To The Moon And Back

Just when I think I’ve had enough of spam emails, they start invading my blog comments. If you’re new to spam comments, you’d think that they are real. Who wouldn’t want to read about these?

Wow, what a great post! I’ll definitely come back for more

I’ve added your site to google reader. Keep posting!

That’s a very interesting post. It helped me a lot.

But if you click on the links of these supposed to be bloggers, you’ll most likely see gambling and porn sites. So what you do is reject these comments or move them to spam. But they only get better in making you click their links. They now send you these:

You wasted my time on this post. You should be ashamed.

No freaking way. I’m absolutely disagreeing. Next time when you post something think about reaction of readers

Please stop saying stupid things! After reading your posts I want to laugh! You are trying to act and talk like an experienced person, but it does not work in your case. You can’t imagine how funny you look. I didn’t want to say anything bad but words just came out of my mouth! You must be crazy!

Now, who wouldn’t be shocked to see that on your comments? The first time I got those, I thought I was doing something wrong. They sounded like they are attacking me so I forgot for a moment that they could be spam. I immediately clicked on their link and surprise, surprise, a gaming site. I should’ve known. But that was before.

If you’re anything like me, then the following plugins will help you.

Akismet - this comes as a default Wordpress plugin. It usually catches all spam comments but don’t expect miracles. Spam bots are getting wiser each day that you’d still receive a couple from time to time.

Akismet uses a unique algorithm combined with a community-created database to “learn” which comments are comment spam and which are legitimate.

What you can do is make sure not to delete the spam comments that were not caught by Akismet. When you mark them as spam, the information will be sent to Akismet community so it will be blocked in the future.

Peter’s Custom Anti-Spam - prevent spam comments by displaying random words as an image. Before a user can submit their comment, they need to type in the exact characters that they see on the image. It also has a generated audio for visually impaired users.

Math Comment Spam Protection - A great plugin to test the visitor if it’s a human being or a spam robot. You don’t have to like Math to like this plugin. The questions are fairly easy that I’m use everyone can answer them.

Spam Karma 2.3 - designed to stop all forms of automated blog spam effortlessly. Well, that’s what the main website says. I haven’t tried this personally.

Simple Trackback Validation Plugin - I used to think that trackbacks are good for my blog until they start to get really messy, having trackbacks from illegal sites, etc.

Checks if the IP address of the trackback sender is equal to the IP address of the webserver the trackback URL is referring to.

This reveals almost every spam trackback (more than 99%) since spammers do usually use bots which are not running on the machine of their customers.

Retrieves the web page located at the URL included in the trackback. If the page doesn’t a link to your blog, the trackback is considered to be spam. Since most trackback spammers do not set up custom web pages linking to the blogs they attack, this simple test will quickly reveal illegitimate trackbacks. Also, bloggers can be stopped abusing trackback by sending trackbacks with their blog software or webservices without having a link to the post.

I just finished designing a table top display for our company’s exhibit on August. We’re hoping that we’d be able to get lots of good leads here just like last year’s. We’re really counting on this event to bring in new clients which eventually will fund our version 2 projects. The initial plan was to use a 10′ curve graphic display like the ones from Camel Back Displays but realized that it would be too big for what we have to offer. We opted for their simple table covers instead because of the size and the fact that it’s so much easier to setup.

If you’re looking for your next trade show exhibits supplier, CamelBack Displays is a great place to start. They don’t only offer factory priced trade show furniture but also director chairs, literature holders, lighting and table covers too. If you don’t think you can handle the design, CamelBack Displays have many skilled designers that can work on your designs from website to logo to brochure to trade show graphics. Everything that you need for your next exhibit and tradeshow can be found from their site.

Let me share with you my latest blog find. Mostly Lisa. This is her in a nutshell - blogger, vlogger, photographer, media producer, actress, model, and geek. She’s a true geek, only hotter! I wish I can post my photos working on my laptop wearing a two-piece suit too but that would be me, five years too late. I also love her “advertise on my back end” idea while talking about ways on how to monetize her blog.

Anyway. The reason why I’m so ecstatic about mentioning her is the fact that she’s the second blogger/website owner that I’ve read of who got a Macbook for free. The other girl (who was equally gorgeous) whose name escapes me right now, made these special artworks that you can stick on laptops and she got a Macbook Pro in return. At least she did something. Lisa on the other hand only have to mention on her blog how she wants to have a Macbook Air and what do you know, someone actually sent her one! Just like that. It helped that she’s really hot of course. She probably never needed any acne treatment her whole life. But who knows what the intentions were behind the sender of the MB Air? I’d do almost anything on my blog just to get one too.

