When was the last time you really thought about how you create passwords to access all that good stuff on your computer?  Yesterday?  Last week?

Never?

Your personal passwords are the keys to accessing information you stored on your PC or online accounts. Creating safe passwords is important to prevent malicious users from stealing this information and using your name and account to open credit cards, apply for mortgage, or steal your identity for online transactions.

In most cases, these identity theft attacks may occur without you knowing it, until it becomes too late. To prevent this from happening, create strong passwords and keep them well protected.

The trouble with creating strong passwords is that most folks don’t have a really clear idea of what a strong password really is.  While it’s not always easy to spot a strong password, weak passwords are extremely easy to point out.

And just because your password is strong for you, doesn’t mean it will be strong for someone else.  Keep the following items in mind when you are creating your passwords.  If your chosen super secret code has any of the following attributes, chances are you’re not picking a very strong password. Scratch that, rewind, and try again.

The following are the top 7 signs of a weak password, in no particular order:

1. Short passwords.  The shorter a password is, the easier it can be for a hacker to figure it out.  I know that having a short password makes it easy for you to remember, but it also makes it easy for everyone else.  Avoid short passwords. An average password should be at least eight or more characters.
2. No character combinations.  OK, so it’s easier for you to just use letters or numbers.  Have you ever thought about using any of those symbols on your keyboard?  You should
3. No character variations. Remember those characters we just talked about?  If you use fewer kinds of characters in your password, the longer it should be. A 20-character password made up of random numbers and letters is about 35,000 times stronger than a 10-character password made up of a combination of letters, numbers and symbols. 
4. No use of the good ol’ shift key. If you press down the "shift" key, a variety of symbols can be added to your password to make it stronger. These symbols can include punctuation marks or any symbols that are unique to your language.
5. Lots of repeated characters.  Sure, you can have your password be "44444444".  Your friendly neighborhood identity thief will thank you. Passwords such as "4444", "1234, "qwerty", or any adjacent letters on the keyboard do not make your passwords secure.
6. Look-alike substitutions. You thought you were so slick by using a "0" for "o" or even "$" for "s".  Not hardly. Malicious users who may possibly crack your passwords cannot be fooled by look-alike replacements. However, if you wish to include look-alike substitutions, strengthen your passwords by adding case variations, misspellings and character length.
7. Your name is your login name. Avoid using any part of your name, social security number or birthday. These kinds of data are the first things criminals will try to guess.

Here’s one of the top keys that you can use to avoid those weak passwords and keep the bad guys out. In developing a strong password, think of a sentence that you will not forget, such as "my daughter is three feet tall". If your password system supports phrases, use your sentence as a password and add spaces between each character. Conversely, if the system cannot recognize phrases or sentences, convert the sentence into a password, such as "mditft" or "mdi3ft".

After creating a strong password, always remember your passwords by heart or write them down. Contrary to popular belief, writing down passwords is not that dangerous - as long as you keep them safe from others.

This article is taken from the introduction of my new book, Stop Spam Once and For All!, slated for release in August 2007.  For more information about the book and to sign-up for the pre–release launch list, use the form at the bottom of this post to signup.  You’ll receive a confirmation email immediately, so check your inbox once you enroll.

Computers have become an integral part of life for nearly everyone in the world. Ever since the induction of the internet, they have become very commonplace in most businesses and homes.  Most people cannot even imagine their lives without their computers. They are used to run businesses, keep track of inventory, gather information, and to communicate with people from great distances.

Naturally one of the most popular reasons that people use the internet is to send emails to others. It is a free and easy way to talk to people that live far away.  You can use emails to send letters, data files, and pictures.  Everybody likes to get an email from their friends and family.

However, emails have also become a popular tool that is used to advertise products and services.  Not that there aren’t some products and services that we like to hear about.  Heck, you may have heard about this guide if you’re a member of my mailing list or someone else’s list!  I know that I’m personally signed up on probably a couple dozen mailing lists for some of my favorite websites and shopping sites, but I signed up at my own choice.  Not by someone else’s choice.

