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Table of Contents

1. Editor's Musings
2. Article: Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? By June Campbell
3. Recommended
4. Internet Sites Reviewed
5. Freebies and Other Good Deals
6. Joke of the Week

1. Editor's Musings

Here's hoping everyone had a great long weekend - if indeed it was a long weekend in your location.

Did anyone see planet Mars through a telescope last week? I visited our local Planetarium to use the telescopes that they made available for the public. After standing in line for 2 ½ hours, we finally got a brief look through the lens.

It's an awesome sight, especially when you stop to think that the Neanderthals were the last humans to see this spectacle. If you missed it, the pictures are available at the Hubble site: http://hubblesite.org

Anyway, back to business.

2. Where Were You When the Lights Went Out? By June Campbell

August 2003 will be remembered as the month when North America's East Coast suffered massive power failure, rendering cities, communities and businesses without power.

The repercussions of that localized event affected Internet users on a global level.

Web sites went down. Email servers were rendered inoperable. Online businesses were unable to provide customer support, process credit card transactions, fulfill orders or process refunds.

My friend in Vancouver was without email for almost a week. Her ISP's email server is situated in the East. It's a small world, after all.

It was business as usual on my web site, since it is not hosted on the East Coast. However, there could have been problems. InternetSecure, the company that processes my online credit card transactions is situated in Toronto -- a city that experienced the blackouts. Thanks to InternetSecure's backup power supply, there was no break in their ability to provide service. Obviously, they had done their homework and implemented an excellent disaster recovery plan.

I wonder how many of us have done the same?

It's equally important for small and medium sized businesses to implement a disaster recovery plan as it is for big businesses. As we see only too clearly, the unexpected can and will happen. What can we do to be ready for it?

Consider the following:

1. When purchasing services from a web host, credit card processing company or ISP, ask about THEIR disaster recovery plans. Your online business depends on your suppliers' ability to survive natural and man-made disasters including power failures, floods, fires, hackers, vandals and more.
2. Back up your computer data regularly. How many days' worth of data can you afford to lose? The answer to that question tells you how often you need to back up. And, equally importantly, store your backed-up data off site. If fire or flood damages your computer, it will also damage the stack of backup tapes sitting beside it.
3. Protect your computer with anti-virus software and firewalls. Please note that you must update your anti-virus software regularly or it will be close to useless. Typically, when you purchase anti-virus software, the package will include a year of updates. It's a good idea to update twice weekly and daily when a major virus outbreak is occurring.
4. Install security updates to your system and other software as these patches become available.
5. Appoint someone to look after your business in the event that you are unavailable for any reason -- death, illness, accident, crime victim, extended vacation, etc. Draw up a Power of Attorney giving that person the legal right to manage your affairs should it ever be necessary.
6. If you have employees, develop a written plan to be followed in case of disaster or emergency. Stipulate who should be notified, who is responsible for doing the notifying, who is responsible for contacting emergency services, etc. Without this information, your employees are likely to delay acting, believing it is someone else's responsibility. Ensure the disaster plan includes phone numbers and full contact information. Lastly, be sure your employees know where the disaster plan is stored.
7. Ensure your insurance needs are covered. Do you have business insurance? Disability insurance? Do your policies cover loss or damage to expensive technology equipment?
8. Ensure that your physical setting is protected adequately against fire, vandalism, theft, etc. Are your fire alarms functional? Do your employees know how to locate and operate fire extinguishers? Do you know exactly who has keys to your business location? Do you change the locks from time to time?
9. Before disaster occurs, locate a business or service that provides disaster planning and disaster recovery services. Consult with them to ensure that your disaster recovery plan is comprehensive and suited to your individual requirements. Google for "disaster recovery service" and you will find an assortment of businesses. As always, apply due diligence and research the company before signing a contract.

No disaster recovery plan is foolproof, but it can go along way towards protecting you. Ask Air Canada personnel. They're struggling as I write this to recover from a computer hack attack that demolished their online booking system, leaving travelers grounded for days. One can be sure the national airline will be revising their disaster recovery plan in the weeks ahead.

Do yours now.

#3: Recommended Service: Clicklocker

Clicklocker is a product/service that allows you to disable pirated or refunded copies of your digital products.

If you sell digital products, you already know that you are losing money left and right from people making illegal copies and passing them along to friends and relatives. Occasionally, a seriously dishonest person puts up a web site and goes so far as to sell your products as his or her own. And of course, there's the old problem of Internet shoplifting - otherwise known as asking for a refund then continuing to use the product.

Clicklocker puts an end to this. To explain the details would require more space than is available here. You can find the details at the link below.

Get the Clicklocker Details Here

Clicklocker is easy and fast to use, and can be used on any digital file format whatsoever. and can be used on any digital file format whatsoever.

The only disadvantage that I can see is that the automatically-generated unlocking code will add one additional step for the user to perform. When dealing with newbies, it's best to keep things as simple as possible. Still, there are no perfect answers to this complex problem of piracy. This looks like a good product for anyone who's as tired of being ripped off as I am.

Visit Clicklocker at this Link

4. Internet Sites -- reviewed by June Campbell

*** American Pet Product's Manufacturers Association
The market for pet care products and pet services is growing by leaps and bounds. Good opportunities for entrepreneurs.

*** Compare the Cost of Living
Compare the cost of living in various international locations.

*** Should You Expand into the Local Mall?
Article discusses one woman's experience expanding her online business to the local shopping mall.

*** Hubble Site
See the Mars pictures at NASA's Hubble site.

*** National Wildlife Federation Kid's Page
Great nature web site for kids.

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6. Boring Diet

Cleaning out the aviary at a zoo, the keeper finds two dead finches. He picks them up and places them in a wheelbarrow then moves on to the next cage.

When he reaches the primate cage, he finds two chimps that have died of natural causes. He puts them in the wheelbarrow with the finches.

Later at feeding time, the keeper flips the dead animals from the wheelbarrow into the lions' cage.

"Bloody hell!" roars the lion. "Not finch and chimps again!"

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