How To Avoid Getting Hooked By Pfishing

"Pfishing", sometimes spelled "Phishing", is a word that's used to describe a method of identity theft where con men use fake e-mail that looks like it comes from legitimate sources. This e-mail is designed to hoodwink you into giving out personal and financial information. Once the scammers receive your information they use it to either clone your identity or to empty out your bank accounts and run up your charge cards. Here are some tips on how to avoid becoming the next victim.

1. Never respond to an e-mail that looks like it came from your bank or any of your credit card issuers no matter how official it appears. Phishing scam e-mails will tell you that there is some problem with your account and that you have to click on an embedded link to correct that problem. They may threaten to close your account, or report you to the credit bureau, if you do not respond. DON'T DO IT. Don't call the telephone number that appears in the email either. Get out one of your old bank or credit card statements and call the number that appears there. Explain what the email says and follow the directions that you receive from the actual employee. Chances are they'll tell you its a scam.

2. Never give your bank account information, credit card numbers, Social Security number, passwords, personal identification numbers (PIN), or Date of Birth to anyone who asks you for that information by email. No legitimate company will expect you to reveal sensitive information via email. Also, no company that issues you a PIN will ever ask you to reveal that PIN to any of their employees.

3. Never respond to any offer to buy anything by clicking on the link in the e-mail. Even if the e-mail looks like it comes from your favorite department store it might be a scam. To avoid being hooked by Pfishing, type in the URL to the department store by yourself. Go to Google.com to look it up if you don't already know it.

4. Forward copies of any Pfishing email to the actual company or bank that is being imitated by the scammers. You can usually send any email to postmaster@ and then the bank or company name.

5. If a Pfishing e-mail seems particularly threatening or worrisome to you, report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ifccfbi.gov), a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center.

6. If it's too late and you already provided any of your personal information, account numbers, or PINs then you should immediately contact your banks and credit card companies to make arrangements with them to protect your financial interests. These companies and institutions are familiar with these scams and they know what needs to be done.


7. If you receive evidence of identity theft, such as unauthorized charges on your credit card bills, or unexplained transactions in your bank account, contact the police and file a report. Be sure to get a copy of the report for your own records and to send to the companies that are involved in the transactions. You also need to contact all three major credit bureaus (Equifax at 800-525-6285, Experian at 888-397-3742 and TransUnion at 800-680-7289) and tell them that you need a fraud alert placed on your credit file.

8. You can get information on ID theft and Pfishing at the Federal Trade Commission Web site at www.ftc.gov or calling toll-free 877-382-4357


Article by Cavyl Stewart

Cavyl Stewart. Discover 52 Ways To Do More With Software by signing up for my exclusive Free ecourse. Get resources, tips, reviews and recommendations you can use right now to help you achieve more, easier, and cheaper! 100% Original content. Visit: http://www.find-small-business-software.com/52ways.html



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Where To Find Free CD Burning Software

Technology continues to make giant steps forward. Technology has made it possible to burn your own CDs and DVDs, without resorting to expensive equipment or outrageous charges. Now, anyone can make their own personal music CD with their favorite songs. You can also clone your DVDs so that you have a backup copy or to distribute copies to others. For business people, CD burning is the ultimate way to backup their daily information to prevent it from loss.

The good news is that there are lots of free CD burning software offers widely available on the Internet. Any search will provide you with dozens of choices for free CD burning software. However, the downside is that all of them are actually free trials, and if you want to continue burning CD or DVDs after about 30 days, you must pay for the service. The prices are reasonable, though, and won't set you back a small fortune. You can comparison shop among the various downloads and find the perfect one for you, then take a trial run and make sure it is actually the one you want before you plunk down any hard, cold money. Plus, they usually come with a thirty-day guarantee, so you can be sure you are getting what you want for your hard-earned cash. It is a very risk-free way to burn your own CDs or DVDs. It is a great idea for both individuals and businesses.

These online CD replication services are a simple download that anyone can do. The programs are user-friendly for beginners, but also extremely customizable for the experienced person, as well. Many of them integrate easily with Windows Explorer so that you don't have to create image files or do any other fancy footwork before burning your CD. You simply download the free trial, insert your CD into your PC and burn away. It couldn't be easier.

Many of these websites that offer free CD replication software also offer some other interesting choices, too. For instance, you can get a free trial of a CD label maker to add class and style to your CDs. Once you try it, you will probably have to add it to your software library along with the CD burning software. Other great software downloads include DVD cloning software that provides perfect copying of DVDs with no distortions.

Once again, technology is making our lives easier and a lot more interesting by allowing the average person to experience the personal thrill of burning their own CD. With the money back guarantees and the great free trial periods, it is the perfect way to give this new type of technology and try for personal or business needs before making a purchase.

Article by Bob Hett

Bob Hett offers great tips and advice regarding all aspects of CD DVD Duplication Get the information you are seeking now by visiting http://www.cdduplicationcenter.info

Editor's Note: You can find a wide range of DVD and CD burning software at Ivertech Software Central's Audio and Multimedia category. Most of the vendors offer free trials. You can also find discounted software there. Discounted software products are sorted to the top of the category.

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Easy Tips to Make Your Computer Run Faster And More Efficiently

Have you noticed that your computer does not run as fast as it did when it was new?

A slow PC is one of the primary complaints of most computer owners who currently run Windows XP. Memory gulping start-up programs, greedy anti-virus applications and a hard drive that has not been defragged since...who knows when. All these issues contribute to degrading your computer's performance.

Are you ready to get back up to speed? If so, the first and most basic task is to run defrag on your hard drive. Few people do this anymore because they think Windows XP does it automatically - it does not. So let's get started.

Task #1

Click "Start", then "All Programs", then "Accessories". Now go to the "System Tools" folder and select "Disk Defragmenter". When it opens, select your primary "C:" drive, then click "Defragment".

If you have multiple drives you can defragment them after you have done your primary "C:" drive.

