Service Level Agreement Serenade

Service Level Agreement (SLA) Boot Camp

Service Level Agreements, or "SLA's" are tricky but useful mechanisms for managing the risk of an on-going relationship with IT service providers. Unfortunately, most SLA's that show up in service contracts as worthless, cosmetic paper additions. SLA's can be extremely powerful tools to help you and your service provider get the most out of a relationship.

What is an SLA?

A service level agreement (SLA), in its most basic form, is a contractual commitment to meet specific goals. If, for example, you sign up for a hosting contract with a provider, you may desire an SLA that measures the up-time of your website. If you outsource your help desk, you may want an SLA that measures the time it takes to answer the phone. Usually, an SLA includes a penalty and/or reward framework. For example, many web hosting companies offer a refund based on the number of hours your website is unavailable. On the flip-side, an SLA may include an extra bonus to your help desk provider if all calls are answered within 30 seconds. The following are typical examples of SLA's:

"All help desk call will be answered within 90 seconds"
"95% of all bills will be printed and delivered on time"
"The website will be available 99.99%"
"Project X will be delivered within 2 weeks of the planned schedule"

What isn't an SLA?

An SLA is not a way to cut your costs. Rather, SLA's are mechanisms for managing risks, sharing pain, and benefiting from success. Many SLA's are setup as "outs" to contracts that allow customers to penalize technology providers for non-performance. Although penalties do reduce costs and they do send a strong signal to service providers to improve their service, neither you nor the service provider "win" if an SLA is missed. Think of an SLA as a shared goal.

SLA Philosophy

The best SLAs are setup to allow both you and your service provider to share in the success and failure of an agreement. If you intend to turn over the operation of your billing system to a service provider, getting the bills out on time is critical. Whether you do it yourself or partner with someone, if you fail to produce invoices, you delay incoming revenue. In this example, your SLA should inspire your vendor to deliver on performance levels that have an actual impact to your business. Let's say your current billing accuracy is 90%. If you increase this accuracy to 95%, you have directly improved your company's bottom line. If you intend to outsource this function, your SLA should include a shared billing accuracy reward to the service provider if they help you improve revenues.

Make It Count

Some web hosting plans offer an up-time measure that, if not met, will result in a refund to you. Unfortunately, this "refund" may be calculated as a credit based on the time that your site was down and your monthly hosting fee. For example, if you pay $100 per month for hosting services, and your site is down for 1 hour, your credit may only be 14 cents! $100/720 (number of hours in a month) = $0.14. If, on average, you sell $50 worth of goods through your website each hour, 14 cents isn't much of a blow to your hosting company. I recognize that my example is slightly exaggerated. Many hosting companies offer a more material penalty and most web sites do not generate $50 in sales per hour. But you can see how this penalty and SLA is mis-aligned with the business model. If you know you make $50 per hour in sales through your website, your hosting company should incur a much greater penalty for not keeping your website up and running! Whether you negotiate an SLA with a hosting company or a large IT company, create an SLA that is specific to your business and truly establishes risk sharing (i.e. we "win" or "loose" together).

Devil In The Details

A good SLA has four critical components: description, target, measurement, and penalty/reward. If you have an SLA that is missing one of these components, you run the risk of losing the benefit of having the SLA to begin with. In the web hosting example above, the SLA sounds good, but the actual measurement and penalty weigh heavily in the favor of the hosting company (they have little to loose!) Make sure your SLA's are well defined and agreed upon before you ink the deal. Here's an example of a good SLA:

Description: Billing - All bills will be rendered, printed, and mailed on a timely basis to ensure unbilled revenue is minimized.
Target: 90%
Measurement: Ratio of number of planned bills / number of bills actually produced. The calculation is based on the number of records in the billing input file compared against the billing output log file which lists the bills actually rendered.
Reward/Penalty: If billing accuracy is below 90%, penalty is calculated as 1% of the unbilled revenue for that billing run. If billing accuracy is above 90%, a bonus is calculated as 1% of the additional revenue billed.

In this SLA example, your service provider stands to loose or gain substantially based on their performance. Similarly, your company stands to loose or gain substantially based on the performance of the service provider. Depending upon your daily billings, 1% could be significant. Note the specificity of the SLA measurement and calculation in my example. If you are not very specific with the calculation methods, actual performance against service levels are open for debate.

