Randy Lewis Kemp (B2B-TechCopy)

Committed to Providing Persuasion Artistry for B2B Technology Marketing Communications

The AMC Village – A Marketer’s Paradise

Posted by randylewiskemp on November 22, 2009

But first – 31 states vs Vonage.  In case you think I’m the only one complaining about Vonage, look at this NPR radio article.  Article: “Vonage to settle investigation involving 32 states” http://is.gd/4X5xA.   Vonage agreed to pay three million to 32 states.

I’m not the only one complaining about Vonage – the NPR radio article proves it.  Remember the old Superman black and white TV series?  In one episode, a man and woman discovers Superman’s secret identity.  He flies them up on top a mountain top.  Then he supplies them with a tent, food and water.  After he flies away, the couple try climbing down – only to fall to their deaths.  Did Superman have anything to do with that?  And did Vonage act like Superman, in the current NPR radio article?

The Prisoner

This is a cool show.  Remember the blond guy in “The Man From Uncle” TV series?  He was the prisoner in the 1960’s TV series, described in a Wiki article at http://is.gd/4XgkT.  Currently AMC has made a six hour remake.  It’s much better, folks!  Look at the Telegraph review at http://is.gd/4Xgph.

Here’s the essence in a nutshell.  Shows like the prisoner deal with two realities – one is real and one is artificial.  But this is the dichotomy displayed in many arenas.

  • Many other movies play with this theme.  Look at The Matrix, for example.
  • It’s a common ploy of idealistic philosophies, like Plato in the west, or Advaita in the East.
  • It’s the main theme of religious approaches like New Thought or Christian Science.
  • It is also played with in comic book worlds.  X-men villains like Mastermind, create illusions with their mental powers.  Other villains utilize chemicals – look at Scarecrow in Batman or Mr. Fear in Daredevil.
  • Magazines like Shamans Drum deal with Shamans entering alternative realities around the world.
  • Star Trek TV and movie launches deal with alternative realities or parallel universes (it’s based upon physics theory).

Here’s something I liked about the AMC Prisoner.  In the Matrix, I wouldn’t agree with the “artificial” world.  In the AMC Prisoner version (without giving away the ending), I might agree with creating the Village.  It solves a problem the main female Prisoner character exemplifies.

The Village and The Marketer

Let’s go back to the AMC show “The Village”.  Did you notice that they indulge in certain brands of beer, food, entertainment, etc.?  We might be angry in that those choices are artificiality created desires.  But aren’t we living in a variation of The Village?

How many times have you picked up Chest toothpaste over Pepsodent or AIM toothpaste (these brands sell for a buck)?  What’s not known is that the company behind Arm and Hammer manufacture the Pepsodent and AIM toothpaste brands.  How long has Arm & Hammer been around?  Isn’t it more than 100 years?

Have you ever gone and picked up Tide laundry detergent?  If you go to Walmart, you find a brand called Surf.  What’s not know is that Surf is really All detergent, marketed under a foreign packaging.  It’s also been around a long time – much like Pepsodent toothpaste.

Remember where the two older men were smoking “forbidden” cigarettes?  Wasn’t that a Village brand?

Folks, I’m guilty – I admit it.  As a technology copywriter and marketer, I prefer you to use The Village computers.  Hey!  They pay me, right?  Well, if they did – guess what?  I’ll convince you to use The Village computers…The Village bus system…The Village medical care system.  Maybe I’ll even convince you to buy the pigs being sold…they stop the land hole anomalies.  Now that’s a challenging Copywriting and marketing assignment!

No!  I’m not on The Village marketing or copywriting staff.

Should You use FaceBook to market?

Here’s my final thoughts from a Linkedin group, where the question originated.

Almost any social media outlet can be made to work. It all depends on where you wish to engage your time and energy.

  1. One of my Linkedin connections regularly works with many social media outlets. He had success with Twitter, FaceBook, Linkedin, Friend Feed, etc. His focus is on SEO content and blogging for corporations.
  2. Another Linkedin contact works as an Internet Marketer and chiefly works with Twitter. He has three Twitter accounts with over 20,000 followers. A good percentage follow his I.M. ezine.
  3. Another contact writes articles for self-growth and has a surprising number of annual website visits (2 million annually).
  4. On the other hand, an MBA director of a local small business development center has luck with traditional marketing approaches. These approaches include giving talks as a subject matter marketing expert to different groups. She also engages some well known coaches to help her own personal development.

On a personal note, I wouldn’t mind learning from 1-4. Each could teach me a lot. I love studying what makes them successful.

There’s many different permutations and combinations of various marketing approaches – be it viral, direct response, SEO, etc. The key is to experiment and find out what works for you.

Twitter and blogs can feed other social media outlets

If you have a blog, you can set up FaceBook Notes to import blog feeds. Linkedin has applications for Word Press, as well as other blog formats. You can import blog feed summaries to Twitter via Twitterfeed ( http://Ping.fm is also a good tool to feed multiple applications).

You can feed Twitter posts (via applications) to FaceBook, Friend Feed, and Linkedin (among other social media outlets).

There’s many Twitter tools out there – some good, some bad, and some ugly (Hey! That would make a good movie title!).  You just need to find the “right blend” to cook up a “Twitter Stew”.

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Dollar Store Marketing – NOT! + Marketing/Technology Tidbits

Posted by randylewiskemp on November 15, 2009

With the economy in such bad shape, it’s only natural to turn to money saving sources.  For me – at least with some items – the dollar store becomes a desert oasis.

Now I have my weekly list of items.  Let’s see now.  Dental floss, paper cups, matches, razor blades, paper napkins, etc.  These are things I wouldn’t obtain from places like Walmart, Target, or Myers.

There’s a few prized dollar stores I frequent.  Among my frequented hall of fame includes Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Deals and Dollar General.

Amish Dollar General Stores

Now these stories actually happened.  In a town close to where I live.  Yet I can’t say what happened there is typical.  Know why?  Down in Arcola, Illinois and in the nearby city of Aurthur, there’s a different story.  They have 2 Dollar Generals, along with a sizable Amish population.  In fact, some Amish folks even work at the stores.

The Amish are cool – I admire them.  They don’t own modern technology.  Yet they don’t mind asking for a ride…using your phone…or other technology favors.  But if your house ever burned down – guess what?  They would bring an army to help you.

If I gave a rate to Amish population Dollar General stores, I would give them two thumbs up.  Excuse me if I borrow from the movie rating system of Sisco and Ebert.

Now the Dollar General Near Me

Let me share some stories about a Dollar General near me.  My mom is about 88 years old and sometimes return items she purchased.  She has the proper tag on the item, along with a store receipt.  When she returned something to this Dollar General store, the clerk asked for a drivers license?  Excuse me???  She has returned items to places like Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens.  She had the proper store tags and receipts.  Not once was she asked for a drivers license.

Another time I went to this store and asked the manager to double bag some heavy items.  Guess what?  He said it was against store policy to double bag items.  Yet if the customer wishes to do this – they can.  I say that this policy was very strange.  He mentioned bag prices were related to the price of oil.  What?  Does that make sense?

My most pressing complaint is that the isles are always full of boxes.  Not empty boxes, mind you – but boxes full of stuff that needs stacking.  I never notice this at other dollar stores.  Nor do I notice it at stores like Walmart, Target, Myers, CVS or Walgreens.

