Over the last few years, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has received thousands of complaints pertaining to scam artists using Telecommunications Relay Services (TRS) to defraud U.S. businesses and consumers. Under Title IV of the Americans with Disabilities Act, all telephone companies must provide TRS for individuals with hearing or speech impairments.
A new twist involves several recent reports of perpetrators of these schemes exploiting auto repair shops by using TRS to request services for a vehicle. The fraudster claims the vehicle has to be shipped to the shop and requests the repairs and shipping fees be charged to a credit card. The charges initially go through without any complications, but unbeknownst to the business, the credit card is fraudulent or stolen. The business is then directed to wire the money to the shipper to cover the shipping costs. After the money is wired, the business is notified of the fraudulent credit card and forced to bear the loss.
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Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Jerusalem, the Holiest City on Earth, Went Online With the Launch of Jerusalem.com
Jerusalem, the Holiest City on Earth, Went Online With the Launch of Jerusalem.com; Jerusalem.com Domain Name was Bought for $750,000
/PRNewswire/ -- Jerusalem.com (http://www.jerusalem.com) was launched today in Jerusalem. The site seeks to become the virtual gateway to religious, historic and modern-day Jerusalem. It is offering a comprehensive experience of today's vital, fascinating urban center, providing unique religious, social and tourism services and bringing the Jerusalem experience to anyone in the world.
The site contains six hubs which are representing for the first time the many faces Jerusalem has, and offering unique services and information regarding the city. One of the highlighted features the site is offering is the ability to submit vocal prayers that are actually being heard in real speakers overlooking the old city of Jerusalem. The site is reporting that hundreds of prayers have already been submitted from more than 72 different countries the world over.
During the launch, the Jerusalem.com team has invited the princess Padmaja from Rajistan, India, who has been visiting Jerusalem for the past few days, to post a voice prayer of her own voice and have sent her special prayer to be heard in Jerusalem's old city. The princess's prayer can be listened to here: http://www.jerusalem.com/article_1044/Princess-Padmajas-Prayer
Other services includes lighting candles at Jerusalem's holy places, planting olive trees in the city surroundings and exporting the different religious calendars to your outlook.
Another important hub on the site is the tourism & culture channel, which offers the most updated and comprehensive information about modern-day Jerusalem, with full guides for the city hotels, restaurants, events, attractions and more.
Michael Weiss, the site's Founder said at the press conference that he "sees Jerusalem.com as a site that belongs to every friend of Jerusalem throughout the world who wishes to interact with the city and feels as closest as possible to physical Jerusalem".
Bought for $750,000, Jerusalem.com is the most expensive domain ever bought in Israel, highlighting the seriousness with which the site's founders have approached the endeavour of representing the city as a place worthy of connecting to.
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/PRNewswire/ -- Jerusalem.com (http://www.jerusalem.com) was launched today in Jerusalem. The site seeks to become the virtual gateway to religious, historic and modern-day Jerusalem. It is offering a comprehensive experience of today's vital, fascinating urban center, providing unique religious, social and tourism services and bringing the Jerusalem experience to anyone in the world.
The site contains six hubs which are representing for the first time the many faces Jerusalem has, and offering unique services and information regarding the city. One of the highlighted features the site is offering is the ability to submit vocal prayers that are actually being heard in real speakers overlooking the old city of Jerusalem. The site is reporting that hundreds of prayers have already been submitted from more than 72 different countries the world over.
During the launch, the Jerusalem.com team has invited the princess Padmaja from Rajistan, India, who has been visiting Jerusalem for the past few days, to post a voice prayer of her own voice and have sent her special prayer to be heard in Jerusalem's old city. The princess's prayer can be listened to here: http://www.jerusalem.com/article_1044/Princess-Padmajas-Prayer
Other services includes lighting candles at Jerusalem's holy places, planting olive trees in the city surroundings and exporting the different religious calendars to your outlook.
Another important hub on the site is the tourism & culture channel, which offers the most updated and comprehensive information about modern-day Jerusalem, with full guides for the city hotels, restaurants, events, attractions and more.
Michael Weiss, the site's Founder said at the press conference that he "sees Jerusalem.com as a site that belongs to every friend of Jerusalem throughout the world who wishes to interact with the city and feels as closest as possible to physical Jerusalem".
Bought for $750,000, Jerusalem.com is the most expensive domain ever bought in Israel, highlighting the seriousness with which the site's founders have approached the endeavour of representing the city as a place worthy of connecting to.
