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Update of 02/25/2004
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Fraud
Alerts: Internet Fraud and viruses are getting more
sophisticated by the day. As we spot them, we'll post them here.
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Mydoom 2, the "F" variant
First reported 2.20.2004, the F
variant of Mydoom is more dangerous than previous versions because
it randonly erases files from your hard drive as soon as the
carrier email is opened. Net2Business received a report this
a.m. of damage done to a computer with current anti-virus software
loaded. Even automated Live Updates may fail.
We suggest that you force a live update from
your anti-virus software immediately, since this one is spreading
so fast. If the live update fails,you may already be infected.
The Danger Level for this worm is set at 4 out of a possible
5 and rising.
Instructions on recognizing and, if necessary,
removing the Worm are available through the Symantec web site
at this address:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.mydoom.f@mm.html
This may also be a good time to insure that
your back-up systems are in good order.
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| The MyDoom Worm
clogs email boxes, slows the display of web pages.
More Net2Business(R) clients have had email
problems in the past 24 hours than at any other time in our
history. We are working with area service providers and Arsalon
Technologies' Operations Center to find and clear clogs as
they appear. This is a little bit like sending crews out in
an ice storm to clear the multi-car pile-ups as they happen.
In driving terms, if your site and email is available at an
on-ramp to I-35 and your office is just off a northern exit
from the same highway, the problem is on the road in between.
The bad news is that the MyDoom worm is spreading
faster than any prior viruses and is due to peak February
1 - so we probably have not seen the worst of it. Already,
clogs along the "internet superhighway" are so bad
that, in spots, certain sites will not load fast enough to
display.
What can you
do?
- Feel free to call our office. Just knowing
who is affected helps us to track down the problem area.
It is a big internet.
- Make sure your virus protection is up
to date. If you have not had a live update within the past
2-3 days, force it.
- Delete without opening any suspicious
email. Be particulary wary of attachments that end in .zip
or .exe.
PC Magazine has posted an article on
recognizing the Worm at http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1464165,00.asp
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Web-based Email:
In addition to regular delivery of email@yourdomain.com, Net2Business
customers can now use web-based email for remote pickup. Instructions
for use of the Net2Business Web-based Email Administration Screen
are on the web at http://www.net2business.com/email.html.
We suggest that you print the page and read it through completely
before testing it.
You are also invited to call and talk it through with your favorite
Net2Business contact the first time you use it, as the small differences
between this system and your locally-delivered e-mail set-up can be
confusing.
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Smarter Stats:
Net2Business® routinely monitors customer stats when we refresh
search listings monthly. The sections that track referring sites and
the search string used to find your site (part of the monthly detail
available online 24/7) have recently been improved. With this upgrade,
Curt added custom tracking features. We can track each visitor from
referring source to exit, together with the path taken through the
site and the amount of time spent per page. If you are interested
in a full analysis, contact your Net2Business account manager.
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From
the Marketing Desk: Search Engine Update
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Google:
This search engine receives 35.1100% of all
search engine requests (112 million / day). Since it works by relevance
and accepts free requests for listings, Net2Business can still offer
a great degree of success in optimizing your key words and phrases
for this site. Plus, it is possible to buy what they call AdWords.
Based on the search phrase, your box ad can show up to the right of
the results. Limited research indicates that the paid AdWords are
less effective than top placement in the search results, but they
remain a cost-effective way to make your link available by topic.
Google's recent partnership with Overture*
also makes it possible to buy your way into a top-3 position directly
by bidding for it on the KeyWord
Auction site.
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YAHOO!
Is still the standby, receiving 32% of Search
engine traffic. The original directory has corrupted its search by
taking money every way it can. If you were fortunate enough to get
listed 2 or more years ago, when listings were free but very slow,
you probably want to practice benign neglect. If you bought your way
in last year, you will be forced to pay every year, or be bumped from
the directory. But all is not lost, since few actually use the directory.
Most of us type our Key Words in to the search box, instead. And guess
what? The results that are returned are sponsored by Google and Overture*!
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*OVERTURE
is a major player, even though it only directly handles 5% or 6% of
search engine traffic (roughly 12 million search requests per day),
because they have partnered with Google, AOL, YAHOO! and a number
of other search engines for paid rankings of the Top Three search
results by KeyWord. If you pay about $1 per click-through to be number
2 for the search word "gifts" right now, you can expect the benefit
- and the charge - for roughly 50 queries per day directly from Overture
PLUS an additional 5,000 or so daily from the partner sites! To remain
in the number 1 spot in the run-up to Christmas could easily cost
over $100,000 per month. Underneath the purchased Keyword results,
the search engine is based on Inktomi rankings and includes a large,
free database for legitimate research. So, if you are offering information
on genetic manipulation of the color of fruit flies' eyes, you might
expect someone looking for that information to find your site. However,
commercial KeyWords and Phrases like, "insurance", "mortgage lender",
"gag gift", are strictly ordered by the amount of money bid. Overture
will estimate your monthly cost per Keyword, if you are ready to give
them access to your credit card. Net2Business can help you to stretch
the value of your paid advertising by doing some advance research
for your market.l
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| LookSmart
Listings with LookSmart, CNN, MSN, iWon, Alta Vista & Juno. All of
the rules changed in April! This coalition of "search engines" actually
only includes one legitimate search engine - Alta Vista Net2Business
has great success optimizing for Alta Vista Each page must be registered
by hand. (If any of the above mentioned sites seem to be included
in some robot buy, save your money!) MSN, Juno, LookSmart & iWon look
for a minimum buy-in of $150 against $0.15 minimum per click-through,
effective April 1, 2002. |
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News