Maki & Brian DeLaet EduCyber founders

July 2003 EduNotes

EduCyber is pleased to present the July 2003 Edition of EduNotes. In this issue, learn how to get published cheaply, find out if you really need an antivirus program, Ed Cyber’s recommendations for blocking hackers and how your web site should be helping you generate revenue. Enjoy and as always, send feedback to edunotes@educyber.com.
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Running a bit late this month but we’ve got some good news, as part of our 5th anniversary celebration; EduCyber is giving away a Palm Zire. Visit our web site at www.educyber.com to sign up for your chance to win today. If the winner is in the Denver metro area, we can also provide free installation. The deadline for entering is August 10. The drawing will be held on August 11.
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Get Published
Have you been working on that Great American Novel? Have a great idea for a book but afraid it won’t get published? Do you have a manuscript that you need to get published?
There’s hope and there’s a way to get your book published. And though it is with the help of the Internet, it is NOT just an e-book that will never find its way onto some bookshelf.
The site is iuniverse.com and they can help you get your book in print AND in e-book format. For as little as $200 in cash (cost doesn’t include the blood, sweat and tears you pour into writing the book :-)), you can set off on the road to pubished-authorhood.
With the miracle of the Internet, you book can be on sale at two of the biggest book stores on the planet – Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com – right alongside Harry Potter and Hillary Clinton.
Iuniverse doesn’t accept every manuscript offered and they have editors that work with accepted manuscripts to help get your book in the best possible form before it goes to press.
A client of ours is in the process of going through their process a second time to get his next book to the presses. Len speaks very highly of iuniverse and the whole process, in fact, he’s taking the “Premier” route offered this time to use more of their services in getting the word out about his book.
If you’re interested in getting published, visit iuniverse.com. You can also get Len’s first book of short stories at Amazon.com or at barnesandnoble.com. Simply visit the store of your choice and do a search for Len Custer.
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Do I Really Need an Antivirus Program?
I don’t need an antivirus program. I’ve never received a virus via email. It’s been months if not years since a really big virus came out. Since 9/11 the government has cracked down on hackers so that we no longer need to worry much about new viruses. Right?
If you’re trying to cut costs to stay competitive, don’t get foolish. A good antivirus program should be viewed the same way you view car or homeowner’s insurance. You’ll probably (hopefully?) never need to use it but if you do, you’ll be very thankful it’s there.
New viruses ARE coming out on a regular basis. They aren’t getting as far as fast because of increased vigilance, not just by corporate America and government but by small businesses and individuals who understand that they need to protect themselves.
We often hear people make claims like, “I don’t have anything important on my computer anyway.” Or “I can always use my backups.” Some viruses will hide out on your computer for days or weeks before a certain day or other event triggers them. So in the event you get hit by a virus, it is likely your backups will also be infected. And if you have ANYTHING personal – Social Security number, Bank PIN, other passwords – stored on your computer, you are at risk.
Having nothing important on your computer isn’t the problem either. If you are purchasing something over the internet, you need to have protection in place to make sure someone doesn’t surreptiously steal your information (and your identity). At $50 or less for a full program and $40 or less for annual subscriptions for individual computers, make sure your computer is safe from viruses.
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Ask Ed Cyber
Ed,
I just upgraded my Internet connection to broadband and now I’m concerned about security, what do you recommend?
Security Conscious

Dear Mr. or Ms. Conscious,
I’m glad you’re conscious of the need for security – for keeping people out of your system while being able to do what you want or need via the Internet. There is a relatively simple and inexpensive solution that I recommend for a number of reasons. The solution is to get a cable/dsl router. I particularly like the LinkSys routers but there a variety of manufacturers of these kinds of routers.
A router can easily be configured to use something called NAT (network address translation). If you’ve ever worked in a large corporation, you’ve probably realized how useless caller ID can be. That particular information (the caller’s phone number) is usually not carried over to the internal phone network. That’s kind of how NAT works but in reverse. A hacker might be able to get as far as your router but it is more difficult for them to find any of the addresses (not too different from a phone number) of the individual computers on the network. The router doesn’t pass that information along because no one from the outside needs to know it.
Even with one computer, a router can work as a cheap firewall that will act as a first line of defense in protecting your network and is fairly easy to set up. There are other more powerful options available to you though. One of the more popular software firewalls for individual home users is Zone Labs ZoneAlarm. ZoneAlarm Basic is a free download that you can install and configure on your computer. It will protect you from the casual hackers in much the way that having a dead bolt on your front door protects you from a casual thief. The professionals will keep looking for other ways to get in but you’re safe from 90% of intrusions.
If you want a very strong security solution, you can purchase a hardware firewall. These are usually used by businesses (small, medium or large) to protect themselves, especially those businesses with always on Internet connections. One good small business firewall is the WatchGuard Firebox SOHO which has a list price of $629.
I hope this helps you in deciding how to protect your computer and network from an always on Internet connection.
Sincerely,

Ed Cyber
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Making the Internet Work For You (Web Marketing 101)
For as big as it is, the Internet is a pretty nimble creature, able to change course rapidly according to the changing or newly felt needs of its users. Thus, having a web site enables companies and businesses large and small to become more nimble as well.
While traditional print media require you to be generalized and static (You can’t easily add a new product to your just-printed, 5000-copy product catalog.), you can easily add or remove products or services on your web site as they become available and without having to invest in a reprint of all those catalogs.
Dynamically generated web sites make your business even more up-to-date. Sell-out on a product? No problem. Remove the item from the database or simply change it’s status to sold-out and the next time a visitor loads the page where the product was displayed, it no longer appears. Add new products or services in the same way. Real Estate agents, for example, can easily (and cheaply) remove sold properties and add new listings.
So if you don’t have a web site or have a site that isn’t generating any revenue, it is time to consider how it can actually help your business grow. Call us today if you want more information. (720) 275-4646.
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© 2003 EduCyber, Inc. This newsletter is brought to you by EduCyber, Inc. EduNotes can be viewed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week online at http://www.educyber.com/edunotes/. Visit us on the web at http://www.educyber.com or call us at (720) 275-4646. Permission is hereby granted to redistribute all or part of this newsletter as long as this entire copyright message is included.
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