Task #2

Visit the Startup Inspector website. You will find an excellent tool that allows even novice users to manage Windows startup applications. Here's the link: http://www.windowsstartup.com/

This helpful utility allows you to:

• scan all programs that are in the Windows Startup Folder and Registry and provides you with background information about the program.
• remove harmful programs like spyware, virus, and dialers, thus making your system healthier.
• remove unnecessary programs like reminders and monitors. This helps improve your systems performance.

The Startup Inspector is freeware and costs nothing to download. Download it to your desktop, double-click on it and select "Run".

The best thing about this handy little utility is the Startup Programs Knowledge Base. This is the database source for Startup Inspector. If you see an unidentified process on your computer you may find some information about it here. There are currently over 6500 entries in the database, but it grows daily as users add new entries.

When using Startup Inspector always use extreme care when removing and disabling startup processes.

Task #3 Power Tips

Your next task is to enable DMA if it's not currently enabled.

DMA is a mode that allows your hard drive to bypass the CPU and access memory directly from RAM (random access memory). When DMA is enabled your CPU does less work - so it works faster when handling other processes.

To enable go to "Control Panel", open the "System" folder, select "Hardware" and then "Device Manager". Look for the "IDE ATA Controllers" section, click the plus sign (+), then double-click "Primary IDE Channel, select "Advanced Settings" and make sure the DMA option is selected for both Transfer modes. Click "OK" and repeat for the "Secondary IDE Channel".

While you are still in "Device Manager" go to the "Ports" section and disable "COM" and "LPT".

DO NOT disable "COM" if you are using standard dial-up to access the Internet.

DO NOT disable "LPT" if you are using a parallel printer.

Lastly, if your drive is still configured to FAT (File Allocation Table); you will want to convert it to the faster more efficient NTFS (New Technology File System).

Just go to "Start", then "Run" and type in "cmd". When you get to the prompt, type "convert drive_letter: /fs:ntfs" without the quotes. Press enter.

Some WARNINGS about converting to NTFS (if you're in doubt about any of these points - hold off until you get any issues resolved):

• Some DOS and older Windows apps can't read NTFS drives, although there are utilities to help overcome this limitation.
• Once converted to NTFS, you cannot convert the drive back to FAT.

The conversion process takes some time, so take a break and slow down while your computer system speeds up.

Article by Calvin Merrick

If you found these computer optimization tips helpful, you can also get a Free Advanced PC Scan This will help ensure that your computer continues to run fast and problem free.

Editor's Note: To make your computer run faster, we also suggest that you use RegCure to scan and clean your computer's registry.

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Data Recovery And File Recovery Tools

Data recovery is used when serious situations and accidents occur to your system, like when hard drives has been formatted, or if you accidentally delete a file that you really need, which is no impossible, or it can also be used when a virus enters your system and deletes some of your files and information. The great thing is that any data recovery software works sufficiently with most computers and operating systems.

You can use data recovery software to recover information from your local hard drive, your extra hard drive, a floppy disk, a removable or portable hard drive, memory cards, and in most cases you could even use it to recover information from old CD's. In addition a hard drive crash is no match for data recovery software. The other great thing is that you will be able to recover basically every piece of information that was on you hard drive like your email messages, video files, music and photos and obviously your data files and documents.

There are two main ways of retrieving lost data using a data recovery software, one being when the file you are retrieving has been recently deleted, the other option is to recover everything that has been on the hard disk and from there you find what you are looking for.

There are many different data recovery software programs you can use to recover your files; some of them even let you browse through your deleted files to see what you would like to retrieve. There are processes that can recover and restore your deleted files in seconds! Once the data has been recovered from you hard drive you have the option to either save it to another folder on a different hard drive or storage device, or you can burn it directly to CD. Once your files have been successfully recovered by the data recovery software, all your information stays the same, which is to say that nothing will have been changed, even in the event of a virus overload, the file names and all the date will still be in tact.

Your lost files can be restored in one click and they can be stored by name, size or date of saving. A search session also gets saved to a disk file that is used later for reloading so that the drive will not need to be scanned again, which makes the restoration process so much easier and quicker.

Majority of the data recovery software programs are offered as free demo version. You can easily download the software from the internet and try how it works.


Article by Sam Robert

Sam is CEO of data recovery and file recovery utilities.


Editor's Note: Please visit Pro Data Doctor for all your data recovery needs. They offer a wide range of software products that recover data for you computer hard disk, digital camera memory card, pen drive, iPod memory stick, etc.


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Every PC Requires Registry Cleaner to Run Faster

It's a well known reality that over 90% of PC's that are over a month old are infected with malicious spyware and adware. Even if you have an antispyware software application your Windows Registry might be broken - developers of those tools are focused on removing spyware and adware only, not every trace of software itself. Such software is rarely accompanied by an uninstall utility and even when it is it almost always leaves broken Windows Registry errors behind it.

The registry is nothing but the catalog or reference source for the computer. Only those with a meticulous knowledge of computers should attempt to change the registry. If you make a mistake while altering the registry and it isn't backed up, you may lose critical information and thus it could adversely affect the performance of the computer/laptop.

After you run an antispyware application that deletes active spyware files, you are still left with references to those files in your computer registry. These traces will clog your registry over time, leaving your computer susceptible to failure.

Symptoms of Windows Registry Problems:

Problems with the Windows Registry are a common cause of Windows crashes and error messages. Your PC is likely infected with Windows registry errors if it has ever undergone any of the problems:

• PC runs much slower than when you first bought it.
• PC keeps crashing at vital times
• PC does not startup correctly
• PC does not shutdown correctly
• PC needs frequent rebooting
• Unable to remove a software using add/remove dialog
• Getting the "Blue Screen of Death

The registry records the relationship between hardware, memory space, and addressing. It contains information and settings for all the software, hardware, users, and preferences of the computer. The registry is stored on your computer in several files and depending upon your version of Windows, there will be different files and different locations for these files. The registry keep growing when you use Windows and become corrupted as software and hardware is added and removed from your computer.

To keep your computer in top performance, it is recommended to periodically clean the Windows registry with a reliable and efficient Registry Cleaner. Registry Cleaner is an utility program that scans the Windows Registry and looks for outdated and invalid entries.

