Bradshaw Cattery

Bradshaw Cattery is situated on the outskirts of Halifax in the small village of Bradshaw overlooking open farmland and set in 4 acres of private meadowland.

It is a small family run licensed and FAB registered (applied for) cattery promoting health and happiness for your cat.

The Cattery is of timber construction arranged around a central courtyard incorporating a water feature, these newly built cat chalets are of a superb high quality. Accommodating from one cat in an individual setting, to 4 cats in one of our larger family units. Each chalet consists of a heated indoor unit where the sleeping and eating areas are situated and the outside “run” area which is reached through a cat flap . The outside is spacious and fun for your cat as it houses a scratch and play tower. 24hr security is offered and smoke alarms are fitted throughout the cattery.

Visitors can visit our shop which offers everything your cat desires, from hand made cat beds, treats and toys to a special range of Swarovski crystal cat collars and charms!

They can also cater for your non-feline furry friends in our small animal unit.

Long-term borders are welcome.

They offer a collection and drop off service if required, please see our terms and conditions for further details.

Having owned precious competition horses for the last twenty five years, we know only too well the value of trust and confidence needed to leave ones animals in the care of someone else. That’s why here at Bradshaw Cattery you can rest assured that the absolute well-being and care of your much-loved cat is second nature to us.

For cats that enjoy that little extra attention Bradshaw cattery is the cats choice of a home from home. From grooming to play times we care because you care.

For more information please visit: Bradshaw Cattery.

Ever fancied being a model or an extra on your favourite TV show?

There are many different casting and model agencies and some have a very bad reputation. If your ever asked to pay a fee up front you should beware. No decent casting agent will ask for a fee or any money up front. Remember your doing the work you should get paid. Nobody in their right mind would pay to work. The idea of working is to get paid yourself otherwise your better off spending your time on something that you will benefit, not others.

Modelling can be great fun and often very rewarding as a part time hobby. If you think you could model or your child then contact ShoutUK which is a new casting a modeling agency.

Spam Blockers

As most of us are aware nearly all email accounts come with some sort of email filter setting that you can change to try and cut down spam email. Sure it works ok but spam still gets through and if someone emails you who isn’t already on your contact list well its goodbye to them as they are treated to the same curtsey as junk mail.

Never reply, never send details never send money and try not to even open them – yes I’m referring to spam. For such a small word it causes such big problems; for both business and home. Spam or junk mail or unsolicited commercial email, however it is referred to the end result is always the same, an inbox full of useless junk.

This is why owning a spam blocked is so important. With our inboxes being flooded with spam we have the frustration of removing it only to see it come back.

There are already many ways of targeting spam emails like blacklisting email addresses and web sites, banning IP addresses and scanning the words in a subject box. However spammers adapt to these anti-spam targets and change their identity.

No email application doesn’t have a spam problem and there is a spam blocker out there that will suit everybody. It doesn’t matter if you're tied to a desk or travelling the world you can still block spam effectively and quite easily. For those of you on a tight budget there are also plenty of free spam blockers that you can download for personal use.

So why exactly is there so much spam? Spam emails exist because Internet users purchase goods from spammers. By clicking on a link that is sent to you via a spam email you are proving that the email account exists and that you are regularly using it. People who post in online forums and newsgroups are also leaving themselves open to receiving spam emails as spammers will harvest these email addresses for their own use.

There is also a new form of online spam as well as the normal emails. “Phishing emails.” This form of spam mainly targets eBay and PayPal accounts. The way this works is you will receive emails entitled ‘last warning,’ ‘attention required,’ ‘password change required’ or ‘your account has been suspended.’ When you open these emails they will look like they have come from eBay or PayPal but the link will take you to their site. The pages of these emails are designed to look like eBay/PayPal meaning that the unsuspecting user will provide the hidden spammer with passwords and or credit card details.

To try and protect yourself from spam you should:

• Know who your dealing with

• Don’t believe in easy money- if an email/website claims you can earn money with little or no work it’s probably a scam.

• Be wary of entering contests that are run by unfamiliar companies – they use these to identify potential victims.

• Don’t provide credit card/bank details unless you are buying something.


MySpamBin; specialists in Spam Blockers.

Why is Spam causing such a problem on the Internet?