Negotiate Up Front

Many businesses strike deals with IT companies and leave SLA's as an open item. Many IT service providers will want to establish a "base line" period where SLA's are measured and then negotiated. In many cases, this request is reasonable, especially if an IT company has little to no understanding of your environment and your current performance record. However, if you wait to negotiate service levels until after you ink a deal, you loose tremendous leverage with your provider unless you really think you can walk away from the deal. Ideally, choose a provider that is willing to negotiate a service level up front. In my experience, these SLA negotiations are much more difficult on the back-end.

Raise the Bar

A service level agreement should be changed periodically. Let's look back at my billing SLA example. Let's assume that after 1 year of service, your provider is billing at an accuracy, on average, of 95%, and in turn, you are rewarding them consistently for beating the original service level. It's time to raise the bar! If your provider can increase your accuracy from 90% to 95%, maybe they can increase your accuracy from 95% to 99%. Raise the SLA bar (target) to 95%, and only reward them if they beat this new level of quality. By providing the right incentives to improve upon service levels, both you and your service provider can benefit.

The Shorter, The Better

I have seen service contracts with dozens and dozens of SLA's. If you establish multiple SLA's, you and your service provider will have broad visibility into performance levels. However, establishing many SLA's can water down the over-arching performance of a service provider. Put simply, a service provider can "make-up" poor performance on one SLA by beating the performance target of another SLA. To keep things simple, pick the few critical success factors of your business and establish applicable service levels that your provider can truly focus on.

Service Level Agreements should be established as a "dashboard" for you and your service provider to share in the success and failure of your arrangement. SLA's are less effective if they are established as contract "outs" or as penalty frameworks, because they fail to drive a partnering relationship. Negotiate SLA's which, if met or beaten, truly benefit your company and your service provider. Always define SLA's to the lowest level of detail possible before you finalize the arrangement since negotiations become even more difficult after the deal is executed. And never commit to an SLA that could hurt you but not your provider.

Written by Andy Quick, co-founder of Findmyhosting.com http://www.findmyhosting.com, a free web hosting directory offering businesses and consumers a hassle free way to find the right hosting plan for their needs.

IT Contract Negotiating Opus

Negotiating Technology Contracts

Have you ever tried to negotiate a deal for software, computer equipment, or consulting services with a technology company? The task can be daunting. Unfortunately, the sales forces of most IT companies are armed to the hilt with techniques to get the best deal for them, and not necessarily the best deal for you. And even worse, most of us computer folk (like myself) have never been trained in the art of negotiation, so it can be difficult to spot a snake in the grass. Before you begin negotiating a technology deal, know what you're getting in to.

Solicit, Don't Be Solicited

I receive at least three calls each day from technology vendors interested in selling something: hardware equipment, software tools, consulting services, etc. Usually, these calls are "cold". My name somehow landed on a telemarketing list in the hands of some vendor who is calling me out of the clear blue sky hoping that what they sell somehow matches what I need. You can waste hours on the phone letting some non-technical, script-reading, telemarketer or sales representative chew your ear off about their latest and greatest gizmo. Very rarely do these types of calls ever translate into a real business opportunity.

The most popular cold call opening is "Good morning. This is Joe from the XYZ software company. We offer break through whatever solutions to help you reduce your total cost of ownership for whatever. Let me ask you, are your responsible for managing your companies whatever investment?" I get so many of these calls that I can answer them in my sleep. Years ago, I used to engage in some level of discussion with these people and it always went nowhere. Unless you really think they've got something you might want to buy, cut them off immediately. And just like any telemarketer, they have a scripted response for anything. If you answer the above question with "No. I am not". The immediate response will be "Could you direct me to someone in the company that is responsible for whatever". If you hand out a name and number, you're just passing the buck to some other poor soul in your organization. My favorite response is "No. We don't respond to phone solicitations." Nine times out of ten, they will give up. Sometimes, the cold caller will make another run at it and re-state their purpose or as they close the call, sneak in another sales pitch. "Yes sir. I understand. We offer something really great for your company and would love to send you a free trial version at absolutely no cost. Its free to try." You could be tempted to say "Free? Tell me more." Again, this type of response will just open up the sales speech flood gates and you will be wasting your time trying to get a word in edge-wise. Stick to your guns: "As I said. We don't respond to phone solicitations." is the proper response. If they make yet one more run at it, the final blow would be "Not sure if you're deaf, but I said we don't respond to phone solicitations. Tell me your name and transfer me to your supervisor." You will either hear apologies or a dial tone. Either way, you've just gotten yourself off of a call list and will never be bothered again.

