Not that long ago I received an email notifying me that someone had been locked out from logging into WordPress on WBOBR.com. Considering I am the only holder of logins for WBOBR and I had not visited it during the time frame I was being notified about, I immediately went to check it out. Sure enough, I had an entire screen filled with unsuccessful login attempts from a wide range of IP addresses.

Of course, my next step, once I realized what was happening, was to check out the other blogs I manage and found a few more that had also received attempts.

By now you may be asking yourself just how I found this out. Well, it certainly wasn’t from looking at traffic statistics, these IPs were from multiple ranges. And it wasn’t from my hosting provider either. The message that clued me in to these attempts came from a plugin I had installed when I first setup WBOBR.com. The name of the plugin is “Limit Login Attempts” by Johan Eenfeldt and it is free at this point in time through the WordPress plugin repository.

So what exactly does “Limit Login Attempts” do, you might ask. Well, it allows you to specify how many times someone is allowed to try to login unsuccessfully. If they reach the number of attempts you specify, it then disallows (locks out) any further attempts from that particular IP address and it logs each and every unsuccessful attempt and lockout. The lockout settings consist of two stages and different time frames can be set for each stage.

For the first lockout, you may want to have it only lock that person out for a short period of time. This lets valid users do a bit of thinking before they try again. The second lockout can be set for the same amount of time, or for any other time frame you believe is suitable. My thought was that if someone was locked out a second time, particularly since I hold the logins, that this second lockout should be for a period of time that will ensure I have been notified before they are allowed to try again. It may be in your case that it is a valid user who has simply forgotten his/her password and as such, you would then be able to help that person out.

The plugin also gives you the option of logging unsuccessful attempts and the option of receiving an email after whatever number of lockouts you specify. This is how I was made aware of the problem. Needless to say, as soon as I did become aware of the situation, I tightened up the criteria considerably.

One thing that was immediately noticeable was that this was a brute force attack. There were a wide range of IP addresses all attempting to crack the password for the admin login and of course, for my SherryD login. They were not able to do so within the limits I had put in place and also due to another security measure I had taken.

Did you know that your login id does not have to match the name that shows on the blog? One of the first steps I take when setting up a blog is to create a new admin user login and set a strong password. I then delete the original admin login, rename the nickname for the new admin login, and set that as the name to be publicly displayed. Judging by the number of attempts to brute force the admin login, this was a good move. Anyone trying to crack the password for the login “admin” on WBOBR will fail and I will be notified.

Now being notified is a good first step, but how do you handle these attempts and further protect your sites? For that answer, I contacted my Internet service provider, who told me about a function available in my cPanel that would help me out. This function is called the IP Deny Manager and it allowed me to add those IP addresses that “Limit Login Attempts” kept track of to a deny list.

While I added these IP addresses one by one, you are also able to add entire ranges of IP addresses to this deny list. Keep in mind when thinking about doing this that you may inadvertently block valid visitors. Also keep in mind that this list denies access for those IP address to all sites you have under that particular hosting account. So if you have more than one site hosted, all of your sites will be protected.

I hope that by sharing this incident with you, you will take steps to ensure that if someone tries to crack your WordPress password, you are made aware of it.

Has someone tried to hack into your blog? Share you experience and your security recommendations in the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you.

To Your Success,

SherryD
http://www.wbobr.com

Most of the online marketing training that I have been exposed to makes a point of mentioning the importance of backups at least once. The main backup that is mentioned is the database backup, and yes, this is important. With the availability of the WordPress Database plugin, which is free to use, and a free Gmail account, you have the ability to send a copy of your database to yourself on a daily basis. Once setup, this is virtually a hands free and cost free process, so there is no excuse for not having your database for your WordPress blog backed up.

Another needed backup that is frequently mentioned is that of backing up the files on your actual website. More than one online business has faced irretrievable loss when a hosting provider has gone out of business or suffered a major server side glitch and all files have been lost. Does this take time? Of course it does. But it is nothing compared to the time you would spend trying to recreate your website or blog from thin air. So, if you are not already familiar with using your ftp, it is time to learn how to work with it and take a full copy of the files that make up your website.

So now we have covered the database and files, what about the settings? If you manage your website yourself as many of us do, you have invested a significant amount of time in how your site has been setup. Would you be able to easily recreate those settings? Or would you have to once again go through the process of investigating what each means before implementing? Do you know what is all listed under links? Have you made reciprocal link deals with any other sites? This information will not necessarily be available on a restore. It should, but what if it is not? Do you have another means of recovering this information?

