blogs.matrixwebs.com

News and Updates

Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:26:50 GMT

Important news from Matrixwebs.com regarding your service contract and new services.

Software Updates

Distribusuite: A new beta version has published today. Customers that are using the product will be updated shortly. Substantial work has been done in the order entry area.

FileItSuite: Is in the process of receiving style updates. These updates will bring the look in line with the newer packages.

New Sites

Matrixwebs has launched a few new sites:
http://www.svendurance.com
http://www.triathlonkidz.com
http://www.mhmarathon.com
http://www.conceptcycelry.com
http://www.cctriclub.com
http://www.consistenttee.com
http://www.euro-climate.com
http://www.infinitesunenergy.com/
Many of these customers are using our blog software (that ties directly to Facebook). For example:
http://blog.infinitesunenergy.com/
http://trikidz.matrixblogsuite.com/

Contracts

Many of our customers are under maintenance contracts. We have revised pricing to be more in line with our lower hourly rate. Please click here for samples. Contact: sales@matrixwebs.com if you wish to update your current contract.
http://www.matrixwebs.com/docs/maint.pdf

In addition we have added more services to contracts. Do you have a limited marketing budget? Well this is for you. We can change the look of your website to reference Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Yelp. We also add in blogging ability and tie everything together. We manage these for you. We friend people in Facebook and get them to follow posts about your business, company, or industry. All posts are written by our team of creative writers. Review some options here:
http://www.matrixwebs.com/docs/marketing.pdf

Another service we have added is managed electronic filing? Want to go paperless? Review this document:
http://www.matrixwebs.com/docs/filing.pdf

Please call or email if you are interested in any of these items or it’s just time to freshen your site up.

Ironman 70.3 World Championships Race Report

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:03:33 GMT

Well this was my first trip to Clearwater for the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. I got a spot way back in May at Hawaii (Honu).

It's been a long year; I totaled up my events for the year:

Road Bike Races: 2
TT's: 3
Running races and Marathons: 4
Duathlons: 3
Short Triathlons: 1
1/2 Ironman's: 2
Full Ironman: 1

My training for the year: (up until 11-15-09)

Swimming: 252,000 yards
Bike: 5700 Miles
Run: 851 Miles
Time: A little over 600 hours

So as I went into this event I was not feeling really up for it. I felt like I peaked 4 weeks ago at the San Jose half marathon, I was lighter and ran a 1:32 which was 9 minutes faster than my previous best.

We arrived in Clearwater to horrible weather. The wind was about 30 mph from the north. It was very cold, and the ocean was huge. Unswimmable for me. Swimming is my weakest discipline. The current was so fierce that when I went out for a quick playfull swim, I was pulled down shore about 50 yards and it was very, very hard to get back unless you swam with the current. I went and bought gloves and arm warmers. It felt like Cour D Alene all over.

WTC ended up switching the swim to the harbor side of the island the day before. Thank god. Now we had a little longer t1 run, but I could live with it. It was to be an interesting start, TT version. The initial thought was it would break up the drafting packs a little more on the bike. NOPE!

Race morning came and guess what? Hot and Sunny. Little wind. I was supposed to be starting at 7:45 with the second wave on my age group. In transition I went to put my bottles on and check my tire pressure. I purposely got there a little late since my wave started later. My rear tubular had a huge gash in it. A few people said they had the same thing. I tried PITstop and co2, no luck. So now I'm panicking. Transition closes at 6:30 and its 6:20 and I have yet to use the restroom. I pulled my wheel off and ran to the bike shop tent. They said they could do it. I left it with them and ran to the porta potty lines. I waited until I was the next person; they then announced transition was closing. So I skipped restroom duty and ran to get my tire. They had it done. I ran back to my bike and did the quickest mount I have ever done. Thank god for rear dropouts.

In my bottles I had 1 500 calorie bottle of Perpetuem and 1 bottle of Coke. I also had 1 Powerbar wrapped on my frame in case I felt like eating and not drinking alone. In my bike and run bags I had some extra gels and my salt tabs for the run.

I walked with my awesome family and supporters (I had 11 people go out with us) to the swim start. I was able to find a porta potty. At the swim start they ended up having us jump off a dock 2 at a time. The contact in the water was very minimal. But navigation was very tough for me. It's usually easy for me. I missed a right turn along with a lot of other people. Swimming into the sun it was very tough to see the buoys. Basically we were supposed to go straight out, right for a few then left, then left again.
I ended up with a 36:23. I was fine with it; my goal was 35:00.