Let’s Return to Google Voice and Gizmo5

I’ll take a break from dollar stores and return to my Gizmo5/Google Voice hybrid.  Google Voice now functions as both a business line, as well as an overall phone umbrella and answering machine.  I just purchased a Grandstream Budge-Tone-201 phone for $50.  Last week, I shared a configuration article how to set up a SIP phone adapter with Gizmovoice at http://tinyurl.com/ylql4uh.  There’s a better article I found at http://is.gd/4UgFL.  I had one more port on my router, which was used for this setup.  This week sent me a surprise – Google Voice just brought Gizmo5 (see http://is.gd/4UAyx).

Guess what?  This is now my “official” business line.  I found a forum thread somewhere.  A person wanted to run Vonage with another VOIP service.  The Vonage folks say yes – use a router.  It works perfectly, Vonage.  Thanks for the tip.  I enjoyed a wonderful Vonage-based conversation with an Australian friend.

Sound quality?

Google Voice + Gizmo5 + G.S.-B.T. 201 + Linksys Router = Vonage + Vonage Router + Linksys Router

Remember My Pre-Linksys router problem with IP addresses?

In case you don’t – please refer to early blog entries in the past 2 months.  But I got an answer from Amazon forums:

The computer is looking for the V-Portal in both cases.

You can do the following when you make changes: In the search area under Start type in “CMD” without quotes. When the command prompt shows up, type in “ipconfig /release” then when prompted, type in “ipconfig /renew”
This will allow the computer to renew the ip address without rebooting either V-portal or the modem

Should I Market On FaceBook?

It’s a question on a Linkedin group I run.  Here’s my answer:

Any social media site can be used for promotion: I chiefly use Twitter, FaceBook, Ecademy and Linkedin. While FaceBook is not where I’m actively engaged, it has some benefits. There’s an application where you can feed Twitter updates to Facebook automatically. You can also set up Friend Feed to take in Twitter feeds. I have made friends on FaceBook, whom I mutually follow on Twitter. Recently FaceBook has purchased Friend Feed, just like Google Voice has purchased Gizmo5. Friend Feed has the “potential” for being a competitor of Twitter. Keep options open but spend more time on what works. You need to test – a key component of the direct response marketing school – this also applies to the Social Media arena.

And now – drum rolls please!~You can add Twitter Tweets to Linkedin  http://is.gd/4UTYM

Oh, Wow!

Oh, Wow, is right!  I replaced 14 bathroom vanity bulbs with the new energy saving variety.  Yet the best prices weren’t from the dollar store.  I found this bulbs for $1 each at Myers and Ace Hardware.

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I Was Mugged At Gunpoint…But I Finally Got Vonage To Work

Posted by randylewiskemp on November 8, 2009

You’ll see what I’m talking about shortly.  But first…a real cool YouTube video..Google Wave and Pulp fiction (don’t watch if offended by Pulp Fiction’s cussing) at http://is.gd/4NVv0

Setting up my home network

Remember the electrical engineer, who used to work at Motorola?  It turns out that he was approached by ATT; made the switch from Comcast to ATT Uverse.  Now he has a router not being used.  Guess what?  I borrowed it for an undetermined length of time.  I’ve also gotten some good, technical feedback from Comcast.

Remember my Vonage problem regarding packet loss?  I shared this article and thought I found:
“Another article by the same author at http://is.gd/4Ji1D, shares an interesting thought: ‘In my experience, and that of others I’ve seen on the forums, Vonage devices seem to work better when placed behind a more effective router.’”

As far as the router goes – out of 621 reviews on http://www.amazon.com , the average rating is 4 out of 5 stars (very good – see http://is.gd/4Mj7x).  Here’s the configuration I followed from  http://is.gd/4Ji1D:

Vonage Router Solution

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Configuration Details

I have two computers and a Vonage router connected with Ethernet connections.  All feed off the Motorola SurfBoard modem and the Linksys router.  So far the test results have been excellent

  • The Vonage router was replaced as the primary router with Linksys
  • The Vonage router was demoted to just playing with bells (working only with phone calls)
  • Vonage tech support never suggested this solution
  • I implemented this solution without paying an outrageous $150 Comcast fee, for setting  up home networking
  • I applied the suggestions of Motorola tech support (see last week’s blog entry) to use one IP address (via a router).

My Facebook account attacked by Cyberspace Criminals

Remember when I wrote about my FaceBook account being attacked by Cyberspace criminals?  A friend mentioned he sent me an email, which I never received.  Here’s the conversation (a pop up chat screen appears, courtesy of FaceBook).  I’ll provide any commentary in italics.

Randy
hi. how are u doing?  (I now use Generation X word shortening methods).

9:11am Ron
Doing OK. How’s things with you?

9:12am Randy
am not okay at the moment

9:12am Ron
Where are you working now? I’m at the XXX for a few months.

9:13am Randy
same place  (Ya, sure.  And we never got together?).

am stuck in UK

9:13am Ron
Contract or permanent?

9:13am Randy
Contract

i got mugged last night at a gun point

9:14amRon
Where?

9:15am Randy
united kingdom  (Here’s something totally cool.  Go to http://is.gd/4NrNa and set the cities to Chicago and London.  It would be 3 PM in the afternoon in London if it’s 9 AM in Chicago.  Is this chap drinking tea, while he spins his yarn…at the same time Ron has his morning Java?).

9:15am Ron
A long way to go to get mugged. RU OK?

9:16am Randy
i was hurt

i need your urgent help

9:16am Ron
How?

9:16am Randy
i need you to loan me $$ (He says he was hurt then asks for money.  I would be more interested in the extend of injury).

to get my return ticket back home (Man!  If this guy was me…he sure is dumb.  Carrying all his cash around?  Hasn’t he heard of American Express travelers checks and credit cards?)

9:17am Ron
What was the name of our writing instructor? (a brilliant question on the part of Ron – pay attention folks, in case this scam is used again.)

9:17am Randy
are u kidding me

9:17am Ron
No.

9:18am Randy
i will def refund it back to you (Sure he will…just like all the Nigerian letters that go something like this…I have selected you to help me get these millions transferred out of my country…you get a hefty percentage for your help…what they don’t tell you is that things get delayed…they ask for money to speed up the transfer).

9:18am Ron
What was the name of our instructor?

9:19am Randy
if am not the one i wont ask you to wire me money to my name

9:20am Ron
You can’t answer the question?

9:21am Randy
why are u kidding me (No, he’s not kidding you)

9:22am Ron
OK. This is a scam.  (Yes, Ron…it’s a scam…pay close attention folks).

Here’s my current reply to my friend Ron:

According to FaceBook (after they investigated and reinstated my account), Cyberspace criminals hijacked my account. They then requested money from FaceBook friends.  I wrote about his on my blog (a few weeks back) at http://b2b-techcopy.net.  I now have new and more secure passwords in place.

For the record, you handled the scam artist well.  Just ask them a question only the two of us would know.  I never carry large amounts of cash around.  You would find me mostly with credit cards and American Express travelers checks.  In case I was robbed at gunpoint,  they wouldn’t wipe me out.  I would have contacted the local police and  (if applicable),  the following resources:

  • American Embassy/consulate.
  • Local American Express office
  • MasterCard, Visa and American Express card companies

If I ever did call friends (which I never would), they can at least be assured the crime has been reported to local law enforcement.  Then you can call them directly to verify my story.