If you're interested in buying something, you do the calling, not the other way around.

Put The Horse Before The Cart

Never begin looking for technology solutions without knowing what you're looking for. Know the business problem you're trying to solve. If you know you need a software package that automates statistical analysis, flush out a more detailed set of statistics requirements (types of model, sample sizes, etc.) before you begin to shop around. Usually, software products have bells and whistles that, although look cool, are not absolutely needed. Before you begin comparison shopping, define your basic technology and business requirements. Knowing what you really need will give you confidence and leverage in a negotiation.

Always Comparison Shop

No matter what, always evaluate multiple options. If you're looking for software, don't get excited and latch on to the first package that looks good. And certainly don't give a sales rep. the impression that you're overly interested in their solution. They will be less likely to move during a negotiation. The IT market is over abundant with hardware, software and services solutions. Probably, you will have many options to choose from. Be picky!

Create Your Game Plan

Before you begin negotiating a deal with any technology vendor, plan your negotiation carefully. I have included some general planning questions that you should answer in preparation for a negotiation. The questions I have listed below may not make sense for your negotiation, so feel free to modify them for the occasion. The point here is to prepare in advance. You don't want to figure out the answers to these types of questions in the middle of a negotiation as it may give an inch to the sales person. I would even recommend writing the questions and answers on a sheet of paper for reference.

(Price) How much do you think you should pay for this software or service? What is the market rate or street price? What are you prepared to spend? What is the highest price you would be willing to pay?

(Features) What key features and capabilities are you looking for? Force rank the features. What does the prioritized list look like? Of the features you need, categorize them into two categories: "must have" and "nice to have".

(Service Levels) Do you expect some level of performance from the equipment, software, or service? Are there up-time requirements? Do you need 24x7 technical support? Do you expect the vendor to incur a penalty if they don't perform up to your service levels?

(Trades) What is most important to you: price, features, or service level? Force rank these in order of importance. Would you be willing to trade items between categories? For example, would you be willing to give up a certain service level for a lower price?

(Suppliers) Which vendors offer something that you think could meet your needs? How long have these companies been in business? Are you doing business with them already? Do you have a good business relationship with them?

(Gravy) If you had your druthers, what extras would you like the vendor to throw in for free? Would you like training or extra manuals? Would you like special reporting?

You will probably have more questions in addition to the ones listed above. Take the time to write them down and create the answers. Once you have established your position, you will save a great deal of time evaluating your potential vendors and negotiations will be less painful.

Lead The Dance

When you are ready to face off with a vendor, do your best to drive the discussion. Get as much information about the vendor and their product and service before price enters into the discussion. Just like car buying, pick out your car (or choice of cars) before you negotiate a price. If you find that the discussion is prematurely heading toward pricing, bring the conversation back to understanding the product or service itself. If you're not ready to talk price, say something like "Right now, I am just evaluating your product (or service). Unless I think there's a real opportunity, I'm not prepared to negotiate price right now."

Pricing for hardware, software, and services follow very different models. Hardware prices are fairly standard unless the product is new. Usually, the mark-up on hardware is very small (1-15%). On the flip- side, the mark-up for software is huge (100%+). Software is priced based on value, not the cost to the vendor so you can usually negotiate software prices down substantially. Services are usually based on labor rates and are marked up based on the demand for those skills (15-50%).

When you are ready to discuss pricing, take the lead in the dance. Here are the steps to follow (in this order):

1. Make the vendor throw out the first offer. Never be the first one to suggest a price. Although rare, you could hear the question "how much would you be willing to pay for our product?" A good response would be "As little as possible. What's your offer?" This response puts the ball firmly in the vendor's court. Remember, if you've done your planning, you really do have the answer to this question, but your job is get a price far below your maximum, so don't tell the vendor up front!

