Saturday, 31 May 2014

How to take better pictures - no matter what sort of camera you have

This weekly blogger tip is complements of Shutterfly:   tips about how to take great photos, of various types, no matter what sort of camera you use.

Why?


Why take your own pictures, when there are so many free-photo-search tools out there?

Well, if you want your blog to be copyright-legal, then you need to either find free-use photos, or make your own. Creating your own post-photos is especially useful to prove that your local blog really is local (like this) - and taking pictures that I take myself and host pictures in Picasa / Google+ Photos means that my posts always have a thumbnail image.


How?

Great tips from the pros, here: http://www.shutterfly.com/how-to-take-the-perfect-photo/

The best bit is that this isn't just a glossy, or a snobby "fancy-cameras-only" guide.    There are tips for every combination of  camera type:
  • DSLR
  • Smartphone
  • Point and shoot
and photo type:
  • Portraits
  • Selfie
  • Bokeh
  • Macro
  • Action shots
  • Close up
  • Wide angle
  • Food
  • Candid
  • By the water
  • Landscape
  • Panorama





PS Shutterfly said
"Please share this interactive on your site or blog. Just copy and paste the code below"

So I did. But it looks like it's not working 100%. To get into their tool, click here: http://www.shutterfly.com/how-to-take-the-perfect-photo/


Happy snapping!

Giving your Blog a Home Page

This article is about the options for setting the home page for blogs made with Google's Blogger.


Blogs don't have a "home page", main page or "landing page" in the same way that regular web-sites do.  Instead, they show the newest post first, since (hopefully!) most readers will be return visitors, coming back to see what's new.

But there may be blogs/websites where you want a welcome message or a particular post to appear first whenever someone visits your blog, or where you want to put all your posts in reverse order.

This article is about options for giving your Blogger blog a "home page".

It lists four options, and gives advantages/disadvantages of each approach, and links to articles with details about implementing each case. If you can think of any more approaches, please leave a comment below.


Options for giving your blog a home page include:

  • Static page combined with a custom re-direct - as discovered by Nitecruzr, and now described here.  This was my recommended method of home-page implementation for a while.   However it did not work on mobile themes for a while, so I changed my mind.  But it does work on them now, so I'm back to recommending it again.


Advantages and Disadvantages of each option


Option Advantages Disadvantages
Static page and custom re-direct No theme editing is needed

Easy page editing - no messing around putting content into a gadget

No gaps on other pages due to the gadget being "missing"

Simple, elegant, and fully functional for both desktop and mobile visitors.
Back in 2011, I wrote:  
"Google probably didn't intend to give us this option when they set up custom re-directs, so it's possible that they might remove it again.   It's such a nice solution, though, that I think it's worth the risk for now".
But it's now 2017, they haven't removed it yet.   So I'm thinking that it's not going away any time soon.
Show all posts in reverse order Great for new readers - they can "follow the story". Return visitors have to navigate down to where they were up to last time:  the blog has no way of helping them to remember where that was.

You can't use most of Blogger's date features:  newer and older posts links will take the reader in the "wrong" direction.  And you have to manually enter any dates that would be relevant.

Your posts will get "older" as you write more:  this may confuse search-engines, and there's a risk that google might to things to "very old" posts in the future.
Make one post always show up first You can still use all of Google's date features.

Readers will know when you actually posted to your blog.

Great for returning readers:  they can see your (current) welcome comments, and then go straight to the latest post after that.
You have to remember to edit the "chosen" post every single time that you make a new post - one day, you might forget.

This approach probably won't work on multi-author blogs:  there's a very high chance that someone would forget to edit the chosen post and change its date.
Show a "welcome gadget" on the home page only Doesn't need any changes to Post date-time settings.

Your blog still functions like a blog (older/newer post links , archive gadget etc).

An HTML/Javascript gadget can be very flexible, and you can get Blogger to write all the HTML for you - see Making a Gadget Like a Post.

You can use things other than text, eg a picture or even a poll.

It includes an extreme option:  you could show no posts on the "home" page, and just show the gadget.
You need to edit your theme to make this work.

You need to re-do the theme customisation every time that you change to use a different theme.

The welcome gadget isn't one of your posts: it's not included in exports of your blog contents (It is in an export of your theme - but the words inside it are not included).

A gadget cannot show quite as many things as a post.  

Doesn't work for mobile device users if your blog has a mobile theme enabled, unless you some some specific things to make the gadget show on mobile.


Can you think of other ways?   Please leave a comment below.



Setting the homepage's post date into the future doesn't work

Some people suggest that you can set the post-date of your main page in the future - and at some times  this has worked.

But now that scheduled posting is working the way most people expect it to (ie if you write a post today, and publish it with tomorrow's date, then it is shown to your readers from tomorrow onwards), this will not work - because your "home page" won't show until that future date is reached.

There may be some ways you can fudge it in to working (eg post the page with a date in the past, and then post it again with a future date).   But I VERY STRONGLY don't recommend this:  even if they work today, they may stop working at some time in the future when Google make a change to how future-dated posts are handled.



Related Articles

Displaying a gadget only on the home page

Showing your oldest post first in Blogger (AKA Showing your posts in reverse order)

Making one post always come up first

Changing the date for a post.