Here’s another reason why Internet services wins hands down. The bargains. Everything seem cheaper and discounted because you don’t have to pay for extra equipments and or rent physical offices just to do your business. Take a look at this credit repair website. Normally, bad credit repair services cost $500-$1000 but because they have eliminated some of the additional expenses, they can afford to offer their services at a low price. This website, which can be found at repairyourbadcredity.com would be my first choice if ever I find myself in need of fixing my bad credit. Why? Read below.

As I mentioned already, the price is so much more affordable. They guarantee that if they can’t fix your credit, not only will they give your money back but they will also throw in $50 for your wasted time.

I also liked how they explained the process of repairing a bad credit. Most websites will bombard you with legal terms on bad credit repair until you feel too intimidated to signup. What repairyourbadcredit.com does is go through all your credit reports and legally remove all negative and inaccurate information. These negative data is what lenders usually look for when you apply for a loan and without these, you’d have higher chances to get approved.

With a clean credit, you can get approved for almost anything and save tons of money because of the lower interest rates. You don’t have to stick with your bad credit rating for long, now that there’s a way to fix it.

I’ve been asked by clients multiple times how they could improve their business. I may be an expert on how to put their site out there but my knowledge in converting leads to sales is about 1%. We all probably could benefit by reading the book “7 Steps to Get More Clients and Grow Your Business” by Charlie Cook. This book will help every online entrepreneurs discover small business marketing ideas to make their businesses more successful. Aside from the free ebook, you can get access to proven marketing ideas by subscribing to the site’s newsletter and visiting their marketing blog.

I would definitely want to peek at the “Insider Secrets to Creating Websites That Sell”. I know a couple of tricks here and there but I’m welcome to any additional information, including proven techniques to attract clients and sales. It is after all my responsibility as a web designer to create and transform websites that will not only look nice but also good in generating profit. This quick guide on advertising is a good source too if you want to learn the basics in marketing your business.

I learned by visiting Yugateh.com that Globe Telecom will now exclusively offer iPhone in the Philippines. These iPhones are legit unlike those being sold in Virra Mall at around $800.

I got this online from Walt Mossberg’s review.

But the iPhone has a major drawback: the cellphone network it uses. It only works with AT&T (formerly Cingular), won’t come in models that use Verizon or Sprint and can’t use the digital cards (called SIM cards) that would allow it to run on T-Mobile’s network. So, the phone can be a poor choice unless you are in areas where AT&T’s coverage is good. It does work overseas, but only via an AT&T roaming plan.

Since Globe already acquired the rights to offer iPhone here, I bet loads of people will want to switch their providers just to get their hands on it. However, I doubt if they will offer the new 3G iPhone considering how long it took them to bring the famous iPhone here. It’s also possible that the offer will only be extended to high end, Platinum Globe users. Meaning, you’d have to shell out more than Php5000 ($119+) a month for two years when you can get it for about $800. So really, it all boils down whether you want to be legit or not. I personally have been waiting for iPhone to reach the Philippines but after reading tons of reviews, the only advantage that I can see is how sleek it looks. I’m starting to feel like I could benefit from an HTC instead.

A beach resort in Bohol, Philippines.

I remember the exact moment when my husband took this photo. We were strolling down the beach right just before our little girl’s afternoon nap. The sun was shining so bright that it reminded me of the days when I do nothing but daydream about the beach. The nights were so quiet in Bohol. Even with generators, which are normally always loud, we can still hear the crashing of the waves and cheerful chirping of crickets from our room.

Check out more Wordless Wednesday entries here.

Face it. We’re all busy people and most of the time; we tend to rush things at the very last minute. This usually works fine but when it comes to travel deals and cheap flights, the early birds really catches the worm.

If you’re traveling in Australia, there’s no need to worry about last minute flights. There’s a website called lastminute.com.au that specializes in smart, affordable and inspirational travel packages including last minute deals and promos. You’d never find yourself stranded in a foreign place without accommodation, thanks to their last minute accommodations. They feature hotel deals of the day and Secret Hotels™ deals where you can get up to 75% off on hotel room rates. If you have no idea where you want to stay, you can choose from lastminute.com.au’s top 5 family fun hotels and top 10 hotel hotspots.

Lastminute.com.au offers a wide array of holiday deals in Africa, Asia, Europe, South Pacific and North America. To give you an example of their amazing travel deals, check out the Fiji - Outrigger on the Lagoon package. It’s such a great steal because you’ll only pay three nights for a five-night stay at the Outrigger on the Lagoon, a stunning five-star resort with white sandy beaches.