Activities of Registry Cleaner

In short, the registry cleaner cleans the following:

1. Temporary files, URL history, cookies, Auto complete form history, index.dat. of Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera
2. Temporary files and Log files, recycle bin, recent documents of Windows.
3. Removes unused and old entries, including File Extensions, ClassIDs, ProgIDs, Uninstallers, Help Files, Shared DLLs, Fonts ActiveX Controls, Icons, Invalid Shortcuts, Application Paths, and more...
4. Removes temporary files and recent file lists (MRUs) from many apps including Media Player, Kazaa eMule, WinRAR, Google Toolbar, Nero, Adobe Acrobat, WinAce, WinZip, , Netscape, MS Office and many more...

Brands Available:

There are dozens of programs on the market that cleans registry, boosts PC's performance, get rid of unwanted material and prevent crashes. Some of the prominent ones are: Error Doctor, Reg Cure, PAL Registry Cleaner, Easy Cleaner, Adv. System Optimizer, Fix-it Utilities, Ace Utilities, Registry Mechanic, Registry Fix, JV16 PowerTools, etc.

Qualities Of a Registry Cleaner:

A good windows registry cleaner and repair product should have the following options:

1.Automatic Scan

It is the simplest way to clean up the registry. Automatic Scan is recommended for 'non-technical' users.

2.Custom Scan

One can customize the search and scan Windows registry for particular types of errors (shared DLLs, invalid start-up entries, missing fonts, etc.).

3.Manual Cleanup

After the scan is complete, the program should show a full list of errors with details, broken down by types and let you fix individual invalid entries or all invalid entries of a certain type.

4.Backup and Undo

Before removing an entry from the windows registry, an automatic creation of a backup file should be done, that can be used to undo the changes. This to avoid changes without backup.

5.Scheduler

Schedule the program to scan the registry whenever you start your PC.

Using the registry cleaner software is not a one time fix. One should run it on a regular basis to keep the registry clean and without errors. This will help the stability and speed of windows.

Thus every PC requires registry cleaner which optimizes windows registry allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. Valuable registry repair software can help you get your computer back into shape, tuned-up and running problem free in no time.

Article by Cher K Markov

Cher K Markov articles on various subjects and has a treasure chest of information on computer security software mainly pertaining to registry cleaner at http://online-downloads.blogspot.com

Editor's Note: Of all the registry cleaners that we have tested, we like RegCure the most because of its speed and its ability to fix most of the registry problems. Download the free trial now!

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Submit Your Software Reviews

Please open a free account with us if you have not already done so. After opening a free account with us, you can log in to our site and start submitting reviews for software products that you have used before.

You can search for a particular software product by visiting our Advanced Search page. Once you find the software that you are looking for, click on the software link to view the software's detailed information. Scroll all the way to the bottom and look for the "Software Reviews by Users" section. Click on the "Submit your review" link in that section. Your will be prompted to log in or open a new account.

Once logged on, you can rate the software by giving it a positive point if you like it or a negative point if you do not like it. You need to justify your vote by providing your experience with the software. Tell us in details what you use the software for and what you like or dislike about it. Once your review is submitted, it will be shared by all users who visit our site. Please be as descriptive as you can so that other users can benefit from your review.

Please be assured that your email address is kept private to us and will not be shared with the users. We do not encourage you to put your email address in the review because there are automated email address collection robots out there that scour the Internet for email address. Once they get a hold of your email address, they will sell it to some third party companies and you will get a lot of spam email from these companies.

If you want to keep your identity private, you can use a nick name for your first name and last name. The first name and last name will be displayed to the public users.

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions on submitting your software reviews to our site.

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Finding Free Software Downloads

Part of owning a computer is the constant replenishing of software to ensure that your system accomplishes all that you require of it - both of a professional and recreational nature. But the purchasing of software can often be an expensive procedure and, for those who already have expensive ink cartridges and premium paper to purchase, buying software can be cost-prohibitive. Luckily, there is a growing trend towards offering free software downloads online. And with a little bit of research, you can find all that you need at no cost.

By far, the most significant thing to remember when searching for free software downloads is to work only with reputable companies with a solid history. Free software downloads that derive from less reputable companies could result in a myriad of problems, including viruses that can damage your hard drive and disrupt the normal function of your computer; the repercussions can be disastrous.

Instead, build a relationship with a company that has earned a reputation for providing quality free software downloads. There are chat forums online where you can speak with other bargain hunters to determine where they best like to shop for free software downloads.

On some sites, free software downloads are available initially, allowing you to sample the product. Eventually, the company hopes that you choose to purchase the permanent version of the software after the initial free trial period is over. But there are other sites that, through the support of their advertisers, are able to offer free software downloads on a continual basis.

Ultimately, it's up to you to choose how you receive your software. Free software downloads, if done through a reputable company, can give you access to programs you may not previously have been able to purchase. And perhaps you can utilize free software downloads in the short run, and then switch to purchasing them through manufacturers at a later date.

Either way, software can expand the services that your computer offers and open up a whole new world of functionality.

Article by Michelle Bery

For easy to understand, in depth information about sotware visit ezGuide 2 Software

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Effective SEO Through Good Code Structure

How to Improve your Website Code to Rank Better in Search Engines

For a successful Search Engine Optimization strategy, take into consideration that search engines look at content and also at the structure of the markup. They emphasize the importance of text content, page titles, keywords rich text, meta descriptions and information architecture. A website where quality of content and code prevails will rank higher in the major search engines.

There are many Search Engine Optimization tactics, but try to find the best combination and don't sacrifice the usability and performance of your website. Here is some basic information about improving your source code from an SEO perspective:

Avoid classical 404 error pages

The 404 - File Not Found - page is presented to the user by the server as an error page. The user gets this message directly from the server of the website he is trying to visit. This error page is supposed to appear only when the server cannot find the requested location and is unsure of its status.

In the vast majority of cases, the 404 error emerges for pages that were moved or even deleted or the layout of the site or page information changed.

Many hosting companies offer a 404 redirect page. This means that when a user enters the URL of any page of your domain, and that page does not exist or can no longer be found, you can automatically redirect the user to a specified page - usually your home page or your sitemap.

Pay special attention when you decide to delete certain pages. Remember to redirect them to a main page of your site using the 301 (Moved Permanently) HTTP response code.

