How to Tell if You're a Famous Author

In the literary world, there are authors, and then there are AUTHORS.  What’s the difference?  Well, when an AUTHOR shows up to do a book-signing event at a bookstore, the store runs a one-line announcement in the local newspaper and is overwhelmed with fans ready to snap up autographed copies at full list price.  AUTHORS get to drive around in BMWs (when they’re not being chauffeured), have housekeepers and gardeners, and have lots of time to lie around on tropical beaches socializing and drinking Mai Tai’s.

When an author shows up for a book signing, he runs a full-page ad at his own expense, arrives in a 1989 Honda Civic, and gets three people to appear, two of whom are relatives and got the book for free.

AUTHORS get whole websites devoted entirely to them, complete with fancy animations and a thriving fan club.  authors are lucky if their publisher remembers to list their book on the publisher’s main website.

J.K Rowling is an AUTHOR.  Dave Barry is an AUTHOR.  Even someone like Barry Lopez, in the right part of the country, is an AUTHOR.  Let’s take a look at the kind of conversation an AUTHOR like Dave Barry has at a book signing and compare it to that of a typical author (I actually went to a Dave Barry book signing once, so I can quote this from personal experience):

    Adoring Dave Barry Fan (20-something female with long blonde hair who looks like she just stepped off the beach from Maui):  Shriek!  Look!  It’s Dave Barry!  I love him, I love him, I love him!  I’ve got to get him to sign my book!!!

    Dave Barry:  OK, OK, don’t push, I’ve got plenty of ink in my pen for everyone.

    Adoring Dave Barry Fan:  Dave Barry, you’re the most awesome author ever!  Please sign my book and inscribe it “To Amber, my greatest fan.”  And while you’re at it, please, please, please let me have your baby!

Now compare that to a recent conversation I had at my own book-signing event:

    Man off the street (who just happened to walk by): Are you really the author of this book?

    SWH: Yes, I really am.  (Opens the book to the back page and shows him the author’s photo, heavily retouched and taken awhile back.)  See, here’s my photo.

    Man off the street:  It doesn’t look like you.  That man has a beard.

    SWH: Yes, I had to shave it off.  My family and friends didn’t like it.

    Man off the street:  It still doesn’t look like you.  Are you sure that’s really you?

    SWH:  Yep, it sure is.  Can I sign a book for you?  We’re giving them away free tonight, you know.

    Man off the street:  Well, I don’t know, what did you say it’s about?

It’s my goal to become an AUTHOR, so every so often I check the Internet to see what my adoring fans are saying about me.  Since no one has yet had the foresight to create a fan club or Internet site for me, the next best thing is to check how my used book sales are doing on Amazon.  I’ve authored several books that are now out of print (perhaps a message in itself), and it’s always interesting to see how their investment value is holding up.  A recent listing for my first-ever book, a weighty tome for the high-tech industry called Handbook of Surface Mount Technology (originally priced at $103.00), underscores the challenge ahead of me.  A certain unnamed used-book store was selling a copy at a heavily discounted price with a description that read (I swear I’m not making this up):

   “Hard-to-find first edition in excellent condition except signed by the author.”

And while we’re on the subject of autographs, let me give you a tip.  If you want the author to sign a book so as to drive up its resale value (as opposed to because you really like him and his work), get him to just sign it, nothing else.  No one wants to buy a book that was obviously signed for someone else.  An inscription that reads “To Hattie Hayseed, from Dave Barry” won’t have the same collector’s value as a book that just has Mr. Barry’s signature.  So Amber made a rookie mistake by asking for her book to be inscribed to her.  It’s funny how my adoring fans never seem to make that same mistake with me.

How Long Will Your Digital Photos Survive?

Back in the days when photographers used to shoot with film cameras, we would worry about the archival quality of our photos.  How long would they survive before fading away into oblivion?  We ourselves might only live another 40 or 50 years, but such a short lifespan for our photos would be unthinkable.

Looking back at color prints from the 1960s and 1970s, our fears were well-founded.  Old Ektacolor prints have long since faded and shifted color toward the yellow.  Cibachrome prints and Kodachrome slides are much better, but not immune.  Whole collections of what were once professional-quality photos are now just interesting anachronisms.

The new generation of photographers, accustomed to shooting only digital, may laugh at such worries today.  If a photo print fades, just fire up your computer and print another.  Why worry?  Digital ones and zeroes don't fade with time.

