2004 September - MJS Blog

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Monday, September 27, 2004
Conflicting Windows XP Conflicts

Whether you’re using a PC or a Mac, I think you’ll find today’s post most enjoyable.

If you’re not aware, by popular demand, Microsoft has released a second service pack installment (SP2), to their popular operating system Windows XP. The update is supposed to eliminate many of the problems associated with Windows security.

I was reluctant to install the new update for fear it may wreak havoc on our machines. (See eWeek’s article on IT admins not trusting XP2). But not installing it could produce even more disasters, so I decided to test an installation before loading it onto our production systems.

After downloading and installing SP2, I was asked to reboot my machine. (You know where this is going, don’t you)?

Upon reboot I got the following warning message:

“Microsoft Broadband Networking has a known compatibility issue with this version of Windows.”

Wait a minute! Microsoft is having a conflict with one of its own products? Oh boy.

I thought I might get some non-believers so I took a screenshot of the error.

So the install just blocked my internet access. I guess that’s Microsoft’s solution – just completely block all access to the internet. That’s like preventing heart disease by not eating.

Anyhoo…

It turns out I had to install the latest update for Microsoft Broadband Network. According to the directions, I was to update using the MS Broadband Network utility. Well, when I tried to load the utility via Internet Explorer, XP2’s pop-up blocker blocked access to my PC’s hard drive. Oh great, now I couldn’t even access my computer.

I eventually was able to gain access to my hard drive by right-clicking on the pop-up blocker toolbar and “allowing” access. I installed the update successfully and re-gained access to the internet. Whew!

I just thought it was incredibly ironic that the problems that were associated with installing a Microsoft update conflicted only with another Microsoft product. Go figure.

In conclusion, always test before you launch.

‘til next time.

Posted by: Michael Swartz at 5:47 pm

Comments: None | Filed under: Uncategorized

Monday, September 20, 2004
Money In Untapped Markets

Hope you had a great weekend.

On Sunday, I took a nice break from the week and relaxed with the morning paper and football.

I read an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about Hip-Hop tycoon, Russell Simmons and how he’s capitalized, in a big way, on an untapped market in the banking industry. And what an untapped market he discovered.

Russell Simmons has given people, who can’t get a credit card or banking account, the ability to use a pre-paid credit card for both cash and credit. Your paycheck is automatically deposited into your pre-pay account and whala…charge away. His goal is to give people who can’t afford the opportunity, the opportunity.

And he’s making a pretty good living doing it. Check out the fees associated with the cards:

“The RushCard costs $19.95 to set up. There’s a $1 fee every time the customer makes a purchase or writes a check; each ATM withdrawal costs $1.50 plus the fee — usually $1 to $2 — charged by the bank that owns the ATM”.

What a great story. Mike Swartz says, “Check it out.”

New Services Reach Untapped Markets

At MJS Web Solutions, we’ve added a couple of new services to our roster.

We’ve begun creating email newsletters, particularly the new one for the Alameda Chamber of Commerce. With the addition of an email newsletter, the chamber wins two ways: (1) It increases their market awareness and (2) gives sponsoring companies the added benefit of advertising in the newsletter.
We’ve also setup new blogs for our customers. Setting up a blog, you can update your site with new keywords during each new post. Think about it?

Each one of these new features or installments to your website begins to tap markets you were possibly unaware of or you were missing out on.

What new services or add-ons do you think might improve your untapped markets?

‘til next time.

Posted by: Michael Swartz at 9:16 am

Comments: None | Filed under: Web Marketing

Monday, September 13, 2004
Google’s PageRank System

A lot of people are talking about PageRank, Google’s system of determining whose website ranks higher in the search engine. Google defines PageRank as “system for ranking web pages”. How? Google ranks your page based on the number of high quality pages that link to your site. The idea is that, the more higher ranked pages that link to your site, the better your results in Google.

Makes sense. That is how the web is built and works – linking from one page or website with another. No wonder why Google is the most successful search engine.

Anyhoo…

I wanted to share with you some interesting items that will help define PageRank a little better and some tools to help analyze your website ranking (and possibly get it higher).

An excellent article on PageRank and the misconceptions of PageRank against Link Popularity – the essence of building links to your website.
A tool I especially like is Prog. Prog? (I’m surprised it is not utilized on Google). Prog, a search engine powered by Google, will display the PageRank results of all your searches. So when testing out your keywords, you can compare PageRank against your competitors.
If (and I mean IF), you use Internet Explorer on a Windows platform, you can download the Google Toolbar and incorporate PageRank display. When searching sites, this will help determine what PageRank status they are (0 to 9. 9 being the best). It’s a quick and simple method. If you are not using IE, use Prog mentioned above.
Another tool I just found out about helps calculate how many high quality links you need to increase your PageRank rating. If you want a PageRank of 4, all you need is one website with a PageRank of 6 to link to yours.

It’s not only the quantity of links to your site, but the quality. To put it simply, the more relevant pages that link to your site, the higher your website will be in Google’s search results.

Posted by: Michael Swartz at 7:00 am

Comments: None | Filed under: SEO

Friday, September 3, 2004
Yahoo’s Local Search

A little tidbit before your holiday weekend…

I just - by accident - found Yahoo “Local” Search. It’s new. It’s still in beta (still in test mode). But they’re serious.

They have “a note from the Local team”
A “tell us what you think” form.
And a survey.

They want your input. Submit your organization by using the feedback form.

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More about Yahoo Local Search

Based on my searches, if you have your name in the local phone book, you’ve got a head start and are listed. Check out this story to learn more about Yahoo Local Search.

And if your name is represented, and you haven’t submitted your website, a visitor can perform a “web search” on your organization.

In a previous post I wrote about Google and their local search and how local searching is and will continue to be big business.

Local searching is important.

If you’re a local business, (isn’t every business local to somebody?) it would be wise to make sure you come up in these listings. Your potential customers will be using local searches too.

Boy, I thought this was going to be a short post…