My business doesn’t gain anything from being on the internet, does it?

Actually, it has a lot to gain. Your business model may be stifling your potential if it isn’t adapting to changes in society.

The truth is, the internet has been around for a lot longer than most of us have used it for. But now that internet speeds have reached a level fast enough to make it a useful medium, more and more consumers are using the internet to do things they used to do manually. The internet is often the first port of call for curious consumers, and businesses need to catch this wave too.

Having a website is a great start, but there is more to be achieved. If you’re a small-to-medium sized business, chances are you may not be the first or most obvious choice within your market. One way to edge closer to the competition is to increase your renown - “get your name out there”. Get in amongst the social networking platforms, place yourself in web directories, or send out a news feed with deals and details.

Let´s say you’re a local greengrocer, and your customers are mostly local and walk to your shop. The potential of a site like Twitter is that a passing motorist can search for a local business on Twitter feeds directly from their mobile phone as they pass through the area.

It’s not unusual for consumers to need to investigate a new industry. Even five years ago, most of us would have found a business by using a phonebook or asking a friend or relative. Today, we use web directories to do this same task, so not having a website almost certainly results in losing the sale.

News feeds are a growth area in e-commerce. Driving this growth is the technological advancements in mobile phones, which has expanded their use far beyond that of the function their name suggests. Todays’ mobile phones are small computers that are often optimised for presenting information from multiple sources in a single screen. News feeds make great use of this style of presentation, and may be worth investigating for marketing towards loyal consumers.

These are just a few ways your business can benefit from being on the internet.

At Firecrest we have everything you need to help you get the most out of the internet. Call us today to arrange a chat with an IT consultant

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To really get your name out there into the vastness of the World Wide Web, you need to register your website with the world’s big search engines and web directories. Only you can register, strict privacy laws mean clients must be the people who register their own web sites.

Directories

There are a number of directories which you can register with. You may not get much from them directly, but every link to your website helps with your Google ranking. So we would recommend registering with as many of these as possible. Some of these directories are free, and we would recommend signing up with all of those. If you want to boost your rating even further, there are directories that may ask a fee for a premium package. These can be worth experimenting with to see if they are suited to your needs. If you do choose a premium service, make sure you keep track of how many people visit your site from these directories before spending more.

Don't forget there may be other directories for just your industry group.

Just have a look online and see what directories are available.

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In a world where business transactions happen in seconds not minutes, it is vital that your website serves the purpose it was intended for. Businesses live and breathe (and die) based on their website´s ability to perform.

If you´re not sure what to do next with your website, ask yourself some of these guiding questions to keep your website on track.

The first thing to ask yourself is, does my website serve its intended purpose? If you don´t already know, make sure you find out what purpose your website was created for. Websites can have many functions, each one with a common model of use cases. Your website could be designed to:

• create new sales from customers who have not previously shopped with you,
• provide services to existing customers through training material, support, advice etc.,
• consolidate your existing sales process using examples of work or case studies,
• showcase new products and material, or
• support your current infrastructure, i.e. job recruitment, staff manuals, notices etc.

All of these processes can either make you money, save you money, or save you time. Your website is not of much use if they are not targeting your particular market or purpose.

Next, check your website´s content and sitemap.

The information that appears the most should tie in with your sales strategy. The end goal of your website is for potential clients to make their way to these pages.

• Avoid having content on pages about topics that don´t tie in, especially if they are taking up space on your home page.
• Ensure the structure of your website is easy to follow so that clients can get from the home page to the end goal. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Finally, remember to monitor the success of your website. If your website is targeting sales, monitor the progress of your sales records from your website. If employees use it to log work activities, ask your employees what they think of it - their feedback may surprise you. Is the amount of money that you are spending on your website paying itself off? Statistics like these are readily available, so check them regularly.

At Firecrest Systems, we offer various website packages that provide you with full maintenance, freedom to do-it-yourself and everything in between. If you are finding it hard to keep your website up-to-date, or it just needs a clean up, let us know! We know what we´re doing when it comes to websites. Click here if you are interested in one of our website packages.

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Tip 1 - Links to your website

The more websites that are linked to your website, the better your website will do. Try to foster as many links as possible. For example:

• Add your company website to every online web directory you can find, have look at 'How do I get my business website to be found better?' this will give you a list of directories.
• Contact your suppliers and ask if you can go on their website. If you stock their product, then they will most likely want to tell the public where they can buy it.
• Contact your clients to see if they would like to promote your product with a link to your site.
• If you write an article, publish it on the web and link them to your website. This is one of the best ways to increase traffic.
• Add a link to your website from your email signature and email newsletter.
• Link back from your social networking sites (Facebook and Twitter) to your website for more information.

