A hacker has managed to penetrate one of the Pentagon's e-mail systems, leading officials to take up to 1,500 accounts offline.
The e-mail system did not contain classified information relating to military operations, a spokesman said.
The Pentagon says it rebuffs hundreds of attempted attacks on its computer systems each day.
US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said that a "variety of precautionary measures" were being taken.
"Elements of the... unclassified email system were taken offline yesterday afternoon due to a detected penetration," Mr Gates said.
He said it was expected that the system would be online again very soon.
Few details were available about the exact nature of the attack.
A Pentagon spokesman said attacks could come from a variety of sources including: "recreational hackers, self-styled cyber-vigilantes, various groups with nationalistic and ideological agendas, trans-national actors and nation-states."
Officials would not say whether the hacker was able to read e-mails sent on the system.
Asked if his own e-mail account was affected, Mr Gates said: "I don't do e-mail. I'm a low-tech person."
Excerpt from BBC online.
Friday 22 June 2007
Tuesday 19 June 2007
V3 Accommodation Booking
Right now, there's a lot going on with the V3 accommodation booking system. It has been taken up by a number of large companies in the past few weeks - Total Travel have come online and WhatIf are coming soon. For those of you that don't know, V3 is a real-time availability search and booking system. You can have it on your computer for roughly £380 for 2 years which to me seems the bargain of the century. Integrating it with your website will cost you a few bucks with your website designer but you can do it in two steps - the first step would be just to put the link button to V3 on your site; the second would be providing branding files to V3 so that there are links back to your own website from the booking system and so that the booking system looks like an extension of your own website.
What you have to remember about anything like this though is that if you're website cannot be found on Google because it's performing poorly in the rankings then there's really not much point. It's a good idea to get a professional search engine optimisation company involved in moving your website up the rankings before or at the same time as you go ahead with adding new functionality. Currently, in Mission Beach there are very few accommodation providers who have their sites optimised so there is a hole in the market to be filled - get your site on the first page of Google and reap the benefits of your real-time availability booking system.
What you have to remember about anything like this though is that if you're website cannot be found on Google because it's performing poorly in the rankings then there's really not much point. It's a good idea to get a professional search engine optimisation company involved in moving your website up the rankings before or at the same time as you go ahead with adding new functionality. Currently, in Mission Beach there are very few accommodation providers who have their sites optimised so there is a hole in the market to be filled - get your site on the first page of Google and reap the benefits of your real-time availability booking system.
Friday 15 June 2007
Can You Really?
I often get phone calls from potential customers in Mission Beach who think that website design is an easy thing to do and should cost less than $1000 for an e-commerce website! Well, let me put this misconception in the garbage right here, right now. Yes, you can buy template websites online that you can set up yourselves and if you're happy with one of those then go ahead and do it and, I really mean this, good luck to you. But be aware that you're setting yourself up for a number of problems.
Firstly, you've got a website but it won't have any of your branding on it so customers won't be able to recognise you or your products.
Secondly, how on earth are people going to find your website? You've just implemented an e-commerce facility but unless your customers actually know what your website is called then they are never going to find your website using Google. Google is a complex and highly annoying animal. Your website needs to be optimised for it and then there are a whole host of techniques that need to be applied for link building to make your site seem popular in its eyes. All of this work requires careful attention to detail and constant monitoring of your website after it has gone live in order to tweak it to get it up the rankings.
So, before you decide that you really need a website, get used to the fact that to have it built professionally is going to require an initial outlay that will be more than the $500 most people think a website should cost. To put this $500 in perspective, for a Cairns company this is less than 5 hours work. I will say it now that it is impossible to build a website from conception to finish including getting it looking just the way the customer wants in this timeframe. Anybody who says that they can is leading you up a path that ends in a croc-infested creek and isn't very good at their job.
If you still want a website after reading this then you're a realist; your website will be built professionally to exacting standards and will perform well in the search engines. The ongoing benefits of the web will become more apparent as your site moves up the rankings and the initial outlay will turn into a profit-making machine.
Firstly, you've got a website but it won't have any of your branding on it so customers won't be able to recognise you or your products.
Secondly, how on earth are people going to find your website? You've just implemented an e-commerce facility but unless your customers actually know what your website is called then they are never going to find your website using Google. Google is a complex and highly annoying animal. Your website needs to be optimised for it and then there are a whole host of techniques that need to be applied for link building to make your site seem popular in its eyes. All of this work requires careful attention to detail and constant monitoring of your website after it has gone live in order to tweak it to get it up the rankings.
So, before you decide that you really need a website, get used to the fact that to have it built professionally is going to require an initial outlay that will be more than the $500 most people think a website should cost. To put this $500 in perspective, for a Cairns company this is less than 5 hours work. I will say it now that it is impossible to build a website from conception to finish including getting it looking just the way the customer wants in this timeframe. Anybody who says that they can is leading you up a path that ends in a croc-infested creek and isn't very good at their job.
If you still want a website after reading this then you're a realist; your website will be built professionally to exacting standards and will perform well in the search engines. The ongoing benefits of the web will become more apparent as your site moves up the rankings and the initial outlay will turn into a profit-making machine.
Safari...so goody
Apple's surprise announcement of a Windows version of Safari has led to inevitable questions about its motives in reigniting the browser war.
For some, the move is simply an essential element to its forthcoming iPhone launch, while others see it as a more aggressive move for browser market share or even the launch-pad for a raft of upcoming Apple software.
The fact that Apple chief executive Steve Jobs chose to announce the move at an Apple Developer's conference indicates that the focus is on web development.