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Monday, June 29, 2009
Cablevision Statement On Supreme Court Ruling Clearing Way For Remote Storage-DVR
/PRNewswire/ -- Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE:CVC) today released the following statement from Chief Operating Officer Tom Rutledge in response to the decision by the Supreme Court of the United States not to hear an appeal in the remote storage-DVR litigation.
"This is a tremendous victory, and it opens up the possibility of offering a DVR experience to all of our digital cable customers. At the same time, we are mindful of the potential implications for ad skipping and the concerns this has raised in the programming community. We believe there are ways to take this victory and work with programmers to give our customers what they want -- full DVR functionality through existing digital set-top boxes -- and at the same time deliver real benefits to advertisers. This landmark case gives the cable industry, and Cablevision in particular, the opportunity to do something that our satellite competitors cannot do. We expect to begin deploying the first application of this new technology, the ability to pause live television when the phone rings, as a value-added benefit to our customers later this summer."
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"This is a tremendous victory, and it opens up the possibility of offering a DVR experience to all of our digital cable customers. At the same time, we are mindful of the potential implications for ad skipping and the concerns this has raised in the programming community. We believe there are ways to take this victory and work with programmers to give our customers what they want -- full DVR functionality through existing digital set-top boxes -- and at the same time deliver real benefits to advertisers. This landmark case gives the cable industry, and Cablevision in particular, the opportunity to do something that our satellite competitors cannot do. We expect to begin deploying the first application of this new technology, the ability to pause live television when the phone rings, as a value-added benefit to our customers later this summer."
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Nextgov.com Launches Aggregated Twitter Page for Federal Government
/PRNewswire/ -- Nextgov.com's publisher, Government Executive Media Group, announced today that the web site has launched a new Web 2.0 tool which aggregates official Twitter feeds from federal government agencies.
Dubbed "The Feed," Nextgov's Twitter page pulls together the official Twitter feeds from dozens of federal agencies, allowing readers to monitor government activities in real time by visiting a single web page located at www.nextgov.com/thefeed.
Visitors to The Feed can opt to see all federal tweets in one place or they can select to see only certain categories of tweets, including business and finance, defense and diplomacy, law enforcement, government at work, and the White House.
"With President Obama's directive to federal agencies to increase transparency between the government and the American public, agencies are rapidly turning to social media tools such as Twitter to provide real time updates on their activities," noted Allan Holmes, Executive Editor for Nextgov. "In just one visit to The Feed, readers can see real time tweets from across the federal government such as a report from the Rose Garden on the President's energy bill speech, a warning from the National Terror Alert Response Center about terror threats in Sudan, and a tweet from the NIH on recent findings from their cancer research."
The Feed is already attracting accolades from around the federal community, including the Washington Post, which called The Feed "a definite bookmark for anyone interested in tracking government affairs in real time."
"The Feed is one of many recent Web 2.0 initiatives which are driving exceptional traffic growth on Nextgov," said Tim Hartman, Publisher of Digital Media, Government Executive Media Group. "Traffic is well ahead of our expectations and we are working on a stream of new features which should drive even more momentum."
Nextgov also utilizes Twitter to distribute federal IT news from its own reporters. Those interested in tracking breaking federal IT news can follow Nextgov at www.twitter.com/nextgov.
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Dubbed "The Feed," Nextgov's Twitter page pulls together the official Twitter feeds from dozens of federal agencies, allowing readers to monitor government activities in real time by visiting a single web page located at www.nextgov.com/thefeed.
Visitors to The Feed can opt to see all federal tweets in one place or they can select to see only certain categories of tweets, including business and finance, defense and diplomacy, law enforcement, government at work, and the White House.
"With President Obama's directive to federal agencies to increase transparency between the government and the American public, agencies are rapidly turning to social media tools such as Twitter to provide real time updates on their activities," noted Allan Holmes, Executive Editor for Nextgov. "In just one visit to The Feed, readers can see real time tweets from across the federal government such as a report from the Rose Garden on the President's energy bill speech, a warning from the National Terror Alert Response Center about terror threats in Sudan, and a tweet from the NIH on recent findings from their cancer research."
The Feed is already attracting accolades from around the federal community, including the Washington Post, which called The Feed "a definite bookmark for anyone interested in tracking government affairs in real time."
"The Feed is one of many recent Web 2.0 initiatives which are driving exceptional traffic growth on Nextgov," said Tim Hartman, Publisher of Digital Media, Government Executive Media Group. "Traffic is well ahead of our expectations and we are working on a stream of new features which should drive even more momentum."
Nextgov also utilizes Twitter to distribute federal IT news from its own reporters. Those interested in tracking breaking federal IT news can follow Nextgov at www.twitter.com/nextgov.
