The significant challenges that we face today cannot be resolved by the same level of thinking that created them. |
| KIT # 80: 5 Simple Steps to Protect Your Digital Downloads |
| Issue: #80 Date: January 13th, 2003 Publisher's Corner Hi and welcome to today's issue of Keeping in Touch. A big, warm 'hello' to all our new subscribers. There is a big difference between dreams and goals. Dreams are wishes or hopes but without a definite plan of action. Goals on the other hand set out a precise plan of action with a commitment to implement each task with a completion date. The easiest way to set goals for yourself is to sit down and write out a list of all the things you would like to accomplish. Put everything you want on that list. Now keep in mind that you have three categories for what you want to accomplish. Immediate or Short-Term Goals (6 months or less), Interim Goals (between 6 months and a year) and Long-Term Goals (between a year and five years). Now go through your list and make a note of which ones are the most important or need to be accomplished within a short time frame. That's where these categories will help you. Every goal you set should include a time frame to accomplish the task. Don't be discouraged if you miss a 'deadline'. Your goals are like a To Do List and if you didn't finish something today, you will add it to tomorrow's list and complete it then. Just don't get caught in the trap of procrastination. Even with the best of intentions sometimes life just gets in the way. Someone may be hurt or ill, your furnace might quit, your car might give out. Now you just have to work a little harder to keep on schedule but setting your goals -- creating your road map -- will help you stay on track. Today's Feature Article contains important information about protecting your download files. In 5 Simple Steps to Protect Your Digital Downloads, Priya Shah will show you how easy it can be to make a mistake and offer your products to the world. You'll also be shown how to take some basic precautions to prevent this happening to you. Helaine Iris brings us our Special Feature, Where's Your Edge? Remaining within our comfort zones is a natural response to most challenges we face. Unfortunately, that will place extreme limits on our ability to move forward. One of our subscribers, Donna Sweat, thought she had lost all of her mailing list details when she couldn't login in to her site and couldn't get ahold of her webhost. I'm glad to hear it all worked out Donna. Have a great day and keep on smiling. Lois M. Jeary Feature Article 5 SIMPLE STEPS TO PROTECT YOUR DIGITAL DOWNLOADS Copyright © 2003 Priya Shah A couple of days ago, I was searching for a popular eBook online. Now I'm not going to tell you the name of this eBook for reasons you'll understand in the next few minutes. Okay, so here I was, opening Google, entering the name of the eBook - clicking search, and checking through the first few pages of search results. -> Forward to Page 5 of Google I saw a link that looked like a PDF document. Right click -> open in new window There, in full glory, was the eBook I was searching for! The complete eBook, mind you, not a trial or demo - sitting there for the world to download. And this is a product that sells for over $25 online!! Obviously I'm not going to tell you the name of the eBook because it would not be fair to the reseller. But it just made me realise that one of the reasons digital theft is so prevalent is simply because... its so EASY! Don't get me wrong. I don't condone theft of any kind - digital or otherwise. But would YOU shell out $25 for a product that everyone can 'legally' download off the 5th page of Google? Most people would just shrug their shoulders, hit the save button and thank their lucky stars. Result: The opposite of $ KA-CHING $ for the sellers One of the problems with selling digital products online is that it is so SIMPLE to do. So now everyone and their grandmother wants to do it. But most newbies have no idea that it requires only a few simple steps to ensure a moderate degree of security for your downloads. So here I've outlined the five most BASIC security steps That anyone selling digital products online must take. These will take you only a few minutes to do, and you do not need any special software or programming knowledge. 1. ZIP THAT FILE The biggest problem arises when sellers store their downloads as PDF documents, as in my experience above. Now you should know that Google, Altavista and many other search engines can read and list PDF files. While this may not be a problem for those adding content to their sites in the form of PDF newsletters and reports, it also means that you must never store a product you want to SELL as a PDF file (unless it is in a password- protected folder). It gets worse. Google also converts your PDF files into HTML documents. So ordinary browsers not only have access to your PDF file, but - horror of horrors - they can download your SOURCE FILE as well!! The next logical step is for them to customize it with their own links, compile it and sell it or give it away. Result: The opposite of $ KA-CHING $ for the sellers ...AND the author. A simple way of keeping your files out of the reach of spiders is to upload them as a zip file. Search engines cannot look inside zip files (yet) and list their contents. 