As much as we like to receive emails from those that we enjoy hearing from, nobody likes to receive emails from people we’ve never heard of.  These emails are called spam.

I know how annoying it can be to receive spam in your email everyday, so I decided that it was time to write a comprehensive guide on what you can do to stop these types of emails from getting into your account. Of course I can’t prevent companies from trying to send them, but I can arm you better against them.

I wrote this book to provide you with your comprehensive guide to fighting against, and hopefully someday; completely stopping unwanted emails from reaching your inbox. In this guide you will learn:

• What spam really is.
• What you can do to protect yourself from spam.
• What software and programs can help you rid yourself of spam.
• How to deal with spammers.
• Get some helpful resources and links to check out.
• Password encryption
• The real dangers of spam

I can’t guarantee that if you follow the steps I’m going to talk about to eliminate spam that you’ll be absolutely, 100% free from spam, but I can promise that you’ll be a lot better off than you are now.  There’s a lot of money to be made in spamming, so just expect spammers to continue to attempt to get your email address from you anyway they can.  But, use the tips and techniques that I’ll talk about to keep your guard up and drastically reduce the amount of spam that you receive and have to filter through on a daily basis.

Here’s a great idea I picked up from Lady Influence over at her Make Money Online blog.  It’s a great way for anyone to increase the number of links coming to their blog and pass the Google love around.  Take some time and add this technique to your blog!

———copy and paste the Viralink and instructions below this line———

Below is a matrix of 120 stars, I have already added a link to my blog onto one of the stars, all you need to do is copy and paste the grid into your blog or website and add your own link to one of the other spare stars, and tell others to do the same! You also may want to change or edit the first few paragraphs, and the last paragraph to suit your blogging style.

Here are how the numbers add up, I will use the term saturation to describe the spread of the Viralink with Zero being your blog 1 being 1 link down, 2 being 2 links down and so on.

Saturation - Backlinks

0 - 0
1 - 3
2 - 12
3 - 39
4 - 93
5 - 336
6 - 1065
7 - 3252
8 - 9813
9 - 29,496
10 - 88,545

The above numbers rely on 3 people copying and pasting the Viralink onto their blog and that being replicated 3 times continuously 10 times. The numbers are quite staggering, there are still several spaces left on the Viralink from this page and I expect that there will be a lot of clones which begin to pop up. The best strategy with this is to start early and tell all of your blog and online friends!

You may be wondering what happens if you are at the end of the chain when the Viralink is full? What would be the benefit to me? Well there is no reason why you can’t add another line of dots to the bottom and keep the process going. You also can start another form, but please retain a link to this site.

———copy and paste the Viralink and instructions above this line—

Link love.  The best way for your site to get some more traffic and let people know that you exist.  You do write a blog because you want people to read it, don’t you?  This is a great way to get people to your site and doesn’t require a ton of work on your part.

Technorati Tags: page rank, google, backlinks

I love new gadgets.  i love new toys.  It seems like every day there is always something that promises to be "the next best thing" that will revolutionize the world.  Computers, mp3 players, cameras, even TV shows promising to deliver "the next best thing".  We’re inundated with new contraptions, gizmos, and gadgets every day.

The sad part is most of those trinkets don’t deliver.  I dare the new TV show "The Next Best Thing" to find a better celebrity impersonator than Rich Little.  It’s not gonna happen.

But there is something that will be the next big thing for computer users everywhere.

Don’t you just hate the fact that when you get a new piece of software or hardware that you either don’t get a manual or you get  manual that doesn’t really tell you anything?

I do.

I’ve thought of a better way for you to learn how to use your computer software and hardware.  And it’s not just the TechCast Weekly.

Wouldn’t you like to have someone showing you how to use that word processing software?

