This is not a new age riddle or philosophical question; it is a real problem that millions of people face more frequently that most people realize. It might happen because of a lightning strike or a power spike. YOU could be stolen, corrupted, burnt up, get washed away or just disappear for no apparent reason. YOU are your data, and losing your data could actually be the most terrifying thing that will ever happen to you ? and believe me, sooner or later it will happen to YOU.
Most of us are ?knowledge workers? (expression made famous by Peter Drucker in 1959), a phrase used to categorize the computer workforce of today. Our daily work tasks are performed using computers and in an incredibly short span this occupational technology was incorporated into our personal lives via the personal computer. No one could have predicted that the PC, which was once purely a business tool, would become a ?lifestyle enhancer? as commonplace or as invaluable as microwave ovens and cable TV.
With the exception of a decreasing non-computer literate senior citizen population, do you know anyone who does not have a PC in their home? Broadband Internet and home networks are a staple of modern life. We shop, do our banking, research, trade stocks, download music and videos, connect to our business, play games and communicate with the world from our personal computers. Most of us have a detailed history of our lives stored on our PCs. From our financial records to family photos, who we are - is bits on a hard drive.
If the ?ones and zeros? that make up your life disappear, it will be as if you never existed.
At one time or another, all of us have lost a file. You remember that important letter or report you were working on? You had hours, maybe days invested in it and all of a sudden it was gone. Poof! It is one thing to lose a file, but it is still another to lose a lifetime of data, pictures, videos, music, financial records and other irreplaceable information. Yet, statistics show that one in every ten hard drives fail each year. Were you aware that the cost of recovering a failed hard drive can exceed $7,500, and no service company will guarantee success?
The point is, if you use a computer, you absolutely, positively MUST have a backup system in place - before tomorrow. So what's the best approach that suits your individual needs? At a bare minimum, you need to backup to a separate PC or external hard drive such as a Maxtor. The main drawback with this option is that if the back-up machine is in the same building, you are still susceptible to loss through natural disasters, fire, power surges, lightening and theft. Most IT professionals recommend that you backup your data to a remote location.
Over the years, I have utilized everything from boxes of diskettes or CDs to external hard drives to backup my important files. I stay current with the best solutions for backup because I've been a victim of data loss and I refuse to go through that again. The obvious questions to remote backup services pertain to security, software configuration, storage limitations, ease of use and cost.
There are many off-premises (remote) backup companies, but there are only a handful that have addressed all of these important concerns. I did my research, and ultimately I chose the same solution recommended by Consumer Reports, the Wall Street Journal, PC World, Smart Computing and Business Week and others. If you do not have a backup solution, I would encourage you to look at a company called Mozy (Berkeley Data Systems).
I chose Mozy for my business and personal data backup, and I have recommended them to all of my clients. Their service is ridiculously inexpensive for unlimited data backup, it is easy to set up and offers downright bulletproof protection for your sensitive data. After you create an account, you will download their software, follow a few easy set up instructions, select the files you want to backup, and Mozy takes care of the rest.
Depending on the amount of data you have to backup, it will take a while to copy, encrypt and transfer all your data to the remote servers for the initial backup. Mozy performs their backup in the background so it will not affect your computer's speed adversely, and you can even throttle that down if needed. Once the first backup is complete, Mozy only backs up new files and those that have changed since your last process. This makes subsequent backups very fast. I perform my daily backups at 2:00 AM and every morning Mozy confirms that my files were backed up while I slept. Sweet!
By the way, if you are concerned about the security of your remote data (and you should be), Mozy uses 128-bit SSL encryption during the transfer process, which is the same technology used by banks. On their servers 448-bit Blowfish encryption secures your files, meaning that your data is safe from hackers. Another powerful feature is that Mozy will backup your documents whether they're open or closed and they backup Outlook files providing disaster-proof email protection.
The best part is that you can get all this for only $4.95 per month for unlimited backup. World-class backup, state-of-the-art security, automatic administration and 100% peace of mind. Why are you still reading this? you know you need a reliable, set it and forget it, backup solution. Get Mozy!
Every affiliate marketer needs to look for and use the most effective and the least expensive methods to generate traffic to his or her affiliate website. The concept of affiliate marketing is really profound when you take a close look. Someone offers a product or products for sale. The most cost effective advertising for a merchant is to seek affiliates to offer his or her products on their website. The affiliates earn money when a prospective customer visits his affiliate website and makes a purchase.