2. CREATE AN INDEX.HTML FILE You MUST have an index.html file in EVERY folder. It acts like a curtain that keeps your files away from prying eyes. A folder without an index file is like a house without walls. Everyone can enter and help themselves to the valuables. The 'index.htm' file is the default file that opens when you click on the link here - http://ebizwhiz-publishing.com/If you don't create an index.htm or index.html file, you'd be allowing everyone to directly access the root directory of the folder where you store your downloads. Here is a folder I uploaded to show you what happens
when you DON'T have an index file. As you can see, all the files stored in it are clearly visible and ready to download. And yes, feel free to help yourself - I won't accuse you of stealing :-) 3. SHOW PEEPING TOMS THE EXIT You can use a simple script to redirect peeping Toms back to your home page. Here's the easiest way to do it using what it called a "meta refresh tag." Add it between the Header tags like this. . . .Just replace my URL with your own in the example above and paste it into the head of your document (before your text). You can see how it works by clicking on the test folder
here. Now even though you click on the folder URL, you will be sent to my home page. 4. SPIDER-PROOF YOUR DOWNLOAD PAGES This "Robot" tag tells the spider that this page is not to be spidered or indexed. As a result it should never show up on a search. <.head> <.META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="NOINDEX, NOFOLLOW"> <./head>5. CHANGE YOUR DOWNLOAD LINKS OFTEN To prevent unscrupulous people from posting your download links on forums or message boards, change the folder or file name where you store them from time to time, even if it means having to change the download links in your merchant account. Using these methods will give you a good degree of satisfaction, knowing that you have taken the most basic steps to protect your digital valuables - and at absolutely no cost to you. If you want greater security and more information on plugging the security loopholes in your website, you should take a look at this very revealing report by Bogdan Ravaru. The HTML Security Report Priya Shah is the author of "The Genius Guide to Website Design" http://geniusguides.com/webmaster.htm Click here to get her free eBook, on Internet Marketing "Be a WHIZ at E-BIZ" http://ebizwhiz-publishing.com Product Review What Makes Juvio Great? Most of you already know that Juvio offers tech support. But did you know - - they are the number one tech support company and they plan on keeping that position? - companies such as Microsoft (who charge about $150.00 per incident and up) have now outsourced their tech support to Hewlett-Packard? - Juvio offers tech support for 3,000 software programs - that many of the current tech support companies out there offer you 12 minutes of their time and that's only for their own product? Juvio is currently offering tech support 24 hours per day, seven days per week. They will help you with your problem by utilizing email, chat, instant messaging, phone or whatever works best for you. There is no time limit on how long your problem takes to resolve. My husband just recently saved 10 years worth of information from his computer with Juvio's tech support. They are there to help you and there is no restriction as to how many times you need to call back. The support is for PC, Mac or Linux. Support is currently open to 60 countries in 17 languages. If you haven't checked out this service or the opportunity being offered, now is the time. Pop over to http://home4success.juvio.com and take a look. Note: Home 4 Success is no longer supporting this program. Inspiration Convince a man of what he wants, and he'll move
heaven and earth to get it. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded
is another step forward. You will find as you look back upon your life that the moments
when you have really lived are the moments when you have done
things in a spirit of love. It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never
