Keeping your computer going

By Reid Goldsborough

 

Among the worst things that can happen to a computer is for it to stop working. Computers have a knack for developing problems when you’re in the middle of an important project. Unless you have an IT person or department to call on, you’ll need to wrestle with the silicon beast yourself.

There are resources out there you can call on when you can’t fix things yourself. Before detailing some of those resources, here’s a quick list of how to prevent problems in the first place:

 

• Use an anti-virus program, firewall program, anti-spyware program, and anti-spam program, and keep them current. You can go the route of a suite of bundled programs, such as Symantec’s Norton 360, which makes using the programs and getting updates easier, or you can use programs from different companies, which can be less expensive.

As a result of the increasing importance of being protected this way, more and more Internet service providers offer free security tools with your subscription to them. You typically have to enable the tools, however, and not everybody does this.

 

• Update Windows or whatever operating system you’re using regularly. The same goes for whatever office suite or other programs you’re using, including your word processor, Web browser, and spreadsheet program. The best approach is to enable programs to download and install updates automatically, which is particularly convenient if you have a high-speed cable or DSL Internet connection.

 

• If you can swing it, get the kids their own PC for instant messaging, surfing the Web, and playing games, and keep the one you use for business or personal finance to yourself. If, in exploring their creativity your kids blow up their PC in fixing things, you  won’t be prevented from getting work done.  Make sure you give any children using a PC a primer on safe computing practices. Students often receive such instruction at school, but it doesn’t hurt to reinforce this at home. In conjunction with this, you can optionally use parental control software, often part of Internet security programs, to prevent children from visiting porn, gambling, and other of the Internet’s seedier Web sites and discussion areas.

 

• Among the most important safe computing practices is refusing to open e-mail attachments from people you don’t know and to check with people you do know before opening attachments to make sure the e-mail actually came from them. Also, don’t click on links in any e-mail message or pop-up window asking you to verify a credit card, bank, eBay, PayPal, or similar account. Similarly, don’t provide personal information to anyone unless you’re sure you’re at a valid Web site or are communicating with someone you know and trust.

Try to stay away from Web sites you don’t trust. Internet security suites and free programs such as Spyware Blaster (http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html) can help. If searching with Google, you can enable SafeSearch by going to its Advance Search page, at www.google.com/advanced_search, or simply by clicking on “Advance Search.”

 

• Turn your PC off at night to free up system resources, eliminate potential conflicts, and conserve energy.  If you do experience a problem, often you can solve it yourself by simply doing a Google search. Google and other Web search sites have gotten so good that you typically don’t have to seek out frequently asked questions archives (FAQs) or tech support forums at company Web sites or offered independently through the Web, e-mail, or Usenet.

Type any error message you receive on screen into Google, within quotation marks. If you experience other types of glitches, type the key words into Google along with the product’s brand name or the type of product.

Fixing things yourself is the least expensive way to go, but it can sometimes be time-consuming. If you’re not able to fix things in a  timely way, it can make sense to cut your losses and call in the experts.

Options include taking your computer to a local computer repair shop, using a remote tech support service such as PlumChoice Computer Help (www.plumchoice.com) that attempts to fix things over the Internet, or having a support technician visit your premises from a service such as Rescuecom (www.rescuecom.com).

Recently, one of my kids trashed her PC. Trying System Restore, located in the System Tools folder of the Accessories folder, didn’t help. Reinstalling Windows didn’t help. I had to reformat the hard drive and start from scratch. My hair being nearly completely pulled out by then, I called in Rescuecom to reconnect her PC to our home network.

 

Reid Goldsborough is a syndicated columnist and author of the book, “Straight Talk About the Information Superhighway.” He can be reached at reidgold@comcast.net or www.reidgoldsborough.com.

 

 

 

 

SEO analyst achieves high Google rankings

 

Winning the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) game is not easily done. “It is like creating a sand painting in the wind,” acknowledged Jon Burgess, author of “Google: How does it Work?”  Burgess is Internet manager at RedFusion™ Media, the leading Web development and maintenance firm in the Inland Empire. In his recent article, “Google: How does it Work?” Burgess discusses the dynamics of how to get highly ranked by Google’s search engine. He believes that there is no substitute for good writing.

“More important than trying to guess which keywords are most sought out, the best way to receive high Google ratings online is obtained by writing relevant and word-rich content, with the intent to specifically target search engines,” he theorizes. To prove his point, the keyword phrase, “How does Google work?” shows his article currently holding the #5 Google ranking, out of 10,600,000 pages.

“When you omit the fact that Google.com holds the top two positions (which is not surprising, since they are obviously the experts on Google’s search engines) my page actually holds the #3 position.” he stated.  Although, RedFusion™ Media gets many hits from that page alone, what this really proves is that Google doesn’t place as much value on the common “keyword and meta-keyword” techniques that most self-proclaimed search engine professionals teach their clients about at their expensively priced SEO seminars.

Jon explained his theory, “For years I have felt like SEO – as you see it being sold by other professionals – is a scam. I didn’t write one word or do any research to get it ranked in the top 10.  After my paper received a #9 ranking, I spent only 10 minutes adding meta-tags, which resulted in a jump from number nine to fifth place in only three days.”

A company’s Website is central to utilizing the Internet to its maximum potential as an effective marketing tool. Websites are now considered to be comprehensive and strategic management devices, able to wield multiple functions in new and dynamic ways. But, without the ability to garner top SEO rankings, Websites can slip into oblivion and fail to achieve their potential.

When looking for a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) company to work on your Website, you see them selling keyword research, stressing the re-writing of a site’s content, and promising success. The simple truth is that writing relevant content about one subject is the key; there is no trickery involved. What is necessary, in order to achieve recognition by search engines, is plentiful and well-written content. Period.

Very good writers are probably the pivotal factor in determining SEO rating success. Well written content, using rich and varied language, probably will steer a Website safely into the highest rankings available. Good writing will take keywords into account, but the concentrated effort should be on creating rich and informative copy; not on producing copy solely from a set of words chosen as magic SEO magnets.

Traffic generates traffic. When someone finds your site, they will generally stay, only if your site has something to say. Information-rich content is the highway to Internet marketing success. There is just no substitute for good writing.

 

Burgess is a MBA candidate at the University of Redlands who often writes on Internet marketing topics. He is recognized for his understanding of the constantly changing landscape of the Internet, as evidenced by his high rate of success with SEO. Simply put, his Websites receive consistently high Google rankings. He writes and consults about a variety of Internet and marketing issues, and is currently compiling his research into a book, to help others learn about effective Internet marketing strategies.

 

Google: How does it Work? is available at  http://www.redfusionmedia.com/2005/07/google-how-does-it-work.htm