A few ideas on the Vonage router problem

Here’s what my electrical engineer friend thought, when the Vonage router was the only router I used:

I’ll bounce a few ideas about it.   Since it seems to deteriorate over time it could be affected by:

  1. Small memory leak gradually taking up space until there isn’t enough memory space to process the data
  2. Cashe not cleaning up.
  3. Bad memory hardware. When it tries to store data in a certain chunk of memory it loses data
  4. Errors building up over time not getting cleaned up eating up processing or memory space.
  5. Server switch over sending out bad data that the router filters out but Vonage doesn’t know how to handle.
  6. Error recovery perhaps the Vonage unit doesn’t know how to get a resend of messed up data
  7. Tighter adherence to specs in the Router for the handling the data stream or the reverse too tight adherence to the specs by Vonage.
  8. Biggest hint is after a reset of the system the problem goes away. If there was a way to reach into the Vonage device and do selective resets to parts of the program or settings  it might create an indication where the problem is.

These area all just shots in the dark.

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Gold Stars For Motorola, McDonalds; Trader Joes – Vonage Sits In The Corner

Posted by randylewiskemp on November 1, 2009

Remember this mystery I shared in last week’s blog?

Let me refresh your memory:

Here’s another mystery.  Currently I connect Comcast -> Motorola Surfboard Surfboard SB5101 Modem – > Vonage V-Portal -> Computer

  1. If I try to eliminate the Vonage V-Portal for tests, I can’t connect to the Internet via Comcast -> Motorola Surfboard SB5101 Modem – > Computer, without rebooting the modem
  2. If I perform action #1, then I can’t connect to the Internet via Comcast -> Motorola Surfboard Surfboard SB5101 Modem – > Vonage V-Portal -> Computer, without rebooting the Modem, followed by rebooting the Vonage V-portal.

I did contact Motorola technical support and they shared this with me:

“The SB5101 uses a Lease table to assign IP addresses to devices. When the modem is connected to the internet service provider, it only has one IP address to assign: the IP address that the ISP gives you. Once a device connects to the modem and obtains that IP address, the modem associates the two together in its lease table. The modem will keep those two associated for an unknown amount of time even after the device is shut down or disconnected from the modem. When you power cycle the modem, this clears that Lease table and allows any device to obtain that IP address.”

“This method of assigning IP addresses has been addressed in newer versions of the modem’s firmware so that it will dynamically update the lease table for any device without the need of a power cycle. Unfortunately, the ISP controls the firmware, so you cannot upgrade that firmware yourself. The ISP automatically updates the firmware on all modems installed on their network to be sure they match what their systems support. This also includes downgrading firmware to versions that their systems support.”

“The only thing you could do at this point is to either contact your ISP to see if they will update your firmware for you. If they will not, then we’ll have to stick to power cycling the modem each time you switch the connection.”

“Alternatively, you could also purchase a router to connect to the SB5101. That way, the router would handle all the IP Addressing and the modem would only have to recognize the connection to a single device: the router.”

Vonage Lessons learned:

Time to beat up Vonage…to be fair, I’m not anti-Vonage (companies like Lingo probably wouldn’t fair much better) .  This week, I tested talking to the University of South Africa via Vonage – very nice – when 0% packet loss.  I’ll wait a year and see…do they fix their problems?

At least I give Motorola credit.  They knew what the problem was – shared the current status – then confirmed a firmware fix would arrive, in the near future.

Remember my discovery in last week’s blog with Vonage?

OK Vonage – give me an explanation (Or for that matter, any competitors like Lingo can take a stab):

  1. How come when I run tests with http://www.pingtest.net and http://www.voipreview.org, they both show a significant packet loss – at the same time I experience voice degradation via Vonage?
  2. How come every time I recycle your device for 30 seconds – then run tests on with http://www.pingtest.net and http://www.voipreview.org, they both show zero packet loss – at the same time I experience excellent voice quality via Vonage?

“If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, we have at least to consider the possibility that we have a small aquatic bird of the family anatidae on our hands.” -  Douglas Adams

Let me share a cool layman’s article on packet loss at http://is.gd/4JhHN, before I discuss my technology discoveries this week.  Another article by the same author at http://is.gd/4Ji1D,  shares an interesting thought: “In my experience, and that of others I’ve seen on the forums, Vonage devices seem to work better when placed behind a more effective router.”  Would this minimize my packet loss concern?  Maybe I’ll test this with inexpensive routers, like those found at http://is.gd/4JkFx or  http://is.gd/4JjOI?

  1. Vonage tech support says things like, “it could be anything.  It might be the router, the Comcast connection… blah, blah, blah.”  A former Motorola electrical engineer – who has several patent applications over the years…designed and build cell phones…says it’s the Vonage router.   I also contacted a “computer hardware genius”, studying computer engineering technology at DeVry University …says it’s the Vonage router.   Common sense says that if I power down their device…then power back up…where packet loss is non-existent…it’s the Vonage router.   What do you think?
  2. I had a strange problem this week, where I worked with Vonage level 3 support (normally I get level 2).  The level 3 support person spent 4 hours with me, trying to diagnose the problem.  We came away with a mutual respect for each other.
  3. The problem in item 2 was a Comcast issue.  My Motorola Comcast modem is leased by Comcast.  Guess what they did?  They unregistered my modem on their side.  Why?  They mixed my account up with some other account.   Excuse me?  You win the Curly Stooge tech support award.
  4. I mentioned that Google Voice works well with Gizmo5 (see http://www.gizmovoice.com/).  Question: If I took a laptop to Mexico and initiated a call to a US number – would that constitute a free call?
  5. I now have Windows 7 running and I’m impressed.  Office Depot will install Windows 7 free in store – regardless of where you brought it http://is.gd/4I5fI

Or ask this question of Vonage – What is your definition of “unlimited service?”:

I recall seeing some Vonage TV commercials where they advertised unlimited world service.   Yet if you carefully review their terms of service, they state that 5,000 minutes/month  is what they consider normal, for usage with normal residential plans.  Where did they get this number?  Especially when Skype considers 10,000 minutes/month normal for their unlimited plan?

Or things like they can cancel a 30 day money back guarantee any time – without notice?

Suppose you brought sometime from the Internet.  They offered a 30 day money back guarantee (like Magic Jack does).  You  send the product back after 15 days.  They refuse to refund the money, because they claim they can cancel a 30 day return policy any time.

How would you feel?  Tell me!

This is similar to some Magic Jack complaints I found via Google.  Yet Magic Jack has no excuse -  Vonage does – it’s stated in their “terms of service”.

Or (if I read this correctly), if you don’t cancel within a precise time frame – after one year of service – they can automatically renew you for another year?

What?  Come again?  I feel like I’m an actor in the TV series Star Gate – in order to return to earth, I need to enter the Star Gate within a certain time frame.  Else, I’m stuck on a remote alien outpost for another year.

There’s So Many “Loopholes” in Vonage’s “Terms of Service”, an elephant can squeeze through – Lingo probably wouldn’t fair any better – didn’t  they change their contract length from 1 to 2 years a few months ago?

One good thing I did was to buy another surge protector.  Why?  Plug the Vonage device into surge protector 2.  Plug surge protector 2, the Motorola Cable modem, and other electrical components into surge protector 1.  If I need to reboot the Vonage device, I just use the surge protector’s off/on switch.  I can even boot the modem – followed by the Vonage V-portal – all by using surge protectors’ off/on switches.

