Tometa Software Releases "TrackSweeper.net" as a Countermeasure to Identity Theft and Computer Privacy Issues.

Spokane custom software development company Tometa Software has released its new software "TrackSweeper.net"; software that cleans a computer's activity log and internet history ensuring personal information stays private.

Spokane, WA April 27, 2006 - Tometa Software is set to release its version of an "internet history washer" with TrackSweeper.net, a software application which will delete temporary internet files and computer activity logs ensuring personal information and computer activity remains private.

"Most computer users don't understand the importance of keeping personal information secure on a home PC or notebook computer. The average PC holds a great deal of information that if not properly removed may cause a harmful invasion of privacy or potentially worse," said Brandon Marchand Tometa Software CEO.

Unlike the popular anti-virus and internet security available, TrackSweeper.net cleans the files on your computer that are automatically created that may contain personal and computer history information.

"TrackSweeper.net quickly eliminates unneeded system files, cashed internet files, and helps keep your computer running smoothly without the strain of unneeded files clogging it up," explains Brandon Marchand. "This eliminates potential vulnerabilities that the average computer user isn't even aware of, ensuring personal information remains secure."

TrackSweeper.net is available for download and is priced at $19.95. Bulk order discounts are available. More information about TrackSweeper.net is available at http://tometasoftware.com/products_tsnet.asp

About Tometa Software:

Tometa software is a rapidly growing, privately held next-generation custom and retail software provider based in Spokane, Washington. A company on the move, they are poised to become the leader in the increasingly sophisticated software industry. Tometa Software is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, an elite business partner having demonstrated the highest level of proficiency of Microsoft technologies.

Identity Theft Surge Likely to Create Multiple Employment Opportunities in IT Security

A recent survey conducted by the United States Department of Justice indicates that identity theft is indeed on the rise. Affecting millions of households in the U.S each year, identity theft costs have now soared well above $6 billion per year. The study confirms that roughly three percent of all U.S. households experienced some sort of ID theft during the first half of the calendar year 2004. While this particular method of illegally obtaining personal information for the purpose of financial gain only accounts for a percentage of the total losses resulting from identity theft, it represents an undermining of the online banking systems that many financial institutions have undertaken great expense to implement. Countering the surge in identity theft, many banking firms and other lenders are relying on an influx of recent and future graduates of IT security degree programs to spearhead efforts to thwart would be offenders who seek to commit criminal activity through electronic means. Whether the supply of IT security professionals is able to meet the current and future demands of the marketplace, however, is unknown. With identity theft and other data loss concerns becoming more commonplace in the information technology sector, an increased likelihood exists that security positions within the field will become harder to fill in the upcoming years. As IT security is a constantly evolving milieu, the need for well trained, competent systems management professionals is likely to extend into other sectors of information security as well. Not only are individuals at risk, institutions have also lost millions of dollars due to inadequate information security protocols. For those seeking a career opportunity, database security may represent one of the safest bets for future job security. According to the United States Department of Labor, "Employment (for computer security specialists) is expected to increase much faster than the average as organizations continue to adopt increasingly sophisticated technologies". While the future technologies implemented to effectively counter identity theft are unknown at this time, the need for qualified security personnel is an almost certainty. In a world where cyber crime is steadily rising, one can only hope that the professionals needed to design and implement advanced security measures needed to combat identity theft will be available to protect the resources of consumers and institutions alike.

Earn a Degree in IT Earn a degree online on our other site. Click here to read other articles about online education

Identity Theft Protection Safety Precautions

Identity theft has become the fastest growing criminal activity in the 20th Century, replacing illegal drug sales. For the perpetrators, it offers the highest profit margin with the least risk. In fact, according to one expert, it is estimated that fewer than 1-in-700-identity crimes actually result in a conviction.

In the United States alone, Identity theft has reached $53 billion dollars a year. Consumers are directly shouldering about $5 billion of that, but the rest, which is paid by businesses and retailers, is passed on indirectly to consumers who are paying more for goods and services.

How BIG is this Problem?

In recent months, there has been a rash of reports about big thefts, where criminals are stealing identities in mass quantities. Banks, credit card companies and businesses that house servers storing passwords or other sensitive, private information have all reported ?break-ins? that happened through the use of Trojan viruses and other online hacking methods ? resulting in the loss of millions of pieces of information being stolen. There have also been instances of the information just getting ?lost?, of employees selling it and other lax security measures resulting in the same thing ? thieves having access to your identity.

What do Thieves Want?


- Your Name
- Date of Birth
- Home Address
- Phone Numbers
- Social Security Number
- Driver?s License Number
- Credit Card Numbers
- CW2 Security Code (the number on the back of your credit card)
- Your Credit Report
- ATM Cards
- Telephone Calling Cards
- Mortgage Details

Where Are They Getting All Your Information?