2. Express concern. Never get excited about the first offer no matter what. If you're considering other alternatives, you may be able to get a better price. My favorite tactic is to say nothing and simply make a non-verbal expression of concern. Usually, the vendor will come back with either "but I'm sure we could sharpen our pencil", or "we could probably come down lower if that price is too high", or the ever popular "but we're willing to work with you". You may also be prodded with "You don't seem to like that price. I seem to be out of the ball park. What price would you be comfortable with?" Here's where the dance gets interesting.

3. Make the vendor throw out the second offer. This can be difficult, but by making the vendor throw out more prices, you are lowering the ceiling of the negotiation going forward. If, in step 2, the vendor says "we could probably come down lower if that price is too high.", immediately respond with "How much could you come down?" or "It seems you didn't give me your best price to begin with. What's your best price?". Latch on to what a vendor is saying and keep asking questions. Stay on this step as long as possible and try and keep the vendor to continue to provide better pricing.

4. Counter offer. Propose a different price than what's on the table. Be reasonable. If you've done your homework and checked the going price for the product or service, you know what the range is. If you throw out a price that you know is ridiculous, it will look like you don't know what you're doing. However, if you counter with a price that demonstrates that you've done your homework, the vendor will know you are serious. Justify for your counter offer. For example, you may want to reveal that you've done some market analysis by saying "I've researched the market a little and think my offer is more in line with market prices." Obviously, the vendor may disagree, but at least you're backing up your counter price.

5. Trade. Unless you can land on a price outright, there will likely be gives and takes on both sides. Go back to your to plan and begin proposing trades. Always make trades that bring you little to no value but may be perceived as valuable by the vendor. This can be very difficult, but can pay huge dividends. Here is a perfect example. Let's say you want a service contract to outsource your help desk (technical support phone service). Let's say you really want the help desk to answer your calls within 1 minute (you've already figured out this requirement in your plan) but the vendor's first offer is to answer your calls within 30 seconds. Let's also assume that price is more important to you than having your calls answered 30 seconds faster (remember- the vendor doesn't know this). And let's say the offer on the table is $5 per call. A great trade proposal would be "Your price is too high for me. I can recognize that you need enough people to answer those calls within 30 seconds and that has value. I would be willing to sacrifice an extra 30 seconds on each call if you could bring your price down." If the vendor responds with a counter-offer, circle back to steps 4 and 5. Try and keep the counter offer / trade cycle going as long as possible.

6. Nibble. Just as you and the vendor are about to agree to terms and everyone starts smiling and shaking hands, start asking for the gravy. Let's say you've just negotiated a software deal and you would really like some training. Just when you think the vendor believes the negotiation is at its very end, you could say "I am really glad we could work this out. I'm looking forward to using your software. One more thing- would you mind spending a couple days showing me how to use your product. A little training could be useful. Is that ok with you?" You run the risk of opening up the negotiation, but you stand a better chance of getting a few extras free of charge.

7. Walk The Talk. If you've set your maximum price and you can't seem to negotiate what you want even with trades, walk away. Be firm and truly be prepared to walk away. Be blunt. "It seems we're not getting anywhere. I think I'll take my business elsewhere. Thanks for your time." Shutting the discussion down can sometimes break the log jam. If a vendor really thinks they're going to loose the business, they may suddenly move.

8. Patience is a Virtue. Negotiations take time. Before you begin, know what your timeframe to make a decision is. Never act hurried or anxious. Come across to the vendor as relaxed and confident (but not cocky). The message you want to send to the vendor is "I've got all the time in the world."

9. Never Lie. Although this happens in many negotiations, telling lies will hurt your reputation and could poison vendor relationships. I am not a proponent of outright fibbing. Be honest but don't give away your hand.

Follow these steps, and you will strike better deals and build confidence in your ability to negotiate. What I have left out in the steps above are standard questions that vendors love to ask. Let me leave you with these questions, their underlying motive, and what you should say. The trick is to always put the ball back in the vendor's court to better your position:

Question: "What's your budget for this project?"
Motive: Setting the price floor
Answer: "That's confidential. Why do you need to know that?"