McDonald’s Now

I’m not sure if you visited the McDonalds’ headquarters in Oak Brook.  I have several times over the years.   There used to be this former Roman Catholic priest (now deceased), who became a spiritual healer.  Someone in his audience worked at McDonalds, so they were able to hold spiritual healing seminars there.

Someone else I knew had a connection with McDonalds.  There were different presenters of homeopathic medical topics, over the years.  It’s interesting that many medical doctors were audience members.  There’s actually no disconnect between homeopathic medicine and spiritual healing.  I find them to be quite complimentary.  You can ever throw in traditional medicine into the mix and I would see them as potentially fitting together.

Speaking of McDonalds – their coffee is very good!  Let’s not forget the excellent price also!  I know some would rather pay he premium prize for Starbucks.  Or buy these very expensive beans, rather than the excellent Trader  Joe  (a grocery store chain) “Joe” variety.  I’ll tell you what.  I rather invest the money I save, not going to Starbucks.  Let me stick with McDonalds and Trader Joes store blends.

Blog: http://b2b-techcopy.net
Business: http://b2b-techcopy.com

Posted in Marketing, Practical Advice, Technology | Tagged: , , , , | 5 Comments »

Matrix Movie VOIP, Senate GOP Mayhem and Sweat Lodge Deaths

Posted by randylewiskemp on October 25, 2009

Let’s start with a cool – yet funny -  advertising talk at http://is.gd/4soxe.

An Independent Wonders About The GOP

For the record, I’m an independent.  This means I vote for the right person in a particular job – regardless if Republican or Democrat.  Yet lately, I have serious concerns about what the GOP is attempting, blocking passage of unemployment benefits.  A few days ago, WFMT radio news announced that Illinois hit 10.5% unemployment.  Great non-profit website talking about the plight of US unemployed at http://bit.ly/193uO2.   Perhaps they plan on passing it just before Christmas.  This way, they allow everyone a NICE Christmas present.

Vonage Again

Let me leave an update to my blog article last week. I did reach another good technician at Vonage (it’s the luck of the draw – same as Comcast). We conducted some tests and I replaced the cable, between the modem and V-portal. Pack loss is now minimal, with the testing tools at http://www.voipreview.org and http://www.pingtest.net . The voice quality is good.  Let’s review what Vonage finally recommended:

  1. A firmware update push to their Vonage portal.
  2. I replaced the cables between the V-portal and Motorola Cable Modem, along with the cables from the V-portal to the computer.  The replacement cables were Belkin from Wal-Mart.

I did ask an ex-Motorola electrical engineer on the cables, on what could cause a packet loss.  He mentioned one of two things:

  1. A connection problem with the cable (i.e. – corrosion).
  2. A cable has an improper bend (i.e. – broken wire).

I still  have strong ethical business objections to Vonage locking people into a year’s worth of service.  You do this by imposing a stiff cancellation fee, costing about half a year’s service with you.   This is probably more than twice what both ATT and Comcast charge for cancellation.  This is OK – if and only if this practice is public knowledge.

I have issues with Comcast mentioning to take up my concerns with Comcast management and now following through.

In a way – I’m lucky.  Comcast has their hubs in Elmhurst and Chicago, which is less than 30 miles from me.  I’m also a short hop from a Commonwealth Edison facility.  Remember a few years ago, with all the talk about using the electrical grid to deliver Internet connection?  What became of that?  I would love to have Commonwealth Edison become a competitor to AT&T Uverse or Comcast Cable.

Yet That’s Not The Root Cause

Here’s the thing.  I decided to pray about the situation and  be shown the root cause of my Vonage VOIP packet issue.  Now I can’t say this is the result of prayer, in which God or angels are speaking to me.  It might also be my subconscious speaking.  But I hit upon the answer.

Imagine you were part of the Matrix, as shown in the movie’s namesake.  Imagine that the bad guys with sunglasses were computer geeks.  Imagine that you go to them, every time the Matrix is “not quite right”.  So one software geek wearing sunglasses says it’s a firmware issue.  He upgrades the latest firmware and reboots the Matrix.  The problem resurfaces after a couple days.  The second geek suggests to replace the cable and reboots the Matrix.  Everything is fine.  All your tests show 0% packet loss – for a couple of days.  Then another geek with sunglasses says they need to program the Vonage device.  Then they reboot the Matrix.  The problem is solved, for a couple of days.

See the pattern here folks?

  1. Paint the Matrix device blue and reboot the Matrix.
  2. Put a picture of George Washington on top the Matrix device and reboot the Matrix.

In case you don’t see the pattern, I didn’t call the geek squad with sunglasses, when the problem resurfaced.  Instead I conducted 2 tests.

  1. I first rebooted the modem then the Vonage device.  Everything was running fine and tests showed 0% packet loss.
  2. Next time packet loss resurfaced, I just rebooted the Vonage device. Everything was running fine and tests showed 0% packet loss.  I have now conducted this same test a number of times.

I talked to a ex-Motorola electrical engineer and asked what he thought.  Our suspicions fell upon the Vonage device itself.  Is it cache getting filled up?  Is it a timer issue?  My friend through out some possibilities.  Couple this with the fact that Comcast shows 0% packet loss, remotely pinging to my Motorola Modem.

So the solution is NOT in making a fix within the Matrix, but rebooting the Matrix itself.  I’ll be very upset if this is a known Vonage issue.  Can the V-portal cause packet loss?  Look at the Wiki article at http://is.gd/4uc08: “Packet loss can be caused by a number of factors, including signal degradation over the network medium, over saturated network links, corrupted packets rejected in-transit, faulty networking hardware, faulty network drivers or normal routing routines.”

I did follow up with Vonage tech support and shared my findings.  I’ll be conducting more tests.

Cool Tech Trick:

Let me share a cool trick with http://www.pingtest.net and http://www.pingplotter.com.  If you use the Ping Plotter free version, it  combines both a trace route and ping, with a refresh every few minutes.  Just set the URL to the server used by the Ping Test website.  Cool, right?

Another Tech Mystery:

Here’s another mystery.  Currently I connect Comcast -> Motorola Surfboard Surfboard SB5101 Modem – > Vonage V-Portal -> Computer

  1. If I try to eliminate the Vonage V-Portal for tests, I can’t connect to the Internet via Comcast -> Motorola Surfboard SB5101 Modem – > Computer, without rebooting the modem
  2. If I perform action #1, then I can’t connect to the Internet via Comcast -> Motorola Surfboard Surfboard SB5101 Modem – > Vonage V-Portal -> Computer, without rebooting the Modem, followed by rebooting the Vonage V-portal.

Here’s what my electrical engineering friend said:

“If the modem was locked to a defined IP address talking to the Vonage, I would have expected it to restart communication with it, after a reboot.  After all, the modem should know it’s address.  It sounds like the Vonage is dependent on the modem for communication initialization. The modem must not look for other addresses. Interesting that the modem stops talking to all other devices.  I’ll have to mull that one over for a bit.  It sounds like there is a conflict with it, that the modem doesn’t know how to handle. The handshake between the two devices is correctly reset by the recovery reboot sequence you did, starting from the modem then going to the Vonage.”

Note to Myself (for future testing):

Google Voice + Gizmo5  = Magic Jack clone travel kit? (see http://www.gizmovoice.com/).

