SoKy Local Business or "SoKybiz"

Every action you take today will either move you closer to your chosen goal or farther away from it. There's something you intend to achieve, and the way to achieve it is through action.

There is a very real connection between the things you do and the outcomes you experience. Keep that in mind as you go through the day. Keep that in mind as you decide how to spend your time. Keep that in mind as you control your own thoughts and actions.

Connect your goals to your actions and you will reach those goals. Focus on the outcome of what you're doing, moment by moment. You can choose to just get through the day, or you can decide to make it count and to move yourself forward.

There is a road that runs from where you are right now to the fulfillment of the goals you have chosen. As you go through this day, stay on that road. Keep the connection strong. Take the actions which will move you ahead.

Copyright Ralph S. Marston, Jr. Used by permission. From The Daily Motivator® at www.dailymotivator.com

This was posted by SoKy : 6:33 AM  0 comments links to this post

With all that I have going on with the development of Soky.net as well as server upgrades, I've not posted as often as I would like. I'm also not a big fan of just posting links but this one is great and may be something your small business in Bowling Green KY can use. They offer 4 great ideas:

1. Reach Your Best Qualified Prospects
2. Get National Editorial Exposure
3. Borrow E-Mail Clout
4. Take It Outside

Fresh Ideas for Innovative Marketing
Try these out-of-the-ordinary tactics for extraordinary results.
July 17, 2006

For many entrepreneurs, summertime brings slower sales and less hectic activity. What better time than right now to explore fresh marketing ideas for growing your business? Rather than slide into the busy fourth quarter with the same old marketing bag of tricks, you can get a jump on your competitors by embracing new tactics for increasing leads and sales.

Try one--or all four--of these out-of-the-ordinary tactics to produce the results you need:

Link to article

This was posted by SoKy : 9:57 AM  0 comments links to this post

Did you see in the news that MySpace blamed a power outage for their website being down not once but TWICE this weekend? You've got to be kidding. I'm just a lowly webmaster who hosts websites and I know better than to rely on a datacenter with no power protection.

MySpace Outage Blamed on L.A. Power Loss
Jul 24, 1:41 PM (ET)
By ANICK JESDANUN

NEW YORK (AP) - The popular social-networking site MySpace.com suffered a pair of extended outages over the weekend because of power problems at a key data center in the Los Angeles area, the company said Monday.

In a message to MySpace users, company co-founder and President Tom Anderson said MySpace "has been screwy" since Saturday because of failures in both the main power supply and the backup generators. Visitors to the site were given an opportunity to play Pac-Man while waiting for the restoration of their personal profile pages.

Found at myway.com

My hosting company's data center, (Soky.net)  boasts a secured environment established to comply with the strict requirements of both Data and Telco Grade facilities. Each center provides UPS and diesel generator power backup, redundant HVAC systems, environmental monitoring, double detection pre-action fire suppression.  Wouldn't you think the people in charge of the most visited website in the world would have some kind of power generator backup?

I'm sorry... but I don't buy it. Even in my little ol' office I have a UPS that allows me time to save my work when the power goes out. What's wrong with these people?

Bringing me to my disaster preparedness point; which seems to becoming a theme around here. Does your small business have power protection for critical equipment? Computers, cash machines, network routers, hubs and server? No? Well you should! Protect that investment with the right equipment and you'll even receive a rider that will insure your connected equipment. I'm no expert, but it just seems like common sense to me.

This was posted by SoKy : 5:16 PM  1 comments links to this post

This is incredibly interesting especially after my post earlier. It is true that blogging has inspired the writer in me and I know others who never thought of themselves as "writers" who enjoy blogging. Is there a story teller in you trying to get out?

Bloggers: A portrait of the internet's new storytellers

7/19/2006 | Report  | Amanda Lenhart, Susannah Fox

The ease and appeal of blogging is inspiring a new group of writers and creators to share their voices with the world.

A national phone survey of bloggers finds that most are focused on describing their personal experiences to a relatively small audience of readers and that only a small proportion focus their coverage on politics, media, government, or technology. Blogs, the survey finds, are as individual as the people who keep them. However, most bloggers are primarily interested in creative, personal expression – documenting individual experiences, sharing practical knowledge, or just keeping in touch with friends and family.

http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/186/report_display.asp

This was posted by SoKy : 5:43 PM  0 comments links to this post

A simple man explains small business blog

Those of us who spend hours online everyday are accustomed to words like blog, rss feeds, podcasts, feed readers, posts, comments, flames, trolls and a thousand other terms that cause less experienced people to scratch their heads and wonder if we are speaking English. A small business person may be intrigued by the great idea to post (publish) their expertise, wisdom and product knowledge online but the technology and terminology often times prevents further investigation.