T1 was fine, a little long as I could not find my bag: 3:52

Oh the bike. Well to say it's flat and fast is an understatement. The one big hill you hit twice is a bump here. Never left the tri position on it until the top. Did I draft? Yes. I would estimate most people do there. It's difficult to describe, but the course if very tight and on only city roads. No urban stuff. So imagine 1 lane closed on an expressway or busy road like Almaden expressway. Then fit 2000 riders down it, all released in a bad order. So you may have slower age groups ahead of the 40 year old men (who can still peddle!). Well we come up on the slower people going 10mph faster than them. Space is at a premium. Plus you can also draft off the cars going down the roads. Draft fest yes. I was warned once along with a big group. So I backed off quite a bit, for a while there I thought I might break 2 hours. It's weird even at 5 meters you can still feel a large pack pull you. Plus we had a tailwind for the longest, straightest section. The tight race created some of the worst crashes I had even seen in person. Twice women were taken down by men hitting them. I was nearly caught in two of these. Only missed by inches. Thank god for Wednesday group Tri bike rides.
Time was: 2:11, goal was 2:15. Average speed: 25.63 mph. Interesting my watts were at 190 average (145 lbs). That's lower by 10-15 from previous 1/2's but not as low as I thought it would be.

T2 was slow. Tent was a mess, no help. Potty break. 4:06.

The run felt good for me. This was my main goal of this race, to prove to myself that I can run. The run was very pretty. But it was starting to get hot. We had to go over a bridge 4 times. That was the main hill. It was easy to break this run in sections. I took in Gatorade at each aid station. Water on my head to stay cool. 4 salt pills throughout the run. It was very cool running through twice and seeing the family there cheering me on. I kept picking people off, and trying to keep
my cadence up. I knew part way I could go for a sub 1:40. So I did not stop other then slow down in the aid stations. Run time: 1:39:59. 7:37 /mile.

Total time was 4:35:27. A PR by 35 minutes. Of course this is a faster course, so I'm not sure how or if it should compare. Goal for Hawaii next year is 4:45-4:50.

Overall it was a fun time. It was cool renting a house and hanging out with the family. Maybe my wife can go next year!

2009 Ironman Coeur D Alene CDA

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:58:58 GMT

In the weeks leading up to the big day we also ran the Hawaii 70.3 Ironman. I finished with a personal record there of 5:10, the run was brutal there. I used that as a prep race to test nutrition. I also made some effort to gain weight leading up to the race. I went from 148 to 153. In my past races I lost too much weight during the races.

We drove our RV to the Northern Idaho with my mom and Earl. My Aunt and uncle met us there later in the week. Elliott and his family arrived on Thursday. Amy arrived on Wed.

When we arrived in Coeur D Alene, the first thing I wanted to see was the swim. It was windy all week in the mornings. It looked scary to say the least. The pictures do not do the swim justice, look at the flags. I also rode the bike course on Sunday.

During the week I did some light runs, swims, and bike rides.

Friday-Trinity did a kids run and ran a 7:45 mile. Great job little girl.

Saturday- turned in my bike and transition bags. Just tried to relax and eat.

Sunday (race day)- up at 4:30. Ate a medium breakfast, eggs, wheat muffin with almond butter/honey, and an Ensure. Went down and turned in my special needs bags (never used). After watching the pros start I put on my wetsuit and went to the beach. I was surprisingly calm considering there were 2200 athletes around me. But hey not like you can change anything now!

Swim- It was rough. Not only the water with the waves, wind, chop, and helicopter splatter, but there was contact the ENTIRE swim. Second lap the water was even rougher. 1:21 on the swim and I’m happy with it. My secret goal was 1:15, but heck with the conditions…

Transition 1- 6:28. Ok I was slow here. I did not know that there were people to help you put on the cold weather cloths required for today’s freezing ass weather. So I sat down and calmly got dressed. Arm warmers, vest, socks, etc..

Bike- 112 miles. It actually went pretty easy considering there is 6000 ft of ascent. I had to take 2 stops to use the port o potty. I left my vest in one rather than getting a littering flag. I was warmer now because of the hills. Head wind back to town. I liked blasting through town. The support was great. Second loop was uneventful. Just put my head down and stayed steady. I must admit I was a little disappointed with 5:26 on the bike. I thought I had a 5:15 in me, but I tried not to push when my stomach acted up. But I did move from 1100 out of the water to 300, passed 800 people on the bike.

T2- 3:54 much better, I had help getting ready and stopped to use the toilet again.