Aside from cheap flights, hotels, car for rent and other travel deals, lastminute.com.au offers unique gifts and vouches that you won’t find in any shop. From mobile massages in your home to quad bike adventure tours, sky walk experience to Australian Outback adventures, you can bet that your gift will not only be the best present received but also will be the most memorable one.

I’ve been rambling on and on almost all my posts about how I love the Internet. But really, it can’t be all about love right? So I moved away from my computer for a couple of hours and thought about the things that I don’t like about the World Wide Web. It’s hard because I’m so addicted to anything that has to do with online so if you want to add anything to this list, tell me!

1. Perverts. They are all over the Internet disguised in so many ways. They could be a so-called agent who needs your almost nude photos for their website. It could be the 32-year-old sweet man from the chatroom but was actually a 55 somethings who badly needed alcohol rehab. Worse, I’ve heard of sick men snagging photos of children from parenting blogs and replacing their bodies with naked pictures so they can sell them to equally sick clients.

2. Spam all year round. Whether it’s through email, blog comments, website contact forms, they will flood you with messages so you can visit their website for much needed hits and sale.

3. Lack of personal connection. As much as I love meeting new friends over the Internet, there’s just something weird about a room full of people who doesn’t even smile or nod at each other because they’re so busy looking at their machines. I’m talking about Internet cafes. Isn’t it supposed to be a place where people can hang out, meet new friends over coffee, etc?

4. Piracy. I don’t really hate this because I can’t say that I haven’t, in my whole life, enjoyed a nice warez or two. Still, software companies are losing money from piracy. I know this for a fact after working for several companies for eight years.

5. Related to above. Plagiarism. Everyone can steal your content, artwork, music, and photo and pass it off as theirs.

6. Identity Theft. Nothing worse than having someone steal your identity just because you used your credit card, etc. Remember the movie THE NET? Everything is so advanced I’m starting to feel that that the movie could happen in real life.

7. Scam artists. It’s so much easier to cheat on people in the virtual world. You don’t have a physical address where people can hunt you and ask for their money back. Whenever you do a transaction online, you are accepting that you can get scammed 50% of the time.

8. Virus, Browser Hijacks, Porn. Visit a not so legit site and voila! You’ll have porn banner ads whenever you load a new browser. Of course, you can always do your best to secure your machine by installing every anti virus, pop up blocker, spyware sweeper, etc. Still, the virus makers are getting smarter each day that as soon as you feel safe, you’ll find new virus names on your computer next month. Thank god for constant software updates!

9. Thanks to email lags or server problems, it’s so much easier to pretend that you didn’t receive an important email or message. Slackers and plain lazy people grab at this opportunity every chance they get. I’ve heard about this conversation many times: “boss - where are the new changes to the website, employee - oh, I didn’t get that email? Can you please re-send?” This will give the slacker another 24 to 48 hours to slack off before he work on the changes.

10. Stalkers. See #1 for related info. People can find you in Friendster, Multiply, MySpace, and Facebook. That’s a good thing. But not if it’s a psycho ex-girlfriend / boyfriend whose main purpose in life is to ruin you by hacking your emails and blogs, join the same community you’re in and spread lies about you, be-friend or steal your online friends, and many more. No, it never happened to me but I know two people who had.

So you see, Internet could be bad. But don’t let these things stop you from enjoying the Internet. Just be informed on what you can do to protect your identity, your kids and your machine from these threats.

I received another call from my friend today and asked if I’ve already decided to pursue overseas work. I haven’t really thought about it even with so many options to choose from. The company where I telecommute just recently opened up a physical office in Chicago, and asked me if I see myself moving there in a year or so. I honestly don’t know. Aside from the fact that I can’t leave my daughter just yet, I’m still happy where I am that I don’t see any reason why I should move. But we’ll see what happens next year.

Just in case I accept the offer and find that I didn’t like it, there are tons of Chicago Web Site Design companies that I could check out. That’s the good thing in finding a job these days. You can spread your resumes all over the web in just a matter of few clicks. In fact, I’ve been receiving lots of design requests from potential clients who “found me” online. I’m starting to think that I can afford to go solo with all the side design projects landing on my lap. I’m just hesitant because nothing beats having a steady job and paycheck even if you don’t have a lot of projects.

If you need sideline projects, do check out: sitepoint.com,getafreelancer.com, guru.com, and the one that started it all, e-lance.com. I honestly believe you’d never run out of job online if you just know where to look.