High-tech methods include online thefts from:


- Banks
- Credit-Reference Agencies
- Retailers
- Credit Card Networks
- Data-Brokerage Companies
- Payment Processing Companies
- Phone Companies
- Schools
- Your Employer
- Doctors, Clinics and Health Departments
- Government Agencies

But there are still low-tech methods that are effective as well:


- Dumpster Diving
- Mail Theft
- Retail Theft
- ?Phishing?/pretexting/pretending
- Purse/Wallet Theft

What are Thieves Using Your Information For?


- Making charges to your existing credit cards
- Opening new credit cards in your name
- Having phone or utilities turned on
- Withdrawing money from your existing bank accounts
- Employment purposes
- Driver?s Licenses
- Tax Fraud
- Social Service benefits
- Student loans
- Business or Personal loans
- Health care
- Mortgage loans/leases
- Auto loans
- Using your ID when caught committing a crime

How Can You Protect Yourself?


- Keep a photocopy of all your credit cards, bank account numbers and investment account numbers in a safe place
- Keep your credit card receipts ? don?t throw them away in a public place
- Put a ?fraud alert? on all your credit reports
- If you apply for credit and the card doesn?t arrive on time, call the card issuer
- Choose difficult to guess PIN numbers or passwords. (Don?t use birth dates, your mother?s maiden name, pet?s name, etc.)
- Never give personal information to anyone who sends you an email, a letter or calls you asking for it
- Shred any personal information ? such as bills, credit card or bank statements, even pre-approved credit applications before throwing them away
- Don?t use the ATM machine if someone is watching you
- Pay attention to what?s going on around you ? cell phones often have cameras in them. If someone is standing close by you with a cell phone while you're entering a PIN number at the ATM or in line at the grocery store, block their view
- Review your bills each month for unusual or suspicious charges. If there?s something you don?t remember or doesn?t seem right, call the creditor right away
- Check your credit report at least once a year
- Store your cancelled checks safely, or better yet, have the bank do it. You can always get a copy if you need one.
- Don?t leave your purse in plain sight when driving
- Keep your valuable locked in the trunk or glove box when driving
- Make all personal information on your laptop or computer password protected
- Don?t carry information about your PIN numbers, passwords and account numbers in your purse or wallet; or at least don?t make them easily identifiable as to which account they belong to

Warning Signs that Your Identity Has Been Stolen:


- Although you have good credit, a loan application is denied, or you?re refused extended credit requests
- You are suddenly contacted by a debt-collection agency
- Your purse or wallet has been stolen, or your house broken into
- There is unfamiliar activity on your credit report

What to do if it Happens to You:


- If your purse or wallet is stolen, call the police immediately, and file a report. Make sure that you?re given a report number
- Contact your bank, credit card and other credit extending companies and report the theft
- Close the accounts
- Contact the credit-reporting companies in your area, and report the theft.
- Review your credit report every 90 days for the next year for suspicious activity
- If there is fraudulent activity, have it removed immediately and monitor your credit report every 90 days for the next year
- Put everything in writing, and follow up with your credit card companies, banks, and credit reporting agencies. Keep copies of all supporting documents
- File a report with the Federal Trade Commission
- Change the passwords on your existing accounts and create new ones for new accounts

Identity theft is real, and it?s a growing problem, and it could happen to you. Although there are no guarantees that you can keep your information safe, by paying attention to the risks and taking proactive steps to protect yourself, you can minimize your chances of someday having an ?identity crisis?. Good luck!



 

Don't Be an Identity Theft Victim: Tips for Creating Good Passwords

According to recent studies, up to 7 million people per year (yes, that is "million") are victims of identity theft in the United States alone. That is more than 19,000 per day and nearly 800 per hour. Wow! While some feel that these figures may be greatly inflated, they still are sobering. Regardless of the actual number per year, we still need to protect ourselves from this problem. Many, though not all, of the yearly victims become so because they are not as careful with their sensitive data as they should be. Carelessness is all a thief needs to make a victim.

CCT offers this article "Tips for Creating Good Passwords." This will be the first article in the CCT Tip Series entitled "Protect your Data Online and in the Office". Please give us your feedback. Feel free to leave comments and suggestions.

The chain of protection is only as strong as its weakest link. Many times, the weakest link is a poor password. One of our clients recently told me that at one time, every computer in their office had a password of "password". Obviously, that offered as much protection as a screen door on a submarine. A password is the first step to safeguarding yourself and protecting your sensitive data.

Password No-Nos

Here are a few things to avoid when making your password:


1. DO NOT include words that can be found in the dictionary in any language. Believe it or not, there are dictionaries for password cracking. They are filled with, not only words and names, but also number and letter combinations, such as 11111 and abc123. If your password is super simple, like "champ" or "bigtime", it can easily be guessed.