Run- The first 2 miles I was moving at about 7:45 clip. But that did not last long, there is a steady hill out of town. My goal here was under 4 hours. But I soon realized I wanted to be comfortable running so I stopped 5 more times to use the toilet, a few times waiting for up to 2 minutes. But the important thing was I was comfortable. My magic elixir for fuel at each aid station: cookie washed down with coke. I had a few bananas as well. It was cold, cold. I felt bad for people walking it was so cold and rainy. Anyway I finished the marathon in 4:11.

It felt good to cross the finish line. When I saw my family and Elliott at the finish line, I almost got emotional. People were high fiving down the stretch. It was very cool. It was very cool to have the whole thing live on the internet and on the jumbo-tron as well. Makes you feel like a star.

Finish time was 11:10. Good for 78 out of 362 in my class and 382 out of 2300 overall. No I did not qualify for Kona, but I still have the 70.3 Worlds later this year.

I could not have done this without the help and support from my wife, Debbie. The support of my family and work were very important as well. Elliott and Paul Thompson are also responsible for pushing and training me. Thanks everyone

May 13th 2009 comments from Greg

Thu, 14 May 2009 22:30:20 GMT

Well today is my birthday. I'm turning 40. Hard to believe, the number just sounds so old. But I feel the best I ever have. This morning (as part of someone's tradition) I decided to swim 4000 meters (40 x 100), at lunch I ran 4 miles all sub 7:20. After work I rode 40 miles. Of course I ate 4000 calories during the day.

I do need to thank my staff for surprising me with a little party at 1 pm. The pizza and cupcakes were great.

One other note I have is more of a complaint on our current society. What is going on with our news media? Isn't it enough that they blow the H1N1 virus out of hand? Now we have the "Fremont Sniper" shooting windows in cars. Well it was a pellet gun. You just had to watch the entire time to get the whole story. They sure were playing up the way it was mentioned as well. I honestly believe this is what caused gas prices to go up and down last year and is somewhat responsible for our financial crisis.

Maybe it's time to ignore them.

Greg Richards

Spam level declines... to 97 percent of all email

Wed, 08 Apr 2009 22:40:40 GMT

If you think you're getting a lot of spam these days, well, that's because you are. In Microsoft's latest biannual report on the state of computer security, the company says that in the second half of 2008, a full 97.3 percent of email traffic was unwanted spam (or malicious email like phishing attacks and outright viruses). Surprisingly though, that's down a bit from the first half of last year, when total spam volume reached a whopping 98.4 percent of all email sent.

The latest report (which covers security through the end of 2008, so Conficker isn't part of the package) is available for download here. (Be warned: The full report is 184 pages long. Consider checking out the smaller highlight report instead.)

The good news: Spam filters are getting better than ever. Microsoft's filter system for Exchange now scrubs out 39 out of every 40 emails sent. Spam also saw that slight decline thanks to the shut down last year of the ISP McColo, a major haven for spammers who suddenly had to go shopping elsewhere.

What are we being spammed about? Pharmacy and other product ads make up the lion's share of spam, accounting for 72.2 percent of all spam sent. Only 10 percent of the total spam share now involves sexually-oriented pharmaceuticals; that's a huge decline from previous studies, as apparently Viagra and Cialis are no longer that hard to come by.

Image-only spam, dating come-ons, financial spam, and fraudulent diplomas round out the remainder of the most common spam subjects.

Alternate statistics show the total spam level at lower -- one source pegs it at a mere 81 percent of mail traffic (a figure which seems awfully low) -- and also notes that even with the taking down of McColo and other spammer ISPs, spam traffic will inevitably rise again to "normal" levels.

In the related world of malware infections, the Microsoft report noted that worldwide, 8.6 machines were suffering from malware for every 1,000 which were clean. That sounds pretty good, but it still translates to about 9 million computers worldwide suffering from malware attacks.

What do you need to watch out for today, attack-wise? The most common attacks at the moment target Microsoft Office and PDF files, and those types of attacks are further on the rise.

Compellant Storage Array

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 18:04:57 GMT

We have added an additional 12TB storage array to our Data Center. This compliments our Blade servers and existing Equalogic storage array. We added this to cover space used by our new Suite series of products (http://www.matrixsuites.com). Some customers already have 30 GB of data stored here. The storage arrays automatically Snap Shot the data each night, weekly, and monthly. In addition our development servers Snapshot each hour. This gives us the abilty to rollback very easy.

Video Series

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:08:24 GMT

We have started making videos on our software products. This will make training much faster for us and it will give the clients the ability to review their training at a later date. Looking forward to seeing more. Here is a demo:

http://help.matrixlegalsuite.com/Home.ashx

Thanks

SEO Website Tips

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 17:29:05 GMT

From the obvious to the "Hey-I-never-thought-of-that-great-idea-before", here are 10 of the top 52 tips on how to optimize your website for its turbo-charge rocket ride up the search engine rankings.