Tip 2 - Content

If you are selling something, talk about it. If you sell lawn mowers and you don't ever say lawn mower then when people search for "lawn mower" they will not find you. So it is important to talk about. Try talking about:

• What it is  - "Lawn mower",
• The brand name - "The Mega Mower 2000".
• What it does - "Cuts grass",
• Why you should buy it, the advantages - "The quickest way to cut grass!"

All of this text will help you be found via search engines.

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A computer virus is a program or script designed to cause damage to your computer. Viruses will commonly corrupt files, multiply itself into other files, or slowly delete all the files on your hard drive. Some types can even steal your personal details, such as passwords or even bank account details. The danger of viruses is that the damage doesn’t stop when it infects you - it can also spread to other computers that you send messages to, so your family, friends & work colleagues could also become victims.

How to prevent and protect your computer:

• Keep antivirus software up-to-date
  
• Install a firewall
• Be cautious when browsing
  

Antivirus software

Having antivirus software installed on your computer is an absolute must, but make sure you keep the virus definitions up to date. New viruses are always appearing, so your antivirus software should be updated every day - in less than 24 hours your antivirus software could be out of date and vulnerable to attack. In addition, scan your computer’s hard drive in case a virus has found its way onto your computer behind the scenes. The easiest way is to schedule an automatic scan once or twice a week so you don’t need to manually run them yourself. Antivirus software can also scan your computer while you surf the internet and check the files you download before you open them.

Firewall

A firewall is like a gate between your computer and the internet, allowing certain things to go in and out. It provides an extra layer of security by making sure you are aware of the potential consequences of some actions you perform. For example, if you are accessing an insecure network that is not recognised by your computer, the firewall prompts you for permission before giving the connection the “all clear”.

Be Cautious

The most common reason computers become infected with a virus is because a user has clicked something without knowing what they are opening. Viruses appear in two major areas, websites and email.

Websites

Websites are major targets for viruses, so never assume that a website is safe, even if you have been sent a link to it by a friend. The link may actually have been sent by an infected computer belonging to a friend’s computer that has fallen victim to the virus. Often website owners are unaware that their website is infected.

Sometimes while you are visiting a website, some pop-ups may appear in the foreground. Pay careful attention to these, as clicking “yes” or “ok” may cause a spyware program to be installed. Common places where pop ups might appear are downloading websites, where it uses them as advertisement, and often viruses can be placed on to one of them.

Be very cautious when you’re downloading files from the internet. Some things to keep in mind:

• If you are suspicious for whatever reason, it’s best to leave it.
• Have in your mind a realistic estimate of how big the file will be, e.g. if you’re downloading a song, you would expect the file to be around 4 - 8MB. If the file you are prompted to download is 100KB, this should alert you that you may be downloading a virus.
• Check the file extension that your are downloading. Viruses commonly use extensions such as .exe .com .bat .scr .pif and .vbs. Files of these types are very suspicious.

Email

These days it is not unusual to find that for every legitimate message in your inbox, you receive two spam messages. Being vigilant when reading emails is absolutely critical.

Many spam emails contain a virus that comes lodged in an attachment. These emails may also appear as though they are from a friend - just because the email address is correct doesn't mean the email was actually sent by a friend or family member. The sender may be unaware that they have been infected, and that a virus is impersonating them to try and spread it to you. Assure yourself by configuring your antivirus software's email scanner to check your emails and attachments.

What to do if you notice a suspicious email in your inbox:

• If you don’t recognise the sender’s name, it helps to check which domain the message was sent from. You can do this by hovering your mouse over the sender’s name.
  
  • The domain name is the part that comes after the @ symbol, e.g. “xtra.co.nz”.
  • The last two letters of the domain tells you which country is from, e.g. “nz” = New Zealand.
  • If the email is from a foreign domain, it is almost definitely spam and should not be opened.
• If it appears to be from a friend’s email address but the subject is unusual or inconsistent, you can always ask the sender first. You could send them an email, or better yet, talk face-to-face with them.
• Never reply to emails that ask for your any of your personal or bank details - these are almost always a hoax.
• If you have already opened an email you think you shouldn’t have, calmly delete the message. Don’t click on any hyperlinks in the email or open attachments if there are any, including links that say "Unsubscribe".

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Spam is a common term used to describe unwanted electronic communications (“Junk mail”). The most common medium of spam is email, however it can also come in other forms, such as text messages, faxes, social networking posts, and instant messages (this is sometimes known as spim). Spam emails are part of bigger problems such as identity theft and other scams.