2. DO NOT use only letters or only numbers.

3. DO NOT use names of spouses, children, girlfriends, boyfriends or pets.

4. DO NOT use phone numbers, birthdates or, even worse, your Social Security number.

5. DO NOT use the same word as your log-in, or any variation of it.

6. DO NOT give out your password to friends or family members (especially children) who could pass them on to other less trustworthy individuals.

7. DO NOT store written passwords in your desk, under your keyboard or, worst of all, on a bright, yellow sticky note on your monitor. Sure, this is nice to have in case you forget your password. However, it also can provide easy access to your computer for thieves.

8. DO NOT provide your password over e-mail even if a trusted company or individual requests it. Internet "phishing" scams might use fraudulent e-mail to entice you into revealing your user names and passwords so criminals can access your accounts, steal your identity, and more. E-mail security will be discussed in a future article.

9. DO NOT use the same password for multiple accounts. If someone gets one password, they could gain access to many of your accounts.

10. DO NOT enable the Save Password Option. You may see a dialog box which asks you if you want the computer to remember the password you just entered. In this case, your best bet is to choose NO. If you select YES, anyone who uses your computer could also use your pre-saved passwords on these accounts.

Ok. Now we know a little about what we should avoid. Let's learn a little about what is involved in making a good password:

Proven Methods of Great Password Creation

Follow these tips and you will be well on your way to creating a safe, secure password:

1. DO make your password at least 8 characters long. This would apply to your PC on your desk and any Online account that you have that requires a password. A password of this length and containing a mix of upper and lowercase letters (more on this in the next step)will take about 2 years to crack.

2. DO choose a phrase or combination of words to make the password easier to remember. For example, take a phrase that you can remember. Let's use "Where Oh Where Has My Little Dog Gone." Now, take the first letter of each word in that phrase and you come up with: WOWHMLDG. Now, mix in some lowercase letters and you get: wOWhmLdG. For even more security, add some punctuation to the mix: wOW^hm%LdG. That is a very strong password and yet it is fairly easy for the owner to remember.

3. DO change passwords regularly. Ideally, every few months you should create new, strong passwords for all of your accounts. This can help keep hackers off balance if they're monitoring a Web site that you visit frequently.

Changing your password for your Online accounts


Web sites have a variety of policies that govern how you can access your account and change your password. Look for a link (such as "your account") somewhere on the site's home page that goes to a special area of the site that allows password and account management.

Changing the password for your office computer


You can usually find information about how to create, modify, and access password-protected user accounts, as well as how to require password protection upon startup of your computer in the Help files of your operating system, or online at the operating system software manufacturer's Web site. For example, if you use Microsoft Windows XP, online help can show you how to manage passwords, change passwords, and more. Mac users can go here for more information.

I am sure that some of you may think that the suggestions mentioned in this article might be a little extreme. However, stop and consider this: In the time it took you to read this article, 53 people in the United States became victims of identity theft. Many of them because they were careless with their sensitive data. A secure password is the first step in making yourself safe online and in the office.

Next in our series, we will discuss "How to be Safe While Using Email." Be on the lookout for that article.

Crystal Coast Technologies is a web design team headquartered in Swansboro North Carolina. We specialize in Flash web design and database driven e-commerce. Our blog contains more tips and the latest tech news, including security alerts.

Identity theft - A true story! - Don't be a victim.

About 10 or so years ago I received a call from the Inland Revenue office. They said that they would like to visit me to talk to me about my working status and my National Insurance contributions.

Naturally I was quite nervous about their visit as I did not know what it was all about. They said that they were not at liberty to discuss the details with me over the telephone.

When they arrived we sat down and talked. They explained to me that they had received two National Insurance contributions from two different individuals sharing the same name. I was confused and still did not fully appreciate what they meant.

After further explanation I realised that my identity had been stolen. In simple terms there were two of me in the UK system.

As our discussion progressed I was told that I had to provide proof of my identity, imagine that, having to prove that you are who you say you are. It was quite a daunting experience. After I provided all the necessary and required documentation they told me that they were satisfied and that they will now follow up their investigations with the other gentleman involved.

Some months later the Inland Revenue contacted me to confirm that they had got to the bottom of this mystery and confirmed that the case was closed.

This incident happened a number of years ago when the Internet was not as well used for information as it is now used today.

I have since then discovered a website that you can use to check to make sure that your identity has not been cloned or stolen.
 

Ken Ajoku is the Senior Partner of http://www.kajoku.biz , a company dedicated to GROWING businesses by as much as 300%.