Question: "What's most important to you? Price or service levels?"
Motive : Prioritizing your trades
Answer : "They're both important to me. I'm looking for the best package"

Question: "How soon do you need to make a decision?"
Motive: Setting the timeframe
Answer : "I will make a decision when I can get the overall best deal"

Question: "Can you make decision quickly. I've got to make my sales quota and our quarter is ending soon. I can't guarantee I give you the same discount"
Motive : Apply pressure
Answer : "I'm not going to rush my decision because of your company's business calendar. We may need to re-think things..."

There are others, but always maintain your control, patience and poise and always take the lead in the negotiating dance!

Written by Andy Quick, co-founder of Findmyhosting.com http://www.findmyhosting.com, a free web hosting directory offering businesses and consumers a hassle free way to find the right hosting plan for their needs.

Computer Techs e-Learning Poem

Distance Learning and e-Learning for Computer Techs

Just a few decades ago, distance learning existed only in the imaginations of science fiction writers. Of course, computers were as big as a house and only those same science fiction writers wove stories of a world in which computers were commonplace.

While technology has not taken the strides some predicted and we Earthlings didn't colonize the moon by the year 2000, there are many who probably never expected that most people log onto the Internet on a regular basis.

The great advances in technology have created a couple of new situations. As with any new gadget, there has to be someone who can work on it. When cars first hit the scene, those who could understand the workings of a gas engine were in great demand.

Even more demanding was the need for training to stay abreast of the development of the automobile. The same is true today of the computer technology.

But the techs of today have a great advantage that wasn't available when auto mechanics were trying to learn. They have computers and access to instant communication through computer networks.

That means that the very subject they need to learn more about is instrumental in keeping them up-to-date in their field. Like those who are already busy with adult responsibilities, computer techs have limited time for training, classes and certifications.

But they have a definite need for those things, many on a continuous basis. Distance learning and elearning can be the answer.

While it's always been possible to learn without being in a classroom, the opportunities to do so were limited by a number of factors. One of the biggest problems with learning outside the classroom has always been the fact that students didn't have an opportunity to actively participate.

If a student simply reads text and takes a test to discover whether he retained the knowledge, he's likely to get something from the course. A student who is allowed to talk to others, ask questions and observe the questions of other students is much more likely to gain the knowledge.

Even elearning (typically in the form of online courses) offers the opportunity to do interactive activities and students usually get feedback along the way to help them stay on track.

Distance learning and elearning are no longer fictional ideas, but have become a reality that is opening doors to many who would otherwise have missed an opportunity. And by offering technical training to those who work closely with computers, the distance learning and elearning options will likely continue to grow.

John Tipton dropped out of school early, and worked boring jobs for 20 years. Then he discovered 'distance learning' and finally got the education he missed. After lots of different courses at lots of different schools, Peter shares his experience in this series of useful articles. Find out why distance learning lets anyone go back to school. Discover what you need to look for in a distance learning program, and what you should avoid. Click
http://www.distance-learning-exclusive.com.

Computer Communication Privacy Poem

How To Protect Your Privacy

With the advent of new computer and communications technology, the potential for privacy invasion has never been greater. Easier access to personal and financial information, credit ratings and Social Insurance Numbers, and the unauthorized collection and sale of personal data, are issues that concern many Canadian consumers.

Privacytown is a Web site from Industry Canada's Office of Consumer Affairs that takes you on a tour of the marketplace - to the drug store, medical office, shopping mall, bank, grocery store and more. At each stop, you can learn about specific privacy concerns and how to deal with them. You can also find information on topics such as how to prevent someone stealing your identity, and how personal information flows via new technologies. As well there are links to federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

Consumer Connection (http:// consumer.ic.gc.ca) is an award-winning Web site developed by the Office of Consumer Affairs of Industry Canada. It provides rapid access to consumer information, powerful tools to cut research time, and many useful links to consumer and other organizations. Canadians can access Consumer Connection from home, the public library, community access points or from Government of Canada, provincial and territorial service outlets. For a variety of information on everything from bank fees, to privacy rights, to the latest scams or frauds, this is the place to go.

News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web.


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Private Life Private Ode

Couples Under Cover: How To Keep Your Private Life Private!

Okay, okay, I admit it; even though my husband and I are old enough to have raised two teenagers, we actually do have a sex life. My children, however, would be mortified to learn that the two of us still have healthy libidos, so, for everyone's sake, I'd just as soon they remain completely clueless.