You can greatly improve the user friendliness of your website by creating a custom 404 page.

• Present a message of apology for the inconvenience;
• Try to ease the user's way back to your site. Introduce error messages and include evident links to the home page, sitemap, and contact page;
• Offer assistance and encourage the user to continue to search for the information he needs on your site. You could even include a search box right on the error page;
• Keep the same design for the error page as for the rest of the website.

See: www.avangate.com/4040404404

But remember that the best strategy for a 404 error page is to prevent it from coming up altogether, as many customers might be left with the impression that the whole website does not exist and not just the specific page they were trying to access.

An useful program to check that on your website are no broken links is Xenu's link stealth.

Keep away from orphan pages

An orphan page is a page that is not linked to another one an thus cannot be found by spiders. To avoid having orphan pages on your website, check regularly that all your pages are linked to each other.

Search engines consider sites with orphan pages to be unprofessional, and not worthy of getting a high rank. This kind of website is under construction or is the result of a poor design process. If your pages aren't linked properly search engines won't index them and will consider them irrelevant for the search.

Pay attention to the fact that some search engines don't index correctly websites that use HTML frames. When spiders crawl through your internal pages, they index each individual page and display them as orphan pages in search results. Most frame designs include a content frame and a navigation frame.

Visitors require both frames to navigate through the site. Create a JavaScript to check if the page is loading correctly, and load the frameset. In this way, users won't be able to open pages outside the frame. This is a very easy way of losing clients.

Use 301 redirect pages

To avoid displaying a 404 error page, set up a 301 redirect page. The code 301 means "moved permanently" and it's the easiest way to preserve your search engine rankings for that page.

There are two ways of generating proper 301 redirect pages. If your site is hosted on a Linux or Unix server create a .htaccess file to add the redirect to your server's web root.

The .htaccess file contains specific instructions for certain requests, including security, redirection issues and how to handle certain errors. If it is hosted on a Windows or IIS server then the 301 redirect can be set up in the Administrator's section of the server software or through the DNS (Domain Name Server) zone.

Make a habit of reviewing the log files which contain data sent by your server. Search engine spiders often make critical decisions based on what your server tells them through the server's headers.

Pay attention, an improper 301 redirect can cause you big problems, since your website might fail and users won't be able to visit your pages. Setting up a correct "301 redirect" assures that you'll stay high in search rankings.

Create a sitemap

A sitemap is a web page that lists all the pages on your website. They are intended both for users - to find easier the information they need , and for search engines to index pages.

Your sitemap link should be right on your home page. In this way spiders are sent directly to the place where all your content information is gathered. Sitemaps can improve SEO, however, be advised that they only take into consideration a limited number of links to those pages.

To make sure that spiders check your whole site and have more chances to get indexed, it would be a good idea to use a sitemap generator. You can use ROR sitemaps that are readable by all search engines.

ROR is a sitemap tool that uses XML feeds to describe your website. ROR sitemaps allow search engines to match text search with structured information, thus obtaining more relevance for your site. This kind of sitemap helps search engines to better understand your website content - products, services, images, articles, etc. By creating a file with product names, descriptions, prices, images, availability, affiliate programs, and any other relevant information customers can find you easier.

Don't overuse dynamic pages

Dynamic web pages include dynamic content - images, text, etc - which changes without the page being reloaded. Client-side languages like JavaScript and ActiveX are usually used to create these types of web pages.

Search engines don't rank well dynamic pages with many parameters. If you choose not to turn your dynamic URLs into static ones, at least put the most important parameters in your URLs first and try to limit dynamic parameters to no more than two.

Spiders can't read the text rendered as graphics. Any text that you want the spiders to read and index should be written out as text. At the very least, put any text that appears in graphics into the images' ALT attribute.

A slightly better alternative is to write your text in Flash, but remember to have a "Skip this intro..." link that takes visitors (and spiders) to the text-rich content of your site. Don't neglect this information if you want to optimize your search engine strategy.

Put .CSS and JavaScript into external files

For a search engine, improperly formatted code will have a negative impact on your rankings. Since search engines read only a certain amount of information on a web page, you should try to increase the text content to HTML tag ratio.

If you have too much HTML code, the text content won't be seen entirely. For reducing HTML code, utilize hand coding using external .css files and Javascript.

Make sure you have well formatted [X]HTML

Try to fix as many of the HTML errors as possible. Although the search engines don't rank better websites that have standard compliant code they tend to "read" them easier. Use the W3C HTML Validator to check the validity of your code. Read also the article: Does your Website Need W3C Validation?

For a successful Search Engine Optimization strategy, take into account all of the aspects presented here. It takes time, effort and patience to achieve a higher rank in the main search engines. The idea is to have a long term strategy that makes your website stay on top for an extended period of time.

There are "tricks" that could take your site among the first ranked, but you won't be able to stay on top for long. Once you are discovered by a search engine that you don't play by the rules, it will be twice as difficult to get good rankings. Meaningful content and good coding is the obvious answer to getting to top places.

Article by Avangate


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How to Keep Customers Happy

How do you create good customer service in your software business?

Providing good customer service is a challenge for every software seller. It is a well known fact that satisfied clients are the best promoters for the software business. Keep in mind that customer support is not just about fixing a problem, but forming a relationship with buyers and creating an opportunity for future sales. In the very dynamic computer software industry, the quality and effectiveness of your software products must be accompanied by good customer service in order to be successful.

Your customers are not software professionals, so what might be easy for you, could present difficulties for them. Every software program has a certain level of difficulty, so don't patronize your clients and try to treat them as you would like to be treated if you needed help. And remember that "the client is always right" works for the software business, too. Try to be as tactful as possible to keep your buyers happy.
Taking good care of your customers is a time consuming job. So specify very clearly on your website, in manuals, packaging, etc. what kind of support you provide. Set realistic expectations and don't make promises you can't keep.

Below are presented the most commonly used techniques of customer support in the computer software industry:

Include a complete Help in your software

It is the most frequent and convenient way of solving customers' problems. The help program should cover every aspect of the software you're selling. You can include a search box which returns relevant results, for keywords customers usually use when they need support. It is the most inexpensive and rapid way of dealing with your clients.