But there's a whole body of research that suggests such complacency is unfounded.  Digital photos may fade away even faster than photographic prints; it's just that the failure mechanisms are different.  Here's a link to an interesting article from an unlikely source that describes the problems with digital photography in some detail:

Long-term archiving: digital photography's Achilles' heel

Major Security Breach at Epsilon Interactive

By now, many of you may have received emails alerting you to a security breach at Epsilon Interactive, an on-line company used by many major corporations to send marketing emails to customers. An outside hacker broke into the Epsilon network and gained access to numerous names and email addresses of their clients’ customers. Major corporations affected include Barclays Bank, Best Buy, Citibank, JP Morgan Chase, Marriott International, Target, Walgreens, Hilton Worldwide, and Disney Destinations, as well as a host of others. If you’ve received one of these emails, you might be wondering how it will affect you. I’ll try to answer that question here.

What Happened
Epsilon specializes in sending bulk marketing emails in the name of their client companies. It takes a certain amount of skill to craft personalized emails in a way that spam filters don’t block them, and this is Epsilon’s claim to fame. They send more than 40 billion emails on behalf of their clients annually to people who have provided an email address to the client company. Although Epsilon isn’t saying exactly what happened, it is clear that someone was able to hack into their network and obtain customer names and email addresses. Epsilon has stated that “approximately 2 percent of total clients” were hit, which would be about 50 companies. To date, Epsilon has not provided a detailed list of those companies, but the ones named above have notified their customers of the breach. Epsilon has made it very clear that the hackers only got names and email addresses, not any financial information. This means the information can’t immediately be used to do anything harmful, other than to send out more spam.

The Risk
Email addresses on their own aren’t all that valuable, but if you can tie a customer’s name and email account to a company they do business with, the problem becomes more serious. A hacker can create a customized email that appears to come from the client company to trick the customer into revealing sensitive information. Suppose, for example, you got an email from your bank encouraging you to sign up for a special offer. All you have to do is click on the link in the email, log into your account, and you’re all signed up. Of course the offer isn’t really from your bank, and the link takes you to a rogue website that captures your login information. Before you know it, the hacker uses it to break into your account and drain it dry.

How to Protect Yourself
The good news is that the stolen information by itself won’t let a hacker do anything harmful. As long as you practice due diligence in opening and reading emails, you should be safe. The first thing to remember is to never provide sensitive information—account names, passwords, social security numbers, etc., in response to an email request. Legitimate companies will never make such a request by email. Also be very cautious about clicking links in emails, and never enter any sensitive information onto a website you arrived at from an email link. Whenever you must enter sensitive information go to the company’s website by manually typing their web address into your browser (once you’ve done this, you can bookmark it for future use).

You may also want to consider investing in a strong spam filter for your email network, even beyond the anti-virus/anti-malware software you should all be using. There are two ways to do this, either by using a Cloud-based service or by using a hardware filter you add to your own network. Cloud-service companies such as AppRiver can filter almost all spam before it even gets into your network, or you can use a hardware email security appliance such as those offered by Barracuda Networks. Either option can significantly reduce the amount of unwanted spam clogging up your network.

Finally, make sure that access to your network is protected by strong passwords. Although we don’t know how the hacker got into the Epsilon network, we do know some of the techniques commonly used. One approach is to use a program that tries to brute-force its way into your network by automatically trying common usernames and passwords. Passwords like “1234” or the word “password” are easily hacked. At TeamLogic IT a new client recently asked us to repair damage to their network caused by a hacker. When we investigated, we discovered the break-in probably occurred because their server password was one of the most common and least secure passwords out there. Don’t let this happen to you.

To learn more about how to protect your network, including how to create strong passwords, read my previous blog entry, Protecting Your Business Against Cyber-Criminals.  And if you’d like TeamLogic IT to help improve the security of your network, just visit www.teamlogicit.com.

News of Garmin's Demise is Highly Overrated

Garmin recently announced its FY2010 results, and even though they generated well over half a billion dollars in operating income, Wall Street made it sound like they were on death’s door. With the automotive market moving away from standalone GPS navigation devices to smartphones like the iPhone and Android, the pundits on the Street don’t see much of a future for Garmin. One “expert” who should know better went so far as to say, “Garmin is toast.”

