The Promethean - February 1, 2003

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A New Voice at Promethius Consulting

If you’ve called the Promethius office recently, you may have noticed a change to the telephone system. From 9:00 to 5:30 our phones will be answered by our new Office Manager, Lorrilynn Madison. We hope that this change will provide better assurance that your technical questions will be heard and responded to in a timely manner.

As we get used to the new system, we would appreciate your help in two ways. First, grant us your patience as Lorrilynn learns who you are and what your special needs are. Secondly, please utilize the main telephone number (317/733-2388) rather than the technicians’ cellular numbers so that we can better track calls and more accurately book appointments.

Also, for faster service when using e-mail, please e-mail all new computer-support requests to support@promethius.com and all website update requests to updates@promethius.com.

Thank you,
The Staff of Promethius Consulting

Definition of the Month
Courtesy of Webopedia...

PDA - Short for personal digital assistant, a handheld device that combines computing, telephone/fax, Internet and networking features. A typical PDA can function as a cellular phone, fax sender, Web browser and personal organizer.

Unlike portable computers, most PDAs began as pen-based, using a stylus rather than a keyboard for input. This means that they also incorporated handwriting recognition features. Some PDAs can also react to voice input by using voice recognition technologies. PDAs of today are available in either a stylus or keyboard version.

Apple Computer, which introduced the Newton MessagePad in 1993, was one of the first companies to offer PDAs. Shortly thereafter, several other manufacturers offered similar products. Today, one of the most popular brands of PDAs is the series of Palm Pilots from Palm, Inc.

PDAs are also called palmtops, hand-held computers and pocket computers.

"Quotation" of the Month
A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history - with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila. (Mitch Ratliffe)

Predatory Billing – Watch Out!!

At Promethius, we host countless websites for organizations around the country. A part of managing any website is receiving solicitations from companies promising outstanding search results in the top search engines. We know from experience that such results can’t be guaranteed, and that 99% of these solicitations are nothing more than a scam.

Now these predatory companies have upped the ante by skipping the sales pitch altogether and sending actual invoices! Click here to see a document that looks quite official, but it is actually a sales pitch. Can you find the one small detail that proves this is a sales pitch and not an actual invoice? Would you have paid this statement?

This appears to be an emerging trend with internet companies. Domain registrars routinely send "renewal notices" to clients of their competitors which, if paid, act as transfers.

If you receive a bill for your website, and you are at all curious, feel free to give us a call before you send payment!

Spyware

Are you concerned that the cool new software you just downloaded might be “spyware?” According to our friends at Webopedia, spyware is any software that covertly gathers user information through the user's Internet connection without his or her knowledge, usually for advertising purposes©.

Spychecker.com is a good place to check your program: http://www.spychecker.com. Another great place to check is in the license agreement that we are all so quick to click past. Most spyware writers announce themselves in the fine print of a document that they realize most of us will never bother to read.

If you have questions about spyware or about your specific program, please call us at 317/733-2388.

Is there something specific you'd like to see? We'd appreciate your feedback and article ideas.
Please e-mail them to support@promethius.com.

Promethius Consulting, LLC
www.promethius.com