Out of all the emails we receive it is estimated that 60% of them are spam emails. So is there a cure to stop the spam permanently? Unfortunately there is no cure at the moment and only time will tell if there is ever going to be one. As the spam filters keep coming the spammers are getting cleverer, finding more and more ways to fill our inboxes with junk mail.

As the internet is growing and more of us are getting email accounts the spam is growing with it. The situation is getting worse rather than better. If your business/company has a website it is a great marketing tool as you can showcase your products and or services to more people who you normally wouldn’t be able to without a website. Many businesses that have a website need to have their email address on the site so that customers can get in touch with them, however this leaves them open to spam.

In order for your business to run efficiently without having to spend hours deleting spam emails you need to invest in a spam filter. Spam filters work by scanning email messages for keywords that are often used by spammers; however this can sometimes end up blocking emails from family, friends or clients.

Have you ever broken down the hours of the working day? When you really think about it an eight hour working day doesn’t mean that those eight hours are going to be spent working. In reality about 6 of those hours amount to actual work that is done. One hour is spent on a lunch break and another hour is dedicated to toilet breaks, small talk, making drinks and generally sorting things out between pieces of work. However if your business/company lacks a decent spam filter you could end up with another hour being taken up by sorting through unwanted emails to find emails from your clients, friends and family. That means getting rid of spam could take up to five hours a week, 20 hours a month which is 240 hours a year.

If you are anti spam then the way the best way to handle it is to use good anti-spam software or Spam Filter. All of your emails are sent through a series of intelligent filters to ensure you only receive the emails you want and need.

A good spam filter only costs between £30 and £50 which, when you think about all of the money you lose through loss of production, will actually save you money in the long run.

Spam messages can contain hidden viruses and Trojans, which can make your systems crash, causing lost data and down-time due to servers being overloaded with data in the form of spam.

Spam filters block 99% of spam emails as well as viruses and Trojans that can come with them. They make your computer and business network safe, giving you complete peace of mind and allowing you to get on with your work, which is what matters.

MySpamBin; home of all your Spam Filter needs.

Your Business and Web Filtering

Web filtering is one of the most controversial subjects in relation to Internet use. However with 52% of businesses reporting a misuse of Internet resources in the work environment is web filtering an essential to ensure productivity?

Web filtering, also known as content control software, determines what content will be available on a particular machine/network. It is all about access control and ensuring that users only get access to content that they need whilst stopping potentially offensive material. It stops wasted working hours that are spent browsing the internet for personal use rather than working.

Web filtering software Access policies can be set to individual user level and applied by time, date and location. Millions of URLs are categorised in 7 main categories and 70 sub categories. This continuously updated database ensures accurate control. Detailed reports also allow organisations to accurately monitor internet use. Real-time logs display which sites and downloads users have attempted to access and if they were allowed or not.

With a web filtering software HTTP and FTP requests are also scanned for viruses and spyware, allowing your business to feel secure as threats are stopped before they reach your network. It also stops the downloading of music and films meaning there is no burden on internal IT systems and more available bandwidth.

Many companies point to legal liability, productivity, and bandwidth usage as concerns that arise when employees view inappropriate web sites, shop online incessantly before the holidays, or download and play MP3 files throughout the day.

So can’t employers talk to employees instead of censoring everything? There is a potential for backlash to businesses that use web filtering. A business must identify goals while paying attention to employee concerns, only then can a company create an effective policy for acceptable web filtering use.

However many businesses will simply argue that the ability to restrict access to suspicious or malicious web sites is imperative to network security. Companies have an obligation to prevent access to offensive materials, but also need to be concerned with blocking access to malicious sites that may download malicious software, exploit vulnerabilities, host a phishing attack, or pose some other security threat to the network. Businesses argue that they need web filtering for:

• Protection against web based threats
• Protection from inappropriate or illegal web content
• Restriction of personal web access
• Complete peace of mind
• Reduced risk of illegal content entering networks
• Reduced bandwidth use
• Improved performance for legitimate Internet access

Employees may feel too pressured by web filtering; what if internet research is needed to complete a piece of work but the site has been censored by a web filter. A relaxed work environment will create better working results as your employees will be less stressed when undergoing their work tasks.