Stopping certain pages from ever appearing on the home page

Friday, 30 May 2014

Direct linking how-to for affiliates: url shortening, iframe, redirect

direct linking howto for affiliates
Affiliate marketing in short words: you drive traffic to the advertiser's landing page, where traffic converts. Direkt linking is, if you drive traffic from e. g. Facebook ad campaign or Bing directly to the advertiser's landing page. You give as the target url for the ad campaign the tracking url of the advertiser's landing page. Direct linking lets CTR grow, cause there isn't any page between your bought visitor and advertiser's landing page - the visitor goes directly to the converting page. But firstly AdWords, then Facebook, then Bing and other try to prevent direct linking of affiliate offers. Firstly affected are Clickbank links, then many other. Nevertheless there are ways to direct-link ads to affiliate offers. In general there are 3 ways: you will successfully direct-link your offers, if you use not a single method alone, but a combination of these methods.
Read full article »

Wednesday, 28 May 2014

Fetch as Google has Changed : Unlimited Fetch and Render

Fetch as Google


"Fetch as Google" is a common tool used by webmasters to index their latest website content on Google. Once you fetch the post or page and then index it, its indexed in Google search engine within a few minutes. I have used it several times myself. But today i noticed some changes in this tool and i am discussing it here.


New Fetch and Render Button


Previously we use to get a "Fetch" button. But now there are two buttons, first is "Fetch" and second is "Fetch and Render" . Here Rendering means that Google will take a screen shot of the page that you have rendered. Previous Google just used to Fetch the text content but now the rendering feature enable it to take screen shot of the page.



Unlimited Fetch and Render ?


Previously there was a limit of 500 fetches/week for every Google Webmasters account. And this limit is still there. Frankly speaking i have never used this limit to the maximum amount. So even if google st it to unlimited then it will not increase usage of this tool. But its the decision of Google to keep it on 500 fetches/week.

I am using this tool from past few years and will continue to use it. I will update the information on this page after using the new features of "Fetch as Google" .

Friday, 23 May 2014

How to surf with US IP address (or IP of any specific country)

It is the common problem: preview of an affiliate offer, which isn't valid in your country. You will be redirected from the offer you want to another offer, which is valid for your country. But you must see it - cause you want decide whether to promote it or not.

The answer is clear: you must look the offer like somebody from a country where this offer is valid. The solution which firstly comes into mind and which i never got to work is to use free proxy. I have never finded any working free proxy. Never. Don't know why. But there are 2 really working tools, which are free and easy to setup and use. They work out of the box:
Read full article »

Wednesday, 21 May 2014

How to Share Blogger Posts or Pages to Google+

When you share Blogger posts/pages to Google+, an entirely new group of people will be able to find and follow you. Right now, if you access your Blogger dashboard, you'll notice that there's a Google+ tab which can be used to connect your blogs with your Google+ profile or page.

If your Blogger blogs haven't already been integrated with a Google+ profile, you can go anytime to the Google+ tab and click on the Get Started button:
share blogger posts or pages to google plus

get started with google+

It's important to note that once you've upgraded your blog to connect with Google+, the posts or pages published on your blog will be listed on your personal Google+ profile. However, you have the option to select whether your content will be shared on your Google+ Profile or Page and associate some blogs with a Google+ page, while keeping other blogs connected with your profile.

How to associate your blog with a Google+ page

In some cases, you may want to associate a blog with the Google+ Page for your brand, business or organization, rather than your personal profile. For this, simply access your Blogger dashboard, visit the Google+ tab and there you can swap the Google+ connection from using your profile page to a Google+ page linked with your account:

share on google plus

On the right, you'll have the following options:
  • Automatically share after posting: This option is enabled by default on all blogs linked to Google+. When you publish a blog post or page, a snippet will automatically be shared publicly on your Google+ page or profile. You can disable this setting just by unchecking this box.
  • Promote to share after posting: If you don't want your post to be published automatically, then you can check this option. This option will allow you to share only some blog posts, or share to specific circles.
  • Use Google + comments on this blog: This option enables the new Google + comment system on your blog. This is also a new feature provided by Google.

How to Share Blogger posts or Pages on Google+

If you have the Prompt to share after posting option checked, next time you publish a blog post, you'll see a share box inviting you to share your post with your Google+ followers. Note that the default circle is set to "Public" but you can modify your circles every time you choose to share.

share post on google plus

Once you click the Share button, this post will appear on the profile or page to which you have connected your blog. Keep in mind that if you have posts scheduled to be published later, you will no longer be asked to publish to your Google+ stream. In this case, you can choose to Share your post/page at any time by clicking the Share link beneath a post or page.

share blogger posts on google+

You can also click on this option each time you want to share only certain posts, or if you want to retroactively share posts and you don't want to constantly change the setting.

As soon as you've chosen to use your Google+ profile on your blog, you can start sharing your content on Google+. If you haven't yet made the switch, click on this link to get started.

