The significant challenges that we face today cannot be resolved by the same level of thinking that created them.

Hi and welcome to today's issue of Keeping in Touch. A big, warm 'hello' to all our new subscribers.

Have you noticed how many publishers have started their issues by stating words to the effect 'If you don't receive this issue, it may be that your ISP is using blocking filters.'? Another thing I've noticed is that several of them send a follow up note asking 'Did You Get It'? as a means of letting subscribers know that the issue was sent. It's sad but true.

Just a few days ago Hotmail chose the numeric (hash) symbol (#) as a means of filtering mail. Any subject line containing that symbol runs the risk of being blocked.

Even when you have requested an ezine or an autoresponder series, there may be 'something' within that message that can trigger a filter. I spoke with my Internet Service Provider within the last couple of weeks and was assured that they do not use filters. They do try to make sure that messages containing viruses don't get through.

While going through over 7,000 messages it was necessary to put my foot down and block anyone who automatically adds my autoresponder addresses to their mailing lists. Those addresses have been blocked permanently. You need to take responsibility for your mail by either checking your mail boxes more frequently or acquire a few more.

If you are using automated software, please be sure you fully understand how it works. If your program is set to add every address you submit or send to, you will have to sort those subscription addresses from your actual list. Sending a message to someone, especially a subscription address, does not give you permission to mail to that address with your advertising. Here are three brief examples of what I'm talking about:

Return-path: mn128@yahoo.com
Envelope-to: kit_news+home4success.com

Return-path: mn128@yahoo.com
Envelope-to: bookkeeping+home4success.com

Return-path: mn128@yahoo.com
Envelope-to: montysharp+home4success.com

As you can see, they all originate from the same address and all are addressed to one of my autoresponders. Please understand how and why addresses are on your list. More and more publishers are becoming frustrated at the barrage of mail coming in that we did not sign up for. If you care about your business, you will learn how that process works.

I don't want to sound like a broken record here. The alternative could end up costing you money to send mail. If you don't think that will ever be a problem, then please go to:

And while you are there, please sign the Petition against this sender warranted email so that your voice will be heard. It's an international Petition for all of us. Help the little guy ('you') stay in business.

Did you ever notice that when you put the two words 'THE' and 'IRS' together, it spells 'theirs'? That kind of makes sense, doesn't it! It's that time of year again.

Today's Feature Article written by Les Goss reveals a simple way to find if your site content has been posted on someone else's web site. It also discusses using copyright to protect yourself, as well as a few discredited tricks. Be sure to check out the links in the article for more useful information.

Learn From Your Mistakes is today's Special Feature. Bob Osgoodby as usual offers some sage advice to us all. I agree with him -- you have to let people know you are a real person. I've come across several sites that contain little or no contact information or it's extremely well hidden. This is not a good way to present yourself as an honest business enterprise.

Have a great day and keep on smiling.

Lois M. Jeary
Publisher, KIT and KIT Klassifieds
Contact Me
http://www.home4success.com

Thanks to all the readers who took the time to write in response to my article, "It's 11 O'clock -- Do You Know Where Your Web Site Is?" (http://www.zmoon.com/articles/stolen_site.html) It's amazing how many people have had all or parts of their web site stolen and put into use by other. Several readers suggested I discuss some of the things you can do to protect yourself from cyber-theft. I left these ideas out of the previous article in the interests of brevity, but now present them for your consideration.

Do You Have A Problem?

The first thing to do is find out if someone else has any of your material on their site. I discovered my problem by looking through my traffic logs, but there's an even simpler way. On your home page, copy about 8-10 words. Paste them into Google's search box, being sure to put quotation marks around the phrase. Assuming your site is in the Google data base, your site should come up in the search results. If any other site shows up, click the link and take a look. You may be in for a rude shock.

What About Using a Copyright Notice?

According to the U.S. Copyright Office, "Copyright protection subsists from the time the work is created in fixed form... and immediately becomes the property of the author who created the work." (All quotes are from Copyright Basics http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html). If you are not in the United States, please see Circular 38 (http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ38a.pdf) for an explanation of how you may be covered.

And again, "No publication or registration or other action in the Copyright Office is required to secure copyright. Copyright is secured automatically when the work is created." That means that as soon as you start jotting your ideas on a yellow notepad, that material is copyrighted. As soon as your web page is live, you own the copyright to it. You don't have to register, and you don't even have to print the copyright notice.

