15Degrees-NORTH Blog

May 1, 2010

Death of the sales letter

I recieved this in my inbox the other day.

Dear, Mark

Are you still using long salesletters?

If you are you could be costing yourself tons of cash. People do not respond well to long salesletters anymore.

However, you can increase your sales by 2-3 times just by using a simple video.

http://www.#########.com

Salesletters are a thing of the past and just do not work anymore. The internet marketing scene is changing before our eyes.

If you do not start learning how to use videos for your marketing methods you will become extinct like the dinasours.

You see videos just work better....

Do you believe that? I don't myself simply because the sales process does not work like that. People like storys and they also like to read something and then put it down and come back and read it again. We just don't iteract with video in the same way. So I won't be rushing to buy this course myself. Now video and a sales letter yes, video on its own hmmm

Mark

Mark at 4:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Internet Marketing | TrackBack (0)

April 12, 2010

How Secure is your Server?

Hackers are EVERYWHERE! Hackers, script kiddies. They are out there and they are trying to get at you. Here is just one of our server logs from one of our dedicated servers.

--------------------- SSHD Begin ------------------------

Illegal users from these:
Invalid/none from 15degrees-north: 4 Time(s)
Invalid/none from adms: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from adnan: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from agos: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from alessa: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from alessandro: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from alf: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from alfredo: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from allumin: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from alton: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from amas: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from amei: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from amina: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from anti: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from anwar: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from appl12i: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from applmgr: 16 Time(s)
Invalid/none from applprod: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from armm: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from at: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from at1: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from aushilfe: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from av: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from av1: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from babu: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from bacsagro: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from bafps: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from banco: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from biotech: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from bit: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from bit1: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from bit2: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from bit3: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from bonebrake: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from bpi: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from bswm: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from bushra: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from car: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from caraga: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from cassa1: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from cassa2: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from cicione: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from cinzia: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from club: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from cosmos: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from daea: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from dan: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from darmes: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from darnnel: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from dasusr: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from davide: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from daweb: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from db2as: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from db2eldok: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from db2fenc1: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from db2fenc2: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from db2fenc3: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from db2inst1: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from dbhatt: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from delta: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from dmitry: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from drew: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from ellen: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from emran: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from ennio: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from evgeny: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from evilde: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from federal: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from felice: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from fida: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from fjs: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from fos: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from fpa: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from fra2: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from franc: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from franci: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from frank: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from franz: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from froilan: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from ftp-test1: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from ftp-test2: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from ftp-test3: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from ftp-test4: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from ftptest: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from g4l: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from gabriele: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from gatti: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from ge: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from ge1: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from genero: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from genof: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from geometra: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from gianluca: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from giuseppe: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from goulibo: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from grazia: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from heidi: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from hennlich: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from host: 4 Time(s)
Invalid/none from host.15degrees-north.com: 2 Time(s)
Invalid/none from huabo: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from hvcc: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from imistemp: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from infra: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from it1: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from itcaf: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from itcph: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from ja: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from janson: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from jarek: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from jersey: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from jing: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from jw: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from kamuser: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from komat: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from kplus: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from kurt: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from ldc: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from legname: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from leszek: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from lidong: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from lisa: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from liu: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from liujun: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from lj: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from luana: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from luca: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from lucca: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from luciana: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from luciano: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from luigi: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from luzern: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from mako: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from marcing: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from mariap: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from marilena: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from mark: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from markh: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from massimo: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from matth: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from mav: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from mca: 16 Time(s)
Invalid/none from mediabank: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from medina: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from mei: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from meili: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from melanie: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from mercuri: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from midas: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from miles: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from morpheus: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from mrdp: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from mrodrigu: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from mstr: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from mtaylor: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from mths: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from mttp: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from music: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from myoung: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from nabcor: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from nafc: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from nagios: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from nda: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from nia: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from nla: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from nmis: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from nnc: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from nut: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from ora: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from oraprod: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from oubiwann: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from pasqua: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from pasquale: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from pca: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from pcic: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from peggy: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from pfda: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from pierino: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from pqs: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from privoxy: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from prova: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from quagga: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from radiusd: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from raffa: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from rahim: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from ranga: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from reid: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from rmes: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from root2: 10 Time(s)
Invalid/none from rosanna: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from rosario: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from rossella: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from ruhina: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from samira: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from santino: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from savina: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from sax: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from scaballa: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from services: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from seuser: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from shahriar: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from shamim: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from shawn: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from siderurg: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from sios: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from sky: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from smsc: 16 Time(s)
Invalid/none from spencer: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from spider: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from sshuser: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from steve: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from stru: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from sue: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from suresh: 16 Time(s)
Invalid/none from sylvia: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from takagi: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from tanla: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from terry: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from thomas: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from tim: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from tmca: 16 Time(s)
Invalid/none from tomek: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from tracy: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from umberto: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from user: 10 Time(s)
Invalid/none from utility: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from weblogic: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from wengxk: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from www: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from yamada: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from yarn: 8 Time(s)
Invalid/none from zoe: 8 Time(s)
invalid/none from unknown: 1886 Time(s)