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MCG is first public health sciences university to offer new suite of iPhone applications
The Medical College of Georgia is the first university to offer a set of customized health sciences iPhone applications through Apple's App Store.
While many universities offer applications for parking, maps and other basic student information, MCG Mobile, an initiative unveiled today, offers applications specific to the health sciences curricula, giving Apple's iPhone or iPod Touch users access to such cutting-edge tools as a gestational calculator, a lipid cholesterol algorithm and a medical calculator with over 135 individual calculations and scoring tools.
"It’s absolutely important to infuse technology into the curriculum because it addresses the needs of the Millennial Generation," says Dr. Roman Cibirka, vice president for instruction and enrollment management and associate provost. "The goal and purpose is to enhance student learning outcomes for this group of students that think, learn and understand in a different way."
Michael Casdorph, director of MCG Instructional Support and Educational Design, helped provide the revolutionary tools delivered through the wireless medium that students have embraced.
"In a clinical or lab environment, it may not be practical to use a desktop computer or carry a notebook computer, so the mobile platform provides a new level of convenience that can be used anywhere and anytime, whether it is at the patient's bedside, in the classroom or even at the beach," Mr. Casdorph says.
He partnered with Terriblyclever Design, a programming company in California, to adapt its MobilEdu applications platform for the MCG Mobile Suite and then worked with Dr. Evan Schoenberg, a New Orleans physician who develops medical applications, to design six custom tools to optimize MCG instructional content for the mobile platform.
"We wanted to take this further than what any other university has done to deliver instruction and improve learning," Mr. Casdorph says. "So we added an additional six MCG-branded applications specific to the health sciences community and the iScope app, which delivers MCG-created health sciences learning content optimized for mobile devices."
The six MCG Mobile Suite applications include:
A directory of MCG faculty and staff
A GPS-enabled map to access your exact location on campus or pinpoint a building's location
An events app to keep track of what’s happening on and off campus
A course catalog (to be released in August)
A news app to stay attuned to MCG happenings
The iScope app to view a wide array of educational videos and other MCG-related content
The six MCG Medical Suite applications include:
A diagnosis and procedure code reference guide
A medical calculator
A medical abbreviations glossary
An optics clinical calculator
A gestational calculator
A cholesterol management algorithm
MCG educators hope MCG Mobile will draw more students and visitors to campus.
"This is unique in that we are the first public health sciences university to offer these mobile apps," Mr. Casdorph says. "This is just the beginning. We hope to roll with this through the future as a tool for teaching and learning."
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Arts Across Georgia
While many universities offer applications for parking, maps and other basic student information, MCG Mobile, an initiative unveiled today, offers applications specific to the health sciences curricula, giving Apple's iPhone or iPod Touch users access to such cutting-edge tools as a gestational calculator, a lipid cholesterol algorithm and a medical calculator with over 135 individual calculations and scoring tools.
"It’s absolutely important to infuse technology into the curriculum because it addresses the needs of the Millennial Generation," says Dr. Roman Cibirka, vice president for instruction and enrollment management and associate provost. "The goal and purpose is to enhance student learning outcomes for this group of students that think, learn and understand in a different way."
Michael Casdorph, director of MCG Instructional Support and Educational Design, helped provide the revolutionary tools delivered through the wireless medium that students have embraced.
"In a clinical or lab environment, it may not be practical to use a desktop computer or carry a notebook computer, so the mobile platform provides a new level of convenience that can be used anywhere and anytime, whether it is at the patient's bedside, in the classroom or even at the beach," Mr. Casdorph says.
He partnered with Terriblyclever Design, a programming company in California, to adapt its MobilEdu applications platform for the MCG Mobile Suite and then worked with Dr. Evan Schoenberg, a New Orleans physician who develops medical applications, to design six custom tools to optimize MCG instructional content for the mobile platform.
"We wanted to take this further than what any other university has done to deliver instruction and improve learning," Mr. Casdorph says. "So we added an additional six MCG-branded applications specific to the health sciences community and the iScope app, which delivers MCG-created health sciences learning content optimized for mobile devices."
The six MCG Mobile Suite applications include:
A directory of MCG faculty and staff
A GPS-enabled map to access your exact location on campus or pinpoint a building's location
An events app to keep track of what’s happening on and off campus
A course catalog (to be released in August)
A news app to stay attuned to MCG happenings
The iScope app to view a wide array of educational videos and other MCG-related content
The six MCG Medical Suite applications include:
A diagnosis and procedure code reference guide
A medical calculator
A medical abbreviations glossary
An optics clinical calculator
A gestational calculator
A cholesterol management algorithm
MCG educators hope MCG Mobile will draw more students and visitors to campus.