Make it easy for clients to contact you, by phone or e-mail

Telephone assistance is particularly useful for users who have no real knowledge of computing, and need to speak to someone who can explain to them step by step what is to be done. Have a set timetable for the help line and publicize it in your software product documentation, website, etc. Always treat your clients with respect, be polite and offer easy to follow solutions in a plain language.

Pay attention to details:

The quality of the music the client listens to while holding the line;
if you use an IVR system (like "Press 1 for technical support" etc.), make sure the menu of your multi option system is easy to follow;
don't allow waiting queues longer than 3 minutes;
have patient and trained specialists respond to the problems clients might encounter.

If you can't offer a solution right away, search for an answer and call your customers back within the time frame you agreed with them.

Since almost all software companies have a dedicated e-mail address for offering technical support, clients got accustomed to sending questions using this method. The main advantage of e-mail messages is that you can cut and paste ready made answers and send them to more clients. When it comes to dealing with customers via e-mail, try to resolve all problems with just one reply and avoid encouraging a correspondence. There are also clients who are not satisfied with a standard answer and might require a customized response.

E-mail messages are easier to handle than phone support, as you do not have to provide an answer in real time and are therefore able to adjust your workflow and eliminate peaks of activity which might need additional resources. Keep in mind though that customers expect an answer to an email in no longer than 24 hours.

Use your website to offer support and update it frequently

Many customers buy software directly from your website, so this is the best means of providing technical support. Place a visible icon right on the home page and give details about other means of customer support you can provide.

Encourage customers to search on your website for FAQs -frequently asked questions, and offer them appropriate answers. Concentrate on creating complete help pages for every product you sell. Remember that it takes less time, both for you and your clients, if the answers they are looking for are visible and handy.

Create a forum

Although regarded as one of the most efficient methods of offering technical support to clients, forums are not exploited at their full capacity.

Consider creating a forum on your website, or participate in other forums relevant to what you sell. When subscribers post messages on a forum, every other subscriber can see and respond to them. Still you should have a support team to read and reply to the more complicated and complex subjects on your software, when required.

Access is now universal, so your support team will include professionals but also common users of your software, who can offer pertinent advice to fellow users in search of assistance.

Educate your customers to participate in forums and share their experiences about your software. This is a great way of getting genuine feedback from your clients.

Pay a visit to important clients

This is not a very common technique as it is time consuming and expensive. You should consider it only for important and repeat clients - those who bring you high revenues or those who ordered customized versions of your software.

While for a new business it is vital to attract new clients, for mature companies it is more efficient in terms of costs to retain existing ones. Getting new clients is definitely more expensive than keeping your existing ones satisfied.

Remember that just one sale to a customer is not a satisfactory business strategy. Follow up after every sale, because content customers who see that you care, can become more easily regular ones.

Good customer service is all about bringing satisfied customers back on your website and make them buy more.

The best strategy for keeping your customers happy is to create an individualized relationship with them. Improve customer satisfaction by encouraging a constant contact between your company and your clients.

Be prepared to offer creative solutions, keep your customers well-informed regarding your services and products, and be helpful and polite at all times. Train your staff to follow the same rules and regulations you apply, when dealing with clients. Communication and bonding are important elements in winning your customers' loyalty.

Article by Avangate


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Cross Sell Your Software

Cross Selling Software for Higher Sales

Cross selling can be used as an effective tool of getting additional revenue from clients, offering them similar or complementary products. Studies show it costs four times more to gain a new customer than it does to keep an old one.

5 Fundamentals of cross selling

Cross selling involves five fundamentals:

• You have to know your products very well.
• You have to know your clients. To get the best results identify which customers are your best target.
• Ask questions and listen for clues.
• Pay attention to clients' needs and only suggest relevant products.
• Suggest, don't impose. This way clients will feel comfortable and more likely to accept your offer.

Most of the time, cross selling is a natural process, involving a simple operation: telling customers about your products. In software marketing, the publisher needs to establish which software product can be correlated with another one and be sold together as a package deal. Both the selection and the price can be based on several customer and product criteria, which should be set up before deciding on using the cross selling technique. These bundles may be added to the online shopping cart or advertised as a special software promotion on the site.

5 Rules for successful cross selling

Successful cross selling can be achieved by applying several rules:

• Right timing. Don't push sales if it seems the client doesn't have the financial resources at that moment. Try to find out what the client's budget is and make your offer accordingly.
• Relevance. Suggesting too many software products unrelated to the original one may overwhelm the client and lead to failure.
• Post recommendations on the site. Professionals, experts or other customers may post their opinion and their recommendations on the site. It can show up as a list of related items bought by other customers that purchased the same product.
• Place cross selling items throughout your site, where they can help shoppers learn about your software products and business. Try mixing and matching different items to see which combinations work best.
• Offer a range of prices: low cost items may be considered impulse buys, but the clients may also purchase higher priced items that fit their needs.

The most important aspect in cross selling is customer satisfaction with the first software product they purchase, alongside with price and how well additional products fit their needs. In order for cross selling to work, the focus should be on the customer, not on pushing a certain software program. Before talking about additional products or services, the customer's problems must be solved. Also, the customer needs to know how useful is the product you're trying to sell in the first place.

What's the most important downside of cross selling? Annoying clients to the point they leave without buying anything. This occurs if you continue to sell after the customer says he's not interesting or when you're pushing a product that's not useful to the customer. In the end, combining customer service and cross selling will lead to increased online software sales.

Article by Avangate

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7 Basic Software Marketing Techniques

Do you Know Everything about Software Promotion?

If you are a web developer that sells software online, here are the basic software marketing methods that will help you boost your sales. Learn about each one, and find the winning combination that will bring you more buyers.

1. Continuous Search Engine Optimization

Maintaining a high ranking in the most important search engines is a never ending struggle, as you need to follow certain rules AND continuously update and optimize your website.

Focus on:

• improving your link popularity
• adding fresh content
• monitoring website results
• testing various keywords
• spending time in improving the design and the usability of your website.

