Is Social Media a Waste of Time for Business?

Social media expert Jason Sadler explains what small businesses are doing wrong when it comes to social media.

The answer to this question isn’t quite as straightforward as one might expect, but according to Jason Sadler, founder of iWearYourShirt, for some businesses: yes, social media can be a waste of time. This is especially true when you’ve taken the wrong approach engaging with customers over social media.

Is Social Media a Waste of Time for Small Business Ecommerce?
By Vangie Beal, June 16, 2011

How to Backup Social media and Online Accounts

Losing online and social data can derail your small business marketing campaigns and efforts. Ecommerceguide.com explains how — and why — you need a backup of your online social accounts and data.

Great tips for small business owners and individual users who do not know how to backup Facebook, Gmail, LinkedIn, twitter and other online profiles.

Full Story: The Ecommerce Guide to Social Media Back Ups
By Vangie Beal, May 25, 2011

An E-Comm Buyers’ Guide to Choosing Trustmarks

This guide covers what you need to know about e-commerce trustmarks and what to consider before displaying badges from trustmark service providers on your business Web site.

On e-commerce Web sites, giving your customers a sense of security and trust can mean the difference between a dropped shopping cart and making a sale.  Today, Web shoppers are savvy — they have a better understanding of online security, and they want to know that their personal information is protected.

For the honest Web shop owners, especially smaller unknown companies, this can be a problem.  A study commissioned by McAfee, Inc. (conducted by Harris Interactive) revealed that nearly half of consumers have terminated an online order or abandoned their shopping cart due to security fears at check-out time.

This guide is designed for e-tailers who are currently interested in partnering with a trust service. In this guide we’ll discuss different types of trustmark services you can consider and what is required to enroll in the programs.

An E-Comm Buyers’ Guide to Choosing Trustmarks
By Vangie Beal, January 25, 2010

TRUSTe Offers Privacy Services for Small Businesses

TRUSTe offers a new service to help small online businesses get a professional privacy policy in place and secure Web sites to boost consumer confidence.

A survey by TRUSTe showed that fifty-six percent of small business owners have no privacy policy in place. Even worse —the study revealed that one-third of small businesses admitted that they cut-and-pasted a privacy policy from another Web site into their own site. Not only can this damage your own business and the business you steal a privacy policy from, but it is also creates a risky situation for your site visitors.

TRUSTe Offers Privacy Services for Small Businesses
By Vangie Beal, October 19, 2009

Remove Rogue Antivirus Software, SmitFraud, Antivirus 2009 and Crimeware

This morning I had an e-mail from a  reader who was seeing pop-ups indicating that his computer was infected and he needed to purchase an anti-virus program. I thought it would be time to again mention that Webopedia has a couple excellent resources for those who need more information on Rogue Anti-virus Software (aka SmitFraud, scareware, crimeware).

First, you can learn more about this type of infection by reading the Webopedia definition of SmitFraud. Then, read the Webopedia article, “Rogue Anti-Virus Software Explained” for details on how this works and steps you can take to try and remove the SmitFraud yourself.

Rogue anti-virus programs usually appears in the form of a fake Windows warning on your computer system that reads something like, you have a specific number of viruses on your computer (usually in the hundreds) and that this software has detected those viruses. To get rid of these viruses, you’re prompted to buy the full-version of the antivirus software (which is really rogue antivirus software).

The good news is that you probably do not have a computer that is infested with hundreds of viruses as the rouge software claims. The bad news is that the rogue antivirus software itself is on your computer and you must remove it. Removal is hindered as rouge software can lock the control panel and the the Add/Remove Programs function to prevent you from removing it easily.

What Is Rogue Anti-Virus Software and How the Heck Do You Get Rid of It?

 Rogue anti-virus programs usually appears in the form of a fake Windows warning on your computer system that reads something like, you have a specific number of viruses on your computer (usually in the hundreds) and that this software has detected those viruses. To get rid of these viruses, you’re prompted to buy the full-version of the antivirus software (which is really rogue antivirus software).

The good news is that you probably do not have a computer that is infested with hundreds of viruses as the rouge software claims. The bad news is that the rogue antivirus software itself is on your computer and you must remove it. Removal is hindered as rouge software can lock the control panel and the the Add/Remove Programs function to prevent you from removing it easily.

Rogue Anti-Virus Software Explained
By Vangie Beal, Last updated April 24, 2009

Stay Safe With These Holiday Shopping Tips

‘Tis the season for cheer and shopping, and while small business owners openly welcome the cheer, some have mixed feelings about letting employees do their online holiday shopping from the office.  Online shopping may sound harmless, but the reality is that many businesses are not aware of the security risks associated with online shopping or know how to protect their business computers from the threats.

Stay Safe With These Holiday Shopping Tips
By Vangie Beal, December 9, 2008

How to Spot a Holiday Shopping Scam

Online shopping has its benefits, but just like the real-world, there are some risks. The best way to stay safe when shopping online is to know what the risks are and how to avoid them. If you plan on shopping online this holiday season, here are some security risks to watch for and tips to help you shop safely online.

Online Ripoffs: How to Spot a Holiday Shopping Scam
By Vangie Beal, December 05, 2008