The problem, of course, is keeping said sex life private. It's bad enough having to sneak around like two love-starved.well.teenagers when we want to have a little fun. But now, with two techno savvy kids in the house, we have to be very wary as to what we keep on the computer, as well.

Like many couples, my husband and I have been known to peruse adult sites together - for one thing, we've found that it's a great way to get ourselves in the mood - and we have our fair share of favorite pictures and videos that we've collected over the years. We've even occasionally put our own e-camera and video camera to use (with very satisfactory results) and edited the final product on the computer.

It's here, however, that we've run into trouble. One computer, two teens, dirty pictures. Can you hear the screams of anguish (on both sides) from here?

Luckily, over time we've figured out a few ways to keep ourselves and our kids safe from the shame and horror of discovery. Here are our secrets; hopefully you'll be able to benefit from our hard earned wisdom and avoid any screaming of your own.

Fake Folder Names

This can work when your kids are young. Put all of your fun pictures and videos into one folder, hide it in some hard to reach place and rename it something completely boring, like "Taxes2005" or "Favorite Recipes." If your children do, indeed, stumble across the folder, they'll be bored to tears and never venture near the file again. Of course, the main disadvantage here is that even children too young to know better have been known to click on files out of curiosity or by accident. And older children are too smart to be put off by "Pictures of Aunt Gertrude" for long.

Create a Separate User Account

If you're running Windows XP, you've got another alternative. Create separate user accounts, along with unique desktops, for each member of the family. (You can do that by clicking on User Accounts in the Control Panel.) Each person can customize his or her desktop, making a little room of one's own, so to speak. Make it a rule that each member of the household has to stick to their own desktop, however, so that no one accidentally ends up in your space. The disadvantage to this system is that, even though everything seems as though it's in a separate place, it's actually all on your hard drive, and a computer savvy teen could find your secret files without too much effort.

Zip or Encrypt Your Files

Both of these methods provide a fairly safe alternative for keeping your secret pictures and videos private. Zipping files is easy; in XP you can simply right click and follow the directions, then password protect the file. Same with encryption software, which can be bought or, in many cases, downloaded free. Then it's a matter of putting all of your naughty material into one place and following the software specs.

The disadvantage to these two methods is that a lot of time is spent un-encrypting and re-encrypting, which is hardly a sexy way to spend those precious few moments alone. And one big warning: Your file names *will* end up in your media player's playlist. What this means is that when your teen pulls up Green Day's "American Idiot," he will be able to see that someone else has been playing something called "Raging Lust!" Good luck trying to explain that one away.

CoupleBox By far the best way to keep your sexy files away from your all-too enquiring teens, hackers or even computer theives, is something called the CoupleBox ( http://www.couplebox.com .) Basically this nifty new software is a password protected media player of its own, which means that it isn't just a place to store your files, it actually plays your videos and displays your pictures in an artful way. The big advantage here is that your video titles stay out of all other media player playlists, which is a definite plus if your children are old enough to be listening to music or watching videos on the computer. And your jpg and mpg file names won't come up on any searches, either. But best of all; it's fun!

You can create playlists of your own and organize your pictures and videos into favorites and albums. You can even customize your CoupleBox with "moods" which are cute (or sexy) alternatives to that oh-so-boring blue media player you've been using. It's also got super security; as long as you keep your files in CoupleBox where they belong, no one, not even your computer-geek-in-the-making teenager, will be able to access them. The only disadvantage is that while you're using CoupleBox in play mode you don't have access to your desktop, which means that you can't check your mail or surf while you're watching your favorite sexy movies or looking at those pictures that you took of each other on vacation. On the other hand, no distractions equals more fun, so maybe that's a good thing!

Just don't tell the kids.

Katy Terrega is a mother, wife and freelance writer. Luckily for all concerned she recently stumbled over the CoupleBox (http://www.couplebox.com) site. Her children will be grateful someday...

Online Bingo Verse

Online Bingo Software

Online bingo software powers bingo games across the web. This software comes in two different forms: download bingo and non-download bingo.