I feel that web filtering works to an extent. It does improve productivity and improves bandwidth use. For some businesses web filtering might just be the key to their success and keep them growing.

MySpamBin; home of all your web filtering needs.

Advice for new Businesses

Many businesses fail within their first five years. A few of the most common reasons as to why they fail are listed below:

• Procrastination – business owners often think they will deal with a matter later but tend to forget about it altogether. Whether it is advice about your business or marketing plans, advice on the finance that you need or advice on promotion. However, if you start leaving invoices from your suppliers you could end up with severe cash flow problems, which may overwhelm your business.
• Customer Complacency – In business there is only customers and suppliers. You should concentrate on building up a loyal customer base and then maintain their loyalty
• Location – a key to any successful business. For example having a five star restaurant in the middle of an industrial estate wouldn’t gain you your target market meaning you wouldn’t be bringing in enough money for your start-up expenses and on going expenses.
• Insufficient funding – you need to have sufficient funding to last six months, whilst you get your business operational.

Every new business needs money when they are starting up. This money will cover start up costs that are needed in order to by necessary equipment, get your workplace established and to cover your marketing costs all before your first sale is even made. When your business is fully up and running and you are taking in trade you will also need cash to pay bills and keep your business going.

There is a range of finance options open to you ; choosing the right one is the hard part but the most essential thing you will need to do for your business. Your business plan will help you do this as it is a roadmap for future development and crucial for not only gaining finance but also for getting attention and interest in your business.

A few forms of business finance that are availably to you are:

• Bank loans
• Credit cards
• Family and friends
• Venture capitalists
• Business Angels
• Personal savings
• Home equity

As well as sorting your business finance out another important decision that any business has to undergo is choosing a name for their business. This can often be a creative and enjoyable process but you need to get it right as customers will deduce a lot from your business name; remember first impressions count. You should choose a name that reflects your business strategy and not individual personality.

Another factor that needs your attention is the question of new staff. You need to weigh up whether you need new staff; thinking as far ahead as you can. You should ask yourself if you are taking on new staff to let your business grow, to replace someone, to get more of a handle on increased work load, do you want them to have new skills and also if you have enough room and equipment to cater for new staff.

There is a lot to take on board when setting up your own, new business. Everything has to be done just right, which is why there is so much planning involved; if you get things wrong at this stage your business has the likelihood to fail. This is why you need to make sure that you not only plan well but also keep records of exactly what is going on in your business such as accounting. Your accounting needs will depend on the size, type and sector of business your venture is in. It is your responsibility to make sure your business keeps accurate records.

When your business is up and running it is essential to plan and tightly manage your financial performance and stock control. Your stock control shows have much stock you have and allows you to keep track of it. You need to have the right amount of stock in the right place.

Angel Start-Ups; for all your Business Advice needs

The Importance of a Business Plan

Your business plan is your company’s calling card. It allows you to see your business through your investor’s eyes. As the name suggests it is a plan of your business; your communication tool; selling your marketing, sales and operations.

Every time you meet with a property manager about leasing space for your business or you have a meeting with a potential lender/investor it is your business plan that will do most of the talking.

Use your business plan to present your business concept in away others can understand. You should focus on exactly what you want to achieve, where you want your business to go and how you plan to get it there. Projected sales and monthly expenses will also be included in your plan. All of this information will influence your choices, including the type of location you will be looking for. Your business plan will monitor whether you are achieving these objectives and maximise your changes of success by allowing you to keep adding to it.

A business plan is the key to long term success for new and old businesses. Your business must have a foundation to start from and you have to give your business time as success will take longer then merely weeks.

If you’re a new retail business you should think about things such as will you have a walk in store? A catalogue? Will your store have an internet site? Will it enable Internet ordering? What will your delivery methods be? You should also think about who your competition is and how you are better than your competition.

Your business plan will:

• Help clarify/focus and research your businesses development and prospects.

• Provides a considered and logical framework within which a business can develop and pursue business strategies not just for the near future but throughout your business

• Serves as a basis for discussion with third parties such as shareholders, agencies, banks, investors etc.

• Offers a benchmark against which actual performance can be measured and reviewed.