I've had a number of meetings with small businesses concerning their online presence and found that when I suggest that they add a "blog" to their website they often times don't understand or worse, argue that they just want it to be easy. When I introduce the idea a little differently it is received with more enthusiasm.

"How would you like to be able to put updates on your website as often as you like and share what makes you unique above all others?" This question is received much better than asking if they would like to blog on their website because they understand the concept and can see the benefit long before the technical terms can put up barriers. And that my friends is the bottom line.

A successful website is one that is a living breathing entity. It is a website that is updated regularly and one where the visitors enjoy coming to, can interact with it and can gather the information they are looking for with the least amount of effort. It is a website with personality and character, for a small business website, that personality should reflect the image and culture of the company. (How's that for a nutshell?)

As a small business enabler, I try to help simplify the technology for the customer by making it understandable and easy to use. Why throw up barriers that cause confusion or even reluctance? People in general don't like to look stupid and when they don't understand the concepts they are hesitant to consider the ideas.

A blog for a small business is an opportunity to continually communicate the strengths, advantages, products, services, testimonials, victories and all sorts of information that will build brand awareness and can foster loyalty as well. A blog for a small business is an economical way to continually expand their online presence and create depth to their website. It is a way to add keywords, key phrases, brand identity for the search engines to discover, digest and index so people looking for "my unique widget" will find it.

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day who reads this blog and he often times calls me to tell me he enjoys what he reads. (Thanks bud!) He said that he would like to be a blogger too but claims he is not a writer. I tried to help him by explaining that a blog post is nothing more than an email sent to all your readers. In that light he understood. I suggested that if he would pick a topic and explain that topic to one key client via email, he is now a blogger of sorts and that letter can be published online with little effort. He seemed excited, though I've heard little from him since.

Then I read that a local chap was giving a presentation on blogging for business, I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for that one. I wondered what he said but more importantly how he said it. Typically, and I'm not suggesting this is what he did because I was not there, but typically a person giving a presentation on blogging to a group of people with limited knowledge of technology, fall victim to the temptation to wow the audience with their vast knowledge of the topic. Many times they leave the audience feeling like they were beat up with long words that they will never understand. I hope that is not what he did and I have hope in that his audience was quite adept.

My point? KEEP IT SIMPLE! A blog is nothing more than a letter to your customers. Getting past the jargon it's really that simple. If you're a small business person with limited knowledge of the technology but want to blog on your website, talk to your webmaster and ask him or her how to integrate a blog into your website. If you ware wanting to create a free account somewhere but don't want to take the time to learn how to set everything up, then find a consultant who is willing to do it for you. Most of the free blogging tools can even publish email that is sent to a special address.

However, if you are wanting to add a blog for your business and are unwilling to learn and/or unwilling to hire help, I would suggest that you consider carefully the results of a poorly formatted, poorly branded, and poorly organized blog on your business. Just like any public communication, your blog should cast a favorable light on your company and preferably a light that perpetuates your corporate image and branding.

In my morning reading just today, there were quite a few articles on the advantages of blogging for small business. From value added content to product highlights, your opportunity to communicate your products and services can come through a blog on your website. Your customers are reading blogs, would you like them to be reading yours, or your competitors?

Blogs: An Undertapped Resource?
Does your business have a blog? If it does, you're ahead of the curve. Most businesses aren't blogging yet, according to a report by eMarketer. The report's author speculates that companies are wary of consumer comments and ceding control of their brand, but is optimistic that more companies will be blogging in the future. Despite the lack of business blogs, companies are taking note of the medium--a PQ Media study found that spending on blog ads will more than double this year over last year.

Posted by Francine Kizner, entrepreneur.com

Tech Companies To Spend $10M In Blog, Podcast and RSS Ads
by Wendy Davis, Wednesday, Apr 12, 2006 6:00 AM ET

TECHNOLOGY AND AUTOMOTIVE COMPANIES ARE among the businesses most likely to market themselves in blogs, podcasts, and RSS feeds, according to a report issued Tuesday by PQ Media.