Arizona Sweat Lodge

Did you hear about the folks conducting a lodge in Arizona, where 3 people died and many got sick?  I talked to a Native American friend who runs lodges about this and he mentioned the Arizona leaders covered the entire lodge in plastic.  Another who knows even a little about lodges – or for that matter, basic science – knows that you would suffocate if you can’t get air.  My friend just covers his lodge with plastic around the base.  What are their leaders thinking?  It indicates two things:

  1. Their leaders don’t know anything about Native American lodge building practices.
  2. Their leaders don’t know anything about basic science (i.e. – physics, chemistry, and biology).

A Twitter Trick

Someone tried to play a trick on me.  I follow people either based upon select targeted keywords, or someone who is following me.  I happened to follow someone who is in the same niche I’m in.  He mentioned we should critic each others work.  Here’s the issue.  He sent me a direct message.  However, he wasn’t following me back.   I couldn’t send him a direct message. If I reply to his message with @XXX, he gets free publicity.  I was not born yesterday.

Randy Kemp

Blog: http://b2b-techcopy.net
Business: http://b2b-techcopy.com

Posted in Entertainment, Marketing, Technology | Tagged: , , , , | 4 Comments »

A Lesson In Solving VOIP Problems

Posted by randylewiskemp on October 18, 2009

Aid From Comcast Via Twitter

I got a message from Melinda via Twitter, who’s a Comcast person offering to help.  I referred her to last week’s blog entry and shared the following via email:

“Here’s some other factors to note:”

“I have both Vonage and Skype numbers.  Whenever there is a serious degrade in Vonage voice quality it also shows up on Skype.  They have two different VOIP protocols.”

“Whenever I have issues with the VOIP solutions and run a speed test at http://www.voipreview.org/, it indicates via their tests that the network wouldn’t sustain a quality connection, and indicates a significant packet loss.  I understand from querying experts that a 5% packet lost is normal.  I’ve seen as high as 21% with this site’s speed tests.”

When these things occur, I have also run tests with http://www.pingplotter.com/, using their freeware version; I see significant packet loss.  I have utilized the websites http://www.boa.com and http://www.comcast.com.

“I’ve also done tests by doing ‘ping www.boa.com -n 100 -l 600′ and ‘ping www.comcast.com -n 100 -l 600′.”

“Keep in mind that the data doesn’t show a ’cause and effect’ relationship but more one of ’statistical correlation’.  I used to be a software engineer at Motorola, within their cell phone division, for 7 years.  I’m also a Motorola Six Sigma black belt.  It should give me some knowledge and expertise for looking at both network and software issues.”

“As I related in the blog, the changes that a connection to Computer A, Computer B, and a Vonage device showing software issues, vs. the Modem being at fault, is very remote.  It’s not necessarily a modem issue, but could be an issue how the Modem interfaces with the computer.  Whenever I had modem issues under ATT Internet, they have me type in internal ATT IP addresses, within the browser.  Sometimes they found duplicate entries in some Windows files.”

“ATT is in the process of setting up a basic phone service for me, which I plan on running Google Voice on.  I’ll let you know when that’s available.  In case of issues on my main number, I can provide a cell phone number also.”

Let me add a footnote to this.  Pure speed tests at http://www.speedtest.net/ show an acceptable rate but voice simulation tests at http://www.voipreview.org do not.  It shows significant packet loss and jitter issues.   If I do a test at http://www.pingtest.net/, I’ve seen packet losses well over 40%.  This occurs when I have sound quality issues on both Vonage and Skype (I.E – Skype to Skype).  Strange, isn’t it?

A Comcast Email Inquiry

Here’s part of a context from attempting to use the email support system:

Comcast:

“Upon review of your e-mail and your account, I can see that you are  using your own personal router. Unfortunately you have requested  assistance on something Comcast does not support.  In order to provide you with the highest level of technical assistance,  Comcast must limit its support to the Comcast High-Speed Internet  service. This means we will support your connection to the Comcast  High-Speed Internet network and the software included on your Comcast High-Speed Internet CD-ROM. “

My response:

“I don’t own a router.  I only own a Modem rented to me by Comcast.  Unless you consider the Vonage device a router.  Am I to understand that you consider the Vonage device a router?”

“If I were to experience issues – given what I have told you – would Comcast provide support if I couldn’t connect any computer directly to their modem?”

Comcast (partial extraction):

“ We do consider the Vonage box a router…In the event we cannot resolve your … issue, we can either escalate it to the network technicians or schedule  a service call.”

My response (partial extraction):

“I will gladly work with support, in case of an issue.”

What is the root cause?

It reminds me of Middle Eastern  stories regarding Mullah Nasruddin.  My favorite story’s found at http://is.gd/4omCC.  Basically, he lost a key in a dark area.  But he looks for it within a lighted area – the light’s better.

Where do I go from here?  The data I provided is just one of statistical correlation.  It doesn’t indicate a root cause.  Perhaps if I spoke with Vonage technicians?  With my new measured rate ATT land line phone, a call to Vonage support was a breeze.  It took a few minutes to relate my story.  I included all the test websites and voice applications I used.  The technician and I ran a few tests.

  1. First we disconnected the Vonage device and hooked up the Comcast modem directly to the computer.  Next we ran some trace route and ping tests.
  2. Next we connected the Vonage device and hooked up the Comcast modem directly to the computer.  Then we ran some trace route and ping tests.

Wallah!  The root cause was outdated firmware (the stuff that runs the hardware) on my Vonage device.  A definition is found at http://is.gd/4nFmg: “In electronics and computing, firmware is a term often used to denote the fixed, usually rather small, programs and data structures that internally control various electronic devices.”

My Current Phone Situation

  1. Here’s a cool article: “Make Free VoIP Calls from Google Voice with a Gizmo5 Hookup” http://is.gd/4lh0F.  I now have Gizmo5 configured to make calls over Google Voice.
  2. There’s also a cool service at  http://www.sipgate.com/.  I applied for a number but they couldn’t send my TracFone a promotional code.  A email to Sipgate tech support indicated a temporary issue with sending Tracfone SMS messages.
  3. Google Voice is live and well.  It’s a joy to test it.  It works well both over Vonage VOIP and ATT land line networks.
  4. Vonage currently sounds like their commercial, with the upside down phone conversations.
  5. Comcast speed is really exceptional.
  6. Tools like Skype are working well.
  • Comcast: The only disappointment’s that I never heard back from Melissa and Comcast management.
  • Vonage:  I plan to explore other options after a year is up.  I have strong ethical business objections to locking people into a year’s worth of service.  You do this by imposing a stiff cancellation fee, costing about half a year’s service with you.   This is probably more than twice what both ATT and Comcast charge for cancellation.  How many Vonage technicians did I engage, before one finally diagnosed the root cause as outdated firmware?  You should pay me for the spotty service for 1.5 months, along with all the wasted  time, trying to find a root cause.  I’m still seeing packet loss over 5%.  One technician said I have an old device – exactly how old are the “refurbished” devices you provide?
  • Google Voice:  I love your service so far.  I’m very pleased at the quality, both over an ATT land line and a VOIP line.  It’s a pleasure to know I can configure it with the Gizmo5 soft phone.

Randy Kemp
Blog: http://b2b-techcopy.net
Business: http://b2b-techcopy.com

Posted in Technology | Tagged: , , , , | 1 Comment »

Groucho Cuts Up Copywriting Big Shots While Harpo Tweaks Comcast

Posted by randylewiskemp on October 11, 2009

But first, let me share some good, free stuff:

  1. Free webinar replay (in-stream): “How to Use Social Media to Manage Your Company Brand Online” http://is.gd/47Fkw .
  2. Article: 30 Twitter Tools for Business” http://is.gd/46Ibv.