Although spam can be very annoying, it can't harm your computer so long as you don’t open it. The difficulty comes when deciding if a message is spam or a genuine communication.

• Can I make a complaint?
• Where can I learn more?
• So can I send an email newsletter, or is this Spam?

Can I make a complaint?

If you think the spam originated in New Zealand, you can go to www.antispam.govt.nz to make a complaint.

Where can I learn more?

To learn more about spam, visit www.antispam.govt.nz

Can I send an email newsletter, or is this Spam?

Yes you can, however you need to comply with legal requirements, otherwise you will be classified as spam.

You are required to:

• Ask for consent from the recipient before including them in your mailing list
• Clearly identify your business and how you can be contacted,
• Give recipients the option to unsubscribe at no cost. This can be as simple as including the text “To unsubscribe reply with unsubscribe in the subject.”
• Adhere to the Privacy Act 1993

What if I don’t comply with the legal requirements?

Failing to meet these requirements can result in court imposed penalties of up to $500,000.

How can I gain consent?

You cannot send commercial electronic messages if you do not have consent, Consent falls into 3 categories:

• Express consent - a person has explicitly given you approval to send them messages. Such ways include:
  • filling in a paper form,
  • ticking a box on a website,
  • approval by phone or in a meeting.
    Note: it is up to the sender to prove they had permission, so make sure you keep records of the approval.
• Inferred consent - the person has not directly give you consent to send a message, but there is a clear indication that they may receive a message. Inferred consent is limited to messages related to the business that consent was given for. Such ways include:
  • follow up after a sale,
  • the exchange of a business card.
    Note: If someone is in your existing address book, and they have not asked to be removed, consent may not be implied. In these cases it is better to gain express consent.
• Deemed consent - a person publishes their contact details knowing that they may receive relevant business information.
  Note: if they express that they do not wish to receive unsolicited messages, consent is not given.

(abridged from www.dia.govt.nz - “Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007”)

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If you wish to receive email on your iPhone, you can follow the set up guidelines below.

1. On your iPhone, tap Mail or from the Home screen choose Settings > Mail > Accounts > Add Account.
2. For your email account type choose 'Other'.
3. Select IMAP for your server type.
4. Enter your email address (e.g. myname@mydomain.com).
5. Enter IMAP for the email server type.
6. Enter your incoming mail server (e.g. imap.mydomain.com).
7. Enter your outgoing mail server (e.g. smtp.mydomain.com:465).
8. Enter your email address as your username.
9. Enter your password.
10. The iPhone will attempt to establish an SSL connection to your IMAP and SMTP servers. If this fails, you will see a prompt "Do you want to try setting up the account without SSL."
    1. Click No.
    2. Click Save
    3. When prompted "This account may not be able to send or receive emails. Are you sure you want to save?", select Save.

For Best Results:

1. Make sure you are using IMAP instead of POP3 on your computer. IMAP is set to keep a copy of your email for 30 days.
2. Set up your SMTP server to use port 465 instead of port 25, as some ISPs now block port 25. To do this, tap Settings > Mail. Select the account you want to change, and in the Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP) Host Name, add a colon at the end of the name, followed by the port number 465. (e.g. smtp.mydomain.com:465)

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What is click-jacking?

Click-jacking is a new form of scam, where personal details such as your name, email address, and even where you live can be stolen by a single innocent click.

It´s a lot more common than you may realise. Click-jacking is everywhere you interact with friends through a digital medium, from emails to instant messaging, even Facebook!

Where once it was easy to separate an imitation from a genuine item, the internet makes this much more difficult. This problem is further enhanced when names and pictures of friends of yours are included in the scam, which puts websites such as Facebook at the centre of attention for scammers.

How can I avoid being click-jacked?

Remember that if something looks too good to be true, it probably is. Common subjects of scams include unreleased versions of hardware or software (such as the iPhone 25, which does not yet exist), so if you are interested in cellphones for example, it helps to make yourself aware of what the most current version of leading products in that market is.

Another helpful thing to do is to check your privacy settings once in a while, as Facebook periodically updates these to allow increased security, but this is commonly switched off by default. One example of this is the option to use a more secure browsing session (https), which you have to turn on yourself if you want to use it.

But perhaps the easiest way of all to safeguard yourself is to ask the person you received the link from if they sent it. Eliminate the risk. And if you are sending something legitimate to your friends, make sure you identify yourself in an obvious way so people know it´s really you.

Safe browsing everyone.

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