Once again, as a protective dad, I felt compelled to post an article that showcased a couple of decent “SOS” apps that can help protect our children. These are fairly self-explanatory, but here’s a quick 30,000 foot view:

You simply install one of these apps on your kid’s phone, configure it once and all they have to do is click a single button if they are ever in trouble and need help. Clicking the SOS button will immediately send an SOS message with an exact GPS location (map) to pre-configured contacts.

That’s it.

I’ve tested the app for Droid and it works great. I must say, having this installed gives a protective parent greater peace of mind.

SOS App for Smartphones

SOS app for the iPhone

(SOS-Pro, by i2e Consulting LLC | $0.99 )

SOS app for Android

(One Touch SOS, by IDEOPHONE | FREE)

SOS app for Blackberry

(Personal Guardian, by SnapSecure | $89/yr – 15 day free trial)

As always, if you think this article might help others, please SHARE (below).

Cheers,
“Daddy” D

Do you use more than one domain name for a single website?

Are you certain that this “pointing” is done correctly? I ask because this scenario comes up almost daily in my business and I see folks getting virtually punished for not knowing about nor implementing this “redirect” correctly.

There is a belief that having more than one domain name “pointing” (like domains with keywords within) to a website will give your site better rankings on Google.

Is it true? No.

The end. =)

How important are domain names for getting found?

Click to find out how important domain names are in getting found on Google

Do you use WordPress CMS? Do you log in with username “admin”? I thought I’d mention how important it is to NEVER use that username ADMIN while logging into WordPress. This username often comes standard within auto-installs of this CMS. Leaving this name as is exposes a giant vulnerability for nasty hackers to gain access to the backend of your site.

How to fix?

Click here to find out how to fix this vulnerability in WordPress

Tips for saving time, money and frustration when it comes to choosing a decent web hosting company

I’m often asked to recommend a good web hosting company, so I thought I’d write a post describing exactly what you should look for when choosing a good web host.

First, I think it’s important to understand exactly how a website & hosting works (just 30,000 foot view)

Although it’s technically very complicated, there are really three main components that make a website work:

• domain name
• website files and data
• web host

Think of it like what it takes to make your cell phone work.

You need the following:

• a phone number (i.e. domain name)
• a phone (i.e. website files/db)
• phone service (i.e. web host)

Make sense?

When I mention there are many crummy web hosts out there, believe me there are… and I’ve used just about all of them. From lousy hardware and servers, cr@ppy software, poor customer support to lack of proper backups, bad web hosts are indeed available to take your money and it’s up to YOU to stay away from them. It is a very important decision you need to make when it comes to hosting your website, so choose a great one when you do.

Quick note:Don’t ever try to host your own small business website.

No matter how many IT guys tell you that they can do it “in house” do a better job, it’s cheaper, safer or that you’ll have more control… don’t believe them. They are wrong! These days there is no room for error. There are so many components involved in web hosting (some that many IT folk aren’t even aware of) It is far better, safer, cost effective for you to leave it to the pros.

Click here to save time, money and frustration when choosing a decent web hosting company

Did you know that you can perform a search *using* an image?

Yep. Simply put, you can drag and drop an image onto the homepage of Google Images and it will be uploaded and deliver search results based on viewing the image itself.

Learn it in about a minute™

Enjoy,
//D

Let me answer that question with 3 questions:

How often do you go to Facebook.com to:

• shop?
• find products/services?
• click on ads?

The end.

//D

Do you have more than one Facebook account? Have you been falsely logging into different accounts for your business? Well, as I’ve mentioned before, you are risking having Facebook shut down *all* of your accounts. Luckily for you, Facebook has implemented a way for you to convert that account into a business page.

Why should you convert your (false) personal account(s) to Facebook Page(s)?

Personal accounts are meant for actual people, they really don’t meet any business requirements. (and Google can’t see personal profiles) Facebook “Pages” have far more features available for organizations, businesses, brands and public figures.

If you have a personal account for anything other than *you* (a real person), it is a violation of Facebook’s Terms. Quote from Facebook: If you don’t convert your noncompliant account to a Page, you risk permanently losing access to the account and all of its content. 

Read on to learn how to stay compliant and convert your (false) Facebook profile to a Facebook Page

Buffer is a FREE APP that offers a way to schedule your Tweets, posts and any other web-based information you wish to share. You simply fill up your Buffer with a click of a mouse and the BufferApp automatically posts them for you throughout the day. (at the best times for your particular audience)

Why should you care about Buffer?

