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Letter From The CEO - Vic Shepherd
The holiday season is a hectic time for everyone, with more people than ever before expected to use the Internet to shop, make travel plans or stay in touch with loved ones.
In keeping with the family theme of the season, this issue of Connected! includes important tips on how to keep your Internet connection safe and family-friendly. Iserv has a number of new ways to help, including free software, new products and important usage tips.
We also give you the basics on email hoaxes and even more ways to tap into Google. Just for fun, we also ask what you would do if limited to 10 minutes of Internet access a day.
As always, thanks for selecting Iserv. We wish you a happy, healthy holiday season.
Vic Shepherd
Chief Executive Officer
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"A Look Inside - Protecting Your Family Online"
By Jim Loznak , Vice President of Engineering & Operations
Your Iserv Internet connection is your family's link to the wide assortment of information available on the Internet. It's there to help you connect with extended family during the holiday season. It's there to help with school projects, to give you news and help you learn more about your hobbies.
But often, this same connection can expose your family to spammers, pornographers, viruses and other unsavory characters. The Internet is the ultimate in free expression and inappropriate content is sometimes the price we pay for this freedom.
Luckily, Iserv has several new tools that can greatly minimize these problems in your home. These tools, combined with some common sense measures you and your family can adopt, will help make your Internet experience safe and more enjoyable. Here are a few tips you should consider:
- Be careful giving out your Iserv email address to companies; if you wish to give an address, you can create another email address with Iserv in which to use for this purpose. This will prevent companies from selling your every day Iserv address to spammers.
- Communicate. Talk to your child about potential dangers online.
- Keep the computer in a common room of the house.
- Teach your child responsible ways to use Internet resources.
- Utilize content filtering software, parental controls and/or pop-up blockers. See below for more information about how Iserv can help you protect your family online with iGuard parental controls and block pop-up ads with Iserv's new Pop-Up Stopper®, by Panicware.
- Make a contract with your child stating the online rules and have your child sign it and post it by the computer.
- If you suspect someone is acting inappropriately toward your child, call the Michigan State Police Cyber-Tip Hotline 1-877-5CYBER3.
The Internet is a great resource for the entire family. A little prevention can go a long way toward keeping it a safe medium for everyone in your home.
Top 10 Viruses And Hoaxes
For November 2003, the chart is as follows, with the most frequently occurring virus at number one:
| 1. | W32/Sober-A | 32.6% |
| 2. | W32/Mimail-C | 9.5% |
| 2. | W32/Mimail-F | 9.5% |
| 4. | W32/Dumaru-A | 8.0% |
| 5. | W32/Mimail-F | 5.1% |
| 6. | W32/Gibe-F | 4.5% |
| 7. | W32/Nachi-A | 2.6% |
| 8. | W32/Mimail-J | 2.4% |
| 9. | W32/Klez-H | 2.2% |
| 10. | W32/Mimail-E | 1.5% |
| Others | 22.1% |
"Although Mimail made five appearances in this month's chart - totaling over a quarter of all reports -- it is the bilingual Sober worm that has caused the most problems for computer users this month," said Chris Belthoff, senior security analyst at Lynnfield, MA - based, Sophos, Inc. "Sober-A cunningly disguises itself using a multitude of subject titles and messages, making it difficult to spot. It can even present itself in German if it thinks it is being examined on a German user's computer."
"The Mimail worms attempted a number of different tricks, including attempting to steal the credit card information from Paypal users," continued Belthoff. " Virus writers and hackers are becoming more determined to steal confidential information, which could leave a deep hole in a victim's pocket."
The top ten hoaxes reported to Sophos during November are as follows:
| 1. | Hotmail Hoax | 31.3% |
| 2. | Meninas da Playboy | 12.7% |
| 3. | Bonsai Kitten | 6.2% |
| 4. | Budweiser frogs screensaver | 4.7% |
| 5. | JDBGMGR | 4.0% |
| 6. | A virtual card for you | 3.8% |
| 7. | Bill Gates Fortune | 3.0% |
| 8. | Frog in a blender/Fish in a bowl | 2.9% |
| 9. | WTC Survivor | 2.3% |
| 10. | Do not push 90# | 1.8% |
| Others | 27.3% |
"A new version of the Hotmail hoax, promising users extra storage space if they forwarded an email to their friends, helped keep the hoax at the top of the list of hottest hoaxes," said Belthoff.
"Creeping into the chart is the 'Do not push 90#' chain letter, which is based on an actual telephone scam from the early 1990s, and has caused people to be unnecessarily alarmed. If you receive a virus hoax, chain letter or email scam, you should delete it immediately and resist any temptation to forward it on," continued Belthoff. "Forwarding chain letters via email not only annoy most recipients, they clog bandwidth."
(Source: Sophos)
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Holiday Special Promotion
Trying to find a unique gift idea? How about one year of Internet service from Iserv? Get a year of Iserv dialup service for only $178.55! That's over 30% off our regular annual rate. Or, try our high-speed DSL service for only $29.95 a month. For more details call one of our Customer Services Representative at 1.888.644.7378.