Last year, technology marketers spent $4 million in advertising in such social media, and that figure is expected to climb to $9.8 million this year, according to the report, "Blog, Podcast and RSS Advertising Outlook." Automotive marketers were the second-largest spenders, purchasing $3.9 million worth of ads in blogs, podcasts, and RSS; such spending is anticipated to reach $9.3 million this year. Media represented the third-largest category of advertisers, accounting for $3.2 million in 2005 and a predicted $8.1 million this year.

Overall, PQ Media predicts that spending in social media will climb to $49.8 million this year, from $20.4 million in 2005.

Read more @ MediaPost.com

The technology is coming fast when blogs will be what people read. You'll see. The newest web browsers are integrating feed readers (blog reading simplified), and even the next version of Windows will integrate the technology into the operating system. If blogging is of interest to you, it may be a good idea to start learning and getting the experience now.

For larger companies, they are turning their attention to blogs in a big way and even some of the financial websites are integrating blog "feeds" into their websites. Large companies are hiring writers and creating departments for blogging the company message. Like the IT department that small businesses don't have, hiring people to publish you blog might be out of reach but leveraging the simple tools to allow you to share your ideas, opinions, products and services to an eager and hungry internet audience may be something worth investigating.

Have questions? Write me and I'll do my best to assist or better yet, hire me and bring my experience to your organization. www.soky.net.

This was posted by SoKy : 9:18 AM  1 comments links to this post

July 16^th, 2006: Important announcement!Upgrading our servers!

Soky.Net will be upgrading all Windows servers which may delay the release of the business portal one more month. We will be upgrading all Windows/NT servers  (50 servers) to Microsoft Windows Server 2003 as well as upgrading any servers that are Pentium 3 to Opteron.

While we have plans to implement these upgrades one server at a time, our estimated down time per server is 5 to 10 minutes if all goes as planned. All client websites will be backed up prior to these upgrades to ensure nothing is lost in the worst case scenario. E-mail and other services will not be affected by these upgrades because they are not on Windows servers. All 5 MS SQL Servers may be subject to these upgrades as well.

These upgrades are to ensure that Soky.net continues to provide world class service to our valued clients. While this does result in a further delay of the community pages, it will ensure that once released the site will be fast, reliable and provide our community with the best user experience anywhere.

Upgrades to begin with NT #11 on July 25^th.

This was posted by SoKy : 10:11 AM  1 comments links to this post

According to FoxNews and "Internet Security Systems" you can no longer trust your caller ID. They suggest that the new "Voice over IP" (VoIP) or internet phones make it easier for unscrupulous people to fake or "spoof" the caller id name and number. This is a very scary development because unsuspecting people who receive a call from XYZ Bank will look at the caller ID and believe it is their bank and answer the questions asked.

What's the big deal? Well identity theft is the key concern in this case but it could be much worse. Now, when someone steals your identity, they can even make phone calls "as you" and get more information.

Here is the report from Internet Security Systems (2003):

Vonage's Voice over IP network (VoIP) systems could allow a remote attacker to spoof a Vonage user's caller ID. By using Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) enabled VoIP hardware and calling a vulnerable Vonage user, a remote attacker can spoof the victim's caller ID by placing the victim on hold, once the victim answers the phone, and calls a third party, allowing the attacker to see the victim's caller ID information and assume that the attacker is the Vonage user.

Personally, I think Vonage is taking the brunt of this report because there are actually services out there that you can sign up for and create your own spoofed caller id. Spooftel.com and Telespoof.com are two I quickly found from Google.

Telespoof.com offers the first domestic and international Caller ID spoofing service, allowing business professionals to remain anonymous when calling from anywhere in the world, to anywhere in the world. We like to think of it as "mobile invisibility", the highest quality Caller ID spoofing service available anywhere in the world.

It was also suggested during the interview that attackers could use a combination of email, postal mail and spoofed caller id to earn your confidence so you will give up your personal information. It's really concerning to me because there are so many people who don't understand the technology and will simply trust MaBell.

So what are we to do? Trust no one. Okay, that's a little harsh but at a minimum, suspect any email, phone call and even postal mail as a potential threat, then use some common sense in confirming its legitimacy. Just like the spam phishing scheme to get you to give up your passwords, start having the same rules for people who call you.