As I mentioned above, the release of WordPress 3.0 prompted an overhaul for this blog. This happened for two reasons:

1) The theme I was currently using did not migrate well. And…

2) I had too many blogs with too many different themes, which effectively doubled the work load.

So, I decided to use the Magazine Basic theme as the default for all of my blogs.

To do this effectively, I set up a testing site, (with search engines blocked), under my default blog and installed WordPress 3. I also took this opportunity to setup clean databases and name them in a manner that reflected which blog they referred to. So, importing the database was not an option here. Fortunately, there is a plugin called WordPress Importer that allows you to export all of your posts and pages and re-import them to a new installation. I had to do some tweaking with the Categories and Tags, but overall, this was a definite plus as my intention was to wipe out the original blog once the test one was setup to my satisfaction.

It was at this point that I realized just how much was missing. All of the links had to be manually redone, as well as the basic settings, user accounts, specialty settings, plugin setups, analytics settings, menus, and of course any redirection links that had existed in the original blog.

Now most of you will be able to re-establish your website without having to do all of this , simply because you do have a valid database backup on hand and a copy of your website files. If you are not techy enough to restore it yourself it should be relatively easy to find someone to help you with it. However, if for any reason your database backups are unusable, having a listing of your website settings and an export of your posts and pages will help you to get back up and running.

A further unseen benefit occurred for me just a few days ago. Having setup the testing site for one of my blogs, I had thought to remove it at a later date when I was comfortable with the new setup. Of course, there never did seem to be the time to do this, and in this case, that was a very good thing.

You see, I added a new plugin to this other blog and upon activation, my customized home page disappeared. After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I realized I still had my test site running and was able to use it as a reference while troubleshooting the effects of this new plugin, which did not disappear when the plugin was deactivated.

After a bit of time and a great deal of head scratching, I found that a new redirection had been implemented when the plugin was activated and so everytime I tried to go to the home page, it redirected me to the page associated with the plugin. Once this redirection was removed, I confirmed that my customized home page was the one set in the Settings areas and all was back where it needed to be.

This is just one small example of how having a testing environment available saved the day. And I admit, had I used the testing environment to test the addition of this plugin instead of my main blog, a lot of grief could have been avoided. I have learned my lesson with the above experiences and I hope that what I have learned will benefit others in the future.

To Your Success,

SherryD
http://www.wbobr.com

Occasionally I am contacted by some individual who has found out the hard way, through their pocket book, that something they have invested in is not nearly as profitable as it first appeared. I am not going to name any names here because that is not the point of this post. Rather, I would like to make three points.

Point 1: If you can not afford to lose it, don’t invest it. It can take several attempts to find training in the area of Internet Marketing that works for you. And, just like the brick and mortar businesses you see out on the street, no business is guaranteed success. What works for one person will not necessarily work for another as they are individuals with different knowledge, personalities and skills.

I, for example, do really well in the geeky side of marketing. Putting up a website and playing with new ways to do things make my day. On the other hand, when it comes to the feel good side of things, I still have a lot to learn because I think and speak in a technical manner.

This, or something similar may be the issue for many who get into the field of Internet Marketing and this means either you learn the skills you are missing or you need to be prepared to outsource that part of your business to someone who does have those skills.

Point2: Be sure to read the fine print. And, take a copy of those special offers that sound so enticing. There is nothing stopping you from taking a print screen of the web page and saving it to a picture file. That is what your print screen key on your keyboard is for and every Windows computer I have every worked on has the Paint program in accessories where the print screen can be pasted. This gives you something to reference if things don’t seem to be going according to what you thought you agreed to. While you are at it, make sure you read and copy any terms of agreement that pop up along the way.

Point3: Do unto others as you would have done unto you.

A while back I invested in a website installation. I agreed to purchase a domain name and hosting for a year. When the year was up, I decided to move the website to my main hosting provider only to find that the installer of the website had encrypted some of the files in such a way that they would not function on another hosting provider. When I requested that the encryption be removed, my request was denied. So, either I allow myself to be held hostage to their hosting provider, or I walk away and chalk it up to a lesson learned.

Now, had their hosting been WordPress friendly, I might have considered continuing with this hosting, even though it meant additional hosting costs. As it turned out, the hosting was not WordPress friendly, so the choice was made to let the site go. I did, however, manage to move the domain to my own domain registrar, so there is the opportunity to rebuild.