Be bold. Use the <b> </b> tags around some of your keywords on each page. Do NOT use them everywhere the keyword appears. Once or twice is plenty.

Deep linking. Make sure you have links coming in to as many pages as possible. What does it tell a search engine when other web sites are linking to different pages on your site? That you obviously have lots of worthwhile content. What does it tell a search engine that all your links are coming in to the home page? That you have a shallow site of little value, or that your links were generated by automation rather than by the value of your site. Here is an example of deep linking, in this case to my personal happiness workbook.

Become a foreigner. Canada and the UK have many directories for websites of companies based in those countries. Can you get a business address in one of those countries?

Newsletters. Offer articles to ezine publishers that archive their ezines. The links stay live often for many years in their archives.

First come, first served. If you must have image links in your navigation bar, include also text links. However, make sure the text links show up first in the source code, because search engine robots will follow the first link they find to any particular page. They won't follow additional links to the same page. You can see this in action at the link to the home page on this web site monitoring page

Multiple domains. If you have several topics that could each support their own website, it might be worth having multiple domains. Why? First, search engines usually list only one page per domain for any given search, and you might warrant two. Second, directories usually accept only home pages, so you can get more directory listings this way. Why not a site dedicated to gumbo pudding pops?

Article exchanges. You've heard of link exchanges, useless as they generally are. Article exchanges are like link exchanges, only much more useful. You publish someone else's article on the history of pudding pops with a link back to their site. They publish your article on the top ten pudding pop flavors in Viet Nam, with a link back to your site. You both have content. You both get high quality links. (More on high quality links in other tips.)

Titles for links. Links can get titles, too. Not only does this help visually impaired surfers know where you are sending them, but some search engines figure this into their relevancy for a page.

Not anchor text. Don't overdo the anchor text. You don't want all your inbound links looking the same, because that looks like automation - something Google frowns upon. Use your URL sometimes, your company name other times, "Gumbo Pudding Pop" occasionally, "Get gumbo pudding pops" as well, "Gumbo-flavored pudding pops" some other times, etc.

Site map. A big site needs a site map, which should be linked to from every page on the site. This will help the search engine robots find every page with just two clicks. A small site needs a site map, too. It's called the navigation bar. See how the second navigation bar at the bottom of Last Minute Florida Villas is like a mini-site map?

Ford Ironman 70.3 Hawaii

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:19:31 GMT

First 1/2 Ironman!

Pre Race-

Arrived at the Mauna Lani on the Sunday before the race. Spent the week getting used to the heat and humidity. I ran twice during the week, less then 5 miles each time. I also worked out in the gym once. Just light stuff. We stayed in a condo so we could control our food pretty well. I also swam the swim portion 4 times during the week since it was my biggest concern.

The Swim- 46:13 - 1.2 miles

I do not trust my swimming so I started at the back of the pack. I ran into a lot of people pretty quick, just tried to stay calm. Since this was not a wave start the first buoy was a joke. Scary. Dead stop for maybe 2 minutes. My breathing always bothers me about 500 m into the swim. I feel much better after my heart rate get's up. But I was close to calling it a day. I could not get control. After the third buoy, I relaxed and was able to bi-lateral breath plus one breath on the right. The rest was cake.

The Bike- 2:41:36 - 56 miles

Never left big ring. I was going much faster then I planned. But I figured what the hell, hammer the bike. The hill up to Honu was my only tough part. I was so happy to be out of the water! I was going so fast and the wind so bad, I did not eat anything. Just did not feel like it. Paid for it later. Only drank 2 of my 4 bottles.

The Run- 2:19:10 - 13.1 miles

Well, I never cramp. I was beginning to think I could not cramp. I never really knew what it felt like. Boy did I learn in the first 5 miles. Each leg took a turn. Each muscle group took a turn. I had to walk a bit, and throught the aid stations. 1 bathroom break because I was very bloated. I'm a better runner, but not this day.

Total: 5:54:31 - 70.3

Overall great first half Ironman. I'm happy.

More information here:
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=118450&posts=1&start=1

5 Ways Your Computer Use Can Get You Fired

Tue, 08 Apr 2008 17:47:49 GMT

It's essential for some jobs, handy for most, but don't be fooled -- the personal computer can be a job ender. Even as you read this story, you should probably be asking yourself: Am I actually allowed to browse online and read news stories at the office?