Click the following link NOW to hear the actual story and to check for FREE that your identity has not been cloned.

http://www.kajoku.biz/Help_Protect_Yourself_From_Identity_Fraud.php

Protect Yourself From Identity Theft.

There are so many ways that your identity can be stolen. It's such a shame that people take something as valuable as the internet and steal from you, but it happens. When it does, they can go on a spending spree that can ruin you financially. It's a dangerous game for them, and for you it's dangerous... but no game. It happens a lot but in this article we'll show you some strategies so that it doesn't happen to you.

Here are proactive strategies to keep it from happening. Here are some ways to help you fight identity theft and avoid having someone else ruin your good credit rating and keep you from getting the loan or mortgage you want to get.

Be careful how much information you give out over the Internet.

Never put your credit card number into an e-mail.

If you do make purchases online only use sites that offer a high level of encryption and only use one credit card for all of your Internet purchases and make sure that credit card has a low limit. If you do that, no one will be able to ruin your credit rating even if they max out your credit card because the limit is so low!

You should also be shredding all of your outgoing mail. A lot of your information is already on your garbage and all the thieves have to do is pick through your garbage and learn about you.

Make sure that your mailbox is safe. You may have to rent a mailbox if you live in an area where it is not secure and private.

Get a credit check done regularly to see if someone is ruining your credit rating. A credit report will tell you how many credit inquiries have been made and if you see any on there that you did not approve of, you should contact the credit bureau immediately.

Why this talk about identity theft on a site about loans? Because if someone steals your identity they can get loans based on your credit rating and they will disappear with the goods while you get stuck with a bad credit report.

Tim Renolds is the owner of Homeowner Loans providing Uk homeowners with a free loan quote service. Visit us today for a free no obligation quote

Identity Theft Exploding: Heres How you can Avoid Becoming a Victim - Plus, Tips if you do Become a Victim

Americans are more concerned about
identity theft than unemployment or
corporate fraud, according to a
survey of 2,000 people conducted by
Star Systems.

Nine out of ten Americans demand
new federal legislation, while
two-thirds say the financial
services industry needs to do a
better job of verifying the
identity of customers who open bank
accounts (66 percent) and credit
card accounts (72 percent).

Some 5.6 percent of respondents
reported being victims of identity
theft, which translates to 12
million people. When debit and
credit card fraud and identity
theft were combined, close to 15.9
percent of consumers say they have
been the victim of one of these
crimes. (Source: Star Systems,
2003)

For most of us, using your debit or
credit card to make a purchase has
become an every day aspect of life.
Many of us do it every day and feel
safe in doing so.

But it is far from safe. People
with your debit or credit card
information may make purchases with
your card information over the
telephone, via the Internet, or at
a local retail store.

As we moved to a cashless system of
transactions by debit or credit
card, a relatively simple crime
niche has grown identity theft
and fraud.

Some law enforcement authorities
are not pursuing the crime in a
coordinated and cooperative
fashion. Thus, a situation has
grown that affords the people who
perpetrate such acts of theft and
fraud, act with a degree of
confidents that they will not get
caught.

What can you do to reduce your
chances of becoming a victim of
identity theft or fraud?

Here is a list of actions that you
can take to avoid becoming a victim
of identity crimes.

1. Never throw receipts or
statements away that have personal
information on them. The trash is
the greatest repository of
information for the identity thief.
Even better, shred everything that
has identifying information on it
(transaction receipts, etc.).

2. Pay to have an unlisted
telephone number in your local
telephone directory.

3. Take as much identification off
of your personal checks and
drivers license as possible. Thus,
no home addresses, phone numbers,
or social security numbers on
personal checks. Last only your
last name and first initial rather
than your full name. You want a
retail clerk to check your ID when
you are cashing a check.

Most states now provide a photo ID
on all new automobile drivers
licenses issued. If you do not have
one, conceder getting your licenses
renewed now to get a photo ID for
identification purposes. Do not put
your social security number on your
drivers license.

4. Check your bank accounts for
suspicious activity everyday, this
can be done online via the
Internet.

5. Have your middle initial removed
from all public documentation if
possible. Middle initials help
identity thieves narrow down their
searches for victims.

6. If someone calls you asking for
your personal information on the
telephone do not provide any
personal information to anyone over
the phone.

7. Dont leave your mail out
overnight. If you will be away from
home for any period of time: have
your home mail delivery stopped. If
possible, secure a locked mail box
at your local post office or a
retail store mail box service for
your home mail delivery.

If you go on vacation, have your
mail and newspaper delivery stopped
and arrange to have your yard
maintained. Include the post
office, newspaper service, and your
friends or neighbors to insure that
your home looks as if it is
occupied while you are gone.