1. Social networks / micro blogs typically work on a timeline, (latest posts on top) which means that *most* of your audience never sees your posts and shares.
2. If you’re like me and can only research and post every so often, then scheduled posts work much better.
3. How much better? By scheduling your posts correctly, you can increase the number of views and clicks by 200%, double your retweets and significantly increase your Klout score.

Learn More About How Buffer App Can Help Your Social Networking…

Learn it in about a minute™

Have you ever wondered how you can have a YouTube video inserted into your website? No, it’s not magic, it just takes a few steps and is very easily done. This article will illustrate exactly how to embed a Youtube Video on your WordPress site.

Watch this short video to see how easy it is to embed a YouTube Videos into your WordPress website:

Learn the step by step process to embed a Youtube video within WordPress

How to Use Google Sesame to log into your Google Account securely via your computer, smartphone and a QR Code.

(when you’re at a location you don’t quite trust… like a hotel or Internet Cafe)

Since this article was written, Google has shut this project down, but with a promise of something better. I thought I’d post anyway, just to illustrate the awesomeness and how Google takes security very serious.

Learn it in about a minute™

Ever get the creeps logging into your Google Account when you’re at a location you don’t quite trust? (I think we all have) Well, Google is working on solving this. They are experimenting with what they call “Sesame.” (as in Open Sesame)

30,000 foot view:
You use your computer, your cell phone’s keyboard and a QR code to log in. (#genius)

Step by step:

• Visit: http://accounts.google.com on your computer
• A dynamic QR code is delivered to that page
• You take your phone and QR code reader and scan it
• Your phone delivers the Google login page
• You key in your Google login info (through your phone)
• Your computer screen is refreshed with you safely logged into your Google Account

Nice!

Hope that helps,

//D

A New Game-Changing Social Network from Google

WAIT, WHAT— ANOTHER SOCIAL NETWORK?!?

You may be saying to yourself: “I’m barely able to deal with Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter… why should I learn another?”

Google+ truly is a game-changing social network that makes sharing on the web far easier with much less noise. How is it a game-changer? Google is the most popular search engine in the world and anything you post “publicly” on G+ is indexed way up there within Google’s Search Results. (So ask yourself: why wouldn’t I want better results on Google by posting on G+?)

You can share your insights, links and photos, chat with up to 9 people at once via G+ Hangouts and divide your contacts into G+ Circles. There are also tons of G+ Games and Instant Search always available within Google+ and the G+ mobile version of G+ has made available G+ Instant Upload and G+ Messenger to make your sharing experience easier

A quick peak at Google+

Learn more about the awesomeness of Google+

Have you been wanting to learn some specific software, but your schedule won’t allow it? Or want to gain a new skill but can’t afford or have time for school? While you can find answers out on the web, they are often difficult to find, unorganized and incomplete. Well, I can tell you from experience that lynda.com is the place to visit if you really want to learn. This website offers online software training videos that really work… and they are available 24/7! The collective instructors at lynda.com are simply the best at what they do and have assembled a superb and well organized curriculum.

Even organizations like Amazon, Starbucks, Disney, Google, Turner and Yale use this service!

Click to Read More About the Awesomeness of Lynda.com

An unbelievably cool way to communicate… for FREE!

Google Voice provides a single number for all of your phones You can use it on your mobile devices, (and you can port your existing mobile number(s)) your work, your home and VOIP lines. You can even just plug a headset into a computer, dial and make phone calls *without* a phone! Google Voice isn’t tied to a specific device or location… it’s tied to YOU.

I’ve used this exclusively for over a year now and it ROCKS! Very easy to use and loaded with cool features. Oh yeah, I’m also saving about $3500/yr in phone bills! (truly)

Here are some short and sweet videos explaining how it all works:

Or, if you just want to go for it, visit Google Voice now.

Click Here to Learn More About Google Voice

Fret not… for below are Plain English Explanations that may ease your mind. Or perhaps make you even more creeped out, depending on what you think about all of it. =)

The Takeaway: It’s pretty clear… Facebook users are all here mainly because their friends are here. OR they want to market their company to tons-o-customers. Founder, Mark Zuckerberg, thinks the world should be more “open and connected” (FB wants to become the portal for everything on the web, use your information to allow marketers to push a very personal experience and make a sh*t-load of money.) But maybe all of this “sharing” isn’t really for you and it’s just all too creepy!