Iserv Helps Customers Block Annoying Pop-Up Ads
Iserv recently announced the introduction of Pop-Up Stopper®, by Panicware. This new software tool stops automatic pop-up ads and other online advertising.
Pop-Up Stopper®, available FREE to Iserv customers, offers users the choice of preventing pop-up ads from appearing on their browser as they surf the Internet. Pop-ups are additional browser windows that are automatically launched when visiting certain websites. Advertisers are increasingly using pop-ups to promote various items.
When installed, Pop-Up Stopper® is integrated into the Internet Explorer toolbar for easy use and customization. Customers may choose to block all pop-ups or make exceptions for trusted sites.
"Pop-up ads are an increasingly popular form of advertising that many of our customers find intrusive, distracting and annoying," said Victor Shepherd, chief executive officer of Iserv. "Similar to SPAM, these advertisements are random in nature and often open sites that are not appropriate for families. We are pleased to offer our customers an easy-to-use solution to better control their Internet experience."
Families will enjoy a different type of Internet browsing by combining Pop-Up Stopper®, with Iserv's new iGuard content filtering product (see below). Iserv provides the perfect combination for a completely worry free, family-friendly Internet experience.
Pop-Up Stopper®, is available FREE to all customers on the Iserv network. To download Pop-Up Stopper® or to learn more click here.
Iserv Introduces iGuard Content Filtering/Parental Control Software
In addition to Pop-Up Stopper®, Iserv also recently introduced iGuard, a new software tool for filtering and controlling access to online content.
iGuard, offers new levels of flexibility and control in filtering software, making it particularly well-suited for families. Users are able to select their own filtering criteria, with individual settings for each family member, giving parents full control of what children can see and when they may access the Internet. In addition, patented technology ensures that iGuard cannot be deleted or have its access settings changed by unauthorized users.
"Anyone who spends time online these days knows there is a wide range of content available on the Web. Iserv customers, particularly parents, have been asking for help in controlling access to inappropriate content without inadvertently blocking desirable sites or information," said Victor Shepherd, chief executive officer of Iserv. "We are pleased to be able to bring iGuard to families as an important new tool in managing and maximizing what the Internet has to offer."
What makes iGuard different for other filtering software? iGuard is powered by SuperCrawler, a patented technology that analyzes millions of websites every day. It is the world's largest and most up-to-date categorized URL filtering database. The latest filtering information is always accessed directly from the Internet, freeing disk space on subscriber computers and eliminating the need for database maintenance downloads.
For more details on iGuard click here. Or, you can order iGuard by calling 1.888.644.7378. Each iGuard account comes with a 30-day money back guarantee.
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Q: How can I reduce the amount of SPAM/junk mail in my Iserv email account?
A: The number one way you can reduce SPAM through your Iserv email account is to log on to your Iserv Webmail account (see more details about Webmail below) and adjust your SPAM settings. You can log on to your Webmail account through the Iserv website at www.iserv.net, click on the 'WEBMAIL' button, log in with your current user name and password. Once you've logged in go to, 'Options', 'Anti-Spam Settings', and then adjust your levels to low or high. Don't forget you can access your email through your Webmail account from any Internet connection. For more information on how to control SPAM visit our Tips & Tricks section.
(*Note: Webmail is currently available to all Iserv email customers with the exception of Parrett and DataWise. We anticipate Webmail access for these customers in the near future.)
Q: What is an email hoax and why should I be wary of one?
A: An email hoax is like a prank call to your email. Typically forwarded by a well-meaning relative, friend or associate, these messages are in reality written by pranksters. They range from urban legends and tall tails to false warnings about non-existent viruses.
For example, JDBGMGR.EXE hoax was recently spread by millions of people who incorrectly thought it was a legitimate warning about a virus. Below is a portion of the message that was most often forwarded:
"Hi, everybody: I just received a message today from one of my friends in my Address Book. Their Address Book had been infected by a virus and it was passed on to my computer. My Address Book, in turn, has been infected.
The virus is called jdbgmgr.exe and it propagates automatically through Messenger and through the address book. The virus is not detected by McAfee or Norton and it stays dormant for 14 days before wipe out the whole system. It can be deleted before it erase your computer files. To delete it..."
At best, hoaxes are simple wastes of time. At worst forwarding these messages wastes bandwidth, destroys the credibility of legitimate virus warnings, creates unnecessary anxiety and headaches and may cause you to unintentionally damage your system.
Here are few sites to learn more about email hoaxes:
http://antivirus.about.com/library/blenhoax.htm
http://www.snopes.com/
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Getting The Most Out Of Your Webmail
What is Webmail?
Iserv Webmail is a browser based email program that will allow you to check your email from anywhere there is Internet access. Best of all, it is included at no extra cost with your Iserv email service and it includes anti-spam features!
