PC Security: Be careful when buying digital files for Windows Mobile

Jimmy Shah from McAfee has posted a blog describing a new virus for Windows CE / Pocket PC handheld computers. It highlights the importance of checking that you buy from reputable sources; ensuring that any files you put onto your computer [handheld or desktop] are going to run without damaging the machine. The blog is detailed below.

A Window Mobile PocketPC trojan that disables Windows Mobile application installation security has been discovered in China.

WinCE/InfoJack sends the infected device’s serial number, operating system and other information to the author of the trojan. It also leaves the infected mobile device vulnerable by allowing silent installation of malware. The trojan modifies the infected device’s security setting to allow unsigned applications to be installed without a warning.

The trojan was packed inside a number of legitimate installation files and distributed widely. It has been distributed with Google Maps, applications for stock trading, and a collection of games.

WinCE/InfoJack was created by a specific website. The website may have hired someone to create the trojan and distribute it to other sites. The maintainer of the website claims that the software was just necessary to collect information on the types of mobiles used to access their site. That would be easier to believe if they had notified the user prior to installation or if they had provided some sort of uninstallation method.

WinCE/InfoJack has a number of features that show its malicious intent:

• installing as an autorun program on the memory card
  
• installing itself to the phone when an infected memory card is inserted
  
• protecting itself from deletion, copying itself back to disk
  
• replaces the browser’s home page
  
• allows unsigned applications to install without warning
  

That last feature, allowing silent installation of an unsigned app, is used by WinCE/InfoJack to auto update itself. It also leaves the mobile open to other malware being installed silently. Fortunately the trojan’s website is no longer reachable, due in part to an investigation by local law enforcement.

Community: eBay Advisor Helpdesk

Lost in the post?
Most of my selling experiences have been great, although I have just had my first buyer complain of non-delivery. I am still new to selling, and am not exactly sure what I need to do next.

A lot will depend on how you posted the item - I am assuming that it was sent inside the UK. It is a grey area for private sellers, but as a general rule the item remains the responsibility of the seller until it is delivered. Unless you can prove that the item was delivered, you will need to make a refund or send a replacement. In the case of a PayPal dispute concerning ‘non-delivery’, I have never known them find in favour of the seller.

The first thing I would suggest is that you ask your buyer to check with the local postal depot in case it is awaiting collection, you may get lucky. If you obtained a proof of postage, you should be able to claim up to £32.00 from the Post Office. If this was a printed receipt, you should also be able to claim back the postage paid. The Post Office will ask the buyer to confirm that the package didn’t arrive, so brief them that a form will arrive in due course. An item is not considered as ‘lost’ until 15 days have elapsed.

If your buyer paid with PayPal, send any refund via PayPal and you will recoup your fees. As the trade did not complete, open a ‘non paying buyer’ dispute, select the mutual consent option, and with the buyer’s cooperation you should get back your eBay final value fees.

We’d recommend using recorded delivery for every transaction, and building this into the cost of your postage options. Is it worth the risk otherwise?

What should I avoid selling?
Are there any things that should not be considered when deciding what to sell on eBay?

In my experience, almost anything will sell on eBay; from a Pringles container, to empty pen boxes. I never cease to be amazed at what seems to have a value.

There are some products that need a little more consideration before you decide to sell them:

• Fragile items: Glass, china and collectables can be fragile and the condition is everything to the avid collector. Consider the implications of more secure packaging both on cost and time.
  
• Heavy items: Posting heavy items will cost more money. Sending heavy items overseas, particularly those with low sales value, will incur higher PayPal charges. These will eat into your profit as the fees are calculated on the total amount of money transferred, including the postage charges.
  
• Country specific: Selling items that are targeted at only one country will restrict your market and some items only work in restricted regions, such as DVDs.
  
• Large items: Large items may only be suitable for collection, or may require specialist transportation which will cost more to arrange. Consider the implications of any additional packing requirements - will you need non-standard boxes? Can you deliver large items and, if so, within what geographic area? Collection from your home or place of work may be inconvenient and this may also restrict your market.
  
• High value items: The higher the value of your items, the more interest there will be from fraudsters who exploit the system. You are unlikely to be defrauded for a second-hand CD, but a more valuable item might be a target.
  

You must of course also work out the profit you are likely to make from each item; selling super items for no profit may make you feel good, but will not pay the university fees.