Monday, 19 May 2014

Top 50 Forex Twitter Accounts


Every decent Forex Trader must have a twitter account because it provides immediate news, analysis, charts and many interesting articles. In order to help you to find the right accounts to follow, here is the list of my 50 favorite twitter accounts.
  1. @eFXnews - provides global FX strategies and analyses from leading investment banks worldwide
  2. @Investingcom - top financial web portal that offers news, technical analysis,  real-time quotes, charts
  3. @FOREXcom - actionable Forex trade ideas, analyses and more
  4. @marketpulsecom - A global team of securities analysts & strategists provide 24/7 coverage of the largest financial markets, with a focus on forex, commodities & global indices.
  5. @DailyFX - providing forex trading news, currency forecasts, analysis,education, and strategy.
  6. @Fxflow - real time analysis of Forex market, market predictions of BKForex 
  7. @FXStreetNews - 24/5 real-time forex news
  8. @marcwalton - Foirex mentor and professional Forex trader
  9. @ForexLive - news, updates, insights from Forex market
  10. @50Pips - independent professional Forex coach and mentor
  11. @CharmerCharts - Technical Analysis for the professional futures & Forex trader
  12. @piptrain - Forex trading using technical analysis
  13. @JamieSaettele - technical strategist at DailyFX
  14. @tipstoforex - independent full time Forex and Futures trader
  15. @CVecchioFX - currency analyst at DailyFx
  16. @gregmikeFX - chief currency analyst at FXDD
  17. @newsinvesting - real time news from currency and stock markets
  18. @PipCzar - independent trader and currency strategist
  19. @IlyaSpivak - global macro strategist at DailyFX
  20. @FGoria - financial journalist
  21. @Francesc_Forex - president and founder at FXStreet
  22. @JoelKruger - currency strategist and trader
  23. @forexcrunch - Forex news opinions, forecasts
  24. @chrislorifx - foreign exchange fund manager
  25. @leanco - independent professional Forex trader
  26. @MBForex - trader and currency strategist at DailyFX
  27. @kathylienfx - market predictions and real time analyses at BKForex
  28. @tradingfloorcom - Forex and Stocks trading community
  29. @currencynews - currency news and Forex fundamental information
  30. @forexmagnates - latest retail and institutional Forex news
  31. @RenaTrader - full time Forex and Futures trader
  32. @GregaHorvatFX - Forex, Futures and Stock trader
  33. @MWellerFX - senior technical analyst at Forex.com
  34. @dfxplussignals - trading signals from DailyFX
  35. @WEnglandFX - trading instructor at DailyFX
  36. @AidanFX - full time Forex trader, technical analyst and signal provider
  37. @PLTfx - Forex trading advisory and fund management
  38. @ElliottForecast - Elliot wave forecasts with swing trading ideas
  39. @EasyForexDR - latest Forex trading news
  40. @Darlington_Dick - Forex news and opinions
  41. @Craig_AlpariUK - market analyst at Alpari UK
  42. @Joshua_AlpariUK - research Forex analyst at Alpari UK
  43. @fx4you - Forex broker offering charts and analysis
  44. @ForexFreshNews - hot news about Forex market
  45. @aspentrading10 - Forex and stock advisory
  46. @MCarrilloFX - Forex analyst
  47. @edjmoya - chief technical analyst at World Wide Markets
  48. @EdMatts - senior technical strategist at Capital Management
  49. @FXDIRK - Forex trades provider 
  50. @saxobank - international investment bank
Happy trading !!!

Link to Top Twitter accounts - 2017 edition

Sunday, 18 May 2014

Add Marker to Google Map

place Google map in user defined fragment

How to add Static Pages to a Blogger Blog (UPDATED)

A few months ago, Blogger has completely redesigned the section of the Pages, which now, looks very similar to that of the Blogger Posts. Now we will be able to manage the pages with more flexibility. For example, we can publish, delete or change many of them to draft at the same time - which has just the same function as the old Don't show option.

Related: How to Create a Static Home Page in Blogger

Among the options that we can find by hovering over a page and which we can see in the screenshot below are:
  • Edit: To access the editing panel and to edit its contents.
  • View: Open a new tab with the actual page.
  • Share: Share it on Google+ (which was not possible before).
  • Delete: remove a page.
add static pages on blogger
static pages, blogger

In order to create a page, we need to open the pages editor from the button that says New Page. Almost every option tells us its function.

How to add a Web Address in the Pages widget

Many Blogger users wanted to know how can we add other web addresses, so that they display in the list of the Pages widget, since this option no longer appears in the "Pages" tab?

This can be done by opening the settings of the Pages widget by going to "Layout", then click on the "Edit" link in the widget / gadget for Pages (if you don't have the Pages gadget, just click on the "Add a gadget" link and select "Pages" from the pop-up window). And from there, we will find the option that says: "Add link page" - here, we will have to type the Web Address in the second field every time we want to add a new page from a specific address or URL.

add web address, blogger tutorial

Another cool feature that has been built is that now it will be possible to add a search description, and in that field to add the text that we want to appear in search results. Until now, this option has been available only for blog posts.

search description for pages

This option will appear once you enable the "Enable search description?" option by choosing "Yes". This will show up on "Meta Tags" by accessing the preferences for the search engines: "Settings" > "Search preferences" > "Meta Tags" > "Enable search description"?

Saturday, 17 May 2014

How to iframe an affiliate offer and run Facebook ad campaign to it: benefits, feasibility and sticking points

iframe of affiliate landing page and running Facebook ad campaign to it
Our goal is to run a Facebook ad campaign, where visitors, who click our ad, will remain at Facebook, but see an advertisers landing page. In other words, we achieve, that the conversion happens inside Facebook, without to force visitor to go away. The benefit is clear, on this way we get much cheaper ad prices from Facebook and better CTR, cause visitors don't leave Facebook.
Read full article »

Tuesday, 13 May 2014

Non-US based Amazon Associates must "perform all services" outside the US

An interesting addition to Amazon's terms and conditions for their Associates (announced here):
“If you are a Non-US person participating in the Program, you agree that you will perform all services under the Operating Agreement outside the United States. If, for any reason, you cannot comply with this requirement, you must notify us using this link for an exception.”

My guess is that this is something to do with tax-regulations, and is worth a few moments thought (at least) for Bloggers who use Amazon Associates links to earn money from their blogs.    