Your business plan is a framework which your business must operate within. It will ultimately determine whether your business succeeds or fails. For management or entrepreneurs seeking external support, the plan is the most important sales document that they are ever likely to produce. It acts as the key to raising finance. Preparation of a comprehensive plan will not guarantee success in raising funds or mobilizing support, but having no plan at all will more than likely result in failure.

Some of the things that are worth thinking about before you start writing your business plan are:

• Clearly defining your target audience
• Determine your businesses requirements in relation to the contents and levels of detail
• Map out your plan's structure
• Decide on the likely length of your plan
• Identify all the main issues to be addressed within your plan

For many people the mere process of planning, thinking, discussing, researching and analysing can often be just, if not, more helpful than the actual outcome, which is your plan.

No businesses are the same, just as no plans are the same. Your business plan might seem like a daunting task but the results it will produce will be worth it and if you are having trouble writing the plan yourself there are many websites that offer help and, along with your help, will actually write the business plan for you.

Angel Start-ups; home of all your Business Plan needs.

Buy-to-Let Mortgages

Buy to Let Mortgages are mortgages which are specifically designed for people who want to buy a property to let it out to tenants. Buying to let can be a good investment as the revenue raised by the letting will pay for the maintenance of the property and the mortgage itself. Unfortunately like any investment, buy-to-let comes with no guarantees.

These days Buy To Let Mortgages are quite similar to normal mortgages although the interest rates will be slightly higher. The rental revenue will be taken into consideration and classed as income with regards to the buyer being able to meet mortgage payments.

If you are thinking about buying a house to let then you should do some home work first. If you are new to buy to let then this research will help you come to the right decision.

Buy-to-Let Mortgages

Netgear

Netgear are a worldwide provider of technologically advanced networking products since 1996. They are a manufacturer of computer networking equipment and other computer hardware. Their mission is to be the preferred customer driven provider of innovative networking solutions.

Some of the products that Netgear offer are as follows:

•Routers
•Switches
•Adaptors
•VPN (virtual private networking) Routers and SSL
•Entertainment
•powerline
•storage
•VoIP Skype

Netgear offer high quality products that are also friendly to the environment. Complying with local laws and reputations they recycle, reuse and reclaim products and packaging. Due to the continuing increase of electronic waste; Netgear eliminate hazardous material in their products, protecting not only the environment but also the health and safety of its employees and customers.

Netgear are also partners with the following:

PowerShift
Netgear understand how important it is to deliver and support business networking solutions that continue to provide unparalleled value to customers.

Broadband Providers
Netgear has a heritage of innovation and customer-focused success that provides a strong foundation for their complete portfolio of Service Provider and Carrier grade solutions.

All of Netgear’s products are attractively designed and enable you to connect all your home desktop computers, laptops and games consoles to each other and the Internet. You can also create a network between your computers. A network allows you to share information, applications and resources between you and your family/housemates. In order to create a network you will need one of Netgears routers.

All of Netgears products are affordable and easy to use whether you are using them in your home or business. Netgear was founded by Patrick Lo and Mark Merill. Netgear are the leaders in the market and design and develop products that enable Internet Sharing. With a network connection you will be able to surf the web, email, download media (such as music and video), play games online or connect to your employer's network. Networking your home computers and laptops will also enable you to share a single printer, scanner, files or software packages.

Netgears business products are designed to cater for businesses with up to 250 employees.

Netgear gives you freedom, peace of mind and allows you get on with what you’re doing, whether it is business or pleasure. Netgear caters for all your home Internet and entertainment needs. In the business sense it allows you to create fast, secure networks and provides you with all the adaptors and switches you could possibly need.

Synergy Technology; appointed Netgear Powershift Reseller

Construction Industry Solutions

Known in short as CIS; Construction Industry Solutions addresses a single market place, the construction industry.

The construction sectors requirements are highly specialised and CIS provide a solution that bests fits each individual client. Clients who use CIS can range from small house builders, specialist companies to the largest house builders in the country.

CIS is designed to give instant up-to-date information that allows you to manage your contracts . Knowing what money is owed to you and when it is due to be paid is one of the critical issues for any business and is no different in the construction industry. CIS eases this administrative burden.

