Recently a major e-mail breach occurred -- Epsilon, a company which handles e-mail marketing for many clients (large and small), had its system hacked. Names and e-mail addresses and, presumably, the company whose list it was were taken. So far I've been notified by Barclays Bank/L.L. Bean and Tastefully Simple that their lists were involved. Other companies include JPMorgan, Chase, Citibank, Target, and Walgreens. The hackers did not get truly personal information like passwords. (Here's a link to the NY Times article for more information.)

What they did get will allow them to send personalized phishing e-mails. That means if you have an L.L. Bean Visa card from Barclays Bank, you might get an e-mail, with your name on it, looking just like a Barclays Bank e-mail. And that e-mail might ask you to confirm your account by filling in your password and other personal information. Do not do it! Real e-mails from any of these companies will never ask you to put personal information in a response. Also be careful of clicking on links in e-mails. Place your cursor (the little arrow) over a link in an e-mail and then look at the strip near the bottom of your computer screen -- the url for the link will appear. When it's a fake e-mail, you can see that the url isn't correct. If in doubt, visit the site using your bookmark menu rather than clicking on the e-mail link.

These days very few people access the Internet via dial-up, DSL or cable has become the usual provider. But what are you doing once you connect to the Internet? Connected to our Verizon DSL modem is our wireless router, allowing access to the Internet throughout the house (and even in the backyard). I had no idea what we were doing when we set up our first router; luckily our then next-door neighbor was an IT guy. With the promise of a free lunch, he went to Best Buy with me and picked out a Netgear router. Then back home, he set the thing up. What a joy! To me the best part has always been not the speed but the fact that multiple people and computers could legally access the Internet at the same time. Since then another techy friend has upgraded our router (we now have a Linksys).

So, how do you  choose a router? Recently the NY Times ran a great article called "The Long and Wireless Road to a Home Router". It answers the questions: Do I need one? What kind? How much should I spend? What speed should I get? Dual or single band? What's Powerline? If you need to buy a router -- read this article!

On Sunday, May 22, I will be walking at Walk to Defeat ALS in Long Branch, NJ. The main charity I fund raise for is the ALS Association which works to support those affected by ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) or Lou Gehrig's Disease (a fatal neuromuscular disease) and to spread awareness of the urgency to find treatment and a cure. As some of you know, I lost a close friend, Laurie Speight, to this awful disease in December, 2006. Just last month we lost another friend to ALS. Every year I participate in one of the The ALS New York Chapter's Walks to Defeat ALS -- We Walk Because We Can. If you would like to learn more about ALS and the walk and help by donating, please visit my Walk Page.

Are you interested in trying e-mail marketing? I am now a Certified Constant Contact Expert and a Constant Contact Solution Provider. Which means I can help you with your e-mail marketing -- whether it's helping with set-up, writing the content, or doing something more advanced. I can even set up your contact lists, help you choose a template, and develop your e-mail schedule. To learn more, click here.

E-mail marketing is a way to stay in front of your customers. Whether it's an e-letter (like this one), notice of a special event or sale, or just a holiday greeting, e-mail marketing should be a part of your marketing package. Let me help you get started.