But it also made me wonder about bloggers who travel a lot:   we possibly shouldn't be doing any work inside a country where we don't have a visa that allows us to work.   I wonder if that includes writing blog posts, or perhaps even drafting but not publishing them or taking pictures for them? 

Monday, 12 May 2014

Responsive CSS Timeline with 3D Effect for Blogger

Here's another amazing way to display the Blogger posts. By applying the following Responsive CSS Timeline View with 3D Effect on Blogger Posts, we will have a responsive timeline-like structure of our most recent posts with thumbnails, plus some cool CSS effects. When clicking on the associated radio input, the posts snippet/summary will expand by changing their style and size and will rotate in 3D. The main structure of this CSS timeline with 3D effect is an unordered list.

To get an idea of how it looks like, you can visit this demo blog.

responsive CSS timeline, customize blogger posts

How to Add Responsive CSS Timeline View to Blogger Posts

Step 1. Go to Blogger dashboard > "Template" > click on the "Edit HTML" button:

blogger template, edit html

Step 2. Click anywhere inside the code area and press the CTRL + F keys to open the search box:

blogger search box

Step 3. Type or paste the following tag inside the search box and hit Enter to find it:
</head>
Step 4. Just above the </head> tag, copy and paste the following style:
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != &quot;static_page&quot;'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != &quot;item&quot;'>
<style type='text/css'>
.post-body img, .post-body .tr-caption-container, .Profile img, .Image img,
.BlogList .item-thumbnail img {padding: 0px; border: 0px;}
.post-footer {display: none;}
.post {margin-bottom: 50px; padding-bottom: 0px; background: none; border: none;}
.jump-link a {display: none;}
  h3.post-title a {display: none;}
 .date-header {display: none;}
*,
.timeline:after,
.timeline:before {box-sizing: border-box;padding: 0; margin: 0;}
.timeline {position: relative;padding: 30px 0 50px 0;font-family: Arial, sans-serif;}
.timeline:before {content: &#39;&#39;;position: absolute;width: 5px;height: 100%;margin:0px;top: 0;left: 200px;background: url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAUAAAAFCAYAAACNbyblAAAAJUlEQVQIW2NkQAP/gYARWQwkAOLDBeECjEAAkkEWAKtEFwAJAgAZEBP+oM1IkwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==);}
.event {position: relative;margin-bottom: 80px;padding-right: 40px;}
.thumb {position: absolute; width: 90px; height: 90px;box-shadow:
        0 0 0 8px #87939E,
        0 1px 1px rgba(255,255,255,0.5);background-repeat: no-repeat;border-radius: 50%;-webkit-transform: scale(0.8) translateX(24px);-moz-transform: scale(0.8) translateX(24px);-o-transform: scale(0.8) translateX(24px);-ms-transform: scale(0.8) translateX(24px);transform: scale(0.8) translateX(24px);}
.thumb:before {content: &#39;&#39;;background: transparent url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAICAYAAADA+m62AAAAPElEQVQYV2NkQAP/gYARCNDFUQRgirAphitEl0TngxXisg5ZnBGXIpgbYfIYjkb3BNxGbBLYxIgyEaQRAA8KKAWYsZtjAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC);position: absolute;height: 8px; z-index: -1; width: 50px;top: 42px; left: 100%;margin-left: 8px;
}
.thumb span {color: #87939E;width: 100%;text-align: center;font-weight: 700;font-size: 15px;text-transform: uppercase;position: absolute;bottom: -30px;}
.event label,.event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;] {width: 24px;height: 24px;left: 158px;top: 36px;position: absolute;display: block;}
.event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;] {opacity: 0;z-index: 10;cursor: pointer;}
.event label:after{content: &quot;\2713&quot;;background: #8995A1;border-radius: 50%;color: #fff;font-size: 20px;height: 100%;width: 100%;font-weight: bold;left: -2px;top: -3px;line-height: 24px;position: absolute;text-align: center;}
.content-perspective { margin-left: 230px;position: relative;perspective: 600px;-webkit-perspective: 600px;-moz-perspective: 600px;-o-perspective: 600px;-ms-perspective: 600px;}
.content-perspective:before { content: &#39;&#39;; width: 34px; left: -44px; top: 48px;position: absolute;height: 1px; z-index: -2;background: #fff;}
.post-content {transform: rotateY(10deg);transform-origin: 0 0;transform-style: preserve-3d;}
.blog-post-body {position: relative;padding: 20px;color: #333; border-left: 5px solid #8995A1;box-shadow: 0 4px 6px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);background: #F9F9F9;}
.blog-post-body h3 {border: none;margin: 0px;}
.blog-post-body h3 a{font-size: 21px;padding: 5px 0 5px 0;color: #86919D;margin: 0px;text-decoration: none;border: none;}
.event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;]:checked ~ .content-perspective .blog-post-body h3 a{color: #F26328;}
.blog-post-body p,.thumb span,.event label {-webkit-backface-visibility: hidden;}
.blog-post-body p {font-size: 15px;max-height: 0px; overflow: hidden; color: rgba(0,0,0,0);text-align: left;}
.blog-post-body:before {content: &#39;\25c2&#39;;font-weight: normal; line-height: 86px; font-size: 86px;position: absolute;color: #8995A1; left: -41px;width: 100%;height: 100%; top: 3px;z-index: -1;}
.thumb,.thumb span,.blog-post-body h3 {transition: all 0.6s ease-in-out 0.2s;-webkit-transition: all 0.6s ease-in-out 0.2s;-moz-transition: all 0.6s ease-in-out 0.2s;-o-transition: all 0.6s ease-in-out 0.2s;-ms-transition: all 0.6s ease-in-out 0.2s;transition: all 0.6s ease-in-out 0.2s;}