Received disconnect:
11: Bye Bye
::ffff:203.198.166.17 : 1872 Time(s)
::ffff:211.239.121.186 : 48 Time(s)

---------------------- SSHD End -------------------------

------------------ Disk Space --------------------

/dev/sda7 2.0G 304M 1.6G 16% /
/dev/sda1 1012M 46M 915M 5% /boot
/dev/sda8 41G 3.5G 36G 9% /home
/dev/sdb1 147G 6.3G 133G 5% /backup
/dev/sda6 2.0G 38M 1.9G 2% /tmp
/dev/sda2 9.9G 4.0G 5.5G 42% /usr
/dev/sda5 9.9G 2.2G 7.3G 23% /var

###################### LogWatch End #########################

Can you see how many times and with how many user combinations someone has tried to access this server? They never give up! However they will NEVER get the password to this server because we use roboform pro and get it to generate passwords of 20 characters that look something like this

$46cPLiyGe3lzw2#3k48

Even I dont know what my passwords are as robo form stores them all for me in a secure Blowfish encryption. Nice. We have also tightened up the security on our servers by limiting the amount of invalid logins from an IP amongst other things. On my personal laptop and work computers we run the following protection

AVG Internet security for the firewall and also anti virus protection
MalwareBytes for extra protection
Super Anti Spyware

We also use encyption of our FTP client Cute FTP and on the servers we lock FTP access in the control panel and only unlock it for an hour at a time.

Do all the above and you will pretty secure.

Mark

Mark at 5:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Internet Tech | TrackBack (0)

March 8, 2010

Website Logo Design

The Ins and Outs of a lonely Website Logo

Like any other type of branding, your website logo design stamps your identity on the mind of your visitors and customers. Customers often identify a company by its logo, so a website logo design should capture the values and services of the company. Ours says quite a lot even if it is abstract.

A great website logo design is one way to get ahead of the competition. Such a logo does not have to be complicated or overdone to say what you want it to say, but it must be memorable. A well done website logo design can act on the subconscious of customers so that the first company they think of in your line of business is yours.

No serious online business should operate without a website logo design that does the following: signify the company's values and services, and ultimately appeal to the target audience. The wrong website logo design can convey the wrong message and drive customers away.

If you aim to appeal to young, hip customers you want to use a website logo design that they can relate to. On the other hand, if you are aiming for a sophisticated crowd, then your website logo design should be simple and classy.

The most beautiful website logo design can be rendered useless if it is targeted at the wrong audience. Remember your website logo deisgn should first and foremost show professionalism and instill brand loyalty.

Mark

Mark at 5:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Web Design | TrackBack (0)

December 13, 2009

Tis the season to be jolly, or not!

So we picked up a new client this week, very nice too as we always like new clients. Same ol story though of dissatisfaction with their previous web designers :(

What is that? I will work my asse off to get a new client and then I will provide them with shoddy work and service and literally force them to go eleswhere after exasperating them.

The damage this does you is on many levels.

1. They never come back to you EVER

2. They tell everyone they know not to come to you either

You LOSE LOSE LOSE

If you are offering a service or product then make sure that your clients needs come

FIRST
SECOND
THIRD

and every other which way you can think of to help them enjoy the experience of spending their money with you.

Mark

Mark at 12:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Web Design | TrackBack (0)

November 27, 2009

2012

Have you watched it yet? What a load of ol tosh eh.

Why O why can't hollywood drop the stereotypes for once! Dsyfunctional family with the dad being the dsyfunctional one, hmmm never seen that before have we and oh yes of course one of the kids has issues with him but he comes good in the end! God how many times do we have to endure that story?

They could have done so much better with that material. As it is I don't believe the world will end in 2012 myself.

It's an Olympic year and the first time the UK has hosted them so that just would not be cricket would it.

Mark

Mark at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | Life | TrackBack (0)