For a checklist for your home
security while you are away see
ProtectionConnect.com/homesecurity
www.ProtectionConnect.com/sitemap.
www checklist.html or html#home.

8. Write Check ID on the back of
your debit or credit cards next to
your signature. In that way, when a
retail store checks your signature
on your card, they will verify that
the card is being used by the
proper individual.

9. Be aware of people standing too
close to you and shoulder surfing
you while you conduct your ATM
transactions.

If you do become a victim of an
identity crime do the following:

1. Demand to file a police report
no matter how unwilling the law
enforcement office may be. Make
sure to get a copy or at least the
report number.

2. In the case of card fraud, make
sure to cancel your card and report
it as stolen to your credit card
company as soon as you find out.

Immediately, fill out affidavits
with the appropriate financial
institution denying that you were
the one who made the relevant
purchases. In most cases, the banks
will respond with up to a 30-day
process that requires the
businesses that accepted the
fraudulent transactions to repay
the banks.

3. Report the fraud to the three
major credit bureaus:

~ TransUnion Post Office Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022

~ Equifax, Equifax Equifax Credit
Information Services, Inc Post
Office Box 740241 Atlanta, GA
30374 1.888.766.0008

~ Experian Consumer Information
Post Office Box 1909 Orange, CA
92865

4. The U.S. Secret Service handles
fraud cases that cross state
borders. If you know that your case
applies, contact their local office
to make them aware of your case. If
it is part of a broader fraud case,
you may be contacted by an agent.

5. You can also fill out a
complaint form with the Federal
Trade Commission, although this is
strictly used to track national
identity theft statistics.


Nine out of ten Americans demand
new federal legislation, while
two-thirds say the financial
services industry needs to do a
better job of verifying the
identity of customers who open bank
accounts (66 percent) and credit
card accounts (72 percent).

Some 5.6 percent of respondents
reported being victims of identity
theft, which translates to 12
million people. When debit and
credit card fraud and identity
theft were combined, close to 15.9
percent of consumers say they have
been the victim of one of these
crimes. (Source: Star Systems,
2003)

For most of us, using your debit or
credit card to make a purchase has
become an every day aspect of life.
Many of us do it every day and feel
safe in doing so.

But it is far from safe. People
with your debit or credit card
information may make purchases with
your card information over the
telephone, via the Internet, or at
a local retail store.

As we moved to a cashless system of
transactions by debit or credit
card, a relatively simple crime
niche has grown identity theft
and fraud.

Some law enforcement authorities
are not pursuing the crime in a
coordinated and cooperative
fashion. Thus, a situation has
grown that affords the people who
perpetrate such acts of theft and
fraud, act with a degree of
confidents that they will not get
caught.

What can you do to reduce your
chances of becoming a victim of
identity theft or fraud?

Here is a list of actions that you
can take to avoid becoming a victim
of identity crimes.

1. Never throw receipts or
statements away that have personal
information on them. The trash is
the greatest repository of
information for the identity thief.
Even better, shred everything that
has identifying information on it
(transaction receipts, etc.).

2. Pay to have an unlisted
telephone number in your local
telephone directory.

3. Take as much identification off
of your personal checks and
drivers license as possible. Thus,
no home addresses, phone numbers,
or social security numbers on
personal checks. Last only your
last name and first initial rather
than your full name. You want a
retail clerk to check your ID when
you are cashing a check.

Most states now provide a photo ID
on all new automobile drivers
licenses issued. If you do not have
one, conceder getting your licenses
renewed now to get a photo ID for
identification purposes. Do not put
your social security number on your
drivers license.

4. Check your bank accounts for
suspicious activity everyday, this
can be done online via the
Internet.

5. Have your middle initial removed
from all public documentation if
possible. Middle initials help
identity thieves narrow down their
searches for victims.

6. If someone calls you asking for
your personal information on the
telephone do not provide any
personal information to anyone over
the phone.

7. Dont leave your mail out
overnight. If you will be away from
home for any period of time: have
your home mail delivery stopped. If
possible, secure a locked mail box
at your local post office or a
retail store mail box service for
your home mail delivery.

If you go on vacation, have your
mail and newspaper delivery stopped
and arrange to have your yard
maintained. Include the post
office, newspaper service, and your
friends or neighbors to insure that
your home looks as if it is
occupied while you are gone.

For a checklist for your home
security while you are away see
ProtectionConnect.com/homesecurity
www.ProtectionConnect.com/sitemap.
www checklist.html or html#home.

8. Write Check ID on the back of
your debit or credit cards next to
your signature. In that way, when a
retail store checks your signature
on your card, they will verify that
the card is being used by the
proper individual.

9. Be aware of people standing too
close to you and shoulder surfing
you while you conduct your ATM
transactions.

If you do become a victim of an
identity crime do the following:

1. Demand to file a police report
no matter how unwilling the law
enforcement office may be. Make
sure to get a copy or at least the
report number.