.blog-post-body { transition: box-shadow 0.8s linear 0.2s;-webkit-transition: box-shadow 0.8s linear 0.2s;-moz-transition: box-shadow 0.8s linear 0.2s;-o-transition: box-shadow 0.8s linear  0.2s;-ms-transition: box-shadow 0.8s linear 0.2s;}
.post-content {transition: transform 0.8s cubic-bezier(.59,1.45,.69,.98) 0.2s;-webkit-transition: -webkit-transform 0.8s cubic-bezier(.59,1.45,.69,.98) 0.2s;-moz-transition: -moz-transform 0.8s cubic-bezier(.59,1.45,.69,.98) 0.2s;-o-transition: -o-transform 0.8s cubic-bezier(.59,1.45,.69,.98) 0.2s;-ms-transition: -ms-transform 0.8s cubic-bezier(.59,1.45,.69,.98) 0.2s;}
.blog-post-body p { transition: max-height 0.5s linear, color 0.3s linear;-webkit-transition: max-height 0.5s linear, color 0.3s linear;-moz-transition: max-height 0.5s linear, color 0.3s linear;-o-transition: max-height 0.5s linear, color 0.3s linear;-ms-transition: max-height 0.5s linear, color 0.3s linear;}
.event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;]:checked + label:after {content: &#39;\2714&#39;;color: #fff;background: #F26328;box-shadow: 0 0 0 5px rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);}
.event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;]:checked ~ .content-perspective:before {background: #F26328;}
 .event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;]:checked ~ .content-perspective .blog-post-body h3 { color: #F26328;}
.event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;]:checked ~ .content-perspective .post-content {transform: rotateY(-5deg);-webkit-transform: rotateY(-5deg);-moz-transform: rotateY(-5deg);-o-transform: rotateY(-5deg);-ms-transform: rotateY(-5deg);}
.event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;]:checked ~ .content-perspective .blog-post-body {border-color: #F26328;box-shadow: 10px 0px 10px -6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);}
.event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;]:checked ~ .content-perspective .blog-post-body p {max-height: 460px; color: rgba(0,0,0,0.6); transition-delay: 0s, 0.6s;-webkit-transition-delay: 0s, 0.6s;-moz-transition-delay: 0s, 0.6s;-o-transition-delay: 0s, 0.6s;-ms-transition-delay: 0s, 0.6s;}
.event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;]:checked ~ .content-perspective .blog-post-body:before {color: #F26328;}
.event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;]:checked ~ .thumb {transform: scale(1);box-shadow: 0 0 0 8px rgba(242,99,40,1), 0 1px 1px rgba(255,255,255,0.5); -webkit-transform: scale(1);-moz-transform: scale(1);-o-transform: scale(1);-ms-transform: scale(1);}
.event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;]:checked ~ .thumb span {color: #F26328;}
.event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;]:checked ~ .thumb:before {
background: transparent url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAoAAAAICAYAAADA+m62AAAAPUlEQVQYV2NkQAOfUjX+882+wYgujiIAU4RNMVwhuiQ6H6wQl3XI4oy4FMHcCJPHcDS6J2A2EqUQpJhohQBbNyaHFmzEqgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==);}
@media screen and (max-width: 850px) {.blog-post-body h3 {font-size: 20px;}
 .blog-post-body p { font-size: 14px; text-align: justify; }
 .event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;]:checked ~ .content-perspective .blog-post-body p { max-height: 500px; }}
@media screen and (max-width: 540px) {.timeline:before { left: 50px;}
.event {padding-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 100px; }
 .thumb { transform: scale(0.8); -webkit-transform: scale(0.8);-moz-transform: scale(0.8);-o-transform: scale(0.8);-ms-transform: scale(0.8);}
 .event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;] { width: 100px;height: 100px;left: 0px;top: 0px; }
.thumb:before,.event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;]:checked ~ .thumb:before {background: none;width: 0;}
 .event label {display: none;}
 .content-perspective {margin-left: 0px;top: 80px;}
 .content-perspective:before {height: 0px; }
 .post-content { transform: rotateX(-10deg);-webkit-transform: rotateX(-10deg);-moz-transform: rotateX(-10deg);-o-transform: rotateX(-10deg);-ms-transform: rotateX(-10deg);}
 .event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;]:checked ~ .content-perspective .post-content { transform: rotateX(10deg);-webkit-transform: rotateX(10deg);-moz-transform: rotateX(10deg);-o-transform: rotateX(10deg);-ms-transform: rotateX(10deg);}
.blog-post-body {border-left: none;border-top: 5px solid #8995A1;}
.event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;]:checked ~ .content-perspective .blog-post-body {border-color: #F26328;box-shadow: 0 10px 10px -6px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1);}
.blog-post-body:before {content: &#39;\25b4&#39;;left: 33px; top: -32px;}
.event input[type=&quot;radio&quot;]:checked ~ .content-perspective .blog-post-body p {max-height:300px; }}
ul.timeline {list-style-type: none;}
</style>
</b:if>
</b:if>

Step 5. Search for the SECOND instance of this code below (hit Enter two times):
<data:post.body/>
Note: depending on the template you are using, you could find more lines like this one above. Thus, if you don't see any changes after saving the template, try to replace the last one, as well.

Also, please note that if you are using the Read more function, you will need to remove it in order to make it work.