Unless you turn to professional SEO help, you shouldn't establish your software marketing strategy exclusively on this method. For higher results, combine it with other methods, such as those presented below.

2. Submit your shareware to software download sites and directories

Promote your software by submitting it to as many download sites and directories as possible. Create a good PAD (Portable Application Description) file, as this will ease the entire submission process and webmasters will appreciate it, too.

Pay attention to the traffic you get from these sites and invest time in those who really bring you customers. One of the main advantages of submitting your software to download sites is obtaining more back-links and increased link popularity, which enhance your website's page ranking and position in the main search engines. It is one of the most important software marketing techniques, that also helps you increase your traffic and from that your internet software sales, so don't neglect it. If you find it too time consuming, ask for professional help.

3. Affiliates marketing

There is a vast network of affiliates on the internet. Affiliates are people who will promote and sell your software products from their websites, in return of a small commission for every sale. Why should you try to market software using this method? Because you pay your affiliates on result. The compensation may be made based on a certain value for each visit (Pay per click), registrant (Pay per lead), or a commission for each customer or sale (Pay per Sale), or any combination.

There is a wide range of affiliates and methods of promoting your software products. Choose those who have websites that have been specially designed to sell software products.

4. Pay per Click campaigns

Important search engines place ads near search results in return of a small amount. It is called pay per click advertising. The idea behind this marketing technique is to bid for relevant "keywords" that bring pertinent results related to the product you're selling, and place your advertisement on the top of the page. The most important players on this market are Google AdWords and Yahoo!Search. The method has its fans but also its fierce opponents, due to the possibility of click fraud.

5. Write newsletters and press releases

A newsletter is an easy way to stay in touch with your clients, prospects and affiliates. The success of an e-mail newsletter distribution system depends on your database: you need to keep it up to date and accurate. You can target your e-mail campaign to clients and prospects or to affiliates. Concentrate on creating different campaigns for each segment that you target.

Always ask permission to stay in touch with your clients and your affiliates. Let them know what to expect from your newsletters regarding content and frequency and respect the standards that you have established. Keep focused on the substance of the email - make it original and appealing. Offer the chance to unsubscribe from the newsletter in a very visible place.

You can also take advantage of many websites that offer public relation services including free publishing of press releases. Of course you can always choose the classical way and publish your materials regarding product launches or news related to your company, in newspapers or software magazines. Don't overdo it though, because people might get bored with too frequent information and loose interest in your software products.

6. Get involved in online forums and blogs

It is basically free publicity. Invest time in subscribing to forums or discussions groups that deal with software related themes. Be careful though, some administrators might ban you for explicit publicity. So be creative.

Many people visit forums and blogs in search of information. A blog post that deals with the theme under discussion, contains relevant information and is presented in a professional way could be of real interest to the participants.

Give your website's address, the product's name and possibly your PAD file location. Use a signature and not a nickname, and you can also add a slogan related to the software product you want to promote.

7. Write and submit articles

There are many e-zines and online publications on the internet where you can publish software related articles. This is an easy way to get free exposure and consolidate your image as a professional in your domain.

A good article has to look professional. The golden rule is to come up with a catchy headline and pay special attention to the content. Avoid duplicating information found on the internet. Your article must be simple, meaningful and original. Keep a professional tone and avoid self-promotion.

Sign your articles, add your contact information and a copyright note at the end of the editorial. Also include a line with your website's address for those who might be interested in the subject that you presented and would like to find out more about your work.

Article by Avangate

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7 Features To Look for In A Password Manager

A password manager is a tool that allows you to store your login information in an encrypted format and retrieve it as needed. To prevent hackers from accessing your private information, most password managers require a "Master Password" to be used the "key" to perform encryption and decryption of you data. All you have to remember is that Master Password and the password manager will remember all your other passwords for you.

Most online users are not aware that such a tool exists. But once you start using it, you will never want to go back to the old way of entering your user name and password. It simplifies your life so much that you wish you would have known about it sooner.

Listed below are 7 features that you should expect from a password manager:

Encryption

The password manager should use some sort of encryption algorithm to encrypt your logon information. Some examples of encryption algorithms are: DES (Data Encryption Standard), Blowfish, AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), Rijndael, etc. Do not use a password manager that stores your password and user name in clear text (unencrypted). Anyone can copy your user name and password if they are stored in a clear text file. When your data file is encrypted, it will be rendered useless even if a hacker gets a hold of it. The text will look like a bunch of jibblish characters and the hacker won’t be able to do anything with it unless if he has your master password.

Ease of Use

You should be able to save and retrieve your password and user name with a click of the mouse. Most password managers are implemented as a toolbar on your browser so that you do not have to go hunt for them in your Programs folder. When you are at the logon page, all you should need to do is to type in the user name, password, and click on "Save Password" button on the toolbar of your browser. The password manager should remember the URL (web address) of the site, your user name, password, and any other options that you have selected on the page. You should be able to rename the entry as needed (for example, Hotmail, CitiBank, PayPal, etc).

When you need to visit the site, you can just select the entry from the toolbar and the password manager should automatically log you in. Avoid password managers that require you to drag and drop user name and password fields to the page because the password manager is not intelligent enough to figure out what fields go where on the page. That is extra work for you and you know that there are better password managers out there that would automate the "drag and drop" action for you (RoboForm is one of them).

Portability

The user names and passwords that you save into your password manager should be "portable", meaning you should be able to export the list from one computer and import it from another computer. That way you are not tied down to just one computer when using your password manager. Having the ability to export your password list also enables you to make a copy of it and store it in a location other than your computer’s hard drive (i.e. your pen drive, external hard drive, memory flash card, iPod, etc). Just in case your whole computer is stolen or damaged in a fire, you still have your password list.

Compatibility with Your Browser

Not all password managers are compatible with the browser that you are using. Most password managers are compatible with Internet Explorer. If you are using FireFox or Opera browser, make sure that your password manager is compatible with it.

Built-in Password Generator

Your password manager should have a built-in password generator that generates difficult-to-guess passwords for you. This will avoid hackers from breaking into your account using words extracted from a dictionary.