Controlling the costs of a project can be an intimidating task for many businesses in the construction industry. Not only do businesses need to track the costs of purchases, there may be sub-contractors who need to be paid under HMRC's Construction Industry Scheme regulations, as well as raising and chasing the Payment Applications to clients. Has a Payment Application been certified? How much is the Main Contractor Discount? When is the retention due for payment? How much profit did you make on that job? These are the typical questions asked, but quickly getting the answers can be the problem when running a construction project, which is how CIS can help.

The main features that CIS provide are as follows:

• The system provides complete control for contracts management, from costing
through to payment applications, VAT invoicing and cash receipt matching.

• If you consider the percentage of overruns on construction projects then there is clearly an immense need for software that can help aid in delivering a project on time and within budget.

• Cash management is crucial if you are to make a profit in a contracting environment. Pegasus CIS has been designed to allow up to date information so that you can service and manage your contacts.

• The financial position is always available and can be analysed and integrated using user definable view screens.

• The Management Information System (MIS) provides multiple financial reporting facilities, and because the system was designed with MS Windows in mind it has an export facility to Excel.

A CIS system allows direct costs to be input against a contract, as well as costs derived from labour timesheets, purchases, stock and from sub-contractors. There is also wide ranges of analysis reports available; giving businesses views of the current status of contracts, including job performance and detailed profit analysis reports

Effective cash management can make a serious difference to the profit on a contract. Pegasus CIS gets you all the correct contract information across all stages of a job so that the status of the contract is ready for you straight away.

CIS differs from most systems as with other systems you are restricted in what data you can view as you are unable to go deeper into the critical information that you need. However a CIS system allows you to look up data from across the system; you can list screens, add filters and export information that you need straight away, which lets you see exactly what you need to.

Synergy Technology, specialists in accountancy software.

AssetWare Technology

For over 18 years AssetWare Technology has been the leader in Asset Management. Used all over the UK, Europe and many other parts of the world, AssetWare Technology helps you make informed decisions on how to move your business forward.

Asset Management is often neglected when it should be looked into more efficiently. AssetWare Technology is about being in control to monitor and organise your companies assets to maximise value. If you want quality software to help do this then look no further than Assetware Technology.

Established in 1987, Assetware Technology is the market leader in Asset Management, with AssetWare Manager being the main solutions programme. AssetWare Manager manages your entire asset reporting requirements, with it being linked to your existing spreadsheet application. AssetWare Manager allows you to do; Statutory Disclosures, Additions, Disposals, Transfers, Journal Entries and Depreciation Forecasting.

AssetWare Technology offers quality products, technical expertise and professional services. Asset Management tracks assets for IT and accounting purposes.

What Asset Management mainly does is allow users to move from the programme of their existing spreadsheets but without losing the flexibility that comes with it. It allows clients to monitor transactions, which permits your accountants and managers to easily predict changes or movements. The software has been proved to develop customer feedback whilst keeping the interface easy to use.

Asset Management can also add value to your business through such features as; reports, which will identify non-utilised assets that can be disposed of or redeployed meaning the elimination of 'dead capital,' which will save your business money.

Synergy Technology, home of all your software needs

Customer relationship management with SuperOffice SIX product suite

It is essential for businesses in this working age to manage and maintain a good relationship with customers. The term Customer Relationship Management, shortly known as CRM is fundamental for any company and without this many businesses fail.

The three main modules of CRM are marketing, sales and service. A CRM system is capable of performing all three of these modules through three communication channels, which are; direct to a customer, online or a call centre, via the phone, fax or email. CRM is not just a technology, but rather an overview of the approach to a company’s philosophy in dealing with its customers.

One product that has a clear CRM strategy that is on the market is SuperOffice SIX product suite. This software is customer oriented and creates links between customer business processes.

The design of SuperOffice SIX is more upbeat than its predecessors with a more modern interface. SuperOffice SIX is easily adaptable to the needs of your enterprise, it has a modular structure which means you only pay for the modules you need.

SuperOffice SIX contains six components, which are SuperOffice Saint, SuperOffice Audience, SuperOffice Remote Travel Module, SuperOffice Reporter, SuperOffice Mail and Sync Solutions and SuperOffice Expander.

SuperOffice SIX allows you to keep an easy track of all the interactions with customers. SuperOffice SIX is flexible and allows the user to set their own preferences, keeping their work uncomplicated.