This week there was some great dialogues regarding copywriting, within my Linkedin copywriting group.  And I had some great dialogue on VOIP within the Telecommunication forum.   In the spirit of the Marx Brothers, I thought I would let them virtually substitute for me.

You must be an affiliate for Michel Fortin,  for posting his articles

I’m NOT an affiliate of Michel Fortin, any more than I’m an affiliate of Clayton Makepeace. I do value their articles on copywriting and marketing, which is why I share them. Everyone here is free to share what they feel is important articles and news on copywriting and marketing. If you disagree with a statistical observation of Michael – or anyone else for that matter – then please post it as a comment in their blog entry. They would be sure to explain it. If I post an article of Michael Fortin (or anyone who is SELLING anything), let me know – it’s NOT my intention.

I could easily share blog entries of Daniel Levis, Dan Kennedy, Clayton Makepeace, John Carlton, Ray Edwards, Bob Bly, or anyone else “well known” for that matter. They have “good stuff”. If you disagree with what they are saying – let them know on their blog. I have reread the article and don’t see him selling anything. If I’m wrong, please point out where in the blog post. Of course, nobody would notice “Michael Fortin” articles, if there were other entries posted.

The Copy in Michel Fortin’s Blog is bad

Do you mean the “original” copy or the one “rewritten” by Michel Fortin? Actually, NOT all copy of the “big names” resonates with me. The criteria for Michel (or any other big name) is that businesses pay him a lot of money in fees and/or royalties, and he makes a lot of sales for them. It’s the same with the Tabloids and the ads that run for months on end. One famous one is “5 Ways to Cure Corns”. I’m not a big fan of the ad. But someone paid the copywriter some big dollars in fees and/or royalties. Someone is paying the Tabloids big dollars to run the ad, for months on end. And someone must be buying the product or book, else you probably wouldn’t see the expensive ad running, for any considerable period of time.

I Mean The Michel Fortin Blog is Bad

There are copywriters and there are writers. One doesn’t always walk successfully in both worlds – although I’m sure Michel’s blog gets a considerable amount of Traffic. Copywriter Ben Hart – who was a college graduate and former presidential speech writer – admits he had to “dumb down his writing” as a copywriter. He appeals to a grade school level vocabulary.

For the record, I like the writing styles of Daniel Levis, Clayton Makepeace, and John Carlton. In fact, John would rank among my favorite, as his blogging style reminds me of the Jeff Foxworthy redneck comedy team. John’s style would be akin to Larry the Cable guy, talking in a bar.

Writing is a matter of taste. If I go watch Jerry Seinfeld do his solo comedy ventures – they stink. That’s also the opinion of friends who have seen him in person. Yet if I watch the cast of Seinfeld collectively talk about “nothing” – it’s hilarious.

If I read any of Stephen King’s horror genre works, they’re nothing compared to folks like Edgar Allan Poe or H.P. Lovecraft. But King’s book on writing is exceptional. In a similar manner, I love the information Michel shares. Yet I admit – John Carlton is far more entertaining.

But I saw some glaring blog grammar errors Michel made

The solution for Michel is simple. With all the money he makes as a copywriter and marketer, simply hire a blog proofreader. I suspect that Michel’s simply spreading himself too thin with his high profile assignments, that he doesn’t devote enough time for blog editorial passes. Now Clayton Makepeace can farm that chore out, to his copy cubs.

How about Nick Usborne’s Web writing course? He sells a web copywriting course for $500.

How about the book “Web Copy That Sells” by Maria Veloso (see  http://www.amazon.com )? It’s much cheaper than Nick’s course, which I have heard mixed reviews on.   I normally don’t put in a plug for those I’m connected with on Linkedin, but you might want to check the website  http://www.internet-copywriting-secrets.com by Gilbert Carlson. At about $50 (along with $10 – $15 for the Maria book on  http://www.amazon.com – your local library can get it for free), it’s much cheaper than Nick’s course. One technique Maria recommends is just copying great website copy by hand. It’s something I do each day.

Is the book “Web Copy That Sells” more B2C Hype?

If you read the preface, the author feels that chapter 3 (the chapter on psychological techniques), is worth the price of the book alone.  I’m not one who believes in “buying books”, before I have read them.  I firmly believe in having my local library obtain a copy, either in house, or through their inter-library affiliates.

Keep in mind that B2C and B2B have different goals.  B2C usually wishes someone to part with their money then and there, which is why it is “hyped up”.  B2B normally works with big ticket items, with many different decision making roles, involving in the buying process.  It’s more of a longer term, lead nourishing process.

Can someone in the B2C world or B2B world, learn from the other side?  Sure.  It’s wise to learn from the other side and see what can be applied.  But if you can read it free, that’s the best way to go.

Can I Become An Internet Marketing And Social Media Expert at Zero Cost?

Here’s how to do it, without spending an arm and a leg:

  1. Sign up for the free, 30-day challenge at http://www.thirtydaychallenge.com/. A good summary is found at http://tinyurl.com/2h3mh9, under “Thirty Day Challenge Training”. It’s the best free training on Internet Marketing.  The goal is to make at least $10 in 30 days.
  2. Study for free at Inbound Marketing University (http://www.inboundmarketing.com/), and take their certification exam.  They teach Inbound marketing principles and best practices, such as blogging, social media, lead conversion, lead nurturing, and closed loop analysis.
  3. Take the free web business video course (26 videos, no opt-in) at http://bit.ly/EtyPj.
  4. Take the SEO training course http://is.gd/3UmE8.

Solving a Comcast VOIP Problem

Let’s start with a good article: “Vonage vs Comcast….The Importance of Good Customer Service” http://is.gd/4cyAn

Remember in my last blog post, where I talked about my VOIP issues with Vonage running on Comcast?  I had an interesting story this week.  I was shutting down the modem at night, along with my Vonage device.

In the morning, I couldn’t connect to the Internet via rebooting the cable modem.  Now this is whether I connect through the Vonage V-Portal (which gives Internet connection diagnostic codes), or directly to one of two computers.  A couple Comcast technicians said the modem lights are on and they saw a signal on their end – it has to be a software issue.

Guess what happened?

One technician asked me to turn off the McAfee firewall.  When I did that, I could connect.  Later I discovered something interesting, after talking with the Comcast McAfee support center.  What I was really doing was just confirming the windows firewall was off – which it was.

So what caused it to work again?

Comcast technician: If all the lights are on in the Comcast Motorola cable modem and we can remotely send a signal, it’s a software problem on your computer.

See the flaw in this logic?

If I power down the modem for 30 seconds and power it back up; then run separate tests connecting directly to a Vonage V-Portal, Windows Machine A, and Windows Machine B – with different connecting cables.  What’s the odds of all these items having issues?  It’s probably as great (from a probability and statistics model) as winning a big lottery prize.

I did some talking to various sources…telecommunication folks on Linkedin…McAfee Tech Support…The Dell Computer technical support staff… Various Comcast technicians…a couple Vonage technicians…a software CEO…a former Motorola electrical engineer, who’s a Comcast customer.

The Motorola engineer was the most useful resource.  I leaned that the Comcast Motorola Modem is “smart” and learns over time…it gets software updates at scheduled times…You just need to keep it turned on…But “nobody” at Comcast mentioned this.  I also learned I need to power up the Modem, Vonage Device, and computer,…in that order.  Let’s see how things go now.