"This is unique in that we are the first public health sciences university to offer these mobile apps," Mr. Casdorph says. "This is just the beginning. We hope to roll with this through the future as a tool for teaching and learning."
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Arts Across Georgia
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Spammers Find Opportunity in Michael Jackson's Death
Warning. Spammers have hooked into the death of Michael Jackson to get malware on your computer. Read more.
Michael Jackson Death Exploited by Malware Vendors [WARNING]
June 26th, 2009 | by Adam Ostrow
Spammers, unscrupulous marketers, and hawkers of malware have no shame. Apparently looking to capitalize on the incredible demand for news and information about Michael Jackson in the wake of the pop icon’s death, spammers are attempting to spread malware under the guise of Jackson-related content......http://mashable.com/2009/06/26/michael-jackson-malware/
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Michael Jackson Death Exploited by Malware Vendors [WARNING]
June 26th, 2009 | by Adam Ostrow
Spammers, unscrupulous marketers, and hawkers of malware have no shame. Apparently looking to capitalize on the incredible demand for news and information about Michael Jackson in the wake of the pop icon’s death, spammers are attempting to spread malware under the guise of Jackson-related content......http://mashable.com/2009/06/26/michael-jackson-malware/
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Friday, June 26, 2009
Harry Potter Targeted by Malware
A new report has been released by PC Tools in which "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" has been targeted by cybercriminals.
"Fans are baited with text like: 'Watch "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" online free'. What appears to be a legitimate looking website then redirects you to a video offer which prompts you to download and install the additional "streamviewer". The streamviewer, however, is installing malware."
Take care and think before you link!
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"Fans are baited with text like: 'Watch "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" online free'. What appears to be a legitimate looking website then redirects you to a video offer which prompts you to download and install the additional "streamviewer". The streamviewer, however, is installing malware."
Take care and think before you link!
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Thursday, June 25, 2009
Cyberspace Thought Leaders Discuss Challenges Facing Nation's First 'Cyber Czar'
/PRNewswire/ -- Lack of real power, entrenched government bureaucracy and the ever-shifting paradigm of cyberspace are just a few of the challenges that may face the country's first Cybersecurity Coordinator, according to a panel of three nationally recognized cyber experts who spoke with reporters yesterday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. A webcast of the entire program can be viewed at http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=59747.
Tom Davis, former U.S. Congressman from Virginia and now director of Federal Government Affairs for Deloitte LLP; James Bamford, award-winning journalist and best-selling cyberspace book author; and Dale Meyerrose, the first Senate-confirmed chief information officer for National Intelligence and a retired Major General (USAF), presented a variety of perspectives on what the nation's yet-unnamed 'cyber czar' will likely confront during his or her first 100 days.
"I think the administration has taken the appropriate first step," said Meyerrose, who is now vice president and general manager for the Cyberspace Solutions business at Harris Corporation. "They have acknowledged that the status quo is unacceptable and are setting priorities. The cyber security coordinator will have to address the issues of authority, accommodation within the existing process, and an agenda and then think big, start small, and scale up rapidly. That is the secret to success in a non-crisis environment."
Meyerrose cautioned against relying on old paradigms in defining and addressing the challenges posed by today's interconnected world. "In the cyber world, if it's connected, it's vulnerable; if it functions, it presents an attack thread. Anything that touches cyberspace is at risk."
Davis discussed the complexity of making progress within the existing government bureaucracy. "There are a lot of competing interests. Key questions will be how much authority the coordinator has and how they will deal with the stovepipes and with getting legislative initiatives through Congress, where everyone will want to have a say. It becomes very complex and it will be a tough job. I applaud them [the administration] for taking the first step."
Bamford struck a cautious note in his remarks, offering his opinion that the cyberspace coordinator position, as currently defined, lacks real power and budget, and might be overshadowed by the director of the National Security Agency (NSA), who heads the Pentagon's new Cyber Command to protect military networks.
"That would present quite a dilemma in terms of public civil liberties," he said. "I'd be much happier to see a very powerful person in charge of the cyber activity with a deputy from the civil liberties side of the spectrum. I also worry about the hype factor regarding vulnerabilities and would like to see the danger rhetoric toned down a bit."
Meyerrose also emphasized the importance of educating the American public about cyberspace. "Cyberspace underpins virtually every aspect of our lives these days, from large networks and grids for our government and commercial institutions to our ATM machines and the light switches on the wall. If you are on line, you are both a target and a threat. Priorities for cyber may become on par with our defense and intelligence missions."