beginning to live. Special Feature Where's Your Edge? Helaine Iris © 2003 "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." Anais Nin The other day my sixteen-year-old daughter came home from school practically in tears. Sensing her distress I gently inquired as to how her day was. With animated emotion, she began to tell me about the project she is working on in science class. She's studying electricity and has to build an electric generator. She made it abundantly clear to me that she's never felt "dumber " in her whole life and she hates the project. My daughter, a bright young woman, has a fairly healthy sense of self and excels in school. She's well rounded, is a wonderful writer and generally good at math and science. Her true passion, however, lies in the creative art realm. The challenge of building this electrical generator has pushed her to the edge of her comfort zone and she's not a happy girl. My friend, a talented and promising business consultant is in the middle of creating a new company for himself. He is full of inspiration and creative energy and has been gestating a very good idea for some months now. I've watched him approach his launch date several times only to see him go back to the drawing board to further tweak and revise his presentation. The challenge of putting himself "out there" in the world is the edge of his comfort zone. I am not exempt from this challenge. I'm building a coaching practice. I've made the bold decision to be self-employed, forgo the security of a paycheck and the benefits that go along with employment. I'd prefer to follow my dream and carve out a life that fulfills me at the deepest level. Even though I am pleased with my success, and feel good about taking a courageous stand for my life, there are also financial realities and challenges that I must face having my own business. When I experience the seasonal fluctuations of my client load, and find myself wondering how I am going to pay the bills for the month, I am at the edge of my comfort zone. Financial, emotional or physical stress can be a real energy drain and ample motivation to play it safe. I don't like being at my edge, it's scary and unsettling. It calls up my anxiety and my old fears and doubts that I think I've resolved. Despite my resistance, I want to know what continues to push me forward, and creates the ability to withstand and thrive when I am pushed to my edge. I think the answer for me is simple: it's my passion to grow and evolve. Being at my edge seems to provide this opportunity. I notice that discomfort and dissatisfaction are the impetus for daring to risk new territory. It seems that our shoes have to get a little bit too tight before we are ready to get bigger ones. As Carl Jung stated, " Find out what a person fears most and that is where he will develop next". Where's your edge? What are you at the brink of and wanting to press forward with in your life? What dreams or passions are you denying because you want to stay safe in your comfort zone? Here are some perspectives and suggestions to help negotiate the edge.1. Increase your self-awareness. Remind yourself if you are experiencing discomfort or dissatisfaction that you are at the precipice of growth. This is good news. Often a young child will get grumpy and irritable just prior to mastering a new skill. Your increased awareness can help you tolerate this stage. Be compassionate with yourself. 2. Find your solid ground. Make sure you have one foot firmly planted and grounded in reality before you lift your other foot up to take a giant step. Where do you currently feel safe and confident? What aspects of your life can act as an anchor as you push into new horizons? 3. What is the worst that can happen? Dare to take a look. Assess your risk honestly, have a plan, arrange for a back up or ample reserve to carry you through and minimize the consequences. 4. Support, support, support. And did I say support? Set up the structures and resources that will help you to feel sustained. Is it friends, a network of colleagues, a solid self-care system that will help you weather the stress of growth? 5. Continue to reinforce and focus your strengths. What are the gifts and talents you are seeking to share with the world in your venture? Remind yourself and stay present to the reason you want to grow or step out in the first place. Learning to welcome and live at your edge is an art form. It takes practice, trust and a willingness to embrace all the parts of you. As I find myself at my edge, in the middle of this snowy, cold New England winter, I am energized. I know this opportunity to practice the art of edge walking will propel me forward into the next exciting opportunity of my life. It's YOUR life…imagine the possibilities! ~~~~~~Helaine Iris is a Certified Life Coach, writer and teacher. She works with individuals, entrepreneurs, and professionals, who want to love their lives, thrive and evolve. Are you ready to take a step that could change your life? For a complimentary session visit her website http://www.pathofpurpose.com or call her 603-357-8546 or email her helaine@pathofpurpose.com Hot Tip Tip of the Day One of the most common questions I get, is how to make my icons work with a single click of the mouse button rather than two Well, it's easy. Here's how: 1. Right-click your Start button and select Programs/Accessories and open "Windows Explorer". 2. Once Windows Explorer opens, hit the Tools menu, Folder Options. 3. Click the Web Style radio button and hit OK. XP Users and Windows 2000 Users, select "Single-click to open an item (point to select)". You may be asked to confirm you really want single-click icons. 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