Comcast, please!  A little customer education from your side goes a long way!  When I was with ATT DSL for 7 years, they used to have me bring up ATT internal modem IP addresses, and work with me online – diagnosing modem Internet connection issues.  Now they “rarely” happened.   They “never” told me what the Comcast technicians said.

I guess I’m OK until the next Comcast or Commonwealth Edison outage.

Google Voice

I got my invitation this week to use Google Voice.  It’s totally cool.  You need to sign up for an invitation.  Look at the “how to use” videos at http://is.gd/47Lwx.  This gave me a brilliant idea.  If I sign up for basic ATT land line service for $12 a month and hook it up to a digital answering service – guess what I have?

  1. It’s a backup system in case Vonage and/or Comcast Internet goes down.
  2. I can call the 800 technical numbers for free.
  3. I have an emergency back up system, in conjunction with my Tracfone cell phone system.
  4. If my VOIP solution is down, I can make nationwide calls via Google voice.
  5. Google voice serves as a front end system to both Vonage and ATT.

Halloween

If Halloween brings Zombies, Werewolves and Vampires your way, visit the Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency at http://www.fvza.org/.

Randy Kemp

Blog: http://b2b-techcopy.net
Business: http://b2b-techcopy.com

Posted in Marketing, Technology | Tagged: , , , , | 4 Comments »

My Vonage Lies Over The Ocean and I.M. For Idiots and Dummies

Posted by randylewiskemp on October 4, 2009

This Week On Twitter

If you’re not following me on Twitter, here’s a sample of what you’re missing (from this week’s entries):

  1. Free online Emotional Marketing Value Headline Analyzer – just enter the headline text for instant results http://is.gd/3KGBH.
  2. Great YouTube video: “More sales training tips to get customers excited” http://is.gd/3LaNK
  3. Cool – yet useful – website: “The Business Channel” http://is.gd/3LbP5.
  4. Article: “21 Must-follow Tips for Optimizing Your Time in Social Media” http://is.gd/3Npju.
  5. Article: “How to Monitor Your FaceBook Page Insights to Improve Content” http://is.gd/3Npdh
  6. “Thunder is good, thunder is impressive; but it is lightning that does the work.” -  Mark Twain
  7. Article: “10 social media strategies from top brands” http://is.gd/3Np9q.
  8. Article: “Advertising Agencies And Social Media: A Culture Clash” http://is.gd/3Np4g.
  9. Article: “Windows 7 Review” http://is.gd/3NoIO.
  10. Free webinar replay “Attracting clients for your professional practice or coaching business” http://is.gd/3OWTO.

You can follow me on Twitter at http://tinyurl.com/naqnv8.  I normally follow everyone back within 24 hours.  The noted exceptions are folks who unfollow me and other noted exceptions (I.E. – escort services, porn stuff, etc.).

Interesting exercise.  Plug in the long running, National Enquirer Ad headline – “Corns Gone in Five days or money back” at  http://is.gd/3KGBH.  In case you wonder, it’s from one of the best cash guzzling ads of all time. What does the online heading analyzer says?

Internet Marketing for Dummies and Idiots

If you’re into Internet Marketing, Affiliate Marketing, viral marketing, or any related endeavor – this may be for you!  There’s a series of books entitled the Dummies and Idiots guides.  If you live in the U.S., the local public library can usually obtain a copy.  If they don’t have it, they try to obtain it from another library.  Here are three I’m obtaining:

  1. Web Marketing for Dummies by Jan Zimmerman
  2. Search Engine Optimization For Dummies by Peter Kent
  3. The Complete Idiots Guide To Search Engine Optimization by Michael Miller

Don’t be fooled by the words “idiot” or “dummy”.  These are excellent books and I’ll share more, as they cross my paths.  Descriptions and user reviews can be found at http://www.amazon.com.

The Long and Winding Road of VOIP

In the past couple of weeks, I made the transition to all VOIP.  An article entitled  “How Does VoIP Work?” is found at http://is.gd/3OQzz.  I was a solid ATT person before the switch.

  • ATT land line
  • ATT DSL
  • ATT cell phone

But the ATT taxi meter kept ticking.  I was paying around $50 a month for cell phone usage.  Then I found a solution at WalMart.

A phone company produces a pay-as-you-use plan.  It’s a South American phone company subsidiary named Tracfone, with their prepaid cell phone plan.

Great!  Now I have a solid back up plan, in case VOIP fails (i.e. – power outage, Internet connection failure, etc.).   Couple this with already using Skype to connect to US phones for business.  As Sponge Bob Square Pants says, “I’m ready.”

Not exactly!

I wanted to keep my ATT DSL and ditch the phone line.  Small problem!  ATT would charge me $200 for some “rewiring”.  So what to do?  I’ve already ordered Vonage world plan.

The solution?

Comcast was handling my Cable TV, so I elected them for my Internet provider.  It’s not smooth sailing.

The Drop Problem

Sometimes I would lose parts of conversations.  It’s almost like hearing voice for 5 seconds, followed by a pause.  This necessitated a few calls to Vonage.  The tech support was very good – yet some technicians were more knowledgeable than others.  One cool site I learned about was http://is.gd/3OSJo.  You can run a speed test (i.e. with Java installed) and it provides data on VOIP capacity.

After a few tweaks by Vonage technicians, along with a few packet loses of over 10% (as shown by the VOIP speed test website), I experienced this problem periodically.  Packet loss is explained for the layman at http://is.gd/3Ptj2.

Next I contacted the Comcast technicians by phone and web chat.  I mentioned my usage of both Skype and Vonage, along with chats from the Vonage technicians, and tests from the  http://is.gd/3OSJo website.  They sent out a technician, who conducted some tests, and chatted with a Vonage technician.  Comcast didn’t find any issues (neither would a mechanic via electronic diagnosis, on a vehicle with intermittent problems).

So far, everything has been smooth the past couple of days.  I’m even used the free Google directory assistance at 1-800-GOOG-411 and I’m on the notification list for Google phone.   To be safe, I have briefly related my finding on Linkedin, seeking advice in the technology Q&A , and the telecommunications group.   My next venture is upgrading from Windows Vista  to Windows 7.

Randy Kemp
Blog http://b2b-techcopy.net
Business http://b2b-techcopy.com

Posted in Marketing, Social Media, Technology | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

FaceBook Cyberspace Thugs and Green Malaware

Posted by randylewiskemp on September 27, 2009

FaceBook First

It’s been one of those weeks.  It took a while for FaceBook to address my queries, after they closed my account.   This is my final query to them:

“Is there any resolution to this issue? Either identifying the terms of service violation or taking steps to deal with the cyber criminals? By Facebook NOT answering my basic questions, it shows both LACK of integrity and INSUFFICIENT skill sets on the part of the tech support staff. I wouldn’t WANT a FaceBook account, if you don’t answer questions from users, who have been with you a while. This is CERTAINLY NOT how other social media sites operate, such as Linkedin.”

After trying to email them, this is the reply I got:

“Our systems indicate that your FaceBook account has been compromised by cybercriminals attempting to impersonate you. These criminals often will try to trick your friends into sending them money by claiming that you are stuck in a far away location and in need of assistance.”

“ It is possible that your email account was compromised as well, as obtaining access to a victim’s email is one of the primary ways these cybercriminals have been operating. Please change the passwords to any email addresses associated with your account.”

