SOPA/PIPA :: Have You Heard?

End Piracy. Not Liberty.

If you're unsure of what exactly Congress is aiming to do with each of these bills, click here to educate yourself. Then? Come back and click the above image to sign the petition. 

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Happy Holidays From Our Family Here At XPERTECHS

From the XPERTECHS family to your family, 

we would like to wish you the 

Happiest of Holidays! 

Netiquette: Brought To You By CNET and XPERTECHS!

I came across this article the other day while perusing my usual daily tech-site reads and couldn't help but share. Are you a "Google-Stalker," too? Perhaps you've been struck by the urge to google a cube-mate's name? Or even that annoying next door neighbor? The good news is, you're not alone.

"The other week, we covered the difference between searching and stalking online. We dusted off our hands, satisfied with our ample labors, and just as we were about to sink into the deep cave of hibernation/suspended animation that we enter between columns, we received the following inquiry:

"This has been a hard thing to admit myself, but I have a problem: I am a total and complete Google stalker. I'll spend hours just surfing the Web, searching for details about old high school acquaintances, co-workers and potential dates. I am a machine. Seriously. I can find anyone. Give me a first name and an identifying detail, and I'll give you a whole freaking dossier.

My friends make fun of me mercilessly, teasingly (I hope) calling me a creeper, and I've seen some sitcoms and movies lately that seem to indicate that Google stalking kills the mystery or whatever, but I'm just fascinated by people -- and the fact that our lives have become so public. (Also, sometimes stalking comes in handy -- a wedding ring can come off, you know). My question is: Am I really a creeper?"

- Creeper(?) in Connecticut

Well, Creeper(?), assuming -- as we did in the last column with Creepy Crushing in Chicago -- that you are not, in fact, out of your mind, allow us to parse this out for you by way of the following examples.

Is it creepy to Google stalk...

Work contacts

You've just been hired! (Finally, someone appreciates your amazing fortune cookie-writing skills.) You've just shaken hands with your new cubiclemate and you're settling into your computer chair when you're hit with the uncontrollable urge to enter her name into Google and hit "Search." Are you a creeper?

Nope. In the wild, wild west of fortune-cookie writing (and all other professions), it's advantageous to know as much as you can about the people you're working with. Does your colleague have a website? Does it have information about her past gigs? Does it include some hobby that you, too, enjoy (She does George R. R. Martin fan art, too?!)?

Well, then, feel free to cast around. No one is going to be creeped out that you looked at a repository of information that they themselves put online -- just do it at home (How will you feel if she walks by to invite you to lunch and sees you're six pages into her blog?), and bring it up tactfully: "Hey! I saw your website. What was it like working with Donald Lau? He's a legend!"

On the other hand, "I saw all those pics on Flickr where you're dressed as Lady Gaga, passed out on a couch. I love 'Born This Way,' too!" probably won't go over too well. As the cookie would say, "A wise man knows when to keep his mouth shut."

To read the rest of this article, click here. 

Get Your FREE COPY of "What Every Business Owner MUST Know To Protect Themselves Against Online Identity Theft"

All it takes is one innocent security slip by you or one of your employees to instantly give online criminals the

information they need to access your network and steal your identity. 

In no time at all, they can gain enough information to max out your credit cards, wipe out your bank accounts, and completely obliterate your business and personal credit. They can even use your identity to commit further crimes such as forgery, stealing from other businesses, or online scams. This nightmare can take months - sometimes years - to clean up and can destroy your credit and good name.

That’s why for a limited time I’m giving away FREE copies of my new eBook, “What Every Business Owner MUST Know To Protect Themselves Against Online Identity Theft” (a $19.97 Value, FREE during December). 

This critical eBook will reveal:

• The 3 most effective tricks online identity thieves use to gain access to your business and personal information - and how to avoid them.
• Sneaky e-mails you should delete IMMEDIATELY upon receiving them (you’ll want to share this list with your friends, family and staff).
• One super-easy, sure-fire way to make your computer network impervious to online identity thieves.
• How to protect yourself against NEW scams being spread through social media sites like Facebook or Twitter.
• How to keep your employees from accidentally giving away passwords and other “keys to the kingdom” to Internet criminals.

To download your free copy, go to the web site below. Copies of this eBook will be made available for FREE until December 31, 2011.

www.xpertechs.com/ebook

If you have questions about how we can assess your network to verify you have all of the best identity theft protection in place, call Michael at (410) 884-0225.  

Have You Read Your December 2011 Issue of XperText?

If not, here are some of the fantastic articles you could be missing out on! Be sure to click each title as it will direct you to the XPERTECHS' Newsletter Archives:

• What Every Business Owner MUST Know To Protect Against Online Identity Theft

• 10 Ways To Keep Your Computer Safe

• Hosted Email - Why It's Right For You!

If you haven't already joined our mailing list to receive your monthly copy of the XPERTECHS XperText, click here to do so via our Facebook Page! 

XPERTECHS Brings Power of Cloud Computing to Local Businesses

XPERTECHS, Baltimore‟s leading provider of outsourced IT solutions, today announced it has ended Beta testing and added cloud computing to its service offerings to help local businesses take advantage of the benefits of this powerful new computing model. “


We are very pleased to be offering cloud services,” said Michael Mellott, President of XPERTECHS.  “Instead of building and maintaining expensive IT systems on premise, businesses will now have the option of simply plugging into whatever IT resources they need, and only having to pay for what they use on a monthly basis. The cloud computing model is similar to the way businesses now consume and pay for electricity. After Beta testing for several months, XPERTECHS has on-boarded several clients in a full production mode.


To read the full press release, please click here to visit the official XPERTECHS webpage.