Ability to Modify Password

When the webmaster of the site changes the logon fields on the logon page, your password manager will stop working because the URL (web address) of the site might have changed or the logon fields might have been renamed. When that happens, your password manager should allow you to refresh your logon settings so that the latest changes are saved to your password manager.

Built-in Form Filler

Although not a required feature, it will be a bonus if your password manager provides a form filler. A form filler allows you to fill out online forms (like payment form, address form, personal information form) with preset data with a mouse-click. You just have to type in your personal information (like name, address, credit card number, etc) once and the form filler will fill out all the fields for you with a click of the mouse.

Our Recommendation: RoboForm

We have tested various password managers, both paid ones (like RoboForm, My Password Manager and Password Manager XP) and free ones (like KeePass Password Safe).

We like RoboForm the most because it has all the features mentioned above plus more. It has a lot of intelligence built into it and it does a fantastic job in grabbing the correct user name and password fields from various logon pages. and we are able to log on to different sites with the fewest clicks. Its form filler is so smart that it can handle any form that you throw at it while other password managers fail miserably. You can download the free trial version of RoboForm here. You will be amazed by what it can do for you.

Please leave us comments at the bottom of this article if you have tried RoboForm. We would like to know what you think of it.


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The Danger of Using the Same Password

The Danger of Using the Same Password for All Online Accounts

With most businesses moving towards the Internet, it is very common for one to have multiple online accounts. You might have online accounts for your bank, credit card, E-Bay, PayPal, Google Gmail, Hotmail, blogs, etc. Every time before you open a new account online, do you stop and ponder whether you should use the same password?

While using the same password saves you the hassle of having to remember multiple passwords for various websites, it also makes it easier for hackers to hack into your accounts. Let’s say you are using the same password for your Bank of America online savings account, CitiBank credit card, and Hotmail account. If your use name and password for Hotmail are stolen, the intruder will try to use the same user name and password on various websites (including Bank of America and CitiBank) to see if they can break into your accounts. When one of your accounts is breached, you are risking all of your accounts to be breached.

You can avoid this security risk by using a different user name and password each time you open a new account online. But how are you going to keep track of all the different user names and passwords for these accounts?

Some browsers (like Internet Explorer or FireFox) save your user names and passwords for you so that you don’t have to retype them each time you come back to the same site. However, the data can easily be deleted by other users if you are sharing your computer with others. If you hard drive crashes, you will lose all the data that the browser saved for you.

Some websites provide a "Remember Me" checkbox so that you can bypass the login page the next time you visit the same site. These websites rely on your browser’s "cookies" in order for this to work. A cookie is a hidden text file that is generated by the browser behind the scene. It can contain your user name, password, and any other personal information that the site needs to keep track of your browsing behavior.

One disadvantage of cookies is that they expire after certain period. The expiration date is set by the author of the site. The expiration date can range from 1 minute to a few years. Once expired, the cookie will automatically be deleted by your browser behind the scene and you will be prompted to type in your user name and password again. Cookies can also be deleted by others if you are sharing your computer.

Relying on your browser to keep track of you user name and password is not a safe bet. You need a more reliable tool to keep track of you login information. That reliable tool is called Password Manager. A good example of password manager is RoboForm.

We will talk more about password manager in our next article.


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Sell More Software from Your Website

You want to sell more software from your website?

Selling software online is not an easy task. How do you make the client truly understand your product and trust it - and your company - enough to pay the price? Like it or not, it's very similar to selling face to face: the first impression may be decisive for the clients' future actions. Online, the website is your "face". It has to be comprehensible and easy to use.

Here are a few tips on how your website should be to sell software better:

It has to look professional and attractive at the same time.

You don't have to show off your web designer skills. Too many colours, graphics, flash animations or drop-down boxes can only tire the visitors and make them leave faster. Less graphics will also make the site load faster. At the same time, it shouldn't be dull, so it needs to be somewhere in the middle.

Make sure your message comes across loud and clear.

In order to sell more software, information about software products must be easy to find, easy to follow and the same goes for the order process. Since most information is in the text, make it easy to read. Some coloured backgrounds make the text difficult to read, like purples, orange and reds. On the other hand, dark backgrounds may have a depressing effect on the visitors' mood. The text colour is very important. Keep in mind that different browsers show colours differently, so don't go crazy with it. It's better to use Plain fonts, like Arial, Times New Roman, Verdana and Courier, because they're easier to read. Fancier fonts may be used for headlines, but not full text. Remember though that sans serif fonts are easier to read on screen.

Easy navigation is law.

Make sure there's a link to the homepage at the top left of every page, except the homepage itself. Be careful not to have "dead ends" from which the visitor can't find their way back to where they came from. Place the most important links in the top part of each page. Clearly mark read and unread links, preferably using standard colours.

Base the site's hierarchy on your customers' needs.

Don't make them search the entire site before they find information about products, prices and payment methods.

Don't make pages too long.

A web shouldn't be more than 2 - 3 normal pages lengths, as no one likes an endless scrolling. If you have information for more than that, divide it into several pages with short information clips on the main index page leading to the second page.

Check all the links on your website to make sure they lead to a page.

Tags from the navigation menu must be representative for what that page is about.

Contact information or a link to it should be on every page.

If customers need additional information about the product, contact information like a phone number and an email address should be easy to find on the website. Let people know the hours and days of operation and the time needed to answer their requests. Give a contact name; it makes people have more faith that someone will actually read their message.

Set up a frequently-asked-questions (FAQ) page.

Base it on real questions your customers had in the past.

Article by Avangate

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The Importance of Shareware Submission

Submit Shareware for Higher Sales

The first step to increase your shareware sales is submitting your product to the top ranked download sites and directories. You can do this yourself, but beware that it takes time and effort to get listed. The alternative is to request a professional's help. There are many companies offering the service, some are specialized in shareware submission, others offer several software marketing services or even entire ecommerce solutions.

Advantages of shareware submission

Major advantages of shareware submission:

• More visibility and downloads, which in the end means more shareware sales;
• Targeted traffic, one of the main purposes of shareware promotion;
• More back- links and increased link popularity, which enhance your website's page ranking and position in the main search engines;
• Easy way to promote your software - some sites include new shareware submissions in the most visible part of their home page, others may also include these in their newsletters;
• The chance to improve your software, based on users' feedback. Many of these sites and directories provide real-time feedback from users in the form of rates or comments.