While I can understand the wish for a marketer to hold onto clients, these types of tactics leave a bad taste. How many of you think that I will agree to do business with that marketer again, even if the deal presented is the next best thing to sliced bread?

How you conduct your business relationships with your clients will eventually precede you. And, while it is true that you can not always please everyone, sometimes it is better to lose a little in order to gain or retain a client.

To Your Success,

SherryD
http://www.wbobr.com

In this video, Dr. Brown breaks down her journey to discover the role that shame plays in our lives. What is shame all about and what is the difference between those of us that are held back by shame and those of us that have moved beyond the restrictions that shame places on lives.

Dr. Brown makes connections between shame and many issues that people find in their lives, connections that I personally would never have made. For some of you, watching this video may be the best 20 minutes you spend this year. For others, it may provide one of those ah ha moments. Most that watch this video will never think of shame in the same way again.

Sit back, get comfortable and enjoy.

To Your Success,

SherryD
http://www.wbobr.com

There are some things in life you don’t gamble on. Even if your website is not generating money, you need to have your website legal documents in place to help protect you against unnecessary legal problems that can leave a BIG hole in your bank account. It isn’t a matter of whether or not you can afford to put these documents in place. It is a matter of not being able to afford the consequences if someone comes after you and they are not in place.

Since the FTC regulations have taken effect, it has been “game on” for those that seek to find people who do not have their website legal documents in place. Tracking you down seems to have become the new “in thing” to do.

Now if you are into tactics that don’t bear scrutiny in the light of day, even posting your Internet terms of use policy and Internet privacy policy will not protect you, as the defendants in this FTC settlement found out.

But, if you are doing all in your power to work above board and within the confines of the many regulations out there, does it not also make sense to protect yourself in every way possible?

Don’t take chances.

Internet Lawyer Mike Young offers the Website Legal Forms Generator Gold software as a way for website owners to reduce their risk and put their website legal documents in place. Check it out today.

To Your Success,

SherryD
http://www.wbobr.com

At that time, I would have the opportunity to provide proof that the music was used legitimately. For now, the notice from YouTube says that nothing needs to be done on my part.

Knowing this can be a bit disconcerting, particularly when you have taken steps towards avoiding copyright infringement. I find the process used to be a bit one sided to say the least. Basically, if I understand their instructions correctly, I am to do nothing until such a time as my video is removed due to a complaint by whomever is claiming rights to the music being used. At that time, I can file a counter-notification to prove my use of the music is legitimate and if I prove I am in the right, the video will be restored.

Since I purchased the rights to the music used, I took the required steps necessary for avoiding copyright infringement with my video. I have a copy of the license and the bill of sale and rather than wait for someone to yank the video, it would be a lot less stressful to just upload this proof and have the matter cleared up.

While I recognize that YouTube is rightfully doing everything in its power to comply with copyright laws, the folks that upload the videos in the first place are what makes it the great site that it is. Having a simple link under the notice that says “matched third party content,” that says click here to submit your license agreement, or something along that line, would clear the matter up immediately.

The addition of AudioSwap is a step that YouTube has taken to pro-actively help uploaders with the issue of avoiding copyright infringement. AudioSwap allows the uploader to choose an audio file to be played along with a video. These audio files are provided by YouTube for this purpose and can be used without issue. The only problem I have with this way of doing things is that the audio files are only available after the video has been uploaded and then only by opening the video to the audio editing process.

My reason for this is that I would like to have the opportunity to match the audio to the video a little earlier in the process. I have no issue with someone having to be logged in to browse this database, but it would be easier to make the decision to use this feature if the audio files could be browsed ahead of time, without opening one of your videos for edit. I must have listened to close to a hundred audio clips before I found one I liked.

Currently, you will find this option once you have uploaded a video. Log in to your account – go to the My Uploaded Videos section and look for a drop down arrow beside the word Insight. Here you will see the option to go to AudioSwap. One word of caution. If you do decide to use this feature, your video will be changed so that any audio previously used is replaced by the file you have selected from AudioSwap. This change can not be undone, so be sure before you select the process button.

So, how do you go about avoiding copyright infringement? You begin by having clear, written permission to the use of any content you use. There are many sites where royalty free content can be found. This content may be available for free download, or it may have a cost attached. You should be carefully reading the license agreement before purchasing and downloading content as there may be restrictions on what you are allowed to do with it. In the above example, I was careful to make sure the audio I used specifically stated that it could be used in a YouTube video. Yes, there was a cost for this license, but it wasn’t an unreasonable cost. The website I found my track at is called LoopSound.com.