Step 6. After you found <data:post.body/>, replace it this HTML code:
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != &quot;static_page&quot;'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != &quot;item&quot;'>
<ul class='timeline'><li class='event'><input checked='checked' name='tl-group' type='radio'/><label/>
<b:if cond='data:post.thumbnailUrl'><img class='thumb' expr:alt='data:post.title' expr:src='data:post.thumbnailUrl'/></b:if><div class='thumb'><b:if cond='data:post.dateHeader'><span><data:post.dateHeader/></span></b:if></div>
<div class='content-perspective'><div class='post-content'><div class='blog-post-body'><h3><b:if cond='data:post.link'><a expr:href='data:post.link'><data:post.title/></a><b:else/><b:if cond='data:post.url'><b:if cond='data:blog.url != data:post.url'><a expr:href='data:post.url'><data:post.title/></a><b:else/><data:post.title/></b:if><b:else/><data:post.title/></b:if></b:if></h3><p><b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != &quot;item&quot;'>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType != &quot;static_page&quot;'><data:post.snippet/></b:if></b:if></p></div></div></div></li></ul></b:if></b:if>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == &quot;item&quot;'><data:post.body/></b:if>
<b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == &quot;static_page&quot;'><data:post.body/></b:if>
Step 7. Finally, click on the "Save template" button to save the changes.

Now, we will need to make some small adjustments in order to make the posts date appear correctly:
Go to "Layout" and click on the "Edit" link just below the Blog posts area. When the pop-up window appears, check the date option and choose to display the date in the following order (date/month/year):


Note that you can also hide the posts date by unchecking this option.

Finally, click on the "Save" button and that's it! View your blog and enjoy this Responsive Timeline view with 3D Effect on Blogger posts.

Credit: tympanus.net

Mutant Gangland is Free (but only as in Freedom)



Mutant Gangland is a nice-looking, turn-based strategy game that just happened to have all of its code released under the MIT license.

The games graphics follow a classic pixelart aesthetic


This project is attempting to follow the classic Free Software game business model where you share the source but keep the artwork proprietary, which is perfectly acceptable and fine. It currently sells for $3.99 and it's available for GNU/Linux, OSX, Windows, and Android.

So let this be an example to all of the new wave of indie developers. People, share you're freaking source codes under a Free License! Not only you're not losing money because of this, you'll also be getting free revisions and improvements to your own code, and you will be providing others the chance of creating something different with it.

Code License: MIT
Assets License: Proprietary

Official Website
Source Code (Github)

A word on phone scammers

You have probably heard of any of the terms "cold call", "calling from Windows" or "phone scam" before. 

Microsoft's definition:
In this scam cybercriminals call you and claim to be from Microsoft Tech Support. They offer to help solve your computer problems. Once the crooks have gained your trust, they attempt to steal from you and damage your computer with malicious software including viruses and spyware.

In other words:
someone unknown to you calls you, telling you there's an issue with your computer and they can fix it.

Recently, I received a machine and report from people who had been so unfortunate as to fall for this scam.


In this post I'll be dissecting how the scam works, why it works and what to do to protect yourself, as well as what to do if you've already been scammed.

How it works
Why it works

What to do next 

Conclusion



How it works

Preface

Usually, the scammers will simply open up a phonebook and start going down the list of names.

Other means may be, but are not limited to:



  • Fake support services -
    websites claiming to help you with computer issues- but in fact are just another scam
  • Your phonenumber has been spread on the web one too many times (by either yourself or someone else)
Only just recently several internet giants (Google, Facebook, Twitter, ...) have joined forces to combat malicious tech support ads. You can find them on: http://trustinads.org



 
Scenario

The phone rings. You do not recognise the number, but you pick up anyway. A voice says: 
"Hello Sir/Madame, we are calling from Windows". A man or woman tells you to browse to a certain website and connect with them so they can repair or restore your computer.

Some characteristics about the call itself:


  • The man or woman often has an Indian accent
  • They call from a number outside your current country or have an unknown caller ID
  • They urge you that there's a problem with your computer that needs immediate fixing
  • They impersonate legit companies, for example Microsoft or even an antivirus company


On this Pastebin is a list of numbers which are being used or have been used for these cold calls. Often though they'll use a "private number", "anonymous" or unknown caller ID. They may also spoof the caller ID.

It doesn't matter which operating system you use or which type of computer, they'll always state there are critical system errors, thus you should connect to a certain website, download and run a program.

They always use legitimate services - remote software tools which are not harmful by itself, but can be used (as in these cases) by phone scammers. A comprehensive list of the tools most often used:


  • Ammyy
  • Bomgar
  • GoToAssist
  • ScreenConnect (ConnectWise Control)
  • ShowMyPC
  • TeamViewer
  • LogMeIn (LogMeIn Rescue)
  • ...  Others


Like stated before, these tools are not malicious. Often free - they're a simple way for a technician to connect to a customer's machine (for example) and solve a technical issue. Unfortunately, they can also be used for malicious purposes.

Some of these tools have clearly stated they are not associated with any of these scams. Other tools provide a form to fill in if abuse is suspected or witnessed, like LogMeIn.

Next up: say you have downloaded and executed one of those tools and the scammer now has access to your machine. There are several known scenarios, but it usually boils down to them showing you the Event Viewer (a legit tool by Windows which can provide useful information in event of system crashes or simply system information. More information here). 

Usually, you'll find one or more errors in there, unless the machine was freshly installed. Note that it is not unusual at all. Sometimes, this part works the other way around: they will first ask you to open up the Event Viewer so you can verify they are speaking the truth (but not really) and there are indeed "errors on your machine which need to be fixed as soon as possible."