Simple suggestion. When I get an email with a link to my bank or other service, I never click the link. I open my browser and type it in. I do this because I know that while the link might say "mybank.com" it could easily send me to imstealingyouridentity.com. Just like the phishing, a caller calls in from mybank and says, "We need to confirm your account security setting and we need you to give us your information." I say that I'm too busy right now and would like to call back. Ask for a number, but don't use it, instead use the number listed in the phone book or the back of your credit card. Odds are, when you ask for the number they will offer to call back or simply hang up. If they do give the number, keep it! If it turns out that it is a scam, law enforcement would be very eager to receive that information.

Anyway, hats off to "Chris" of Internet Security Systems. You did a great job on the air and your website doesn't suck either. (grin)

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This was posted by SoKy : 12:26 PM  0 comments links to this post

I've written recently about the need for disaster recovery programs for small business computers, it's a topic near and dear to my heart. A recent story highlights the importance of network security as well. In recent days I've battled a little annoyance of a Trojan Virus that made ads pop up in my browser. It took more than a week and several programs to finally find the little bugger but I found it. (I'll write on that at another time.)

The process made me wonder how I got the virus in the first place, and worse, what else is crawling around my network? When I opened my new office, I opted for cable broadband and I was advised by a friend to install a software firewall on top of Windows firewall while I waited for my new router/hardware firewall. I installed it and was amazed when I looked at the logs and saw all those attempt to access my computer.

Without going techno on you, I'll try to explain simply. Small business broadband (DSL or Cable are the most common) creates a path onto the internet. Like any other network cable, when you plug in that DSL or cable modem, you are plugging into millions of other computers. Most of the time you only see those computers (websites) that you want to see, but behind the scenes people are scouring the internet looking for your 'address'. It's referred to as an "IP" address, a set of four numbers that is all yours. There are people out there who run through those numbers looking for computers that are not protected and once found, depending on their intent, they seek other vulnerabilities. Looking at your files, passwords or worse, installing little programs that collect your keystrokes, monitor your browsing habits, or listen to your conversations.

Yeah, it's a scary place out here on the internet. For most small business people it's a place that we go to communicate, research, network and resource all the while people are trying to get in our back doors, front doors, IP's, ports or sockets. We lock the door on our office when we leave, put our money in the bank, protect ourselves in many ways, but are we protecting ourselves from being hacked, cracked and violated on our PC?

If your business uses common software for accounting like QuickBooks or Microsoft Money, then those people looking around know exactly where the default file locations of your most sensitive data are. Don't you think it's a good idea to take an extra step or two to protect that data?

Back to the story, the State Department detected an intrusion in their network and shut it down. Sure, they have plenty of money and staff to make such discoveries but then they also have information that it much more sensitive than the password to your yahoo email. The point is, they had a system that monitored the network and shut it down when something strange was going on.

Agency Recovers From Computer Break-Ins

Jul 11, 11:22 PM (ET)

By TED BRIDIS

WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department is recovering from large-scale computer break-ins worldwide over the past several weeks that appeared to target its headquarters and offices dealing with China and North Korea, The Associated Press has learned.

Investigators believe hackers stole sensitive U.S. information and passwords and implanted backdoors in unclassified government computers to allow them to return at will, said U.S. officials familiar with the hacking. These people spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the widespread intrusions and the resulting investigation.

State Department spokeswoman Nancy Beck said late Tuesday that officials continue to investigate the incident but that there was no indication any sensitive U.S. government information was compromised. Still, Beck said, the department changed passwords and modified some internal procedures to provide extra security.

"This case is a textbook example of our ability to detect and defeat threats before they can do any damage," Beck said.

The break-ins and the State Department's emergency response severely limited Internet access at many locations, including some headquarters offices in Washington, these officials said. Internet connections have been restored across nearly all the department since the break-ins were recognized in mid-June.

http://apnews.myway.com//article/20060712/D8IQ6MHG0.html

So what's a small business person to do? With everything else you have to worry about, spending your day watching your incoming and outgoing bits and bytes is not an option. If you are somewhat computer savvy, then perhaps you can install some basics.

A firewall - Hardware is best but Software will do. Just Google Firewall for plenty of options. I'll post what I use in the coming days.)

Anti-Virus Software - It's common knowledge that you should have this, but more people than I care to admit don't have updated versions or worse, updated definition files. (These are the algorithms to search and destroy used by the software... they change daily.) It's important to continually update your software and check for updates. I check every morning.

