Company-Issued Laptops

A recent thing i've always vaguely known is that company-issued laptops, or any computer/gadget for that matter, is really the company's. Which is why, even if we use it at home surfing the web using our own internet connection, it's still the company's property. So yes, the company has a right to inspect it at will, and ban certain programs from being installed (like Yahoo Messenger). And yes, companies have the right to go berserk when they find out that you've installed programs using pirated or hacked licenses.

After all, it will be their necks on the line if they, in turn, get audited/found out.

What I have never fully appreciated though is the fact that we do put our companies at risk of security threats when we use our computers to download stuff from the net, or when we visit unsafe sites (like porn sites). After all, we might have really important files in our computers that when hacked, may be used to the detriment of the company. It could even be a way for people to get to the business performance management software you're currently developing, or use your license number to install their hacked versions.

And keeping really personal files in company-issued laptops also might result in hackers posting your incriminating pictures/video with enough details to identify you, your company and your position.

I have actually been at the receiving end of indecent proposals from people who used their company e-mail to send those, complete with their contact information. Had I been crazy, I could have gone to their bosses and gotten them in trouble.

So, treat company-issued anything as an office space, something you don't want to mix with your persnal endeavors.

Earn More from Google Ads

I know, earning from Google Adsense isn't really that easy, unless you have a really high-traffic site. But, it is doable.

Two things you can do to boost your earnings include:

1) Placing the ads in a prominent place, like before every blog entry or at the top of your sidebar.

2) Limiting the ad spaces in your blog. Learn from the law of supply and demand, the more space you make available, the lesser the (demand) value will be put in it since advertisers need not compete anymore for that place of honor.

Make the necessary changes now. And 'label' your adsense codes appropriately so you can easily see which ads are generating income and which ones should be 'hidden' already.

Online Businesses

Online Businesses are fluorishing these days. It's just where the money is, and where the clients can be found. It's also where income possibilities can't help but knock on your door as businesses taken online breed more and more income-generating opportunities.

But if yours is a company that you want to take online, there are things that you have to set up first to facilitate transactions and ensure your clients and products are protected.

Some of the basic storefront features include shopping carts, purchase notification, client database management, a searchable product database and shipping/delivery options. And then of course, if it's online, it's probably going to be paid using credit/debit cards or Paypal accounts. So credit card and payment solutions like those offered by authorize.net would be imperative to have.

This kind of investment won't come cheap, but its best that you get the services of reputable companies to make sure you get your money's worth. One thing you can probably do is ask websites/online companies that you like for referrals.

Give the Gift of Unlimited Photo Upload

I know, there are a lot of sites offering free photo uploads. Multiply, Photobucket, Pbase, Picasa, Flickr, Webshots, etc. You can even use the 1024 mb Blogger gives you per blog account.

But... free accounts sometimes take time to load. Or they require you to resize pictures, which can be a hassle if you don't have a software that will allow you to mass resize at will. But what happens if your hard disk crashes and all your uploaded and salvageable pictures have already been resized and reduced, resolution-wise?

So may I suggest a thoughtful gift then, in the form of a paid account for unlimited uploads. I opted to upload our pics at Smugmug.com. The yearly fees is negligible really and won't cost as much as Festina watches. Plus, if you were referred by a user already, the fees get discounted. So in case you've looked around already and also want to subscribe to Smugmug, allow me to save you $5 by entering my e-mail address (delisyus at gmail dot com) at the 'Referred By' field on the signup form.

godaddy domain on blogger hosting

I registered for this domain name two weeks ago, faithfully followed the instructions, but still no correctly published blog.

I hounded godaddy.com's tech support until I ended forwarding from both godaddy and blogger. I was at my wits' end, upset that I am unable to properly blog when am already paying customer. Tsk.

Thank heavens for YouDonkey.com which added the specifications/edits to blogger's instructions that I was needing.

I shall now blog away. And I hope YouDonkey & Company also helps you.

bloggerwave

My blogs have been approved for weeks already... but I do not find any opps when I log in to my account. Then suddenly, there was one... buzz for the site. So I immediately finished it but got confused because there was no submit button for the url. So I e-mailed them to ask what to do.

But I received an e-mail that my post was approved and they were paying me $10 after thirty days. But then, my Berk friend Ruth left a comment and directed me a blog post about problems with bloggerwave.

Well, maybe they have cleaned up their act but I still removed my post. My blogs have been approved already anyway so maybe i'll just jump back into their bandwagon when everything 's been settled already and they've cleaned up their act.

updated March 18, 2008

they paid me even if it's not thirty days yet so I put my buzz post for them again. It's the right thing to do. I still don't see other opps but at least I have no cause for complaints.

VOIP

A N@wie sis was once curious and floated the following questions:

What exactly is voip? I want to know its advantages and disadvantages over regular phone calls (idd) and cell? Is it really cheaper? Like how much for the minute? Does anyone own a usb or wifi phone? Thanks!

This was my husband's reply:
VoIP is an acronym for Voice over IP. Simply put it is voice calls running through data network such as the internet (this is a generalization - the proper term is internet call, VoIP is
technically associated with intranet or private networks). It is supposed to be cheaper because we already have the internet setup, so basically they use the resources of the internet to place your call. Advantage is it is supposed to be cheaper. Disadvantage is that the voice calls placed are prone to the same problems
encountered when you surf the net. What you may experience as slow internet browsing can be translated in VoIP call as delayed voice, choppy voice, low-quality voice calls, etc.

Now for Internet Voice services and VOIP access, there are several services in the net available but the basic / most common services that these companies offer are as such.

One of the most famous internet call service out there is SKYPE which has support to both software and hardware. When you place an internet call from one SKYPE subscriber to another
SKYPE subscriber via either their software or hardware that is compatible with their service, it is usually free. But if you place a call from your SKYPE call software / hardware to a landline or mobile then there would be a charge. And the same is true with a landline or mobile calling that internet phone number / hardware.

Subscription to skype is free but if you want to place calls to landline / mobile / place long distance calls then if I am not mistaken there are options for pre-paid or post paid services (similar to your mobile subscription).


Simply put, yes? :)

By the way, YM is another popular example (when it's used to call mobiles or landlines using the PC).

Other sites offering the service (with positive feedbacks from happy clients) include Vonage and Sunrocket.

domain what?

Here's a quick post.

I've always felt like an idiot when domains and what-nots are being discussed... and it's a shame really since i've been blogging since 2002 I believe.

Anyway, for those who are as challenged as I am, this is how I understood it.

A domain name or just domain is the address... for example, your home address will be your domain name. A great services site example would be godaddy.com.

A host is the space which the domain will occupy... think of it as a lot (rented, leased, owned). A good Pinoy example is ploghost by Yuga.

I've been thinking about getting my own host and domain for a long while now (think years) but i'm perpetually intimidated by the fact that there are still so much about the internet that I don't understand.

Then again, I think am going about this the wrong way. Maybe I should go headlong and get 'my own home' so that i'd be forced to learn... same way how I learned to blog and tinker with html templates to make them my own.