"Scary errors in the Windows Event Viewer." Source





















Afterwards, you'll have to pay a certain amount of money to fix the errors (which weren't there in the first place). This can usually go down in either of these ways:


  • You have to pay a reasonable sum of money, say 5 or 10 euros/dollars/pounds.
  • You have to pay a not-so-reasonable amount of money, varying from 100 to 300 euros/dollars/pounds.

In both cases, chances are very likely you'll end up paying even more. Again, some possibilities:


  • The "technician" claims the transfer did not work or was incomplete and asks to try again.
    (but in fact it did work and they're just trying to rip you off even more.)
  • They will steal login information and/or CC credentials or other bank account/Paypal/.... information.
    (several possibilities here obviously, depending on which type of payment you used.)

It is also possible they install fake antivirus software (rogueware) or even a cracked copy of antivirus software (for the cynics: no, they are not the same). Which in turn means you'll need to get rid of that as well... And have to cough up more money.

Other reports have pointed out that - when the scammer's patience runs out- critical files (Windows system files) or personal documents were deleted by the scammer.


Background

It is not entirely certain when the first phone scams as described in this blog post began. If you do have a timeline, be sure to let me know so I can include it.

This type of social engineering may be well known by now, but is not that much in the media in comparison to other types of threats. 

Small remark here, don't be fooled: you're not the first one and certainly not the last one they will try to scam. There's in fact a whole business model behind the scam - call centers filled with "technicians" whom will do nothing all day but call people and try to scam them.

There's also an excellent video by Malwarebytes showing the different stages of the scam - and the scammer eventually getting irritated and going on a rampage (or that's what the scammer believed):



Why it works

Obviously, the scammers use a certain tactic to convince you to pay them your hard-deserved money. This tactic is mostly known as FUD. (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) There's a Wiki link available by clicking here.

In short:
  • Fear: they tell you there's an issue or several issues with your computer
  • Uncertainty: you may have had some slowdowns recently. Or - coincidentally or not- you just had malware.
  • Doubt: "I did have this issue, maybe they can help me?"

No! Doubt is their product, you being uncertain is their second step for a successful scam. The third part is fear and eventually you giving in.

The scam or social engineering tactic may be as old as the hills, but that doesn't mean it won't work. Hence the many reports on this scam - and people still falling for it, even though it exists for several years. (but no exact figures or statistics present on that.)

It is always possible you recently had some issues with your machine, but that doesn't mean the scammers know. They are just guessing and hoping you'll fall for it - most people are trustworthy, right? Not on the internet.


What to do next

Investigation

If possible, write down as much information as you can before following the remediation steps:


  • Often, the remote tools mentioned will utilize an ID or code. Write down the ID or code.
  • Write down the date and time when this remote sessions happened. Write down your public IP address if known - you can also check this via whatismyip.com.
  • Write down the phone number(s) as well as date and time when they called you.
  • Write down the name of the remote program/tool, as well as any other information you may think of. (name of the person calling you (99,9% of the time fake, but you never know), what exactly happened, if/how/when you paid or transferred any money and any other information which you think may be helpful.)

Remediation or disinfection

If it is too late, the first thing to do is to stop whatever the scammers are/were doing. In particular:


  • Unplug the ethernet cable or turn off your wireless. Reboot your machine. Is a pop-up coming up asking for a connection or waiting for a connection? Close it.
  • Call your bank, your CC card provider, Paypal or whichever means you have used - call your financial institution as soon as possible to cancel the transfer!
  • Uninstall any new & unknown software you find. Verify in Add/Remove programs if none of the above mentioned tools have been installed, for example.
    Also check the usual locations, for example C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86).
  • Perform a full scan with your antivirus software, especially in the case of a fake antivirus or rogueware. Restore internet access at this point and run a scan with another online antivirus.
  • Call your phone company! Ask them if they can verify who has called in case of an unknown caller ID - or to block the specific numbers should you receive these calls regularly.
  • Change passwords of your computer - meaning your user password, but the password(s) of your bank account/Paypal and others as well.
  • When you deem this necessary, perform a system restore of your machine. In serious cases, an even better option is to format your machine completely (though usually not necessary).

Now, file a complaint via the Internet Crime Complain Center (IC3) or via your local police station or CERT (list of CERTs available via Enisa or Europol). Include any information you have gathered. It is important you do this to be able to uncover and jail these scammers. If you were redirected via an ad on a legitimate website, file a report via TrustInAds as well. Do not be afraid to ask for further information.

Prevention

Unfortunately, there aren't too many options to prevent this particular scam. A few pointers:



  • Unknown caller ID or private number? Don't pick up, unless you're indeed expecting a phone call.
  • Weird or long number calling you? Don't pick up. If you decide to pick up, listen to what they have to say, smile and put down the phone anyway.
  • Receiving these calls regularly? Call your phone company so they can block it. If you're receiving a lot of these calls, be sure to not pick up, as they'll know there's someone on the other side, even though you put down the phone immediately.
  • Missed a few calls from these numbers? Don't be tempted to call back. A similar scam is calling you, but after 1 second immediately hanging up. This may tempt you into calling back. Don't fall for that scam either. (they are not necessarily the same cybercriminals, but they both want your money.)
  • Avoid shady "tech support" websites. A tool which may help you in this is WOT - Web Of Trust.
  • Add yourself to the National Do Not Call Registry (US only). This may not prevent phone scammers, but it does prevent other marketeers from calling you and spreading your number to others. For all other countries: inform with your local CERT for options, as there aren't many available.
  • If you are managing someone else's computer it may be a good idea to set up a limited user account.
  • Last but not least: use your common sense! When in doubt, simply hang up the phone.


