Best Phish of the Month
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We are used to receiving emails asking us to click on a link to verify our bank data or to "collect" our refund money from the IRS. These phony emails are phishing for our identity or trying to get our user names and passwords so that they can steal from us.
 Recently, I received a creative twist on this crooked scheme. I received messages from Microsoft telling me to click on a link to update Outlook or Outlook Express.
Brilliant! They weren't asking for anything! No banks involved, either.
I didn't click, but I assume that if I had I would have downloaded a program that would have stolen data from my computer. Or, maybe it would have monitored my keystrokes as I typed my password into my online banking site and then reported that information to some crook in China. Or, both.
The clues that this email is phony:
- Microsoft doesn't send out announcements like this. They push their updates out automatically (see the Internet Explorer 8 article below).
- When you hover your cursor over the link your supposed to click, you can see that not going to the real Microsoft site. Instead you're going to Microsoft.com.111orsomthing.com.
Pretty subtle! So, please feel free to call Ozdachs if you have any question about the validity of messages you get in your email. It's a dangerous world out there!
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Internet Explorer 8 Comes to Your Computer
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In mid-March, 2009 Microsoft released Internet Explorer 8, the newest version of the most popular web browser in the world.
When past releases of Internet Explorer came out, they "broke" websites by introducing Microsoft-only rules that required webmasters to rewrite already functioning sites. Fortunately, Version 8 doesn't disrupt browsing and it has some nice features (that other browsing programs already had).
Microsoft is now pushing this edition out to your PC by its regular Windows Updates. Unless you're a business using specialized software, it's probably okay to let Windows install IE8.
But, we still recommend the free program Firefox for its features like spell check and add-ons that block ads and add functionality.
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Are You Ready for the Safety of Precious Metals?
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Has the crash of the stock market made you want to move your investments into something you can reach out and hold? Do you think the stock market will tank further and the U.S. dollar lose value?
Silver Mountain, LLC has a simple Ozdachs site which tells people how to purchase precious metal.
If you're convinced that precious metals are the way to go, consider Silver Mountain. It's co-owned by a California attorney with a clean State Bar record -- a good character recommendation in these days of shady Wall Street mavens.
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Google Analytics and Your Free Lunch
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One free Google service, Google Analytics, shows business owners how many visitors came to their site and what search terms the people used to get there.
 Free sounds great, but we recommend paying $10/month or so for Hitslink instead. We've used that product for years. Their reports are complete and easy to read. Moreover, Hitslink does not use your website to advertise your competitors' products.
Google Analytics may drive your customers to a competitor. Here's how:
1. You have a small local furniture store with a loyal customer base, and decide to launch your website with free Google Analytics.
2. You send a mailing to your customer base announcing your great new website.
3. Customer X visits your website, and is excited by the new cream leather couch you offer, and plans to visit the store the next day.
4. Google Analytics on your website stores this website visit, and also stores that the customer searched for "cream leather couch" on your website.
5. Customer X continues their internet browsing, soon landing on a different site that has Google ads.
6. Google now has enough information to present competitive ads on this site such as "cream leather couches on sale - click here" from the data gathered from your customer visiting your website.
This scary scenario comes from Hitslink, and they have an obvious bias. But, the facts make sense, and they also offer a more detailed white paper on why Google Analytics may not be a really good free lunch.
Contact Ozdachs if you would like Hitslink installed on your site, or check them out directly.
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You Want Me to do What?? Okay!
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 Ozdachs provides a one-stop marketing service for your business or organization.
We do web design, but we can also optimize your sites to show up on the top of search engine result pages. We help businesses with electronic newsletters, direct mail campaigns, social media, and smart advertising buys, too.
We do sites from scratch, update existing sites, and maintenance. We create graphics, take and edit photographs, and write and edit text for print and online. We do this on a one-time or reoccurring as needed basis... or for a monthly fixed-price retainer.
I recently talked to a business group about how Ozdachs says we provide "Web design and Internet Promotion", but really offer a broader range of support than most companies.
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Go Green in San Francisco
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Array Solar Power asked Ozdachs for a starter site to showcase their firm.
The business does both residential and commercial solar power installations in the San Francisco area. Its owner is a trained electrical engineer who has found effective places for panels and equipment that by-the-checklist contractors have missed. This is a huge advantage in a foggy city with shadow-casting buildings built touching each other!
Array Solar Power's website is another example of Ozdachs' services: "Make Me a Site that Looks Like This". The owner came to us with a design completed by a graphics designer, and we were happy to add text and work with another professional's layout.
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