However...

Why Printing the Notice and Getting Registered May Be a Good Idea

According to the Copyright Office, "Use of the notice may be important because it informs the public that the work is protected by copyright, identifies the copyright owner, and shows the year of first publication." Furthermore, if a notice is displayed and a work is copied, the defendant will not be able to use an "innocent infringement" defense.

The next step up is to actually register your site with the Copyright Office. It costs $30, and instructions and forms are available on their page listed above. The advantages are:

1. It establishes a public record of the copyright claim

2. It's necessary before you can file an infringement suit in a U.S. court

3. Timely registration can make statutory damages and attorney's fees collectible in court actions. Without official registration, the most you can collect are "actual damages and profits."

So, if you're concerned about protecting the content of your site (and this can apply to graphics as well as text), be sure to place the copyright notice on your site and then register it with the Copyright Office. More details are available on the Copyright Basics page (http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ1.html).

What About Other Measures to Protect Your Code?

The code that creates your web site can easily be seen from your browser. With your web page on the screen, just go under the View menu and slide down to Source. A new window will open, showing all the code that creates your web site. If your web designer puts about 50 carriage returns at the top of the code, that window will look empty when you View Source. However, scrolling down the page will real all the code, so that technique will fool very few.

The next trick is to disable the right click of the mouse. This is sometimes used on sites where someone wants to protect their images from being stolen. As you probably know, if you right-click on a web image you can download the picture to your computer. Remember, though, that even if it isn't so labeled, that picture is protected by copyright, so don't do it!

Of course, there are those who aren't as honest as you are, which is why some sites add a snippet of JavaScript code to disable the right-click of a mouse. Unfortunately, this only serves to anger those of us who use the right button legitimately (I use it instead of the back button all the time), and can be easily defeated by any serious thief.

A third option is to buy software that will encrypt your site's code, making it impossible for anyone else to use. While this sounds like a sure-fire technique, it's not without its own set of problems. For instance, at the recommendation of a reader, I tried to check out such a program at Web Lock Pro (http://www.WebLockPro.com)

Unfortunately, every time I tried to get to that site, my browser froze up. Sometimes the entire computer froze and had to be restarted. I never did get in.

Then I found a site that showed how very simple it is to defeat these encryption techniques. Before you spend any money on one of these products, be sure to check out
http://www.vortex-webdesign.com/help/hidesource.htm

Conclusion

The only 100% guaranteed way to protect your text and graphics is to not post them on the web. Once it's on someone's computer screen, it can be downloaded and reused. If they can hack into the computers at the Pentagon, our piddling efforts to protect ourselves are futile.

Of course I must make the disclaimer that I am not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV. (Heck, I don't even WATCH them on TV.) So if you need further help, please retain an attorney who specializes in these cases.

Barring that, your best bet is to make your copyright notice visible on your site, register that copyright, and periodically check to see if anyone has "borrowed" your material.

Good luck!

Les Goss

Les Goss is the head honcho at ZebraMoon Web Design, where he educates his business clients as he builds their web sites. To subscribe to the free email newsletter list or to find out more about how they can serve you, please come to: http://www.zmoon.com/.

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Standing for what you believe in regardless of the odds against you, and the pressure that tears at your resistance
... is Courage.

Keeping a smile on your face when inside you feel like dying, for the sake of supporting others
... is Strength.

Stopping at nothing and doing what's in your heart that you know is right
... is Determination.

Doing more than is expected, to make another's life a little more bearable, without uttering a single complaint
... is Compassion.

Helping a friend in need, no matter the time or effort, to the best of your ability
... is Loyalty.

Holding your head high
And being the best you know you can be when life seems to fall apart at your feet,
Facing each difficulty with the confidence that time will bring you better tomorrows,
And never giving up ...
... is Confidence.

I found this in Start-Smartz some time ago. Unfortunately, the author isn't known but the message is clear.

Much of the "hype" concerning affiliate programs centers on the anonymity of the web, and that you won't have to have a "face to face" relationship with your potential clients. Let the autoresponders do the work, have the money deposited in your bank account while you sleep, yatta, yatta, yatta.

People want to do business with people. If you're in sales, and can't stand "Rejection", you're in the wrong business. Trying to market something online, does not shelter you from this either.