A world leader in cyber security, Harris has been using state-of-the-art technology assessment techniques and architecture engineering for decades to define and operate secure networks supporting nationally critical programs. Harris currently supports three of the nation's largest secure networks, including the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure, the National Reconnaissance Office network, and the Navy Marine Corps Intranet.
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Tom Davis, former U.S. Congressman from Virginia and now director of Federal Government Affairs for Deloitte LLP; James Bamford, award-winning journalist and best-selling cyberspace book author; and Dale Meyerrose, the first Senate-confirmed chief information officer for National Intelligence and a retired Major General (USAF), presented a variety of perspectives on what the nation's yet-unnamed 'cyber czar' will likely confront during his or her first 100 days.
"I think the administration has taken the appropriate first step," said Meyerrose, who is now vice president and general manager for the Cyberspace Solutions business at Harris Corporation. "They have acknowledged that the status quo is unacceptable and are setting priorities. The cyber security coordinator will have to address the issues of authority, accommodation within the existing process, and an agenda and then think big, start small, and scale up rapidly. That is the secret to success in a non-crisis environment."
Meyerrose cautioned against relying on old paradigms in defining and addressing the challenges posed by today's interconnected world. "In the cyber world, if it's connected, it's vulnerable; if it functions, it presents an attack thread. Anything that touches cyberspace is at risk."
Davis discussed the complexity of making progress within the existing government bureaucracy. "There are a lot of competing interests. Key questions will be how much authority the coordinator has and how they will deal with the stovepipes and with getting legislative initiatives through Congress, where everyone will want to have a say. It becomes very complex and it will be a tough job. I applaud them [the administration] for taking the first step."
Bamford struck a cautious note in his remarks, offering his opinion that the cyberspace coordinator position, as currently defined, lacks real power and budget, and might be overshadowed by the director of the National Security Agency (NSA), who heads the Pentagon's new Cyber Command to protect military networks.
"That would present quite a dilemma in terms of public civil liberties," he said. "I'd be much happier to see a very powerful person in charge of the cyber activity with a deputy from the civil liberties side of the spectrum. I also worry about the hype factor regarding vulnerabilities and would like to see the danger rhetoric toned down a bit."
Meyerrose also emphasized the importance of educating the American public about cyberspace. "Cyberspace underpins virtually every aspect of our lives these days, from large networks and grids for our government and commercial institutions to our ATM machines and the light switches on the wall. If you are on line, you are both a target and a threat. Priorities for cyber may become on par with our defense and intelligence missions."
A world leader in cyber security, Harris has been using state-of-the-art technology assessment techniques and architecture engineering for decades to define and operate secure networks supporting nationally critical programs. Harris currently supports three of the nation's largest secure networks, including the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure, the National Reconnaissance Office network, and the Navy Marine Corps Intranet.
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Monday, June 22, 2009
Apple Sells Over One Million iPhone 3GS Models
/PRNewswire/ -- Apple(R) today announced that it has sold over one million iPhone(TM) 3GS models through Sunday, June 21, the third day after its launch. In addition, six million customers have downloaded the new iPhone 3.0 software in the first five days since its release.
"Customers are voting and the iPhone is winning," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "With over 50,000 applications available from Apple's revolutionary App Store, iPhone momentum is stronger than ever."
The new iPhone 3GS is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, packed with incredible new features including improved speed and performance -- up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G -- with longer battery life, a high-quality 3 megapixel autofocus camera, easy to use video recording and hands free voice control. iPhone 3GS includes the new iPhone OS 3.0, the world's most advanced mobile operating system with over 100 new features such as Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS*, Spotlight(TM) Search, landscape keyboard and more. iPhone 3GS customers get access to more than 50,000 applications from Apple's revolutionary App Store, the largest application store in the world where customers have already downloaded over one billion apps. iPhone 3GS offers twice the capacity for the same price with a 16GB model for just $199 and a new 32GB model for just $299.** And iPhone 3G is available at the breakthrough price of just $99 for the 8GB model -- a huge milestone for the high end smartphone market.
*MMS messaging is available only on iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS; fees may apply. MMS may not be available in all areas. MMS support from AT&T will be available in late summer.
**Qualified customers only. Requires a new two year AT&T rate plan, sold separately.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.
(C) 2009 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iPhone and Spotlight are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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"Customers are voting and the iPhone is winning," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "With over 50,000 applications available from Apple's revolutionary App Store, iPhone momentum is stronger than ever."