Webmail functions very similar to your normal Iserv email account; your username and password are the same for Webmail as they are for your regular email account. You can send and receive email just you would with any normal email program (i.e. Outlook).
How do I access Webmail?
You can access your Webmail account by going to www.iserv.net and clicking on the WEBMAIL button on the left hand menu. The button is available throughout the Iserv site, so no matter where you go you can access your email!
What are some special features Webmail provides?
Your Webmail account has 25MB of storage - well over that of any other web-based email product around. But most importantly, the Iserv Webmail program allows you to block SPAM. To use this feature log in to your Webmail account, go to "Options" and then "Anti Spam Settings". When your SPAM filter is on and an email is recognized as SPAM, it will be routed to either your Blocked.Mail or Junk.Mail folders. It's important to note that you will periodically need to check your Blocked and Junk folders to clean out unwanted emails.
Webmail is available to all Iserv customers, and is scheduled for rollout to Parret and Datawise customers in the near future. Iserv also offers free classes on how to use Webmail. To sign up for a class or if you have any questions please contact Customer Services at 1.888.64.ISERV.
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Latest Trends
New Amazon Search
One of the great things about buying a book in a bookstore, and a drawback to purchasing a book online, is that you can spend a few minutes leafing through and deciding if it's worth buying.
Last month, Amazon.com launched a new feature called "Search Inside the Book," a search method that lets customers page through the contents of over 120,000 books, amounting to some 33 million pages.
The feature works two ways: When you browse a book you can click a button called "Search Inside This Book" and view the scanned in pages of the complete book. Alternatively you can search for key words or phrases within a book, or among all the books in the Amazon.com database. Though no other e-tailers have yet launched their own version, this may become a common feature of Internet shopping.
More Google Goodness
A few months ago we explored some of the cool features of Google in addition to its well-known search capabilities. Here are some other ways to experience the full googling experience:
- Google Groups (http://groups.google.com) indexes millions of messages from decades of online discussion on Usenet.
- Froogle (http://froogle.google.com) indexes products from online stores
- Google Catalogs (http://catalogs.google.com) features products from more than 6,000-paper catalogs in a searchable index.
- Google Alerts (http://www.google.com/newsalerts) emails you when news stories in Google's database match your chosen key words.
- Experimental Features of Google (http://labs.google.com/) gives you a first look at what the mad scientists at Google are coming up with.
You can get a complete list of Google's tools and services at www.google.com/options/index.html.
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If I could only use the Internet ten minutes a day, I would...
We asked different members of the Iserv team what they would do on the Internet if they were stuck on a desert island with only 10 minutes of Internet connectivity every day. We took the top 5 comments and listed them below. What would YOU do? Let us know and we might include it in future newsletters. Email your ideas to feedback@iserv.net.
- Check email
- Check on-line banking
- Check weather
- Surf the net for news and information
- Do research
Websites Worth Checking Out!
Christmas Around The World (www.christmas.com/worldview/) - Wonder how people in other cultures celebrate Christmas? Started in 1994 as an effort to share how Christmas is celebrated around the world, Christmas Around The World highlights the best music, recipes, features and information about 387 different cultures. Explore your heritage, find new traditions to spice up your holiday celebration or just browse to see how diverse the holiday traditions really are. The site's goal is to have information about every country in the world, so you may be able to contribute unique traditions from your community.
Movie Review Query Engine (www.mrqe.com) - Going to the movies is a holiday tradition and this year features the release of several potential blockbusters, including Lord of the Rings: Return of the King and The Last Samurai. But before you shell out the cash for popcorn, candy, soda and tickets you may want to check the Movie Review Query Engine, which compiles hundreds reviews on the latest movies from newspapers, websites and other media.
Top 100 Blogs (www.blogstreet.com/top100.html) - A few months ago we mentioned that blogs were one of the newest trends on the Internet. To refresh your memory, a blog (short for web-log) is combination of online diary and personal newspaper. Typically blogs are composed of short, frequently updated posts arranged chronologically. The phenomena began with individuals posting their views on politics, world events, business and their own lives, but now it includes journalists, pundits from every political perspective and even presidential candidates. Fortunately, it is still mostly a medium being driven by "regular joes", which is what gives blogs their unique and colorful viewpoints. Finding a blog to read can be tricky given how many are out there - so we recommend starting with the most popular as listed by the BlogStreet Top Blogs Index, which tracks visitors to more than 144,000 blogs. Check it out!
CDC Health Warnings For Travel (www.cdc.gov/travel/) - Iserv wants you to be healthy, which is why we try to include a health-related link in every newsletter. This time we are profiling the Center For Disease Control's Health Warnings For Travel site. Before you take that winter vacation it is worth a browse to check and see if your destination has any warnings about potential health hazards and if there are any vaccinations or other preparations the CDC recommends before visiting. In addition, the site includes useful links to other government agencies with useful travel information, such as the State Department and FAA.
Iserv would like to wish you a safe and happy holidays season!
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