The parameters for computer use at work (and even at home) are often confusing. We communicate, network, watch our TV shows, do our grocery shopping, and get our news on our computers. But it's no free-for-all. Employees should know exactly what their employer's policies are for email and Internet usage, because workers are losing their jobs after computer-based missteps. Here are five ways to log on and lose your job:

1. Blog it up.

Blogger Chez Pazienza worked as a producer at CNN's "American Morning" until mid-February, when Pazienza says his boss informed him that the company discovered his name attached to blog posts written without CNN's approval. Pazienza was fired soon after. Pazienza runs Deus Ex Malcontent, where he writes about Oprah and President Bush with equal abandon. He hadn't identified himself as a CNN employee on the blog, but CNN spokeswoman Barbara Levin says company policy is that employees must first get permission to write for a non-CNN outlet. Levin didn't elaborate, noting that the company does not comment on personnel matters.

There's even a term for being fired because of a blog -- it's called being "dooced." While some blogging advocates say a well-executed blog can boost your career by presenting your best side to the HR executives Googling you, there are limitations. Dooce.com founder Heather Armstrong writes on her site that she lost her job a year after beginning the blog for writing entries that involved colleagues. She now tells site visitors, "Be ye not so stupid" and offers parameters for safe blogging: "Never write about work on the Internet unless your boss knows and sanctions the fact that you are writing about work on the Internet."

2. Play away.

Solitaire, that ever seductive way to while away the hours, is probably not a great choice for the workplace. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg caught sight of a solitaire game on a city employee's computer screen in 2006 and fired him. "I expect all city workers, including myself, to work hard," Bloomberg said then.

Richard Bayer, an economist and chief operating officer of the Five O'Clock Club, an outplacement and career coaching organization, says employees who use a company computer for personal matters on company time -- whether playing solitaire or checking on their 401(k)'s -- are essentially stealing from their employer.

"It's a new, 21st-century form of theft," Bayer says, adding that a couple of personal emails each day are within reason.

3. Look at pics.

Yes, those kind of pics. Think about this: Nearly one-third of bosses have fired workers for misusing the Internet, according to a recent study by the American Management Association and the ePolicy Institute. Eighty-four percent of those employers said the reason was the viewing, downloading, or uploading of inappropriate or offensive content. The Washington, D.C., city government recommended the termination of nine employees in January for allegedly looking at pornography sites at work.

The key here is privacy -- as in, tell yourself you have none. The computer system belongs to the company, and courts have consistently sided with employers when it comes to computer-related terminations, says Nancy Flynn, executive director of the ePolicy Institute.

4. Post your pics.

Social networking may quickly gain an air of formality. The mayor of tiny Arlington, Ore. (population nearly 500), grabbed headlines recently after she was recalled by voters. Among other issues, the residents were sharply divided over the propriety of photos of the mayor dressed in her underwear that were posted to her MySpace page.

Employers are beginning to monitor social networking sites, Flynn says. Not only do companies fear employees posting proprietary information, but they also don't want to find photos of the boss dancing on the table drunk at the holiday party. Opinions posted that run contrary to company values can also get employees into trouble.

5. Write R-rated emails.

More than a quarter of employers have sent an employee packing for email-related offenses, according to the American Management Association/ePolicy Institute survey, and 62 percent of those said it was for inappropriate or offensive language. When you write, just assume that someone inside the company is reading it. Most of the 43 percent of companies that monitor email do it automatically, but 40 percent have live human beings reading and reviewing it.

Employers largely are concerned with their legal liability, Flynn says, noting that a growing number of companies are choosing to archive electronically stored information, rather than erase it, and it's subject to discovery in a federal lawsuit.

Mpack virus solution for Hosting and Windows servers

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:40:00 GMT

This solution worked for us. You do so at your own risk. This solution worked because we had some servers that kept getting the Mpack / Monkey script after each reboot.

Remove the following files:

far1.exe
install.bat
INSTSRV.EXE
sqlmgmt.exe
termsvc.exe
termsvc.reg
winhlp16.ini

Disable the following Services:

termsvc
Help

Notes:

INSTSRV.EXE, this file installs programs as services.

In the registry delete this key:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\termsvc]

Test restarting your server and make sure your html, aspx, php, etc files are clear.

New book that mentions Matrixwebs and their team.