Anti-Spyware software - This is software protects you from a number of hazards the least of which isn't protecting your personal information. There are a number of theories as to what is and what is not spyware, but to me, anything that is tracking me is spyware. Some can be very dangerous.

If, you don't know what I'm talking about then you should seek the advice and counsel of a qualified business computer consultant. (Not me.) Someone you can hire to audit your system and make recommendations. You likely hire lawyers, accountants or doctors when you need them, well if your small business depends on your computer and the protection of the data, then you need some advise. Write me and I'll send you who I recommend.

Until then, make sure your Windows (or other) main software is up to date. Look for "check for updates." If you are using the latest version of Windows (XP) then there is plenty of assistance available in the software including a firewall and "Windows Defender." Back everything up twice. I say this because CD's go bad and also, if you back up your data and your office burns down... then you have no data still huh? Oh, that reminds me, keep it in a safe place.

Now this is where people accuse me of being a little over protective. I've been ridiculed, laughed at and made fun of because some of this but you know what, I don't care. I do these things for my own peace.

1) Password protect your computer!!! Set the screen saver to password too. It's important. If someone steals your computer and it's not password protected then, well you're exposed. Even if it was neighborhood hoodlums who steal it, if the information, private email, pictures, website, phone books were shared with people in the community or even posted online, it could cause some headaches.

• Important: Set your user account (on your computer) to no sharing. This is important because if you password protect your login but not your "my documents" folder, chances are you are wide open to intrusion. If someone were to steal your PC, they could simply set up a new login and access your data that way.

2) Password protect your sensitive files/folders. More pointedly, your QuickBooks or other accounting software files and backups. These are what intruders, whether virtual or real time will be looking for. Passwords are a great deterrent.

• FYI; I do NOT password protect every single file on my computer. I do password my QuickBooks company account as well as some spreadsheets. When I upgrade my computer in the next few weeks, I will be creating a folder that will be protected by password and encryption. Simply put, protect that information that you don't want shared with your competitors or information that would hurt your customers if it were lost (credit card and other private info.)

3) Turn off your computer at night. Now this carries with it some baggage. If you turn your computer off, then it can't run some scheduled tasks at night while you're at home and I admit it's convenient for MS to take care of the trash while I'm not using the computer. But, left on at night, your computer is subject to a number of things including getting locked up in an endless loop, overheating your hard drive or, yes, intrusion by people inside your network as well as outside if you don't do number four. I have scheduled maintenance software to run on one day a week and leave my computer on that night.

4) Turn off your broadband modem at night! Some routers allow you to set them to close the connection at night but nothing makes me feel better than seeing that little light turned off. I've even gone so far as unplugging the cable at night most nights. If you're a small (micro) business and yours is the only computer on the "network" then this will provide that extra assurance that nothing's going on in the background and no one is snooping around. ALSO, depending on your network, it may refresh your IP address to a different one each time you restart the modem. I think this is an added plus for tracking as well as targeted attacks.

I cannot stress the importance of network security enough. If not for yourself, at least do it for your customers who may not want their personal information, purchase history, credit card numbers or email addresses being used by less honorable people than yourself. It is one thing to neglect your own privacy, it's much worse than negligent when you do it for someone else.

As I said, I will post some of the software and steps I take in another post soon. If you need more information sooner, just write me and I'll be glad to assist if I can.

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This was posted by SoKy : 2:34 PM  1 comments links to this post

We have been going hard at it since I posted last week. I've assigned the new look and feel of the site to my graphics guy and I'm working on the user interface. The data manipulation script is complete and we are looking forward to receiving the updated business listings for the entire county.

Work continues to create the best place to find business information for our local community. Thank you for all your interest and I'll post updates as they become available.

1) Layout - Look and Feel 2) User Interface a) Business Listing Editor b) Site Membership editor c) Community specific information editor (TBA) d) Rate and Comment interface 3) Database upgrade to SQL a) Convert data from Bluegrass Advertising source b) Confirm Data through manual cross reference c) Stored procedure/look ups and statistical acquisition tables.

There are many more exciting features but these represent the tasks to accomplish before we can confidently release the site to the community. We are very excited about this community resource and offer our assurance that we will continue our tireless efforts to bring this to you as soon as possible, but no sooner than it is worthy of the community we love so much.

