was the way in which the public viewed the wired world.  Back then going online was more of a convenience than a way of life.  While some people (particularly the young) were addicted to certain aspects of technology, more teenagers were hooked on video games then the Internet in 95.

Working the Web - Is There a Cyber Attack in Your Future?

by Carl Weiss

computer security (Photo credit: justonlysteve)

When your head hits the pillow at night, do you fall asleep feeling secure that your online data, your identity and your financials are safe?  Do you feel bulletproof behind your Windows Firewall and Norton Antivirus?  Are you in the habit of downloading freeware on your PC and free apps on your Smartphone?  Do you use public wifi hotspots such as coffee shops, restaurants, hotels and airports? 

If your answer to any of the above was “Yes” then I have news for you.   It isn’t a matter of if you are going to be hacked, cracked or cyber attacked.  It’s just a matter of when.  Because the habits exposed above are an invitation for hackers and cyber criminals to gain access to your most sensitive information, hijack your computer and Smartphone and in short turn your life into a living hell where your identity, your financial data and intellectual property can be bought and sold like a commodity.

Are Online Hitchhikers Taking Your Computer for a Ride?

By Carl Weiss

Courtesy of Flickr

Nobody likes freeloaders, particularly on their computers.  The problem is every time you upload a free game or trial program you can also upload other applets and toolbars that you don’t necessarily want.  Not only do these unwanted hitchhikers take up valuable space on your computer, but they can also cause conflicts with other programs, slowing down or even causing your system to crash.  Below are a number of ways to clean up and speed up your system.

Touch Marketing – How to Win the Day & Get the Girl

By Carl Weiss

Courtesy of Pixabay

Whenever I speak before a group, one of the first questions I ask is, “Why create a website?”  While the responses are varied, the only correct one for business owners, large or small is, “To make money.”  Having been professionally engaged in Internet marketing since 1995, I can tell you that accomplishing this task is no easy matter.  Where in years gone by business owners merely had to create an optimized website in order to cash in online, today they need to busy themselves with an entire armada of online marketing, such as blogging, social networking and video.  All this just to get featured on page one of search engines like Google.  But what most business people do not know is that having a page one position will do you little good if you don’t have a systematic way with dealing with responses created by your website.  By system, I mean a comprehensive method of sorting, selecting and feeding prospects and clients the information they need to either make an initial purchase, or come back for more.

The Ghost Says Boo!

By Carl Weiss

How to Connect Your Youtube and Google Plus! (Photo credit: brianDhawkins)

Less than a month after media pundits declared that Google+ was nothing more than a virtual ghost town, Google fired back claiming it has more than 100 million active users.  While this number still pales in comparison with Facebook's reported 955 million user base, this is still nothing to sneeze about.  In fact, for a number of small business owners G+ is the go to site when it comes to doing business online.  Let me count the ways.

In the first place, G+ was not created in a vacuum.  It was designed by looking at the other social nets and taking the best and leaving the rest.  It was also built from the ground up to be able to integrate such things as photos, video and other multimedia components into your posts with ease.  No more cutting and pasting links.  Some of the other features that I find useful:

Battle of the Browsers - Internet Dominance and Why Your Choice Matters!

Courtesy of  Flickr

Hector Cisneros

The Internet is an ever-changing landscape that creates long term revolutions in the way we think, act, work and play. Every so often a milestone takes place that has great significance. A very recent change that took place was that Google Chrome displaced the Internet Explorer as the number one browser in the world. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer held the reins for 4+ years. Now a Microsoft rival and Internet corporate giant has taken the lead. In this article, I will tell you why this is an important milestone in our lives. I will also share with you some of the features which I believe explain why Chrome is now number one and why the Internet Explorer has fallen behind. Read on and learn why we are in the Google Chrome era.

Does WWW mean, What’s Wrong with my Website?

Courtesy of Pixabay

By Carl Weiss

So many websites. So little space. With Google owning more than eighty percent of the search market and more than a quarter billion websites currently vying for position, is it any w

onder that so many small businesses are having difficulty gaining exposure online? What many people do not understand is not only is the web getting ever more crowded, but it has undergone a sea change in the past few years that has fundamentally changed the benchmarks that search engine spiders look for in order to determine who gets on page one. In last week’s blog, I explored the new face of search engine marketing and what website owners need to do in order to generate Page One results.

Six Cardinal Rules for Success in Social Media Marketing

By Hector Cisneros

You've heard everyone talking about how powerful social media is for marketing your business. How if you're not using it to market your business you're is stuck in the 80's. So you go out and create a Face Book page, open a LinkedIn account, start tweeting on twitter, build a Blog and start looking at You Tube. Now what do you do?

You're told by a friend to post snippets about your businesses and create a blog post about things you know, (although you're not sure what a blog is). You start to share information on various sites in the evening and before you know it. Bam, you're spending dozens of hours a week and getting nothing to show for your efforts. You say to yourself, what a pain in the neck social media marketing is!