2. In the case of card fraud, make
sure to cancel your card and report
it as stolen to your credit card
company as soon as you find out.

Immediately, fill out affidavits
with the appropriate financial
institution denying that you were
the one who made the relevant
purchases. In most cases, the banks
will respond with up to a 30-day
process that requires the
businesses that accepted the
fraudulent transactions to repay
the banks.

3. Report the fraud to the three
major credit bureaus:

~ TransUnion Post Office Box 2000
Chester, PA 19022

~ Equifax, Equifax Equifax Credit
Information Services, Inc Post
Office Box 740241 Atlanta, GA
30374 1.888.766.0008

~ Experian Consumer Information
Post Office Box 1909 Orange, CA
92865

4. The U.S. Secret Service handles
fraud cases that cross state
borders. If you know that your case
applies, contact their local office
to make them aware of your case. If
it is part of a broader fraud case,
you may be contacted by an agent.

5. You can also fill out a
complaint form with the Federal
Trade Commission, although this is
strictly used to track national
identity theft statistics.
 

Steven Presar is a recognized small
business technology coach, Internet
publisher, author, speaker, and
trainer. He provides personal,
home, and computer security
solutions at
www.ProtectionConnect.com. He
provides business software reviews
at www.OnlineSoftwareGuide.com. In
addition, he publishes articles for
starting and running a small
business at www.abcResults.com. Be
sure to sign-up for the SOHO
newsletter.

 

Preventing Online Identity Theft

Identity theft is one of the most common criminal acts in society today. Criminals will use your personal information such as banking accounts and passwords, to pretend that they are you. They may take out credit cards in your name, mortgages, or even worse. The internet has opened up a whole world of possibilities for these criminals, and the threat is very real. There are things that you can do to help prevent such a crime. It costs very little to protect your information, and it is money well spent.

The following is a list of tips to help you protect yourself from identity theft. Search around for the best price on these services, to make the most out of your money.

1. Monitor your credit report often. The U.S. government suggests that you check your credit report yearly to prevent identity theft. Every person is entitled to one free credit report a year though www.annualcreditreport.com. I would suggest checking your credit report several times a year for the highest level of protection. Look for unexplained charges or activity on your report. You can often sign up for a credit monitoring service for a few dollars a month. They will watch your credit report for you, for signs of foul play. For a good deal, look for a credit monitoring service, you should be able to get a good discount on various services online.

2. Bank with a credible bank. Stick with a financial institution that is well known. No only will they offer you the highest level of protection, but they often have the best interest rate deals around. Get your credit cards through reputable companies as well. Be weary of small companies, with little credentials.

3. Dont give out your personal information to anyone. A good financial situation will never ask for your login information or passwords. Be weary of anyone that asks you for your mothers maiden name. This is one of the most common items used for identity theft. Use your birthplace or pets name whenever possible. It will be harder to steal your information.

Protecting yourself online doesnt have to cost an arm and a leg. By looking for deals and promotions at coupon websites, you can save a great deal on the services that you need. I would recommend using the free credit report option, coupled with a credit monitoring service for the best protection. The earlier you catch criminal activity, the less damage they are able to do.

Melanie Breeze, avid online shopper and user of http://www.CouponChief.comis always shopping around for the best deals. You can find credit company coupons including more discounts available for web services at CouponChief, all in one location. Finding a coupon before any online purchase helps you get that extra discount!


Simple Search Engine Optimizationsteve loszewskiSearch Engine Optimization Made Simple
Very few topics have inspired as many tangents, as much false information . . . incurred as much abuse as search engine optimization. With the few shreds of information search engines reveal about their actual methodologies, optimizers struggle to get that extra edge over the competition, armed with esoteric theories of keyword density, precise meta-tag length, optimal internal linking, and just about any other detail that a search engine might happen to factor into its rankings. Before you find yourself scrambling to create ten more content-less pages to avert that worst than death curse of decreased PageRank, try to take a look at the big picture. Barring design factors that may not be search engine friendly, a strong foundation based on four factors will give your site good success. These factors are the holy grail of optimization:

1. Get relevant links to your site anchored to keyword rich text.
2. Write focused body text that targets specific keyphrases or that is focused on a specific topic (This occurs naturally when someone is communicating useful information. This can be a problem because a lot of businesses dont have anything useful to say. Be detailed. Be helpful. This can naturally accomplish what automatic text generators try to accomplish through keyword density and keyword proximity calculations).
3. Write concise titles focused on useful keyphrases.
4. Be patient. You may not be using the best strategies, but youre using strategies that work over time. Continue to get links and create more content.