The new iPhone 3GS is the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet, packed with incredible new features including improved speed and performance -- up to twice as fast as iPhone 3G -- with longer battery life, a high-quality 3 megapixel autofocus camera, easy to use video recording and hands free voice control. iPhone 3GS includes the new iPhone OS 3.0, the world's most advanced mobile operating system with over 100 new features such as Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS*, Spotlight(TM) Search, landscape keyboard and more. iPhone 3GS customers get access to more than 50,000 applications from Apple's revolutionary App Store, the largest application store in the world where customers have already downloaded over one billion apps. iPhone 3GS offers twice the capacity for the same price with a 16GB model for just $199 and a new 32GB model for just $299.** And iPhone 3G is available at the breakthrough price of just $99 for the 8GB model -- a huge milestone for the high end smartphone market.
*MMS messaging is available only on iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS; fees may apply. MMS may not be available in all areas. MMS support from AT&T will be available in late summer.
**Qualified customers only. Requires a new two year AT&T rate plan, sold separately.
Apple ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Today, Apple continues to lead the industry in innovation with its award-winning computers, OS X operating system and iLife and professional applications. Apple is also spearheading the digital media revolution with its iPod portable music and video players and iTunes online store, and has entered the mobile phone market with its revolutionary iPhone.
(C) 2009 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iPhone and Spotlight are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.
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Saturday, June 20, 2009
HIring someone to do your website? Beware!
Recently I was asked, and agreed, to help a company update and improve their websites. They were unhappy with the designer they'd hired. He wasn't responsive to their requests for updates on the website, they didn't like the design on one of them and they weren't getting the traffic they wanted. All good reasons to move.
It should have been a simple thing. Contact the designer, let them know, make the appropriate changes and voila, new designer. If all had gone well, I would have had time to go in and update the sites then re-design them over time.
Unfortunately, the designer didn't want to let go of the websites. Both have e-commerce storefronts through a 3rd party, which made it critical to get the back-end more so than the design.
When the designer refused to let go of the sites, saying he'd designed them and owned the design, including the back-end e-commerce portion of the site, it turned into a BIG deal.
I'll call the company I'm working with LTD just to try and make this easier to understand. The designer shall be BTTB, as in bad to the bone. His host, CITM (caught in the middle).
LTD had paid thousands to and through BTTB to get the sites set up. Luckily LTD paid with credit card and luckily the BTTB wasn't initially able to build the main site himself and had the e-commerce company build it. As it turned out LTD paid them directly for what the designer said was / billed as software but turned out to be the initial design. Proof of ownership existed!
BTTB held LTD hostage. BTTB got his feelings hurt, sent a nasty letter saying he wasn't going to do any updates, the cost of hosting was going up and if LTD wanted the design they'd have to pay close to $4,000 and they'd charge $400 an hour to work with someone to get the e-commerce site transitioned.
I contacted the CITM trying to get around the designer to get the e-commerce info and design. No dice, they had an agreement with BTTB, had to have his authorization to release the design, even though we had proof we owned it. Understandable - it was the designer's name on everything. They'd have released it if we'd sued and had legal documents, but we didn't really want to go that route.
Bottom line, we spent countless hours on the phone, working this way and that way to try and resolve the issue in a way that 1) didn't cost a ridiculous amount, 2) was seamless to the LTD customers and 3) kept all of LTD's customer info intact.
We finally get one of the sites simply because BTTB wasn't quite as smart as he'd tried to portray himself when he sold his services to LTD. Because BTTB didn't know how to do an e-commerce site and had the e-commerce company design the first site as I mentioned above, they had a back-up copy. BTTB had started out right by putting LTD's company name on the bottom line at the e-commerce company (although all the contact info was his...), so they were willing and legally able to help.
We had to design the 2nd site from scratch as BTTB cobbled together a simple working site himself.
Another good thing: LTD had purchased the domain names prior to hiring the designer. BTTB had gone in and put his name and contact info on everything, but luckily hadn't changed passwords. We were able to fix that and change the passwords before moving the sites over without his knowledge.
We moved to a new host who turned out to be excellent. They coordinated with the e-commerce people and us to help get everything set up and running behind the scenes. I wish I could tell you the real names in here because I would highly recommend the e-commerce group and the host. They were stellar, outstanding, went way above and beyond to help. More than anything I wish I could tell you the name of BTTB, but he's rather nasty and I'd just as soon not tangle with him any further!
During the debacle, over and over I was told that this kind of hostage situation was not an uncommon occurrence. I did not talk to one tech support person, one potential host while searching for a new one, one e-commerce person who had not already dealt with something similar. I found that disconcerting.