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 20:16:14 GMT

Bruce Browns new book " The Secret Power of Blogging" has a few pages dedicated to a case study on Matrixwebs.com. The book is great reading and very informative.

http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Power-Blogging-Business-Organization/dp/1601380097

Eight Ways to Be a Superstar at Work

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:45:02 GMT

Making the corporate climb hinges on observing common do's and don'ts, says Cathie Black, publisher of Hearst Magazines and author of the book "Basic Black." She and others share tips for hurdling land mines -- and landing higher on the org chart.

Decline the Oscar. "It's always tempting to be sucked into the whirlwind of office drama," but it's not worth the wounds backstage, Black said.

Next time you see a melodrama unfolding, exit stage left. Take a coffee break or "a long lunch," she said.

Handle it. "A crisis for you may not be one for your boss," so don't make it one, she wrote.

Announce the news with an end run. Problems have more receptive audiences when they're solved.

Go deep. When hiring, "look for a track record of success, not just the most recent" hits, said Black. Listing a few wins could mask a string of losses.

To check the candidate's home-run capacity, throw a curveball during the interview. Present challenges you face and ask how he'd handle them.

Also focus on balance. "If your current team is strong in analytical thinkers, perhaps adding a more creative thinker to the mix will juice things up," said Black, former president and publisher of USA Today.

Know what counts. There's a crucial difference between "being respected and being liked. One is in your control, and the other is not," she wrote. "Some people won't like you no matter how much you try to win them over. It's just a matter of personal chemistry. But if you conduct yourself in a way that commands respect, people will respond to it, even grudgingly."

Take the high road, and even critics will "tend to like you more."

Don't stop at no. "Very often, people can be -- and even want to be -- convinced," Black wrote. To sell an idea, hone your pitch.

The difference between no and yes often lies in the information you provide, the way you package it -- and your timing, says performance coach Jack Griffin.

Know whom to call. "If you want something done, give it to a busy person," Black said. "The ones who appear the busiest are (usually) the most reliable."

Forget the laggards with empty plates. They're busy staring at their reflections.

Do it later. If possible, avoid checking e-mails first thing in the morning. It puts you in grunt-work mode, says management expert Julie Morgenstern.

At most, spot-check mail for critical messages, then return an hour or two later.

In the meantime, do a task that fires you up.

Scope the big picture. "The first half of your life is spent chasing success," Black said. "The second half is spent chasing significance."

At some point, all leaders begin thinking about their legacies. It's not what you bring to the table; it's what you leave there.

"The energy spent trying to advance (seems) less important than the larger meaning behind your work," she wrote.

"Start thinking in those terms now. You'll accomplish more, with greater satisfaction, than you thought possible."

Cord Cooper, Investor's Business Daily

Mpack malware/virus or whatever it is!

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 02:24:47 GMT

This malware is yet another malware distribution and attack kit in the same vein as other kits, such as WebAttacker. This kit, called MPack, is a professionally written collection of PHP software components designed to be hosted and run from a PHP server with a database backend. It is sold by a Russian gang and comes ready to install on a PHP server, and it also comes complete with a collection of exploit modules to be used out of the box.

How it infects computers

Once the server is installed and running, all the owner has to do is to start generating some web browser traffic to it. They can do this by various means including:

• Hacking into popular web sites and adding IFRAME snippets to its web pages.
• Setting up typo-squatting web sites on popular domains to trap accidental visitors.
• Spamming out emails with the IFRAME code embedded.

Typical Attack Scenario

In a typical attack scenario, a user enters in the URL of a legitimate web site into their browser. Unknown to the user, the web site they are visiting has been hacked into and the web pages tainted with malicious content.

1. A user accesses what they believe to be a legitimate web server through a web browser.

2. Unbeknownst to the user, the web server they are accessing has been hacked and the server responds with what they requested and some additional IFRAME code embedded within the HTML source.

3. Once the user’s browser receives the tainted HTML code, the IFRAME code causes the browser to make an additional request to another URL; in this case it makes a request to an intermediate server.

4. The intermediate server redirects the request to the final target server, which is the one hosting the MPack server.

5. The MPack server analyses the HTTP request header received from the user’s browser. Standard HTTP request headers contain information about the browser type and operating system used as well as other information. Once the MPack server determines what browser and operating system are used, it uses the information to select which exploits it will send to the user’s browser to try and exploit it. The server may try as many exploits as it has available or the targeted computer is compromised. Data is stored by the MPack server about the user’s computer, what exploits were used and successful, as well as the user's country of origin.

6. Once the user’s computer is compromised, the shell code directs the computer to download an additional file from the MPack server.

7. The MPack server responds with the requested file (file.exe or file.php). This is executed by the compromised computer and causes it to download further files from other sources.

This post was quoted from Symantec. It is currently causing headaches on our servers.