Read on and you can make informed decisions about moving forward with Facebook.

Know someone who is looking for work or maybe their business is suffering?

I think we all do

Times are obviously tough, but do you realize the you have the power to absolutely help others find work and/or potential customers on Facebook? If you’re efficient you can do all 3 within 60 seconds. (and seriously… who doesn’t have one minute within a day to help a friend?)

Learn How to Help Others Using Facebook

Keep your kids safe!

Did you know that your privacy may be at risk when you take and post an image online from your smartphone?

How

Because of the GPS Geo-tag data that is embedded within each image.

Why is it dangerous?

Because bad people can use this data to track down exactly where the picture was taken via Google Maps. Yep, it’s scary.
Read On to Learn How to Protect your Family’s Safety

Do you want to have your website automatically redirect to another site or specific page? (read on)

Redirects are fairly simple. BUT you need to know what type of file types you are using (php, asp, cfm, etc.) OR if your webhost uses to “cPanel” you can this without knowing code.(watch quick video) One important note to consider when doing this is to not only think about the redirect but how the search engines will treat the redirect. Most folks want to get (and keep) the best search results they can and implementing redirects can affect those search results. Google and the others look very carefully at redirects to make sure that their results point to valid content. How do implement correctly? “301 Redirects” (The 301 tells search engines that the page has *permanently* moved to a new location and keeps your search engine results in tact) There are other redirect types, but for this post, we’ll just deal with 301s.

So What Exactly Do I Need to Do To Correctly Redirect My Site??

Read On to Correctly Create Redirects

Does your Facebook Business Page automatically redirect to Facebook’s Homepage? Or can you only see your page when you’re logged in?

This question has popped up many times from clients in the past few months so I decided to write about it.

**NOTE, since this article was written, Facebook has implemented a “log in” pop-up window, (to get folks to either join or log in) but this doesn’t mean that the page isn’t public. (users and Google can see your content) You can simply close the window or log in.

If this is happening to your business page, this is obviously bad for your site’s search engine results. In other words if the search engines can’t see it, then your customers (and many potential others) can’t find it either!

How to check to see if your page is view-able without being logged in: Make sure you’re logged out of Facebook.com *then* visit your Facebook Business Page. If you can see the page, you’re good.

If you see a prompt to log into Facebook while trying to view your business page, then you should read on.

The Takeaway:

QR codes (Quick Response codes) are simply specific matrix bar codes that can be read by “QR Readers” (via devices like your smart phone) to quickly show you information about something, someone or somewhere. Very cool!

How is this useful for small a business?

For one thing, you can create these codes and place them on your store fronts and link to a Google Place Page or perhaps a special discount product you’re offering? (It can give your customers a feeling of being involved in a virtual treasure hunt)

(note: 5 Star Auto Rocks! — One of the Last Honest Auto Shops Around)

QR code is trademarked by Denso Wave, Inc.

Some Types of QR Code Actions:

• Browse to a Website
• Bookmark a Website
• Make a Phone Call
• Send an SMS
• Send an E-Mail
• Create a vCard
• Create a meCard
• Create a vCalendar Event
• Google Maps
• Bing Maps
• Geographical Coordinates
• iTunes App URL
• iTunes App Review URL
• Android Market Search
• Foursquare Venue URL
• Youtube URL for iPhone
• Encode Latest Tweet of a User
• Tweet on Twitter
• Twitter Profile Image Overlay
• Create Blackberry Messenger User
• WIFI Network for Android
• Free Formatted Text

Create Your Own QR Codes

QR Code Readers for iPhones

QR Code Readers For Androids

Have a great idea for a QR code? Leave a comment below!

Cheers!

The Takeaway:

To broaden your search without getting too far away from your original query, use the tilde (~) character before a specific word

Wanna make searching more effective, easier and faster? Use Google’s Synonym Search.

It’s very easy!

While you can certainly make great use of “Operators” like the + and – characters to modify your search, (adds or removes words from your search) you can also make quicker work of this by simply using the tilde (the ~ character) directly before the word for which you want Google to also find synonyms.

Example: you can search for “~cheap christmas trees” and Google will also return results like:
- cheap christmas trees
- inexpensive christmas trees,
- affordable christmas trees, etc.

It’s really helpful when you want to broaden your search results without getting too far away from your original search. Pretty cool!

Have search examples of your own that might help others? Feel free to share below.

Cheers!