Find the Words
Before you can write good, keyphrase-focused body text or titles, you need to find the phrases users search. For good keyword suggestion tools, search Google with (surprise, surprise) keyword suggestion tool. Digitalpoint.com has an excellent tool that compares Wordtracker and Overture keyword results. Judge from the search volume how competitive each word is (not even close to the best method, but itll have to due). Be specific. Pick words with large search volume and search with geographic terms if you serve only a specific area. From the list of keyphrases, start thinking about the topics youll want to target. Find a few phrases for each page in your site. Remember to focus on phrases and not separate words make sure these phrases appear in your body text.

Titles
HTML titles go between the title tags in your sites code. Write short titles that use one or two keyphrases. Dont use the name of your company unless you are trying to brand the name. Include location if you target certain areas, and make sure your pages repeat this location information in the text. Your body text should be written to fit the phrases in your title.

Body Text and Navigation
Be specific about what you are talking about. In your navigation dont use generic linking text like home or about us. Use specific phrases. Instead of home use the name or category of your main service/product, and make it obvious from the context that this is your main page. Instead of about us use a phrase like A (main product/service) Company. This communicates more information to the user and includes a keyphrase. Where appropriate, make the same type of substitutions in the body text. Use variations of nouns and verbs, including plurals and different conjugations.
If you can, use the heading tags (h1, h2, etc.) to write text titles. Try to communicate as much as you can in text search engines dont see the text in images, or fancy media like Flash. Alt tags are useful, but search engines dont put as much weight on them as visible text. In general, whatever has a greater chance to be seen by the user is going to get greater weight from the search engines (Except for those things produced by JavaScript, or Flash, or written into an image use common sense).

Build Links
It is remarkably easy to get your site indexed by the search engines just submit to some of the many free directories. To find some of these directories search for free directory list in Google. Be careful to read submission guidelines, and be very careful about what you submit to large directories like DMOZ. Generally, titles should not be a list of keywords. Most directories only want your homepage and the official title (somewhat ambiguous term) of your site with a short description. Descriptions should be factual, and they should be written in complete sentences or meaningful phrases. Some optimization companies will rip you off by charging you money to submit your site to the major search engines this is a waste of time. Start building links, and the search engines will find your site naturally, submitting makes no difference in your rankings.
It is important to get links from sites that are related to yours. Write webmasters requesting a link, find niche sites that offer free submissions, write articles for sites that allow you to put down a signature link, or post comments in forums that allow you to put down your signature.
If you exchange links, be careful who you trade with. Get listed wherever you want without fear of penalty from the search engines, but be careful who you link to. Your site can get penalized for linking into bad neighborhoods spamming the search engines.

It Never Ends
Expand your site and continue to tell people about its content. Its an ongoing process. The older your site gets, the more credibility it can gain with the search engines. Keep your content fresh. Check the search engines to see what they have indexed (search site:www.domain.com). Be patient and keep up with search engine changes.

Steve Loszewski contracts out to Pure Visibility (http://www.purevisibility.com) for search engine marketing services.


Associated Myths in MLMJoseph ThenThe MLM business is so popular among people that some of them are totally ignorant about the fact that it takes hard work and days of sweat to make it big. There are number of myths associated with MLM business. Whether a person is a fresher or an expert, anyone hardly knows about MLM business in depth. Some of the associated myths are:

Online MLM business makes lots of money in just one month

This is the most destructive myth among the lot of many such myths. People think it is the fastest method of getting rich. They pool in some money from here and there and invest them in MLM business. After a series of failures they realize that it's not just the money that is lost but time too. Only the established and experienced people earn about $ 1000 in a month or so. All those who start from the grass root level can never earn this much initially.

Companies lure by giving attractive ads

When some companies big promises it simply means that if you follow them you get ruined or the company gets ruined in a couple of years or so. Imagine you had made some residual income and lost it after a short span of time. How would you feel? A genuine business should multiply its own money and not divide it with time. Try to stay away from such lucrative but destructive ads. Don't believe them unless you find them out yourself. It can be fatal.

The more sales you make the more you generate money for yourself

The fact is totally opposite of what people think and say. Too many people come together and help each other but in the end make too little sales in MLM business. Distributors make money initially, sometimes quickly, by recruiting family members and friends etc to form a big downline. They get hefty commissions in return, that is how they make quick money. Gradually, all of them start losing all their money; simply because they couldn't mange to sell the product and all there effort and money go in vain. The bottom line is that you make money by enhancing your downline and not by making sales. Sales are the rare possibilities in MLM business.