How about someone walking you through using that internet security suite that you paid $70 and your computer is still infested with viruses and spyware?

Wouldn’t you really like to know how to convert your videos to any format you want to so you finally have something to put on your iPod?

How about 2 of these videos every month?

And have access to all past videos as long as you’re a member?

And have access to members-only forums where you can find answers to your computing questions?

A members-only newsletter packed with more tips and tricks?  And special discounts?

How about also receiving my Computer buying guide so you’ll know exactly what computer will fit your needs without having to deal with the local snobby salesman only concerned with selling you an extended warranty?

Interested?  If you use a computer at all, you should be.

It’s the next best thing for computer users.

It’s the next big thing to hit the web.

And it launches on July 10th. 

My Computer Training Club.  Video tutorials with you in mind.  Coming July 10th to a monitor, iPod, Zune, and TV near you.

Sign up on the pre-launch list and find out how you can receive your first month at no-cost.

Yep, first month is on me.

It’s been nearly 1 year since the first edition of the TechCast Weekly and I think it’s time for a celebration!  This week’s show is just a little bit different, since instead of getting an audio show to listen to, WE"VE GOT VIDEO!!  A preview of things to come….I think so!

Also, be sure to keep visiting back here to the website to find out the details of our latest contest, where I’ll be giving away a brand new MP3 player!  But for now, take a look at the next big thing coming from the TechCast Weekly and then head on over to My Computer Training Club to get signed up on the pre-lanch list.  Get ready to be a beta tester and receive your first month free!

After recovering from the fantastic event that was Big Seminar 9 (WHEW! What a blast!  And make sure you keep an eye out for a new podcast featuring the biggest minds in Internet Marketing, Big Seminar Interviews, coming soon…), this week on the TechCast Weekly Computer Knowledge Podcast I’m talking about the need for added security measures even if your router does have a firewall.

Firewalls are nice for inbound attacks to your computer from the outside world, but what if something attacks from the inside?  Perhaps a virus on a flash drive you brought home from work?  What if someone is trying to get into your wireless network?  Just some things to think about and ways to add more security to your home network. 

As I’ve mentioned in the show, the easiest way I know of to secure your home network plus add tons of other great functionality to your network is by using Network Magic.  Network Magic is simply the BEST tool for configuring your home network, adding security, and even monitoring your family’s internet usage.  Listeners of the TechCast Weekly can pick up a FREE version with our compliments at Network Magic.  You’ll also get access to 30 days worth of the Premium Version features. 

Sponsor:  Network Magic - the EASIEST way to get the most out of your home network.  Pick up a FREE version and receive 30 days of Premium features as a listener of the TechCast Weekly.

In this episode of the TechCast Weekly Computer Knowledge Podcast, Michael Paul discusses the topic of wireless network security.  Wireless networking has become all the rage due the ease of setup, increasing data transfer rates, and cheaper equipment.  Wireless networks offer and easy way to share internet access among several computers, but they can open your computer to outsiders.  A good security plan should be on the mind of anyone wanting to use a wireless network. Learn why in this week’s episode of the TechCast Weekly and learn how you can easily setup your wireless network security plan with Network Magic.

Learn about the WEP encryption standard and why you shouldn’t use it, and find out why the WPA standard is the preferred choice for wireless network security.

Episode: 31

Sponsor:  My Magic Networking - Take the hassle out of your home networking

Adware and Spyware Defined at FreeIQ

Be prepared for a computer crash! Pick up your Computer Crash Preparation Guide Today!

Podshow PDN {podshow-258601a8906cdeef3d68c94a9e1f5ac8}

In this episode of the TechCast Weekly Computer Knowledge Podcast, Michael Paul answers why you need to have a router even if you only have one computer on your home network.  Whether you are thinking about adding more computers later or are just concerned about security, you’ll need to invest in a router if you are using a broadband internet connection.  Learn why in this week’s episode of the TechCast Weekly.