Here's what I'd suggest to ensure you have ownership of your site:
1. Have a contract. LTD didn't have one. They trusted the guy as he sounded good, was a friend of a friend or something... Contracts don't help much unless you decide to sue, but you need to be sure everything is spelled out clearly when entering into a partnership with a designer. Include charges for updates, frequency of updates, time frame for making updates among other things. Read any contract provided by the designer carefully and completely.
2. Make sure YOU register your domain name unless you know and trust the company doing your site.
3. Do your homework. Make sure the designer you're hiring is a legitimate company with a good track record. Get references. Check out their other websites. (When I took a look at BTTB's own website, it hadn't been updated for over five years. The websites BTTB listed as references were mostly out of business or one page horrors.)
4. Stay involved, especially if you have a storefront. The data on the storefront is private and critical. Customer data and relationships are involved. Your livelihood is at risk. Make sure you check to ensure that your company name is on any contract, any ownership information before you pay a bill.
5. Use a credit card so you have proof of what you paid for each step of the way.
6. Make sure you have passwords to your e-commerce site and that one of your staff learns the ins and outs. Usually that's a given as you'll have to have the ability to batch and grab data, but some companies hire the designer / others to do it for them. If you don't have staff and are dependent on a third party, number 3 in this list is critical.
7. If the designer doesn't respond, doesn't make the changes you request in a timely manner, move quick. Everyone has an occasional problem so I'm not suggesting that you jump ship the first time your change isn't made in a specific time frame! Be reasonable but don't let it get to be a chronic problem.
I'm sure there are other safeguards and suggestions out there in cyber-land. Let me know if you've had problems or if you have suggestions for the novice who's looking to set up a website (with or without 3rd party e-commerce).
I'm loving the e-commerce company and LTD is extremely pleased with the design I did for both sites. We have everything updated and running smoothly now and the sites are being updated regularly.
I really got a kick out of one day swooping in, moving the hosting, redirecting the IP address, removing all the old designer's contact info from everything... It's been a time-consuming pill to get this all done, but knowing that I was working to thwart an unscrupulous designer motivated me mightily. Creeps like that give all of us a bad name and hurt the industry.
Ah, and one more thing... turned out the designer didn't have any SEO (search engine optimization) knowledge. He used graphics instead of text, no alt tags. He didn't have any META key words or descriptions on any of the pages. I could bore you to tears with the problems I found on the sites, SEO related and design related. Since taking over the sites I've already managed to do things that more than quadrupled traffic to both sites. Basic stuff that your novice designer should know. Not sure whether the guy was lazy or ignorant. Either way, LTD lost money and potential customers.
Be sure you're getting someone who has SEO knowledge. It's critical these days.
Here's a suggestion for you on your designer: If you can find one who'll work for a percentage of storefront sales instead of a flat fee, you'll have someone who does everything in their power to make your site profitable. The more they earn for you, the more they earn for themselves. If you do that, please make sure you have an airtight contract that spells out terms. Most importantly, be sure you trust whoever you choose and that they have a good reputation.
It should have been a simple thing. Contact the designer, let them know, make the appropriate changes and voila, new designer. If all had gone well, I would have had time to go in and update the sites then re-design them over time.
Unfortunately, the designer didn't want to let go of the websites. Both have e-commerce storefronts through a 3rd party, which made it critical to get the back-end more so than the design.
When the designer refused to let go of the sites, saying he'd designed them and owned the design, including the back-end e-commerce portion of the site, it turned into a BIG deal.
I'll call the company I'm working with LTD just to try and make this easier to understand. The designer shall be BTTB, as in bad to the bone. His host, CITM (caught in the middle).
LTD had paid thousands to and through BTTB to get the sites set up. Luckily LTD paid with credit card and luckily the BTTB wasn't initially able to build the main site himself and had the e-commerce company build it. As it turned out LTD paid them directly for what the designer said was / billed as software but turned out to be the initial design. Proof of ownership existed!
BTTB held LTD hostage. BTTB got his feelings hurt, sent a nasty letter saying he wasn't going to do any updates, the cost of hosting was going up and if LTD wanted the design they'd have to pay close to $4,000 and they'd charge $400 an hour to work with someone to get the e-commerce site transitioned.
I contacted the CITM trying to get around the designer to get the e-commerce info and design. No dice, they had an agreement with BTTB, had to have his authorization to release the design, even though we had proof we owned it. Understandable - it was the designer's name on everything. They'd have released it if we'd sued and had legal documents, but we didn't really want to go that route.