This was posted by SoKy : 11:23 AM  0 comments links to this post

On the way to your office you start thinking about the day, think of the email you sent and what you hope to have received. You think of the news websites you're going to check, then your portfolio, and all those other websites that you can't live without. Life is too short to log off each time so all your sites "remember you" and your login information. You think of the comments to blogs, forums and other 'secret' places you automatically log onto before getting busy.

You finally arrive at your office, turn on the lights and jiggle the mouse as you hang up your coat. Turning back to your monitor you see... it's black. Nothing... no problem, just jiggle the mouse a little harder... nothing. Type a few keys on the keyboard... nothing. Looking under your desk you see that it's still there but that little green light that is usually there is off. That's IT!! It got turned off. Pressing the button and hearing it spin up you go for coffee.

Getting back to your desk, expecting the familiar log in box, you are greeted with a black screen with a few words that describe that an operating system cannot be found. HUH? You try everything, turning it on and off; hitting the box, the monitor, even the keyboard and nothing happens. Oh dear, this is bad. And the techno guys don't get in for another hour and hey... how are you supposed to email the help desk without your email account? Do they even have a phone number?

Or worse... you're a small business person with no techno guys, what do you do now? Who do you call? Who do you blame? How on earth are you going to get anything done today?

Oh... but you're prepared! You backed up everything in "my documents" just last week. Yeah, that will work... no it won't. In the end, you learn later that your power supply took and dump all over your CPU, mother board and hard drive. In other words, your beloved computer was put to death by electrocution... it's toast... everything that was on it is gone.

Hey, but you got your back up right? Good, your going to need that after you replace your computer, put all that software back on (hope you saved the license keys) set up all your email accounts, logins and passwords, try to remember all those cool sites and the "special" user name and password combinations for each. Oh... and the instant messenger logins and passwords. Boy, this is going to be difficult.

I don't know how much production time is lost, especially for micro-business people, but the loss of a computer by electrocution, theft or virus infection can cost more than just dollars, it can cost and enormous amount of time. Why do you think the big companies invest so heavily in support staff? But you're a small business person, you've invested in a good computer but it would be silly to hire a help desk staff now wouldn't it.

What brings this to mind for me is not an over compulsive urge to be overly paranoid even if trained for preparedness in the military. No, I'm about to 'reformat' my hard drive. I'm going to intentionally wipe off every single one and zero off of my hard drive and start from scratch. I'm doing it for a number of reasons but one key reason is to have a fresh stating point for disaster recovery. What I mean is, when I'm done cleaning the hard drive and reinstalling all the software I use daily, I'm going to create a system recovery CD(s) so I can plug them in if (when) disaster strikes.

As a web developer, I have hundreds of little scripts, programs, files and applications that I depend on to get my job done. Just like most modern day small business person, I have hundreds, no thousands of files that I would be lost without. (My last whole system virus scan reported more than 170,000 files scanned.)

So think, your computer won't turn on right now... what can you not do without? Now, put it on a CD. No... NOW.

With tens of thousands of new viruses being released and all the little pieces and parts that can go wrong with your computer, you MUST protect that somehow, don't you think?

In the coming weeks, I'll "blog" some of my journey through this process. Follow along if you like but if you never read my blog again, please give some thought to "what if." It could save you a mountain of money. If you don't want to learn what you need to do to recover from disaster on your own, then at least find a local service company who will evaluate your needs and offer a solution to help you prepare.

In the Bowling Green and the entire south central KY area, I could recommend a few, but my new partner, ISTT is by far the most qualified if you use personal computers with Microsoft installed. They are MS certified above all others and have the tools and experience to help you prepare for the worst and recover when it does happen. http://www.isttechnology.com/ and ask for Dave Doran. Tell him I sent you.

Yes, that may seem like a huge set up for my buddy and new partner, but really, if you want your Microsoft based office optimized, safe and prepared, there really is none other than ISTT to help. I'll post an announcement about our partnership when it is finalized, until then rest assured, my recommendation comes from their ability, not our association.

Oh... Dave has a really cool truck too. I'd post the video but don't have permission. (grin)

To set this up properly: I have a year and a half year old Dell Precision Workstation 370 with MS XP Pro installed as well as Microsoft Office. Having recently begun the process of becoming a Microsoft Certified Small Business Specialist, I've invested in a number of the latest and greatest software from Microsoft. My point is, this process will be very pro Microsoft and pro PC. If you're anti MS or a member of the MAC community, I will present little that will interest you.