"The more Safari users there are, the better support for Safari there will be from web developers. As it gets more popular, so it becomes essential that any new web application supports for Safari from day one," commented John Gruber on his blog Daring Fireball.
But perhaps, with its iPhone due to be launched at the end of the month, the key motivation for a Windows-compatible Safari is to make it easier for Windows-based web developers to write applications for that device.
"Apple needs to make sure that websites work with Safari. It is at the heart of its iPhone and probably for Apple TV, so it's got to make sure that websites work with it," said Ian Fogg, an analyst with Jupiter Research.
Read more at the BBC website.
For some, the move is simply an essential element to its forthcoming iPhone launch, while others see it as a more aggressive move for browser market share or even the launch-pad for a raft of upcoming Apple software.
The fact that Apple chief executive Steve Jobs chose to announce the move at an Apple Developer's conference indicates that the focus is on web development.
"The more Safari users there are, the better support for Safari there will be from web developers. As it gets more popular, so it becomes essential that any new web application supports for Safari from day one," commented John Gruber on his blog Daring Fireball.
But perhaps, with its iPhone due to be launched at the end of the month, the key motivation for a Windows-compatible Safari is to make it easier for Windows-based web developers to write applications for that device.
"Apple needs to make sure that websites work with Safari. It is at the heart of its iPhone and probably for Apple TV, so it's got to make sure that websites work with it," said Ian Fogg, an analyst with Jupiter Research.
Read more at the BBC website.
Tuesday 12 June 2007
Andersons Real Estate
The new Andersons Real Estate website has gone live.
Ion e-Business have incorporated many advanced features into the website such as property finding using a Google Map to pinpoint the location of properties and using SMS as a means of contacting potential clients with regards to property alerts.
Check out the website and see what you think. Andersons Real Estate, the Mission Beach real estate specialists.
Ion e-Business have incorporated many advanced features into the website such as property finding using a Google Map to pinpoint the location of properties and using SMS as a means of contacting potential clients with regards to property alerts.
Check out the website and see what you think. Andersons Real Estate, the Mission Beach real estate specialists.
Friday 8 June 2007
Mission Beach Information Station
The Mission Beach Information Station website is undergoing a transformation. Over the next few weeks keep your eyes on the site as we give it an updated look-and-feel, introduce new content on Dunk Island and Hinchinbrook Island and introduce several new elements that will make it easier for web surfers find accommodation and tours in Mission Beach.
Monday 4 June 2007
My Nice Working Environment
I'm so lucky to be living in Mission Beach. Website design here is a pleasure to do. Lunch breaks on the beach, business meetings with a beer overlooking the beach. It doesn't get much better. Apart from the fact that the weather needs to clear up a bit.
Sunday 3 June 2007
EMI Signs Deal With YouTube
EMI Music - home to recording artists such as Coldplay, Norah Jones and Keith Urban - has reached an agreement with Google's YouTube that lets the website carry music videos and other content from EMI.
It also clears the way for users to post videos with select EMI content.
With the deal, San Bruno, California-based YouTube now has permission to host videos from all four of the world's major recording companies.
YouTube reached agreements with the other music labels in October, but Britain-based EMI had been the lone holdout.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
EMI Music, a unit of EMI Group PLC, will receive a cut of revenue from ads shown on YouTube when EMI content is being viewed, said Chris Maxcy, head of business development for YouTube.
"Through this agreement EMI Music and its artists will be fairly compensated for their work," EMI chief executive Eric Nicoli said in a statement.
Previous deals struck by the company with other record labels and TV networks have also included ad revenue-sharing.
Under the terms of the agreement, EMI will make its artists' music videos available on the site.
Computer users will also be allowed to use content from select EMI artists in videos they create and post on the site.
Like other record labels, EMI will be able to identify when its video or audio material is being used in user-generated videos on the website and have it removed, should it opt to do so.
"There will be cases where maybe a particular artist doesn't want to participate and the labels need to respect that," Mr Maxcy said.
"In those cases, that content will be removed."
Video and songs by The Beatles, for example, will not be available on YouTube, EMI said.
YouTube has quietly rolled out technology that uses word search and filtering systems to track content on the site.
The company is also exploring other methods, including audio and video fingerprinting, Mr Maxcy said.
It also clears the way for users to post videos with select EMI content.
With the deal, San Bruno, California-based YouTube now has permission to host videos from all four of the world's major recording companies.
YouTube reached agreements with the other music labels in October, but Britain-based EMI had been the lone holdout.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
EMI Music, a unit of EMI Group PLC, will receive a cut of revenue from ads shown on YouTube when EMI content is being viewed, said Chris Maxcy, head of business development for YouTube.
"Through this agreement EMI Music and its artists will be fairly compensated for their work," EMI chief executive Eric Nicoli said in a statement.
Previous deals struck by the company with other record labels and TV networks have also included ad revenue-sharing.
Under the terms of the agreement, EMI will make its artists' music videos available on the site.
Computer users will also be allowed to use content from select EMI artists in videos they create and post on the site.
Like other record labels, EMI will be able to identify when its video or audio material is being used in user-generated videos on the website and have it removed, should it opt to do so.
"There will be cases where maybe a particular artist doesn't want to participate and the labels need to respect that," Mr Maxcy said.
"In those cases, that content will be removed."
Video and songs by The Beatles, for example, will not be available on YouTube, EMI said.
YouTube has quietly rolled out technology that uses word search and filtering systems to track content on the site.
The company is also exploring other methods, including audio and video fingerprinting, Mr Maxcy said.
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