How to successfully submit your shareware

For a successful shareware submission focus on the following steps:

• Create a good PAD file. PAD (Portable Application Description) is a new XML - based standard helping authors provide product descriptions and specifications to online sources in a standard way, using a standard data format that will allow webmasters and program librarians to automate program listings. PAD usage has become very popular because it simplifies the entire submission process - both for authors and webmasters. Basically it allows you to register your programs quickly, using only the URL of the PAD - file.
• Try to find the appropriate category for your site - this will improve your targeting.
• Write a high-quality site description. Some sites require a short description, others a more elaborate one. Be prepared for both situations.
• Provide correct information. Double check any piece of information you submit.
• Get listed in as many download sites and directories as possible.
• Keep track of all the sites and directories you have submitted your software to.
• In order to continually promote your shareware, don't neglect to submit new or modified versions. Many sites sort the information by the date of the last update.
• Analyze the traffic you get from these sites and concentrate on those who really bring you customers.

Remember that users want high quality products, and they are willing to pay a fair price to fulfill their needs. Promote more than one product in order for users to find just the right one for them.

Shareware submission is all about including your product in as many download sites and directories as possible. Always keep in mind that downloads, targeted traffic and most important, sales, come from a sustained presence on the internet.

You might want to take a look at the Avangate Software Submission Service.

Article by Avangate

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Selling Software Online

Selling Software Online: How do you Present your Software?

People want to see what they buy, try before they buy instead of taking your word for it and know where to turn to if something goes wrong. These are some of the things you should consider when thinking of how to sell software online and how to present it. The list below offers tips on what you should do:

Have real users test your software product

You may think you have created an easy-to-use intuitive piece of software, yet in the end it is not you who decides this. If you plan on selling software online successfully, you need to have real people test it to see how quick they understand how it works and learn how to use it. Not to mention their help in squashing the bugs you might have never noticed on your own, thus making your product as error free as possible.

Provide an accurate description of the software product

You need a clear and short description of what the software is and what it is used for, so that people can see whether they need it or not. Additional details should be provided somewhere else for those who really wish to know more.

Make screenshots available

They say a picture makes a thousand words, so screenshots are a very helpful tool when selling software online. Screenshots tell users if the software product has a well designed interface and let them get a good look at the menu bars and toolbars, for instance, which helps them quickly assess whether the required functionality is there.

Use a "try before you buy" approach

Don't just say your software is "easy to use". If your software product is as easy to use as you say it is, then why not let people see that for themselves? Offer them the option to download of a copy of your software and try it before asking them to pay for it.

Specify supported OS-es and licensing type

A list of supported operating systems is as necessary when selling software online as when selling it in a box in a traditional store. Potential customers need to find out at a glance whether the product will work on their computers or not so this info must be visible on your website. Adding other system requirements would be a good idea, too. Do specify the type of licensing for your software product (i.e. freeware, shareware etc).

Include a help file and support details

Your software product has to have some documentation explaining users how to use it, be it in form of a help file or an online manual either included with the product or that can be downloaded separately. People also need to know where to reach you in case they need support, so do not forget to include such details (an e-mail address, and maybe a phone number, too). Letting people see the product (by screenshots) and try it before they buy, providing help files with your software and support when necessary, properly testing it with real users to make sure it is easy to use are the things that you should have on your to-do list if you plan on selling software online and be successful at it.

Article by Avangate


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Pricing Your Software

How Much do you Charge for your Software?

Your software's ready to use, everything is set up, but before it reaches its users, one problem comes up: how much do you charge for it?

No one can tell you exactly how much you should charge for your software product, but there are some things you need to bear in mind when deciding your software pricing strategy:

Factor in the real cost of development

Software product pricing has to take into account the real cost of development. Real costs include everything you spend from the moment you begin working on the project to the moment your product reaches the market, in addition to the on-going costs of staying in business.

List the price where people can see it

Make sure the software product price is listed where people can easily see it on your website. If they have to search to find out how much the product costs, and cannot find it, some will assume they cannot afford it and will leave without making a purchase.

Avoid giving the "too good to be true" impression

Set your price according to the product category it is part of. Even though you might think it makes good software product pricing strategy, never set your price too low compared with the competitors, or else people might wonder if it isn't too good to be true.

Too high or too low?

Pricing software too low may not get you as many sales you think it should, because pricing, and software product pricing in this case, sends messages. Instead of getting you the results you want, too low a price may put people off from buying your software, making them think it's cheap and doubt its quality. Of course, too high a price may also put people off. However, it is easier to lower the price than to raise it.

No, you cannot fight a price war

As a small developer or shareware business, do not ever attempt to get into a price war. You may have the ability to make the product cheaper than anyone else, but large companies benefit from economies of scale, a benefit you probably don't enjoy, therefore you will not able to sustain a price advantage. Find some other advantage to compete.

Profit doesn't come last

Many people who are new to the software business make the mistake of thinking profit comes last when deciding on their pricing strategy. Software product pricing should be set so as to cover all the costs you incur developing it and allow for enough profit to keep you in business and provide you with the means to overcome the inevitable unexpected.

Limited-time offers

If you use the price to differentiate your software product, you will get the best results if offering it for less on a limited-time basis or as a competitive upgrade.

Complicated pricing schemes are not good

One of the traps shareware authors fall into when it comes to pricing strategy is making the pricing scheme too complicated. Too many options people have to choose from (like which version they should get, be it home/lite or pro or whether they want a code to unlock the product sent by e-mail or on CD, for instance) will only confuse them and can deter some from buying anything at all.

Do not set your price too low or too high, do not engage in a price war, do not confuse potential customers with too many options. These are just some of the things you need to keep in mind when deciding your pricing strategy, which will help you make more sales and implicitly more money from your software.

Links to interesting articles related to pricing software:

• www.aegis-resources.com
• www.joelonsoftware.com
• discuss.fogcreek.com

Article by Avangate

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