For providers of these remote tools:


  • Include a clear page on your website warning about the possible malicious use of your software.
  • Include an abuse report form - whether via a ticketing system, by call or mail or any other means.
  • Send all information the victim provided to the legal authorities so they can take action.
  • Inform the user of what has happened - should they blame you. Refer to your warning page about this scam.



Conclusion

As pointed out in this blog post, phone scammers are not new. Yet their scare tactics still seem to work. 

Just like other cybercriminals, phone scammers need to be put down. You can help if you were a victim by reporting this incident to the authorities. Follow the tips above to be able to protect yourself better.

For any other questions, suggestions or remarks: do not hesitate to leave a comment or contact me on Twitter: @bartblaze

Finally, I've added some other useful resources and documentation on this type of scam down below. 


Resources

Federal Trade Commision (FTC) - Phone Scams
DataNews / Knack - Hoe herken je een oplichter via de telefoon? (NL)
DataNews / Knack - Comment reconnaître un escroc au téléphone? (FR)
KrebsonSecurity - Tech Support Phone Scams Surge
Malwarebytes - Tech Support Scams – Help & Resource Page

Microsoft - Avoid tech support phone scams
TrustInAds - Bad Ads Trend Alert: Shining a Light on Tech Support Advertising Scams (PDF)  
WeLiveSecurity - My PC has 32,539 errors: how telephone support scams really work (PDF)




Saturday, 10 May 2014

How to get disapproved Facebook ad approved - Violating Facebook's Ad Guidelines by advertising "work from home" etc.

How to get disapproved facebook ad approved
Your ad wasn't approved because it violates Facebook's Ad Guidelines by advertising "work from home", MLM, get rich quick and other inaccurate money-making opportunities...
Got the same meaningful message from Facebook? Me too:) There are some workarounds, what we can do with or against it. But here we must make a decision, what we want to achive and what we are ready to do for it: we want get our ad approved without any changes, with some little, not substantial changes, or we are ready completely to rework our ad. Let us look, how to get disapproved Facebook ad finally approved, if our ad was disapproved with the cited cause.
Read full article »

Friday, 2 May 2014

Look at the receipients of the "registration will renew automatically in X days" email to work out your domain-administration login name

This article is about how you can work out what Google Account to use to check custom domain renewal details from the reminder emails that Google sends in the month before the domain registration expires.


Domain registration warning emails

If you have a custom domain that you purchased through Blogger (when that service was available), and you have not transferred that registration to another domain registrar, then every year you will get a series of email messages like this:





The message text is:

Hello,
Your domain name, yourDomain.com, is configured for automatic renewal with registrar REGISTRAR (usually enom or goDaddy) on DATE. Each registration renewal is valid for one year.
Google will charge your account after the renewal is complete. To ensure uninterrupted service, please follow these directions to update your payment method if needed.
If you don’t want to renew your domain name and continue using Google Apps, you should turn off automatic renewal under the ‘Domain settings > Domain names’ tab in your Google Apps Admin console at http://admin.google.com.
Please do not reply to this email; replies are not monitored.



What you need to do

The specific action that you need to do varies, according to what you have set up before, and what policy changes Google may have had.
  • You may need to verify that you accept the current billing arrangements. 
  • You may need to check that the credit card which you have registered on your account is still valid (even if it was previously, it may have retired since).
  • You may even want to cancel the renewal, and thus give up the custom domain (in which case, I'd suggest re-directing your blog back to blogspot, too).


The only way to check what is required is to log on to your Google Apps Domain Administration account, and see what it tells you to do.

And pretty much the only thing you should not do is nothing:  you almost certainly either need to check your credit card, or cancel the renewal.


How to log on to your Google Apps Domain Administration account

What account to log on to

Many people say that working out what Domain Administrator account they need to log in to is difficult - and some are (mistakenly) absolutely convinced that they were able to renew previously using only the Google account that they use to manage the blog.

Unfortunately, the name of the Domain Administrator account can vary, depending on when you purchased the domain and whether or not you set up an administrator account for it at that time.

But, based on the reminder message that Google are now sending, there is a simple way to work it out:  look at the addresses that the reminder email is sent to.  What I have noticed lately is that these are:
  1. The Domain Administrator account, and 
  2. The Blogger account that set up the blog




Once you clearly understand that:
  • The Domain Administrator is not the same as your Blogger account, 
  • The Domain Administrator probably has an account-name like    bloggeradmin@YourDomain.com   or    your-admin-name@YourDomain.com

then hopefully this will be enough to help you understand which account you need to use.


Then log on - adding the account to your list

Click on the link in the email, which will take you to the Google Apps Admin console ie http://admin.google.com

Most likely, the Domain Administrator account that you worked out above will not be in the list of accounts that Google knows about on your PC (for a range of reasons - including that this is probably an account that you only use once per year).  So you need to use the Add Account button at the bottom of the list ( you may need to scroll down to reach it).



Enter your full Domain Administrator account name    eg   bloggeradmin@YourDomain.com

Either enter your password, or click the Need Help / I don't know my password options to get Google to help you with the password.    

Click Sign In


... and then follow the steps in the screens that Google presents to set up your billing and / overify your credit card.


Note:   Logging in to this account is likely to log you out of your standard Blogger / Gmail account.   If for some reason you don't want this to happen, then you may need to use a different browser to do the Domain Administration login.



Related Articles:

Setting up your custom domain

Understanding Google and Blogger accounts