Maki & Brian DeLaet EduCyber founders

December 2005 EduNotes

Inside this edition of EduNotes: Meet Barbara Delgadillo from the City of Wheat Ridge, find out if you're missing out on important technology trends, and make sure you're not getting infected with any cyber viruses this year. Send feedback or questions to edunotes@educyber.com .

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EduCyber is your technology partner. We partner with businesses that need help with their technology. Whether you need a web site, a web host, help with the search engines, or some kind of computer or network help, we partner with you to maximize your technology investment. Call EduCyber today at 720-275-4646.

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Meet Barbara Delgadillo, City of Wheat Ridge Economic Development

EduCyber has partnered with Wheat Ridge Economic Development over the last couple of years. In order to develop the right look and feel for their image, we designed both their logo and their web site. We sat down recently with Barbara Delgadillo to discuss how technology has improved the way they reach the community. In her role as Assistant to the City Manager, Barbara works with Economic Development to improve the city's business climate. You can visit the Wheat Ridge Economic Development web site at www.wred.us.

How has technology changed your business/work?

EduCyber built the City an interactive website that has enabled Economic Development to advertise the city's incentive programs and provide data information for prospective businesses. When looking for a new location in the Denver metro area, a number of businesses will not contact the various locales. They will access information they are searching for through the website. The website enables us to compete with other cities by providing the information to prospective new businesses. In addition, the website allows the city to communicate in a timely manner with our existing businesses and customers.

What are the biggest challenges you face right now?

One of the biggest challenges we face right now is educating our businesses about the services we offer. It is difficult getting face time with over 1800 businesses within the city. The more we can advertise the location of our website, the easier it will become in keeping businesses up-to-date. We are developing marketing materials and will be implementing our retention system during 2006. These will help us inform our customers of the website and where they can obtain information to keep current with city services.

What unique challenges does Wheat Ridge Economic Development face right now?

Getting out to our customers and developing a database of information that will help us better assist the businesses. The more we know about a business and its plans, the better we can assist them. The retention program is geared toward knowing when intervention or assistance may be necessary before concerns become difficult to address. In order to predict the direction of a business, we must first know where they are today as well as their future plans. This could include lease dates, expansion plans and timing, staffing needs and workforce issues. A large part of retention includes identifying industry trends, addressing business concerns, and pinpointing new opportunities for various primary businesses and employers.

How has partnering with EduCyber for your website helped you?

EduCyber developed and hosts our website. They maintain the website, post information and ensure that the site is functioning easily and efficiently for the user as well as the City's Economic Development Division. They have saved the city an immeasurable amount of time and money through development of the website. It is easy to navigate, information is easy to locate and it has enabled many current and prospective businesses to locate and obtain information without having to contact the city directly. EduCyber is easy to work with, creative in their design and layout, and can quickly ascertain our needs and make appropriate suggestions that we would not have thought about otherwise. The end result has been a clean, easy to navigate, informative site designed and maintained by EduCyber.

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Technology Trends

Did you know that more people are shopping online this year? Well, you may have guessed that one. Did you know that more shopping was done online on Thanksgiving day than on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving)? That may have surprised you a bit.
What about the latest buzz phrase, “Word of Mouth” marketing? You can expect to hear a lot about this in the days and weeks and months ahead. Think about how you do business and make decisions about where to spend your money. Are you more likely to be swayed by a TV ad or a friend's recommendation? Are you more likely to make a purchase based on an ad you see online or by your favorite blogger recommending it? We all respond better to Word of Mouth whether it is from a friend or family member or someone (or some institution we admire).
So now marketers are trying to tap into that Word of Mouth advertising by getting people to talk about their products, either in print or radio or TV or, of course, the Internet. And this latest trend in technology and advertising could have a big impact on your business and on the way you do business. Want to sell more? Whether you have products or services to offer (or a combination thereof), wouldn't you rather create a “buzz” and have people banging on your door than to have to be out hawking your wares? It doesn't take a lot of imagination to begin to see how this could benefit you.
Of course this is not a new idea. Listeners of Paul Harvey have heard him endorsing products for years. But just as blogging has changed the way many people get their news and ultimately changed how news itself is delivered, so has blogging and other Internet technologies opened the door for how you can better reach those people who most need what you offer.
If you'd like some more ideas about how Word of Mouth or other technology trends can help you in your business, call EduCyber today at 720-275-4646.

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Spyware, Trojans and Viruses, Oh My!

We certainly aren't in Kansas anymore. And “tis the season” to experiment. Each year during the month of December we see an increase in the number of spyware and virus attacks that leave computers locked up and helpless.
Whether you have more time to “play” because business is slow or you are spending more time online to finish up your last minute shopping, or a host of other reasons, you need to be aware of the dangers lurking around the next click.
And the bad guys are certainly clever. The latest risk is the Sober virus which is showing up in your inbox. If you've received emails saying the CIA or FBI has logged your IP address at 30 web sites and you are to open the attached zip file, you have been the target of this latest threat. And if you've been visiting sites that you aren't sure you should have, then you might be concerned enough to think about opening the attachment. Too many people have done exactly that and the virus then spreads on further. The best thing to do if you get messages like this is to delete them immediately.
Another threat is the folks who have faked a web site that looks like McAfee's in order to entice you to download and execute a file that “opens a back door” to your computer so hackers can get in. If you've recently installed a Hot Update that appeared to come from McAfee, you're likely infected.
How can you stop yourself from getting hit with all these viruses and Trojans? While there is no failsafe method there are a few simple steps you can take to make sure you're reasonably protected.

• Keep your operating system fully patched. For most of us, that means visiting the Windows Update web site to make sure that our systems are completely up to date and installing any outstanding updates if they aren't completely patched.
• Verify that you have a functioning antivirus program with the latest antivirus definitions or signatures. The definition or signature should be dated sometime within the last week to make sure you have up-to-date protection. We recommend that you stop right now and check this. If you have an out-dated virus signature, you aren't protected from these latest threats.
• Make sure you have some kind of functioning firewall. Windows XP Service Pack 2 has a rudimentary firewall that is better than nothing. For always on Internet connections, we recommend a hardware firewall. This needn't be grandiose. Most Cable/DSL routers now come with a firewall built in.
• If you suspect your computer has been compromised, disconnect it from the Internet. For an always on connection, this will be a cable that looks like a big phone jack. Simply disconnect it from the back of the computer.

For a free security check for your system, call EduCyber at 720-275-4646 or email us at info@educyber.com

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© 2005 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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