This kind of myopic oversimplification from so-called “experts” is one reason we still haven’t recovered from the recent financial industry meltdown. Garmin’s future doesn’t depend exclusively on the automotive market. Sure, it’s a big part of their current revenues, but it’s not the lion’s share of their profits. According to their annual report, the Outdoor/Fitness market accounted for $237 million of income before taxes while the Automotive/Mobile market accounted for only $205 million. Add another $134 million from the Marine and Aviation markets and you’ll conclude that even if the automotive market went entirely away, Garmin would still survive. And everyone agrees there is little threat to the growth and profitability of the non-automotive markets.

Let me caution you that this doesn’t mean I recommend you buy Garmin stock. The vagaries of the stock market are not something I can predict. I’m more interested in assessing the future of Garmin as a company. And here, I agree with one pronouncement from the pundits. Garmin needs to reinvent itself. The question is how?

Garmin already tried one approach—introducing their own version of a smartphone. Unfortunately they went about it all wrong. Rather than capitalizing on the unique capabilities they could bring to the smartphone market, they tried to introduce a “me too” product far too late in the game to be successful. The world didn’t need one more smartphone like all the others, no matter how well known the Garmin brand. The pundits cheered when Garmin finally pulled the plug, for good reason. No need to sink another dollar down a hopeless rat hole.

So what should Garmin have done? For one thing, they should have read Marketing Warfare, a book written 25 years ago that predicts exactly the debacle they encountered. (This book should still be required reading for every marketing department on the planet.) Instead of making a frontal attack on an entrenched competitor—Apple—they should have taken advantage of their unique strengths to do an end run around them. In fact, they could still do so.

What are these unique strengths? I know of at least two, drawn from their expertise in the Outdoor market. The first is waterproofness. Every GPS in Garmin’s outdoor line is waterproof to an industry standard called IPX7. This means they can withstand immersion in up to a meter of water for 30 minutes. Smartphones not only aren’t waterproof, you’ll void their warranty if you get them wet.

Garmin’s second strength is the quality of its GPS receivers—you can find your position anywhere in the world with a Garmin receiver. A typical smartphone won’t reliably find its position unless it is in contact with a cell phone network.

So what would be the target markets for a waterproof smartphone that can reliably find its position anywhere in the world? Not just hikers and backpackers. Think police and fire departments, search-and-rescue teams, telephone and power companies, harbor pilots, and any business that sends personnel outside in inclement weather—construction companies, pool services, ambulance services, and a multitude of others. It’s a market poorly served by existing smartphones, and one that could be a significant opportunity for a targeted solution. Sure it’s not the next billion-dollar-a-year business, but that just means Apple won’t be going after it anytime soon. Garmin could have it to themselves, and it would certainly be much more profitable than their previous foray into this market. And if they were smart, they could leverage this success into broader markets later on. Don’t forget that Hewlett-Packard was once a bit player in personal computers, selling almost all of their products into a small niche called test and measurement. Now look where they are. Garmin could follow a similar path.

Will they do it? Probably not. Being a niche player is a tough pill to swallow for someone used to being out front. But whether or not they choose this particular path for future growth, they need to pick one that builds on their unique competitive advantages and not just blindly follow the leader.

Disclaimer: I have no formal relationship with Garmin, although they were nice enough to loan me GPS receivers while I was writing Outdoor Navigation with GPS. All receivers they loaned me were returned promptly when I was finished using them.

Russian GPS Satellite Launch Fails

According to the Russian Federal Space Agency, the December 5th launch of 3 GLONASS satellites (their equivalent of GPS) failed when the Proton-M rocket carrying them failed to achieve proper orbit.  The satellites ended up crashing into the Pacific Ocean, apparently due to a software programming error.  Here's a link to the GPS World article: GLONASS Launch Fails.  It includes an interesting YouTube video of the ill-fated rocket being moved into position prior to the launch.

Cybercrime in the Headlines

In last week's blog I talked about the danger of small businesses being victims of cyber-crime. Unlike your personal bank account, if cyber-criminals steal money out of your business bank account your bank is under no obligation to reimburse the loss.  In my blog, I listed six steps every business should take to protect themselves against cyber-criminals.

Today's headlines underscore the need for this kind of protection. In an article titled FBI says cyber-thieves stole $70 million, the Associated Press reports that a gang based in Russia and Ukraine used a virus attached to emails and web links to tap into the computer systems of small businesses.  Once an unsuspecting person clicked on the link, the virus captured account numbers and passwords the criminals could use to access the accounts.