The online bingo software for download bingo games needs to be installed from the players chosen site. The installation for this can be a fairly lengthy process, but once it has been installed the player can begin playing games straight from their hard drive. The disadvantage of download bingo is that it is time consuming to download and it takes up valuable disk space on player’s computers once the online bingo software has been installed. These games can also take a fairly lengthy time to open, and as the game is not played live, players may find that the game loses some of the action and effect.

Non-download or Flash bingo games use online bingo software that allows players to play online games without having to download the software. The game is played live, which means that the game is automatically loaded when it opened from the bingo game site. Game time is faster and smoother as games are played in real-time. Flash games also feature high quality graphics that add to the player’s experience. Starting to play Flash online bingo software games is as simple as signing up at the players chosen bingo site.

It is easy to identify which games use which type of online bingo software. All new players need to do is look on the site to see if the game is played using Flash or downloaded online bingo software. There is generally a link or button to this effect at the bottom of the bingo site.

All that new players need do then is decide if they would prefer to play download or Flash games using the online bingo software of their choice.

Mary Weber has been an online bingo fanatic for over 7 years. Though she has played other forms of online gambling, Mary has always stated that bingo is her true passion. Her internet bingo related publications are filled with interesting and useful online bingo tips. Her many articles she has written can be found at: http://www.online-bingo.net.

Virus Warning Serenade

Psst... Pass It On... I Found Out It's a Hoax...

When you receive an email telling you about a virus, what do you do with it? Do you send it to everyone in your address book to help them protect themselves too?

A virus warning is probably on its way to your inbox right now, claiming to be from a credible source and warning you of a dangerous virus on the loose. Beware. You might be tricked into taking part in an Internet hoax - chain mail virus alerts.

It is believed that 60% plus of the Virus Warnings in circulation are hoaxes. Further, your anti-virus software may already have a cure for this particular ailment IF it is real.

Even old hoaxes, which have been around for years, can make the rounds again, according to Trend Micro, an anti-virus software company.

'There are a number of new hoaxes because they are so easy to write, you don't need to be a programmer,' the anti-virus company spokesperson said.

What about all of those 'Get Paid to Send Email' schemes? Do you forward them along too, because you do not know if they are true or not, and figure 'why should I take the chance that it is not real?' These 'Get Paid to Send Email' schemes are a fine example of hoaxes that can make the rounds again and again.

There have been at least a dozen incarnations of a 'Get Paid to Send Email' hoax recorded at several of the hoax sites listed in this article. For the complete story, try the search terms 'Bill Gates' or 'Nike' or 'AOL / Microsoft' at any of the Hoax sites.

Let me cut to the chase, no one has the technology to track emails sent through the Internet! No one will ever pay you for sending emails to everyone in your address book! This story is a verified hoax.

Here is a list of Hoax Information Sites that you can check the validity of the warning or the message in your email inbox. You might just be surprised by which items are hoaxes and which are not.

http://www.kumite.com/myths
http://www.snopes.com
http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/
http://antivirus.about.com/compute/antivirus/

For those people who don't know the tell-tale signs of hoaxes, here's a checklist:

1. IBM/Microsoft/Dell/Gateway have verified this. Does anyone think they care? They don't. If it said Norton, McAfee or any other antivirus vendor I might listen. If a virus killed your computer or software the above companies would be delighted because you'd have to buy more computers, and they would be delighted to sell you one.

2. Even if the email proclaims that one of the virus companies is verifying this virus, where is the link to the virus companies website, detailing the important information concerning this particular strain of virus?

3. Published on CNN. Again, where is the link? Could you find it yourself?

4. You'll never be able to use your computer again. Hogwash. If you got a virus the very worst case is that you'd have to format it and reinstall everything. And that's extremely rare anyway. No virus will harm your computer, only the software on it.

5. This virus damages/destroys Windows and McIntosh systems. More hogwash. These are two very different operating systems with very different ways of executing software.

6. Don't even open it! Yea right. 99.9% of virii are carried in attachments to emails not in the emails themselves. Use a bit of common sense and don't open any unexpected attachments from strange sources. And if you keep your AV software up to date, you're most often covered anyway. (The only email software not safe from some types of viruses are Outlook, Outlook Express, and Netscape 6. Users of Outlook and Outlook Express can visit http://Microsoft.com for the patch to protect these email programs from imbedded vb-script viruses. Netscape 6 users can guarantee their own protection by turning off the JavaScripting feature inside of their Preferences.)