Updated Blog Software

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 16:27:45 GMT

We have updated our blog software for better SEO optimization. Only time will tell!

On another note we have released Scansuite, Attendancesuite, Salesdesksuite, and of course the Blogsuite.

See http://www.matrixsuites.com/ for more information. Thanks

Spam in your email?

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:27:49 GMT

1. Never use a business email address for purchasing items on the web.

2. Never use a business email address to fill out any form on the web.

3. Make sure to use the spam rules in your email software (like Outlook) and use the spam rules in the web mail. They are your only defense without high end spam filtering.

4. Never open email from people you do not recognize, even if the email says it is from you (unless you sent it).

5. Add messages to your safe senders list from people you do know.

6. In outlook contacts are automatically trusted.

7. Never post your email address on a web page, even sales@yourdomain.com will generate unwanted spam. There are screen scrapers that grab all email addresses off web sites to send spam.

8. Don't list your company email address in any directory listings.

9. Do not forward chain email.

10. Never reply to a junk email with the remove option, it's a scam to get you on more lists.

11. Never point multiple domains towards your primary domain for email. This gives spammers more opportunities.

Thanks

Q&A: Publishing Tools

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:20:45 GMT

Q. Are simple Web publishing tools pushing the average designer out the window?

A. If you're a web designer, you're more likely to lose clients to foreign competitors than to Web publishing tools like Weebly or SynthaSite. Yes, these programs have significantly lowered the bar for the technically challenged, making it easy to setup a page in a matter of minutes. They're great for firts time users and small time entrepreneurs.

But to get to the next level in the competitive Web 2.0 market, they'll need a unique site, not cookie-cutter pages fromprepackaged programs. They'll need an easy-to-navigate, high quality homepage to build brand identity - which only a Web designer can provide.

"There's a lot of hand holding, and it doesn't pay as much as corporate gigs, but small business is a huge market," says Adrian Chan, a design consultant for sites like GoingOn, Trustedopinion.com, and MicrosoftLive.

The biggest threat that designers face today is not from Web software, but from competitiors in Eastern Europe and South America. "You may quote a job at $10,000, but your client has $3k in his mind," Chan says. "You hear these low rates from offshore competitiors, and people get it in their heads that that's all they're willing to pay. But we still have one edge over foreign competitors - we're local."

Q&A: Google Adwords

Fri, 26 Oct 2007 16:05:05 GMT

Q. My website, which aggregates deals on travel and electronics, isn't getting much traffice from Google Adwords. How do I market my site and generate traffic on a small budget?

A. Let's start with the most important thing: a good product or service. It sounds obvious, but all the traffic in the world won't convert to to paying customers if there's nothing good to buy. "Grab2travel.com needs unique content if it's going to compete with the larger service," says Aaron Wall, who literally wrote the book on search engine optimization (see www.seobook.com). Find a niche - extreme travel, for example - write about it on your site, and offer relevant travel deals. The same goes for electronic goods.

If you clear that first hurdle, Dave Feller, vice president for marketing at StumbleUpon, has a few suggestions for maximizing free traffic. Try joining online communities or creating widgets that are distributed on sites like Facebook. Free content-distribution networks like StumbleUpon and Digg are also good channels. Viral marketing can be extremely effective, so encourage customers who have had a good experience with your site to spread the word through coupons and othere incentives.

When you enter the world of paid marketing, hone your search engine campaigns. Your site is in a competitive field, so find out exactly what is and isn't working. "The number of keywords, match type ad copy, bid amounts, and landing pages all affect marketing ROI," says Ken Li, CEO of Multilytics, an Internet marketing firm. "If you don't know how to track this, hiring a consultantor search-engine marketing firm is a good investment."

After you get visitors, you need to turn them into customers. Track how many people are actually doing what you want, Feller says. How are they getting to your site? Where do they get stuck? How can you get users to stick around longer? The answers will help you figure out how to get traffic and make it pay.

Business 2.0 magazine

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 20:30:45 GMT

We'll I read 2 magazines religously. Business 2.0 and Forbes Small Business. I'm sad to read today that Business 2.0 was closed by the parent company Time. This magazine alone has brought us many new ideas in a wide range of fields. The largest factor being marketing.

Sorry to see you go!

Greg

Sharing your salary details

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:18:29 GMT

I ran across this article and thought it is very accurate. http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/jobseeker/tools/ept/careerArticlesPost.html?post=128

In today's work environment many people think it's ok to talk about everything. This article mentions how salary is not one of those items.