You are the first member of the company's family tree and you construct the organization downwards

People jump and grab the opportunity thinking that they are going to be the director or the head of all the people they bring in to form a downline. They carry this attitude to work too and suffer all the more. Only with the passage of time do they realize that they are at the lowest level and there is no one actually superior or inferior to them. Ultimately they find out that there is actually no one in the organization. They begin and end at the same level. The factor or the attitude that works in MLM business is that everybody is at the same level. All of them should help each other and contribute their share of hard work to build the company.

In building a home based online MLM business, initially your work would demand you to bring in few but efficient people and provide them all the motivation and aid so that they make sales. Once the team is established and a helping attitude takes firm hold in the team, half the battle is won. To further build your organization just put in your heart and soul to it, nurture it, and let it grow naturally. Then there's no looking back. You would definitely make a mark.

Joseph Then operates Sign ups company that helps thousands of online MLM marketers increase their downline for the past 5 years. They have served over 3,000 customers. You can visit the site at http://www.trafficforless.com


Getting started with RSSJorge GonzalezRSS is probably the biggest and latest buzzword among the techies, just after blogs. But what is RSS anyway and how can you start taking advantage of it?

RSS is a format to provide headlines and summaries of information in a simple and standardized way.
Think of it as a distributable "What's New" for websites.

RSS is great for users because it saves users from having to repeatedly visit favorite websites to check for new content or be notified of updates via email.
It can give a glimpse of a site's latest concrete contents (no design) in a second.

RSS is also great for site owners because:
- The summaries of their content can be republished all over the web, which gets new links and visits to the site.
- They get more returning visitors, since users can suscribe to the feed to keep up with the site's updates.
- More profits: RSS feeds can contain ads, such as Google Adsense.

RSS feeds can be used for:
- Blogs entries
- Forum entries
- Articles
- News
- Events
- Latest products / discounts / specials
- Music (podcasting)

There are several ways to read an RSS feed:
- Using your browser or even notepad --since it's just an XML file (formatted flat text).
- Using a standalone desktop aggregator --such as FeedDemon, SharpReader, RssReader, and others.
- Using your e-mail client --NewsGator Email Edition plugs into Outlook Express, Eudora, Entourage, Apple Mail, or other POP3 e-mail clients and lets you receive RSS feeds right in your e-mail window. The same company's Outlook Edition integrates RSS with Microsoft Outlook. And Mozilla's Thunderbird e-mail client comes with RSS-reading capabilities built in.
- Using your mobile device --using a service such as FeedBeep, NewsGator Mobile Edition, Yahoo Mobile, or Elfinland.

To create an RSS for your own site, there is the option to create it by hand, or using a software like FeedForAll, or an online service like RSS creator (http://www.webreference.com/cgi-bin/perl/makerss.pl).

Finally, to search for established RSS feeds you can use our very own RSS search engine (http://www.yourfeeds.com), and to quickly submit your RSS feed to several directories, you can use our RSS submit tool (http://www.yourfeeds.com/Submit-RSS.aspx).

Jorge Gonzalez is one of the creators of the YourFeeds.com RSS search engine: http://www.yourfeeds.com


Benefits of Integrating Online Chat Software with CRMBruce ZhangCustomer Relationship Management (CRM) is a strategy and processes used to learn more about customers' needs and behaviors in order to develop stronger relationships with them. CRM applications are traditionally developed as client-server software. The proliferation of the Internet and the Web has fueled the rapid growth of Web-based CRM or online CRM applications. Web CRM systems are widely deployed for Web based call center, contact management, trouble ticket, personal information manager and scheduling. As more and more corporations use chat software to provide quality customer support, many CRM vendors have built chat functionality into new generation of Web-based CRM systems.

The first generation of text-based online chat software was developed years before the World Wide Web (WWW) gained its popularity. The new generation of Web-based chat software is much more user-friendly and is powered with audio and video chat.


There're many benefits to integrate chat software into CRM systems.

1. Many customers have experience in using chat software

New technology is often challenged by user acceptance. Fortunately, online chat has been widely accepted by average Internet users. It is estimated that tens of million of Internet users login to online chat rooms regularly. In free adult chat rooms or free teen chat rooms people talk about anything under the sun - love, pets, music and games.


2. One customer service representative is able to support multiple customers at the same time.

It is common to wait 30 minutes or even more before a customer can talk to a support representative. With chat software, customers have a better chance of instant access to a service representative. One support team member may be able to chat with a few customers at the same time.


3. Chat software can automatically log a support chat session

Call center software is capable of recording support conversations. However, it requires extra cost to convert audio recordings to digital information that a computer can understand and extract valuable information from. Chat software, on the other hand, can be easily configured to automatically log a support chat session.

Bruce Zhang writes about Internet technology and online culture. chatjungle.com is a good place to experience free adult chat rooms http://www.chatjungle.com/adult-chat.htmlor free teen chat rooms http://www.chatjungle.com/teen-chat.html