7. Forward to all your friends. Now we're down to the crutch of it. This email IS the virus - a social one. Look at the facts. It gets sent to all your friends. It infects peoples inboxes and causes panic. Sounds like a virus to me. It doesn't actually do any harm like most virii but is a waste of your time.

8. Verify these things yourself before forwarding them. To simplify the task of verification, there is a new freeware application on the market designed to help you do just that. It is called 'Quick Swords V' and it has been developed for you by a new company called InternetMusketeers.com. The 'V' stands for 'Virus'.

Here is an overview of how the software works: 'Simply type in your Search Terms, then click on the Virus / Hoax Information Searches drop down list, and then select your choice for expert guidance on the subject of Viruses and Hoaxes. With Quick Swords V, we can help take the guesswork out of your decision making process. We are giving you direct access to the nearly immediate search results of 16 Virus / Hoax sites on the Internet.'

Quick Swords V (virus) ships as Freeware, so you have no excuse not to verify the Virus information before sending it to everyone in your address book anymore. It only takes a minute to verify the latest juicy warning in your email box. I know your mouse finger is itching to click Forward, but your friends will Thank You for verifying this information before hitting Send!

Instead, click here: http://InternetMusketeers.com/apps/QuickSwords

I would like to thank the following people for assisting me in the gathering of the information presented in this article:

- Steven McCarthy, Co-Owner of A Helping Hand at: http://learn.at/ahh
- Christy, Co-Owner of http://Hackfix.org a non-profit site dedicated to fighting worms and trojans
- Mike Banks, the Owner of Mikes What's News at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MikesWhatsNews

Bill Platt - Owner of WindstormComputing.com and The Windstorm Computing and Technical Support Newsletter. Also the Author of the award-winning Quick Swords Family of Software Products: http://internetmusketeers.com/apps/QuickSwords.

High Speed Internet Connection Verse

High Speed Internet Connection

Internet has almost become a lifeline for the new generation. Many businesses now depend entirely on the Internet. People residing in different parts of world are able to talk to each other via the medium of Internet. Video conferencing is a live example of it. Many marriages are also made with the help of the Internet. The list of benefits that Internet provides is limitless.

But, what would you do when you have a slow speed internet connection that takes a lot of time? That internet connection would simply be useless to you.

The speed at which you are connected to the Internet plays a very important role in enjoying the advantages offered by it. For example, suppose one of your relatives who is residing overseas, has sent you a holiday clip. Now, if your Internet speed is slow then first of all it would take a long time to load the mail website. Then you would enter your user name and password. It would again take extra time to verify it. Also, downloading the clip would be very slow, even if its size is very small. Overall, you can say that having a low speed Internet connection (dial-up connection) is not a good thing.

There are many choices available for a high speed Internet connection. DSL, Cable and Satellite are some of them. You can select the best one from them. Here are some of the common benefits that all these high speed Internet connections provide.

* Viewing of streamlining clips or videos is very easy and fast in these connections. Dial-up connections may not even allow their access.
* You can upload web pages and download any kind of information or software with more than twice the speed of dial-up connection.
* Downloading of images and huge e-mail files can be done almost promptly.
* High speed Internet connection has proven to be a boon for all businessmen. They can now access the world wide web within a few seconds. Their businesses have been highly benefited through efficient and quick video conferencing which would have been impossible in a slow dial-up connection.
* For those people who work from home, a high speed Internet connection can assist them in increasing their overall work efficiency and output.
* On a long term basis, the high speed Internet connection can prove to be highly economical.

DSL: The best choice for high speed internet connection Now-a-days, DSL has become the leading choice for a high speed Internet connection. DSL works on existing telephone lines. With a DSL connection you can browse the web and talk on the phone at the same time. Generally, a DSL connection requires a DSL router, a dedicated phone line and a network card or a modem for each system. The installation of DSL at your location is the responsibility of the service provider. Last but not the least, this high speed Internet connection is offered at very affordable prices.

Toh Poh Leng owns and operates Dsl Upgrade site at http://www.dsl-upgrade-help.com.


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