The design philosophy of SuperOffice SIX is to focus on what is important and not have too many functions but more of what people will actually use to ensure marketing, sales and service operations can be performed efficiently.

A point that must be considered when gathering data as part of CRM is privacy. Customers want the assurance that their information isn’t going to be shared without their consent. SuperOffice SIX gives you safe and secure software.

SuperOffice SIX works along with MS Office and Outlook Express. It also supports any co-workers your company may have via the internet with a Notebook, PDA or SmartPhone.

Synergy Technology, home of all your software needs

What is Spyware?

Do you know what is running on your computer? What it is doing? Who put it there? Why did they put it there? and do they have the right to put it there?

First seen on October 16th 1995; spyware exploits your computer for commercial gain. Nine out of ten computers that have internet use are affected by spyware. So what exactly is this spyware?

Spyware is often downloaded onto your PC when you download other free software. Certain company’s place media plug ins, spyware, backdoor santa’s and Trojans onto your computer without your permission. When you see a license agreement for any software you download from the internet read it carefully. Often buried in the licence agreement will be a disclaimer saying that information about you and your browsing habits will be sent to the company's website.

Most spyware does not collect information about you; it is not stealing your name, credit cards or other personal information, however spyware has the ability to do this. The term spyware suggests your behaviour is being monitored but spyware often goes beyond forwarding information about your browsing and spending habits. Spyware can collect various types of information and interfere with user’s control of the computer in other ways such as; installing addit software, redirecting your homepage and messing with your web browser activity. Spyware can cause harmful viruses and even change your computer settings creating a slow connection and loss of internet as well as other programmes.

Running anti spyware software is now widely recognised as an element of computer security; but is spyware actually legal? The name spyware often suggests that it is however spyware is not an illegal type of software but there are certain issues that a privacy oriented user may object to and therefore prefer not to use the product. This usually involves the tracking and sending of data and statistics via a server installed on the user's PC and the use of your Internet connection in the background.

In 2005 AOL and the National Cyber Security Alliance performed a spyware study; the results showed that 61% of people had a form of spyware; 92% did not know they had this spyware as 91% of them never gave permission for spyware to be placed on their computer.

2006 saw spyware become of the biggest security threats to computers running Microsoft Windows. Spyware doesn’t spread in the manner of viruses as an infected computer doesn’t attempt to spread the infection.

Internet cookies can also be considered spyware. If a web site stores information about you in a cookie that you didn’t know about; this could be classed as spyware. Also some music CD’s allow you to get extra content if you put the CD in your computer and download extra features. This is great but what you don’t realise is that you could also be downloading spyware. Although the desirable software itself may do no harm, the bundled spyware does.

You should always read licence agreements when downloading software to minimise your risk of downloading harmful spyware. It is also advised to get an anti-spyware programme on your computer as you probably already have spyware present.

MySpamBin, for all the spyware information you will need.

A Guide to Avoiding and Stopping Spam

If you asked Internet users what annoyed them the most, I can guarantee that spam will make it into one of the top spots of anyone’s list, along with more trivial situations such as a slow connection.

So if spammers are so loathed then why do we still get spam emails on such a frequent occasion? Some countries have even made it illegal to send spam so why would people still risk it? The answer to both of these questions is simple, because it’s easy to do so and it works. Sending spam in bulk email is cheap and the spammer makes money while your business loses huge amounts every year.

As well as the devastating money loss; spam can cause your system to crash, resulting in loss of data and time due to your servers being overloaded with spam. The spreading of viruses in your businesses computer network becomes evident; destroying data, records and systems, costing you billions of pounds each year. You could also have messages, data and images hidden on your computer – things that have been sent through to your system that you know nothing about, but may be held responsible – or even lose your job. This may sound extreme but sadly these are the facts we are facing due to the ever growing abuse of spam emails.

So what can we do to protect our businesses from the threat of spam? There are certain things that you can do in order to protect your email address from spammers, such as:

• If you have to post your email address on websites replace @ with (at) and . with (dot). This way people will know that it is your email address but spammers who use these sites to harvest email addresses won’t.