People will contact you and not buy into your offer.

Worse yet, you don't even get any contacts. If this is happening, you might want to ask yourself why. Many people will simply "quit" and write it off as a bad experience. Those who succeed find out why.

The first axiom of marketing is that people want to do business with people. If their only contact is with an affiliate page, that may or may not bear your name, they will most likely "click on by". Ask yourself - would you do business with someone you never heard of, know nothing about, and have no way of contacting?

Letting people know about you is one of the strongest statements you can make about your business. If you give a short background on yourself, with appropriate contact information, they most likely will have the necessary confidence to proceed. I have full contact information on my website, including a telephone number they can call in the event of a question or a problem.

Now you might think that giving your phone number to the world, is going to result in a lot of "bad things". Not true! In our 11 years of doing business on the Internet, I have never had a "crank" call - never. I post the hours that people can call, and receive very few calls outside of that time frame. After hours, I turn on the answering machine and give them the hours I'm available. I suggest a broadcast type of message which doesn't allow the caller to leave a message.

Now the majority of people will never call, but will use the email channels provided instead. The presence of a telephone number however, goes a long way in allaying their concerns. I don't recommend an "800" number, as people will think twice before spending their own dime to call. I also give a mailing address, and no, we haven't been visited by "stalkers".

Another nice touch is to include your photo with your Bio information. As they say, "it's always nice to put a face with a name". The more you can establish a personal bond with your potential buyer, the greater your chances of success.

The second axiom of business is to learn from your mistakes, and correct the things that you are doing wrong. During the Second World War, when a group of young pilots in the RAF were fighting for their lives in the air over England, they would often be hit by enemy fire. Their engine would start to misfire causing it to make knocking noises. Thus was coined the phrase "every knock is one step closer to home". They had a great attitude.

We can take a lesson from them. If you can determine why your offer is being knocked or rejected by your potential clients, the closer you will get to attaining your goals. Rejection is common in business, and even the largest companies do studies on every ad campaign they conduct to make them better.

A simple statement on your web page to encourage feedback can go a long way, but don't be discouraged by some of the remarks you will receive. No matter how crude some may be, they are being triggered by something, so don't take offense. Now while I normally advocate the use of a form for sending information from a website, here I do not. Let them be automatically transferred by use of the "mailto:" command to their email account to write the message, as you will then know the return address is valid.

Yes, they may wish to remain anonymous as well, but the use of a form in this instance, which simply allows them to vent, will serve little purpose. You really don't want to be influenced by some bored grade schoolers with nothing better to do.

Follow up to all the legitimate replies you receive to find out why they have reservations. Just this process alone may swing them into your camp. Rejection is not always bad, and if you learn from your mistakes, it just may prove to be a positive factor.

Did you know that subscribers to Bob Osgoodby's Free Ezine the "Tip of the Day" get a Free Ad for their Business at his Web Site? Great Business and Computer Tips - Monday thru Friday. Instructions on how to place your ad are in the Newsletter. Subscribe at: http://adv-marketing.com/business/subscribe2.htm

New version released January 2003, Copernic combines many search enhancement features along with an intuitive user interface, making your Web searches faster and easier than ever. Copernic lets you save your search results for future reference. Give it a try and you'll come up with many ways to use the information you find.

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Here's a note I received earlier this week:

Lois, it has been a long time since I last emailed you.

I am behind in reading your ezine, but I think it is great. I am very proud of your accomplishments since receiving your first ezine. I keep many of your articles for inspiration and resources.

I want to vote for the ezine. However, each time I viist the link you give in your ezine (even the corrected link), there are no instructions as to where to go or instructions on how to vote. Help! Maybe, you could give us steps in reaching the area of of voting.

Thanks, be blessed, and keep up the good work.

HAVE A BLESSED DAY!

Loretha Gross
Dodson Janitorial Services

Thank you so much Loretha. The voting services are no longer active but your vote alone makes it all worthwhile.

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Legal Stuff ...

We accept no responsibility whatsoever for the content, profitability or legality of any published articles or advertisements contained within KIT.

And, although all of the articles have been selected for their content, the publishing of such articles within this newsletter does NOT constitute a recommendation of the products or services mentioned or advertised within those articles.

Be responsible! Always do your own Due Diligence before responding to any offer.