Internet Advisor - Web Development & Internet Marketing

04/05/2023

A quote in this article mirrors something we've been telling clients for more than 20 years: "... that reliance on a platform they have no control over a 'dangerous game'.”

The platforms may change over the years, but the rule is the same. Social media and search engines are channels, not business models. Your own website, that you own and control, should always be the "authoritative source" for information related to your business or organization. Any posts or listings should point back to that source!

Tech giant flags Westwood Tree Care for suspicious activity, shutting down its business profile for a month

01/13/2023

Considering the vast resources they have available, even the LBCO website was compromised recently and customer data accessed (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/malicious-code-lcbo-1.6711953).

This highlights the importance for small business owners to not only keep their websites up to date - especially if using a higher-risk platform such as WordPress - but also follow best practices for data security when initially setting up and maintaining the website.

Even if your website does not collect customer data, websites around the world are hacked daily and used for spam links, set up as phishing sites to trick visitors into sharing sensitive data such as passwords or financial information, or have malicious code added in an attempt to infect website visitors' systems with a computer virus.

Internet Advisor can help you make sure your website is secure, perform routine security and site health scans, and insure valid backups are available to help recover quickly from any malicious activity on your small business website.

08/18/2022

The A.I. takeover has begun. Testing out DALL-E, an A.I. that generates realistic images based on text prompts. Here are a few examples of images generated by the A.I. when I asked for a "motorcycle in a living room in the style of Andy Warhol".

My first request was "Toronto Maple Leafs winning the Stanley Cup" (seriously, it was) but that was actually a fail. I guess there are still limits to the technology LMAO.

This has the capability to reduce time spent editing photos for web projects and scrolling through pages of royalty-free clip art for some projects. But it also reinforces that just because you see a photo or video of something, doesn't mean it is "real" in this day and age.

09/12/2018

04/24/2018

Facebook has clarified their community standards around issues such as fake news, nudity and violence:

12/29/2017

This is why online reviews and social media are so powerful, and also why you can't always believe them:

And then served customers Iceland ready meals on its opening night.

10/07/2017

From Reddit Shower Thoughts today: If the media stopped saying "hacking" and instead said "figured out their password", people would probably take password security a lot more seriously.

06/17/2017

Design trends come and go, but a solid user experience with easy and intuitive navigation and legible fonts is timeless.
https://envato.com/blog/web-design-predictions-past-now/

Following up on all those 'web design trends of 2016' think-pieces.

05/15/2017

Make sure you're protected from the WannaCry ransomware attack:

If you are running a Windows computer with anything other than Windows 10, the necessary security patch can be installed by clicking on the applicable link for your system found at the bottom of this page: https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/msrc/2017/05/12/customer-guidance-for-wannacrypt-attacks/ If your computer automatically installs Windows updates you should already be protected, but with something this nasty it is better to make sure.

More info on the WannaCry attack: http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/global-ransomware-cyberattack-1.4115065

And if you don't have a reliable backup routine for your system(s), this is a good excuse to put that at the top of your to-do list!

Global cyber chaos spreads as companies boot up computers at work following the weekend's worldwide ransomware cyberattack.

01/13/2017

Sophisticated phishing attack targeting Gmail accounts ...

https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2017/01/gmail-phishing-data-uri/

A new phishing technique that affects GMail and other services and how to protect yourself.