Greg

Project Risk

Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:54:11 GMT

As the manager or company owner for a design firm, you need to evaluate the risk a potential project has to your company. There are two main problems that exist when accepting work from clients (and a few minor ones).

1. Will the client pay or pay on time? This obviously is the golden question. Make sure your payment details and plans are written in a solid contract. Does that mean you will get paid? No. But it helps. Another key to enforcing payments is having the customer sign off at stages of work. Why is this important? Because you may have to prove you completed the work you were paid for or are trying to collect.

2. Does the project have the potential to sap all your resources? This is an often under estimated problem. Last year we had a $300, 000 project come in. We were very happy. Guess what? Very quickley we realized we were not only suffering "Death by Meeting" but all of our resources were working on the project. Other customers were upset.

Over the next few days I'll go over some of the other issues I have with Project Risk.

Updated Blog Software

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:46:13 GMT

We have updated the blog software to restrict spammers commenting. This same version is now available for sale.

Thanks

Hiring

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:21:16 GMT

We are having the toughest time filling 3 more Asp.Net programming positions.

Anyone out there need a job?

Developing a marketing plan

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:20:55 GMT

A strategic Website marketing plan is similar to a strategic business marketing plan, but with a narrower focus (i.e. the Website plan focuses on Internet marketing strategy and programs while the overall marketing plan encompasses the entire business).

As with any marketing plan, the online plan includes developing strategies and tactics (also called action plans) that, when implemented, will help you reach your marketing goals. An objective, strategy, and tactic are each progressively narrower in scope:

The objective addresses the “big picture”. In general terms, your objective answers the question “How will I overcome my main marketing challenge(s)?” If your company’s main site-related challenge is figuring out how to use your Website to help build client business, for example, an objective for your online marketing plan could be “To enhance online client service as well as build site awareness and interest with clients.”

A marketing strategy supports your objective. The strategy defines general approaches you will take to meet your objective. For example, strategies to support the above objective could include 1) improve online communication, information, and education, 2) build awareness of and interest in your company on the Internet, and 3) communicate the Website’s existence and advantages to existing clients.

A marketing tactic is where the action takes place. Also called marketing programs or action plans, they are the things you will do to bring each marketing strategy to life. Tactics for strategy 2 in the above example (improve online communication, information, and education) could include 1) sharing experience and observations in your industry through participation in discussion boards, 2) offering an email newsletter, and 3) listing/submitting your site to targeted search engines and directories.

By implementing marketing programs that are consistent with your site objective(s) and marketing strategies you improve your chance of business success

How to turn off an audience

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:20:29 GMT

Current surveys show the top 10 web irritations:

Slow loading websites 87%
Help buttons that can't help 83%
Requests for personal details before being allowed to progress into the site 82%
Irrelevant search results 79%
Poorly organised content 78%
No search facility 75%
Scrolling down/through lots of pages to get to the info 74%
Adverts
Pop-up boxes 70%
Cluttered Design 63%

Personally I think these are pretty spot on. My biggest complaint is number 5, poorly organised content. This is where most sites need help and in future blogs we will be picking on some sites. What do you think?

New Software Work

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:20:02 GMT

Some of the new packages we are writing have me really tired and feeling brain dead. Over the last 3 days I have created 172 wireframe pages for a site we are working on. In the next 2 weeks I have to finish nearly 500 more for the new packages we are doing.

I think the wireframes will continue to really help the staff work, and any design company out there shoud consider creating them before the work is turned over to a programming team.

Currently I use Smartdraw to create these and it works well. But I do wish the PDF creator worked a little better.

Will we or won't we?

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:19:37 GMT

Quick answer, probably not. With the newer versions of Windows (2000, XP, and Vista) I see no real reason to go out of my way to upgrade for a business. Primary reasons for this:

1. The software applications we use are critical and we do not have the time to fiddle with them. Examples are Visual Studio and Adobe Creative suite.

2. These same products are very expensive to upgrade.

3. My business is working already.

Even though we try to set standards here, we have had employees download the Betas, and there are issues. Too many to handle during business hours.

Even when the team has tried simple upgrades like Internet Explorer 7, we run into isses with personal on the design team seeing different things. This is unacceptable in our environment.

And to tell you the truth, we could be running Windows 2000 and not seeing the difference right now.

I'm sure new pc's will come with Vista when released, and that will be fine as long as our core software works with it.

PSP3

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 22:19:12 GMT

Can you believe the prices being paid for the Playstation 3? I can't either. Im would love to have one, butI would have sold it if I was lucky enough to get one. Is it worth my time to wait around, no. But the games look truley awesome.

I'll wait until next year.