Bottom line, we spent countless hours on the phone, working this way and that way to try and resolve the issue in a way that 1) didn't cost a ridiculous amount, 2) was seamless to the LTD customers and 3) kept all of LTD's customer info intact.
We finally get one of the sites simply because BTTB wasn't quite as smart as he'd tried to portray himself when he sold his services to LTD. Because BTTB didn't know how to do an e-commerce site and had the e-commerce company design the first site as I mentioned above, they had a back-up copy. BTTB had started out right by putting LTD's company name on the bottom line at the e-commerce company (although all the contact info was his...), so they were willing and legally able to help.
We had to design the 2nd site from scratch as BTTB cobbled together a simple working site himself.
Another good thing: LTD had purchased the domain names prior to hiring the designer. BTTB had gone in and put his name and contact info on everything, but luckily hadn't changed passwords. We were able to fix that and change the passwords before moving the sites over without his knowledge.
We moved to a new host who turned out to be excellent. They coordinated with the e-commerce people and us to help get everything set up and running behind the scenes. I wish I could tell you the real names in here because I would highly recommend the e-commerce group and the host. They were stellar, outstanding, went way above and beyond to help. More than anything I wish I could tell you the name of BTTB, but he's rather nasty and I'd just as soon not tangle with him any further!
During the debacle, over and over I was told that this kind of hostage situation was not an uncommon occurrence. I did not talk to one tech support person, one potential host while searching for a new one, one e-commerce person who had not already dealt with something similar. I found that disconcerting.
Here's what I'd suggest to ensure you have ownership of your site:
1. Have a contract. LTD didn't have one. They trusted the guy as he sounded good, was a friend of a friend or something... Contracts don't help much unless you decide to sue, but you need to be sure everything is spelled out clearly when entering into a partnership with a designer. Include charges for updates, frequency of updates, time frame for making updates among other things. Read any contract provided by the designer carefully and completely.
2. Make sure YOU register your domain name unless you know and trust the company doing your site.
3. Do your homework. Make sure the designer you're hiring is a legitimate company with a good track record. Get references. Check out their other websites. (When I took a look at BTTB's own website, it hadn't been updated for over five years. The websites BTTB listed as references were mostly out of business or one page horrors.)
4. Stay involved, especially if you have a storefront. The data on the storefront is private and critical. Customer data and relationships are involved. Your livelihood is at risk. Make sure you check to ensure that your company name is on any contract, any ownership information before you pay a bill.
5. Use a credit card so you have proof of what you paid for each step of the way.
6. Make sure you have passwords to your e-commerce site and that one of your staff learns the ins and outs. Usually that's a given as you'll have to have the ability to batch and grab data, but some companies hire the designer / others to do it for them. If you don't have staff and are dependent on a third party, number 3 in this list is critical.
7. If the designer doesn't respond, doesn't make the changes you request in a timely manner, move quick. Everyone has an occasional problem so I'm not suggesting that you jump ship the first time your change isn't made in a specific time frame! Be reasonable but don't let it get to be a chronic problem.
I'm sure there are other safeguards and suggestions out there in cyber-land. Let me know if you've had problems or if you have suggestions for the novice who's looking to set up a website (with or without 3rd party e-commerce).
I'm loving the e-commerce company and LTD is extremely pleased with the design I did for both sites. We have everything updated and running smoothly now and the sites are being updated regularly.
I really got a kick out of one day swooping in, moving the hosting, redirecting the IP address, removing all the old designer's contact info from everything... It's been a time-consuming pill to get this all done, but knowing that I was working to thwart an unscrupulous designer motivated me mightily. Creeps like that give all of us a bad name and hurt the industry.
Ah, and one more thing... turned out the designer didn't have any SEO (search engine optimization) knowledge. He used graphics instead of text, no alt tags. He didn't have any META key words or descriptions on any of the pages. I could bore you to tears with the problems I found on the sites, SEO related and design related. Since taking over the sites I've already managed to do things that more than quadrupled traffic to both sites. Basic stuff that your novice designer should know. Not sure whether the guy was lazy or ignorant. Either way, LTD lost money and potential customers.
Be sure you're getting someone who has SEO knowledge. It's critical these days.
Here's a suggestion for you on your designer: If you can find one who'll work for a percentage of storefront sales instead of a flat fee, you'll have someone who does everything in their power to make your site profitable. The more they earn for you, the more they earn for themselves. If you do that, please make sure you have an airtight contract that spells out terms. Most importantly, be sure you trust whoever you choose and that they have a good reputation.
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