“ Once you regain control of your FaceBook account, be sure to verify that you control all of the email addresses associated with your account on the Contact Email…”

The bottom line is my FaceBook account is now restored, with a new secure password.  I thanked them with this email:

“Thank for for fixing this issue. I have changed passwords for my email and social media accounts.”

Now Green AV

Now this is an interesting one.  I’ve isolated this one to a transmission in the Yahoo Mail  or Chat system.

The scenario is this:  A message will appear saying your system is at risk, from the following viruses – then they list about 4 or 5.  The message appears to come from the Windows Security Center, with a very official looking graphic.

The purpose?

They want you to download some software to fix the problem.  If you do, it will ask you to purchase this software, to eliminate the problem.

But I didn’t fall for it!  Why not?  Go back to the message appearing as Windows Security Center, warning about possible viruses.

What’s Wong With This Picture?

The problem is that my security software and firewall is McAfee.  See the problem? McAfee didn’t send the message – Windows security center allegedly did.  Windows has farmed virus protection to third party software.   If you don’t have a paid option, look to Avira or Avast.

Let’s Test The Waters

I normally shut the system down when Green AV displays its messages.  I have my security set to run Windows Defender and McAfee, my firewall is turned on, and I have Windows automatic updates.  Each week I run smart scans with McAfee, Malwarebytes, and A2.  But I wanted another security level to test.

Enter Spyware Blaster and Different Browsers
I downloaded Spyware Blaster and set it for maximum security.  For testing, I tried the browsers IE8 and FireFox.  In both cases, the bug resurfaced, when I entered by Yahoo mail.

Then I tried something different.

What was it?  I used Google Chrome, as it doesn’t have as large a market share.  It worked!  To finish the process, I opened this support request with Yahoo.

“I have been receiving the virus or malware Green AV, either by someone trying to initiate unwanted Yahoo chats, or reading Yahoo based mail.  I have isolated it to the Yahoo account XXX.  If I open it in IE 8 or the latest Firefox, it prompts me to load this bogus anti-virus.  When I use Google Chrome, it prevents it from happening.  Can you please direct this to the proper Yahoo authorities, just in case other users are experiencing this?”

Remember to create STRONG passwords.  A good free online generator is found at http://is.gd/3BeWD.  A great, free  tool for registry issues is CC Cleaner at http://is.gd/3Bf7t.

Guidelines For Safe Computing

I’ve tried to share some guidelines for safe computing.  If I have referred to any software, without providing a download link, then please – look it up on Google.

Tip  of The Week

Free Internet Marketing Video Course (26 videos, no opt-in) http://bit.ly/EtyPj

Randy Kemp
Blog http://b2b-techcopy.net
Business http://b2b-techcopy.com

Posted in Practical Advice, Technology | Tagged: , , , , | 4 Comments »

Visualizing Mastermind Groups and FaceBook Tech Blues

Posted by randylewiskemp on September 20, 2009

Visualizing a Mastermind Group

Let’s start with basics.‭  ‬What’s a mastermind group‭? ‬A good starting point is the article at‭ ‬http://tinyurl.com/pg9q3w.‭  ‬The author also brings a couple definitions from Napoleon Hill,‭ ‬the author of‭ ‬Think and Grow Rich:

  1. ‭”‬The coordination of knowledge and effort of two or more people,‭ ‬who work toward a definite purpose,‭ ‬in the spirit of harmony.‭”
  2. “No two minds ever come together without thereby creating a third,‭ ‬invisible intangible force,‭ ‬which may be likened to a third mind‭ [‬the master mind‭]‬.‭”

You can find a review,‭ ‬along with a free down loadable copy ‬at‭ ‬http://alturl.com/beea.‭  ‬Another chapter summary can be found at‭ ‬http://alturl.com/z9mm.‭

What Does Visualizing A Mastermind Group Achieve‭?

Mastermind groups help you to come up with ideas no one person can achieve.‭  ‬There is a saying in Gestalt psychology,‭ ‬that the whole’s greater than the sum of it’s parts.‭  ‬Now image some folks you would consult‭ – ‬alive or dead‭ – ‬who will advise you regarding business,‭ ‬entrepreneurship,‭ ‬marketing,‭ ‬etc.‭  ‬Carry on imaginary conversations with them.‭  ‬This is NOT my stuff‭ – ‬it’s from Napoleon Hill.‭  ‬

Whom would you choose‭?

‬Perhaps I might pick contemporary copywriters and marketers,‭ ‬like Clayton Makepeace,‭ ‬Boy Bly,‭ ‬Ben Hart,‭ ‬and Michael Fortin.‭  ‬Or I might look to folks from the past,‭ ‬like Claude C.‭ ‬Hopkins,‭ ‬David Ogilvy,‭ ‬or Gene Schwartz.‭

You can find the essence of an imaginary group of advisers at‭ ‬http://alturl.com/ym74.‭ ‬In fact,‭ ‬the author said it beautifully:‭ “‬Forming an‭ ‘‬Internal‭’ ‬Mastermind Group of Famous Advisers‭ ‬-‭ ‬Not Such a Nutty Idea‭!”

Ready For Another Exercise‭?

There’s this dude named Mike.‭  ‬He has a short video‭ (‬less than‭ ‬10‭ ‬minutes‭) ‬at‭ ‬http://is.gd/3g4hk.‭  ‬There’s two items of note in this video:

  • The video speaker couldn’t afford copywriting courses,‭ ‬so he learned the art by copying ads by longhand‭ – ‬often for an hour or two each day.‭ ‬Now this is something‭  ‬I’ve been preaching for months.‭  ‬Something taught to me,‭ ‬by renowned copywriters Brian Keith Voiles,‭ ‬Michael Masterson,‭ ‬John Carlton,‭ ‬Matt LaClear,‭ ‬and Maria Veloso.‭
  • This gentleman is complaining about how bad life is.‭  ‬Everyone in business is trying to rip them off.‭  ‬Nobody gives them a break‭ ‬-‭ ‬blah,‭ ‬blah,‭ ‬blah.‭  ‬Get over it‭!  ‬That’s the advise of the video author.

Now For Twitter and Social Media

There is also a cool Twitter video at‭ ‬http://is.gd/3pJFI.‭  ‬The title of the video is social media success.‭  ‬What is the main point or theme‭? ‬Folks can spend all day on social media‭ – ‬build up Twitter followers,‭ ‬establish many Linkedin and FaceBook connections,‭ ‬etc.‭  ‬But does any of this translate into sales‭?  ‬None of the social media buildup is bad.‭  ‬It all has its purpose.‭  ‬Just remember the ultimate goal.

Summary of Today’s Lesson

  1. Download the free PDF book entitled‭ “‬Think and Grow Rich‭” ‬by Napoleon Hill.
  2. Try to join a mastermind group or two.‭  ‬In addition,‭ ‬try the Napoleon Hill exercise visualizing a mastermind group.
  3. Remember the ultimate goal of Social Media.

FaceBook Tech Blues

Don’t let cyberspace thugs compromise your FaceBook account‭ – ‬it could get your account‭ closed.‭  ‬Then FaceBook blames you for something their Tech Support should be addressing.‭

It’s a lesson I learned this week. Hey, FaceBook.  I run weekly computer smart scans with  McAfee, Malwarebytes, and A2.  I have Firewall, Automatic Updates, and Malware protection turned on.  What does your tech support do?

Hypothetical answer:  We drink lattes, play video games, and disable accounts – we don’t know how to handle real cyberspace attacks.

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