Just as there are many different websites for royalty free music, there are also websites for royalty free images and video clips. IStockPhoto.com is one website that comes to mind.

Another item that you should be keeping in mind to help you with avoiding copyright infringement, is to never use the content or graphics of another website without written permission. If you are thinking about being an affiliate for a product, use the contact page to make your request. This will result in a written reply that either allows or disallows the use of that website’s content and graphics.

Now I grant you, I may not be totally clear on the dispute process used by YouTube, and I am open for correction in that regard, but I am clear on the need to have a clear license to use content of any nature in all matters pertaining to online promotions. So, I would like to start a list here of your suggested websites for obtaining royalty free content.

Royalty Free Audio Sites:

• LoopSound.com
• FreePlayMusic.com
• MusicRevolution.com

Royalty Free Image & Video Sites:

• IStockPhoto.com

To Your Success,

SherryD
http://www.wbobr.com

Each work at home training program will have a slightly different selling angle that they teach. It may have to do with the level of popularity of the product (gravity), or how well a product fits into a niche that you are planning to work with. However, the purpose of this post is not to discuss the various methods of training used by different work at home training programs. Instead, I would like to pass on some ClickBank info that is often not touched upon in many of these programs, or if it is, may not be upper most in the mind of many of the newer Clickbank affiliates.

First let me say that I am not a spokesperson for ClickBank. The ClickBank info I am sharing with you is based strictly on my own experience with the ClickBank Marketplace, where I find products to promote, the same as many other affiliates.

It is not uncommon for a new affiliate to begin promoting products and not have instant success. This is not the generally the fault of the training program, but rather part of the learning curve that all affiliates go through. There is much to learn in the area of affiliate marketing and your success will depend a lot on you, the effort you put into your learning and your ability to follow and understand the training you are working with. Picking one work at home training program and sticking with it until you have completed the entire course will get you farther ahead faster than if you start a program and then jump to the next and then to the next without ever completing the original training.

Over time, as you learn what works best for promoting the products you have chosen from the ClickBank marketplace, sales will begin to happen. For some of you it may take a few weeks, for others it may take months. It is what happens once those sales begin to occur that I would like to address.

ClickBank has a number of rules that are followed in regards to how affiliates are paid. Many ClickBank affiliates believe that as soon as they make their first sale, they will receive a check in the mail or a deposit to their bank account. When this does not happen, it can put an affiliate off of his or her stride and dampen their enthusiasm. This is why it is important that those promoting ClickBank products are aware of the rules that ClickBank has in place that determine when you will be paid.

It is important that once you sign up as an affiliate, you are aware of and thoroughly read ClickBank’s Accounting Policy. There are two primary sections that help determine when an affiliate will be paid. Those sections are the Payment Threshold and the Customer Distribution Requirement sections.

The Payment Threshold section determines the dollar amount of the commissions you must earn before a payment will be made to you. If you continue to make sales, this amount will be met quite quickly.

The most important section for you as a new affiliate promoting products from ClickBank is the “Customer Distribution Requirement” section. In order to safe guard itself and it’s merchants, each ClickBank affiliate must meet this required criteria before he or she will be issued any payment for the sales that they generate. Once this criteria has been met, payments for any future sales will be issued on a regular basis.

This criteria can cause affiliates a bit of apprehension. It is not uncommon to have a single sale and then have a period of time when no sales are made. For the affiliate, who made the sale, seeing that they have earned a commission and then not receiving it can be frustrating. But, as I said before, that payment will not be made until ClickBank’s Customer Distribution Requirement is met. Notice the CDR links in the status column. These point to the explanation of the requirements that must be met before a payment will be made to you.

If there is a time in between sales, your account may be set to dormant status. At this time, you will be charged for the maintenance of that account every pay period and you will see your commission amount being decreased by the amount of that charge. This will continue until you make another sale. That sale may or may not give you what you need to meet ClickBank’s requirements. And so it goes on.

While these rules help ClickBank to protect itself and it’s merchants, they can be very frustrating for new affiliates. The key is to hang in there and keep trying. Eventually the day will come when all of the criteria have been met and you will begin receiving your commission checks as sales are made.

When the day comes that you receive your first check from ClickBank, take the time to congratulate and reward yourself for passing this initiation into the world of affiliate marketing. You will have worked hard to achieve it, so enjoy. I hope this ClickBank info will help you to better understand what is involved when working as a ClickBank affiliate and that your patience will be quickly rewarded.

To Your Success,

SherryD
http://www.wbobr.com