Episode: 30

Sponsor:  My Magic Networking - Take the hassle out of your home networking

Adware and Spyware Defined at FreeIQ

Part 2 of our continuing series from the TechCast Weekly on Buying the Perfect Computer is all about RAM.  Some people have a hard time understanding what RAM really is, often confusing it as the amount of storage space available on your computer.  The storage space available on your computer is your hard drive, which we’ll discuss later.  RAM is fast memory used by your computer to execute tasks. When your computer runs out of RAM, it starts swapping data to the much slower hard drive, which slows down your entire system.

Here’s how it works:  Your CPU, the processor, needs information to perform an action, let’s say we’re opening up Microsoft Word.  It tells the RAM what it needs to open the program.  The RAM tells the hard drive what information it needs and receives it.  If you have enough RAM in your system, all of that information can then be stored in RAM, which can send information to the CPU much faster than your hard drive can.

The more programs you have open on your computer, the more RAM you use.  And some programs require a great deal of RAM to perform well, like Adobe Photoshop.

Increasing your RAM is the cheapest and easiest way to speed up your computer’s preformance.  But you have to know what type to buy and how much. 

The type of RAM you need is totally dependent on the motherboard in your computer.  Generally you can find out what type RAM your system takes and how much you have in it by either checking the manual that came with your computer (not included with most nowadays) or by checking inside the System Information panel in Windows XP.

But, there’s a faster, more simple way to check. The Crucial Memory Advisor Tool takes the guesswork out of upgrading. Crucial’s free tool will scan your system and tell you everything you need to know.  Then will give you recommendations on the right RAM for your system upgrade.  I highly recommend their products and use them exclusively in my systems. Great performance and reliability.  Don’t buy cheap RAM on get it on eBay.  You never know what you’re going to get when you purchase budget RAM.  Stick with the good stuff.

With RAM being so cheap these days I’d recommend you get at least 512MB. If you’re going to run Windows XP, don’t get less than 512MB or you’ll slow even the fastest CPU powered computer to a crawl.  For XP to perform at it’s best, shoot for 2GB of RAM.  I know that sounds like a lot and if you only do minor tasks like surfing the web and Word documents, 1GB will be more than sufficient.

If you’re one of the brave souls that has already picked up Windows Vista, 2GB is really your starting point.  That 512MB or 1GB that came in your system when you bought it is just not enough.  And you’ll also need to think about purchasing a 3D graphics card for your system, but we’ll talk more about that in another installment.

Sponsored by:  BIg Seminar 9.  Are you going to be at the premiere event for Internet Entrepeneurs?  You should be!

Yep, here it is folks.  Last week on the TechCast Weekly blog, I took a long, hard look at how to prepare you for that most horrible of computer incidents, the Crash.  Some of this advice might not be new to any of you, but for some it’s fantastic new computer knowledge.  Specifically the options on how to save your data in different formats.

For the rest, it’s always nice to have a few little reminders of how fragile our computers can be and how much we take for granted the information contained on our hard drives.

I personally have several thousand pictures, documents, and other important items (like my podcasts!) on one or more of my many hard drives.  Yes, I’m a storage freak.  I’ve got around 1.5 terabytes of storage sitting around here (that’s about 1500 gigabytes) and am always looking for ways that I can add some more.

Not counting the stacks of blank CDs and DVDs I have laying around.  I buy them whenever I see a good deal.  You just never know when you’re going to need 100 DVDs…

But, I digress.  Here’s the entire series on computer crashes for your convenience.

• Computer Crash! How to prevent loss of valuable data - Overview
• Computer Crash! Different types of user data
• Computer Crash!  Data Storage Options
• Computer Crash! More Data Storage Options
• Computer Crash!  Final Options and Thoughts

Listen to the TechCast Weekly podcast this week and I’ll have some info for you on how you can have this entire series in PDF format, absolutely free!