The next post on this topic will cover the steps I am taking to annotate the software licenses, keys, registration codes and other information including back up settings for each piece of essential software. That said, I will likely not save the settings as much as links to the sites I used to apply patches or add ons. The reason I won't save the settings is I want a clean install of all software at first which will represent my first recovery point.

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This was posted by SoKy : 8:00 AM  0 comments links to this post

In all that I had going on yesterday I was able to make my rounds and check out my "Squidoo" ranking. It would appear I finally made it below 1000 being ranked at 949. Yeah, I know, not much below 1000 but hey, it's cool.

What is Squidoo? Good question. It's kind of a mashup of blog and business user driven website covering many topics. I've only been able to locate two other local people on there but it can be interesting. I liked the fact that I could add the SoKy.biz blog feed and it would update automatically.

What caused the sudden increase from 4000 something to 949? I think it has to do with a friend of mine who visited and gave me a 5 star ranking. He is a fellow Squidoo lensmaster and can be found at http://www.squidoo.com/newspaper/.

My "lens" is at ... yeah you guessed it, http://www.squidoo.com/sokybiz/ and I have another at http://www.squidoo.com/sokynet/ ... give the links a click and let Squidoo give me a better ranking still.

I did save the screen just so I have proof, here is it...

This was posted by SoKy : 5:42 PM  1 comments links to this post

For those wanting to know what happened to the 4th of July release of Soky.Net, I posted the following at www.soky.net. I'm mildly disappointed but know that the delay is not out of a failure to give 110%, it's from the slings and arrows of fate and my own obsessive nature to be precise when it comes to code, data and new product release.

July 5th, 2006:Introducing Soky.net! The place to find local business and information for the Bowling Green, Warren County and surrounding areas in SouthCentral KY. We had a soft deployment date of July 4th 2006 but we are delaying it slightly so we can bring you a more complete site with more features.

What is this about? It's about business! Every single business in Warren county will be listed on this website. We have been working tirelessly to provide accurate information including the company name, their address, zip+4 and GPS coordinates. We have been using a data source that is unlike any other, the hand paginated data from the Bluegrass Advertising community phone book.

Once the data is confirmed and put onto the production SQL database, we will then start implementing some cool tools for you to use to find, rate and even contact local companies. We have big dreams for this website but we want to make sure that at a minimum, the core data is accurate and up to date. Bluegrass Advertising continues the process of revalidating the information even now and we expect a new source data table to be delivered in days.

Bookmark us now!!! if you buy products or do business in south central Kentucky, SOKY.NET is the place for you.

Note: There is much more planned for the website as it expands. The business information is just the first step in creating a site for our local community.

SoKy.net, llc is a website development company in Bowling Green Kentucky with an eye toward business. Our mission is to provide comprehensive business and marketing advice, products and services to the local community. We strive to bring your entire corporate image together through branding, marketing, media integration, public relations, advertising products and communications services.

This was posted by SoKy : 3:58 PM  0 comments links to this post

What is DIGG? Well, according to their Google coop profile, "Digg is a user driven news website that combines social bookmarking, blogging, and non-hierarchical editorial control. With Digg, users submit stories for review, but rather than allow an editor to decide which stories go on the homepage, the users do."

That sounds great, well if you knew what "social bookmarking", "blogging" and "non-hierarchical editorial control" means. Forget all those fancy words! Basically, you create a profile, add stories you like (yours or other peoples) and they are added to the Digg website.

I tried a while back and then even as recently as last month and was unimpressed. But like many things on the Internet, they get better or die. Digg recently released their 3rd version and it's made all the difference. Yup, I even added it to my beloved "visit often" favorites list.

A bunch of stories from all over the place neatly organized into categories and easily sorted by popularity, "Digg point" or a number of other parameters.

From a bloggers perspective, it can be a way to promote your own stories. I think I'll "Digg" this one and see what happens. What does that mean? Like I said, anyone can Digg a story, and then they are listed, sorted, read and if people like them, they Digg them. The "Ajax" button is really cool in that it records your Digg without even leaving the listing.

I can see some areas for improvement, but it looks like they are well on their way to fame and fortune. Congratulations guys!! Oh, I really liked your about us page. That picture of all of you is great!

Like this article? Digg it!

This was posted by SoKy : 6:50 AM  2 comments links to this post