• Don’t post to newsgroups or discussion lists as they are the main source for spammers to get email addresses. In 2002 a survey was done which showed that 97% of spam was sent to addresses that were posted on public websites such as newsgroups.

• Avoid getting listed in online directories or chat rooms Many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) or web-based email services have online directories that you can sign-up to when subscribing to their service. Avoid doing this as your email is likely to be harvested by spammers. Also when using chat rooms make sure that you have a display name so that your email address isn’t shown every time you post something.

• Don’t use a live email link. Avoid putting live email links on your website as it is the easiest way for spammers to harvest your email address but you have to be careful as potential customers could need that email address. There are several ways you can solve this problem, for example put a contact form on your website so that people can write messages and the appropriate person can get back to them. You could also use an auto responder, which is where if someone emails the auto responder it will reply with your company email address; spammers will fail to see this reply.

• Use multiple email address, always have separate email accounts for work and personal use. This will cut down on the amount of spam you will receive for your work account, protecting your network more.

• Don’t reply to spam emails. This may sound obvious but this goes for trying to unsubscribe to the email as this will only cause you to receive more spam as you have verified that the email account is live.

• Never buy anything. Spammers make money when people buy their products online, giving them more incentive to send more spam mail, so if no one buys their products or services they fail to have a reason to send junk email.

If you are suffering from a heavy burden of spam and none of the above has helped to reduce it then it is advised that you look into investing in a spam filter. Spam filters block almost all spam emails as well as giving you virus control. If you don’t already have a spam filter then look into the benefits of one today and stop the spam tomorrow.

MySpamBin, home of all your web filtering and spyware protection.

Business Vs Spam

The end of 2007 is vastly approaching and so is the realisation that by the end of it 50% of all our emails will be spam emails. In 2001 this figure stood at a mere 8% but with more and more of us using the Internet in our daily lives, whether it be for business or pleasure, spammers are finding more and more ways of infiltrating our inbox’s.

Spammers are costing British companies an estimated £5 billion a year as well as holding back the growth of the Internet as a business tool. Many employees are now spending up to an hour a day reading and deleting spam. The most common forms of spam email being:

• Product selling – usually pharmaceutical
• Religious movements
• Porn
• Chain letters
• Computer viruses

Obviously the best way to avoid spam is to stay off the spammers lists in the first place. To do this all staff should be encouraged to protect their company email address wherever it is possible to do so, this will reduce the chances of being targeted by spammers. A few ways in which this can be done is to avoid posting in newsgroups/discussion lists. These are one of the main sources for spammers to collect email addresses. Try not to get listed in online directories or chat rooms as your email address is likely to be harvested by spammers. If you do post on chat rooms, use a display name; do not use your email address. You can also remove @ from your email address when sending it to people via forums etc; you can replace it with at word ‘at.’ This will stop spammers harvesting your email address.

Businesses are always the worst affected by spam; it reduces employee productivity and drains networks resources as well as taking up bandwidth, meaning companies are wasting money on unproductive bandwidth everyday. Your businesses reputation could also be on the line if your computer network receives a virus that affects your outbound messages. This would mean that the virus would be sent to all the clients and other email address in your email account. You will also get more Spam if your company has a website as this is how most Spam finds its way to your email address.

Company reputations and personal reputations are on the line. Your business will lose money and revenue due to people having to filter through their emails to weed out useless Spam messages, calculating to millions of pounds per month.

With the use of a spam filter programme your business will have increased productivity, more bandwidth and of course more money. Decent spam filters block 99% of spam emails, with only 0.0003% of normal emails accidentally being blocked. Spam filters look for ‘buzz’ words such as Viagra and penis etc as well as filtering out images of a pornographic or unsuitable nature. Spam filters normally also come with virus engines to scan inbound and outbound messages; outbound message control means your companies reputation is protected so that you’re not spreading viruses to people in your email account.
Anti-spam filters are managed 24/7 and require no hardware, software, maintenance and bring no hassle. They could be the solution your business needs to win the fight against spam and allow you to get on with the more important things; the success of your business.

The solution to your spam filter needs.

Web Filtering

Web filtering is the prevention of access to offensive or malicious sites.

Did you know 25% of the total search engine requests are porn related? And that 70% of the access to porn related sites is during work hours? Or how about that 30 – 40% of employee’s web activity is not work associated? These are the facts that many employers are failing to do anything about.