This is truly a unique opportunity for the average individual to create a successful business, selling other merchants' products. There is no stock to maintain, no overhead (except for the cost of a website.) An smart affiliate can make a good living simply advertising the products of merchants who offer an affiliate program. Genius!
There is one major catch to this whole thing. An affiliate has to be able to generate traffic (a steady flow of interested customers) to his affiliate offerings. Unfortunately, statistics say that 97% of affiliate marketers earn little to no money. The reason is a simple one, when you take a close objective look at what the majority of affiliate programs offer their affiliates as far as training goes. Most affiliate programs offer several overused email or ezine ads or give advice that is old and not affective in today's Internet. This is why you see the same ads repeated thousands of times in emails, ezines and newsletters.
What is that secret ingredient that is missing? What is it that results in 97% failure? The better question is to look at the 3% who are racking in the dough. What does this 3% of affiliate marketers have that the other 97% are missing. You can sum it up in one little word - 'TRUST.' The successful Internet Marketer has worked diligently to build a list of people who trust their opinion. "How do they do that?" you ask. Well, I am so glad you asked.
There are quite a number of ways to do this, if you want to make serious money selling products. The very first thing that you need to do is change your mind. The biggest problem is that there are so many scam programs on the Internet that appeal to the lazy 'sluggard' who wants to join a program (because the ad copy is so appealing) and sit on his couch at home, do absolutely nothing and earn thousands of dollars every day. No matter what they promise, no matter how easy they make it sound, if you are not willing to put forth the effort to become a successful Internet Affiliate Marketer, you'll soon join the ranks of the 97% of failures. The secret is to forget about just selling a product. There are thousands of others who are trying to sell the same product or service.
To become truly successful is going to take time and effort and a willingness to listen to wise counsel (those who have been there and done that.) There are ways to 'build' yourself a good business (the operative word is 'build') and 'create' a sustaining income.
The successful Internet Affiliate Marketer builds trust in his opinion. This takes time but the rewards speak for themselves. No matter what 'they' say, the product doesn't sell itself. If this were true then the thousands of people selling the same product would all be rolling in money. Think of it this way. If a total stranger tells you that the product he is offering you is the very best and you need to buy it from him within the next few minutes, would you believe him? If a trusted 'expert' that you have been following because they give you loads of information and have built a relationship with you offers you a product he indorses and tells you that you really need to get it, would you?
How do you build trust? Well, you need to purchase a really expensive website, pay a ton of money to have it hosted and spend a gazillion dollars advertising. NOT! The best advice I can give is:
1.) to pick a 'niche' (some area of interest that you really like),
2.) learn what you can, research it
3.) read as many articles about it that you can find
4.) begin to write about it, write articles (go to article directories and learn their article writing guidelines)
5.) Submit your articles to as many directories as possible.
6.) Sign up with one of the 'blog' communities (Blogger, Bogspot, WordPress, etc) and post the same articles that you submit to the directories in your own blog.
7.) Write, write , read, write, post, post, post, etc.
8.) Join Social Networks (facebook, twitter, etc.)
So far none of the above has cost you a penny (only your time). I'll let you in on a little secret about blog. The Search Engines love 'em. They are indexed quickly and revisited every time you post. When you make a post, the blog software sends a 'ping' (notice) to the SE spiders that diner is on the table.
This is just an introduction. There is a lot more coming in this series of articles. If you are serious about becoming successful and earning a good income, get started today.
Copyright (c) 2008 The Christian Success Institute
Both Tom Heatherington & Bobby Keating are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Tom Heatherington has sinced written about articles on various topics from Home Improvement, Computers and The Internet and Aspen Travel. Tom Heatherington has been an Internet consultant since 1996. He co-founded one of the first ISPs in the U.S. in 1992. Tom is the author of "The Complete Small Business Internet Guide" and numerous articles about Internet marketing and security. Learn mor. Tom Heatherington's top article generates over 8100 views. to your Favourites.
Bobby Keating has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Network Marketing and Marketing and Communications. Pastor Bobby is an Evangelist, Success Coach and The Director of . Pastor Bobby believes that God wants all who love Him to be. Bobby Keating's top article generates over 3600 views. to your Favourites.