One sentence in the article was particularly telling:  "Many of the victims were small- and medium-sized businesses that don't have the money to invest in high-level computer security."  This incident underscores the fact that for a business, computer security is not optional.  If you're a business owner you owe it to yourself to make sure you are protected.  Last week's blog describes six important steps every business should take.  How well are you doing?  If you need help to find out, consider working with a professional IT company like TeamLogic IT to do an assessment.

Protecting Your Business from Cyber-Criminals

I was recently invited to talk to a group of local business people about computer security for businesses.  It's an important topic because if your business is using computers for things like email, web browsing, accounting, online banking, inventory management, or payroll, you are almost certain to be a target of cyber-criminals. One recent study showed that an unprotected Windows computer taken right out of the box and connected to the Internet was typically hacked within 20 minutes.

Many business owners don't realize that as a business, you don't have the same legal protection as a consumer.  If hackers break into your business network and drain your bank account because you didn’t implement adequate security, your bank is under no obligation to reimburse you.  There are numerous stories of banks refusing to reimburse businesses who lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to cyber-criminals because they didn't take sufficient security precautions to prevent the thefts. 

The small business owner who recognizes the threat of computer crime and takes steps to prevent hackers from breaking in is less likely to become a victim. Here are six things every business should do to protect its computer network:

1. Use a firewall. This is the first line of defense for your system. Firewalls scan all traffic into and out of your network to block unauthorized access. There are two kinds of firewalls: software and hardware. Software firewalls such as Windows Firewall run directly on your computer. Hardware firewalls are separate boxes that sit at the junction between the Internet and your local network. While hardware firewalls might offer slightly better security, either is much better than the alternative of doing nothing. Your Internet Service Provider might include a firewall as part of their DSL or cable modem.
2. Use anti-virus and anti-spyware software and keep it updated. A firewall won’t block every threat.  Anti-spyware software looks for programs that secretly enter your computer and collect bits of information about you. This could include such things as the websites you visit or the keys you type to enter a password.  Anti-virus software scans all your files, looking for known or suspected malicious code—viruses, worms, or Trojans. Although each differs in its details, all can be serious threats. The anti-virus software scans for them all. Files considered threats are identified, where you can quarantine or delete them. If you think the suspect file isn’t truly a virus, put it into quarantine. Otherwise delete it.  In order to be effective, you need to keep anti-virus and anti-spyware software up to date.  New threats are constantly being released by hackers, and the best AV and AS vendors issue updates to detect the latest threats at least daily.
3. Use highly secure passwords. What are the worst passwords? Here are a few of the most common: 123456, password, qwerty, letmein, abc123, and a few obscene words I won’t repeat here. Do a Google search on “worst passwords” and you’ll see a complete list. The best passwords are at least 14 characters long, don’t include any words found in the dictionary (including spelled backwards) and use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and punctuation marks. Some sources advocate using a different password for every account and changing it regularly. At the very least you should use several different passwords for different kinds of business and personal accounts, and never share your passwords with anyone else. If anyone else learns your password, change it immediately.
4. Keep your operating system updated with the latest security patches. If you use a Windows computer, turn on automatic updates or go to www.update.microsoft.com/microsoftupdate to install the latest updates. If you use a Mac, don’t assume you are automatically protected. Accept all new security patches when they are issued.
5. Be cautious opening email attachments and clicking embedded links. Most viruses infect your computer because you opened an email attachment. Don’t think an attachment is automatically safe just because it came from someone you know. Scan it with an anti-virus software program before opening. For the ultimate in security, use a third-party provider to scan all your emails and block any viruses before they ever get into your network.  Also be careful about clicking on a Web link in an email. Rather than clicking the link, manually type the URL into your browser.
6. Back up your data regularly. You never know when a hard drive will crash or your laptop will get stolen. Don’t wait for disaster to strike before you think about backing up your data. You can purchase a hard drive specifically for backing up your data or you can use an online service.  Just make sure you do it regularly—at least daily for business data.

While there can never be a 100% guarantee that you won’t be hacked, following all six of these steps will dramatically reduce the probability you will be a victim of a cyber-crime. If you’re not sure how to do all this yourself, consider contracting with an expert like TeamLogic IT (www.TeamLogicIT.com) to assess your vulnerabilities and take appropriate steps to correct them.