Access to malicious sites leaves your companies network open to security threats that may include the download of harmful software and the exploit of vulnerabilities. As a company you have the responsibility of making sure your network doesn’t have any security threats by stopping admission to certain sites.

Not only does restricting the entry to certain sites stop your network from becoming vulnerable to security threats it also means that your employees are productive during working hours instead of wasting time browsing sites that they shouldn’t be on. Web filtering allows you to take control, you decide what the computers in your network can access and what they can’t, dependant on what your company is about and what its needs are, making it a very flexible piece of software.

Web filtering software is not only for use in a company, office environment but is also available for use on home computers in the cases of parents who want to control the content that their children can gain access to on the computer. This also applies to schools who want to stop children gaining access to sites that could not only damage the computer network but that could also put the children in danger of, for example, paedophiles.

So would it bother you if your company monitored or filtered your web access? To some the idea of Web Filtering is like taking away pens to prevent doodling. Web Filtering in the eyes of employers is a way of monitoring their employees without directly saying that they are doing so. Employers are given complete peace of mind benefits from using Web Filtering software on computer networks. The networks are protected from not only the basic web threats but also from inappropriate or illegal web content and reduces the risk of illegal content entering.

As a company money is an obvious issue and another reason why many companies decide to use a Web Filtering service. This is because by restricting the amount of sites employees have access to you are reducing the bandwidth that is being used, saving you money

The amount of time spent browsing the internet continues to rise, which makes it harder to monitor and regulate all the sites. Most web filtering checks the sites you are trying to gain access to against a list of sites that are restricted, however you may struggle with this as the volume of new sites continues to grow.

Web filtering in the workplace puts you in control of what your employees can gain access to; you are controlling their use of the internet, which makes them less likely to try and get onto non work related sites, meaning they will be more productive.

Helen Cox is the web master for MySpamBin, home of all your Web Filtering needs

This article is free to republish provided this resource box remains intact.

The History of Email Spam

The internet began as a military and educational project, it was never indented to be used for money making, and meaning there was no reason to send out commercial mail (spam). There was no such thing as spam, just emails of a non commercial nature.

The story behind the term ‘Spam’ is one that resolves around the comedy sketching of a British comedy act called Monty Python. In this particular sketch a man and his wife are in a restaurant trying to order, but everything they order had spam in it and while trying to get an order that lacked spam there are Vikings singing in the background; “Spam spam spam spam. Lovely spam! Wonderful spam!” This episode of Monty Python was around when the internet was merely a few computers connected together via telephone wire.

It is believed the first spam email was written when the internet was called the ‘Arpanet.’ It came from an employee of Digital Equipment Corporation. The email was meant to be sent to everyone on the Arpanet; however some names were cut off as space was limited.

The accurate term for email spam is Unsolicited Bulk Email (UBE), though you'll see the term Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE) used more often.

The multi-level marketing crowd and the porn pushers; these are the scammers that spam is most popular amongst because it costs them so little to send. This is because they send it by stealing the resources of others.

In 1986 a man named Dave Rhodes became one of the first people to send what is now regarded as a dreadful form of spam messages. Dave Rhodes was a supposed College student, however there is no record that a Dave Rhodes attended the college he said he did or that he actually existed at all. The email that he was claimed to have sent was advertising a Pyramid Scheme. This message was sent to a newsgroup called Usenet. Sadly a lot of people probably sent their hard earned cash to Dave Rhodes only to get nothing in return.

In 1993 a man called Richard Depew wrote a program that would delete postings from newsgroups; ironically this programme had a bug in it and ended up posting 200 messages to the News Admin Policy Newsgroup. This is the first instance of messages being called ‘spam.’

In 1994, two men known as Cantor and Siegel became two of the most hated users of the internet after posting an advertisement to 6,000 newsgroups all at the same time.

Today spam is worse than ever with over 90 million spam emails being sent every day. It is also estimated that Microsoft creator Bill Gates receives four million emails per year, with spam making up a large majority.

Over 85% of emails are spam and this number shows no sign of slowing down.

For all of your Spam Filters needs

This article is free to republish provided this resource box remains intact.