Should I include my postage costs upfront?
Just a quick question - is it advisable to include the postage costs when I list my item? I have seen that many sellers do not do this and I wonder why.

Yes, absolutely - no question in my mind. You should include all postage costs, including overseas option if you ship worldwide. There are several reasons that this has to be a good idea:

1. It will cut down on the number of e-mails you get asking what you postage costs are.
   
2. It will speed up your payments as buyers will have enough details to pay as soon as they win the item.
   
3. You will not put off the casual impulse browser who may have an interest in your product, but not enough to be bothered to send an e-mail asking about the postage costs and await your reply.
   
4. It will encourage you to work out your postage costs and packing requirements prior to listing; this means that you can include any unusual details such as having to ship in two parcels due to weight restrictions.
   
5. You will be able to offer a number of postage options that may have an impact on the buyer’s decision; they may be prepared to take a slower option to save some money.
   

Faulty product, what should I do?
I have just received a lovely necklace bought from eBay. After just half an hour, I have noticed that some of the diamante jewels have fallen off. In this situation what normally happens?

The first thing to do is contact the seller; use the internal eBay system (contact member) to send your message as opposed to sending them a direct e-mail. Explain the situation and ask how the seller wants to proceed - be pleasant in your first note.

Sellers are not happy when things go wrong; the time taken to sort out problems along with the added expense eats into profit margins. Additionally an unhappy customer could result in a poor feedback, which no seller wants. If you don’t get any joy from the seller, start the “Item Not Received or Significantly Not as Described” process: http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/tp/inr-snad-process.html

You may well be offered a replacement item or a refund - the choice will be yours.

Sometimes the added cost of funding return postage can result in the seller letting you keep the original; although what you would do with a broken necklace I am not sure!

Can I send automatic e-mails?
Is it possible to send an automatic e-mail to a buyer once they have paid with PayPal thanking them for their business, and giving an idea of dispatch times? I have seen this from sellers I have traded with, but cannot seem to work it out.

Yes, as I write, it will cost you £4.99 per month. This is, in my opinion, one of the best aspects of ‘Selling Manager Pro’; the ability to have the system send your e-mails for you, including a “thank you for your payment” note.

The automation preferences can be accessed from your revised ‘My eBay’ screen when you subscribe - you can currently send the following:

1. A winning buyer notification; use this to elaborate on the payment options you accept and let them know about any postage discounts you offer.
   
2. A payment received e-mail when they may by PayPal or you mark the item as “payment received”; this is where to inform your buyer of the likely dispatch time.
   
3. A “your purchase is on its way” e-mail when you mark the item as dispatched; use this to let them know about your returns policy and thank them again for their business.
   

You can also send two automated reminder after a pre-set time:

1. A payment reminder e-mail; along the lines of “Just thought we would check to make sure you are still ok to buy the item, if we can help in any way, please let us know”.
   
2. A feedback reminder which is just that; it reminds buyers to leave you feedback.
   

Seller naru, what should I do?
I have not yet taken delivery of my item, and now see that the seller has been suspended from eBay, for what reason I cannot tell. I paid for the item with PayPal, can I claim a refund if the item does not show? How does a seller become ‘not registered’ - their feedback is good with no negatives?

There could be many reasons for the seller being removed or NARU (Not A Registered User). It could be down to outright fraud, in which case they will never be seen again, or it could be down to a minor breach of eBay rules resulting in a temporary suspension.

I would start the refund process with PayPal now - you can always cancel it if the item does arrive: http://pages.ebay.co.uk/help/tp/paypal-protection.html

One of the more innocent reasons for a seller removal is non-payment of eBay fees, when they are paid the seller is likely to be reinstated. Misleading titles may also result in a temporary ban, as can offering to accept cash as a payment method.

How can I manage my PayPal account?
I want to change my email address to one which shows what I sell. Do you know if you can have 2 separate email addresses which run from the same PayPal account, or even can you have 2 Paypal accounts - one for your main selling, and another one just for buying and selling bits and bobs now and again?

The good news is that you can have either of these arrangements. You can add another 7 e-Mail addresses to your PayPal account, open your account in the normal way, click on the “profile” tab, then “email” (top left), click “add” and enter the new address. A second PayPal account is a good idea; it keeps business payments away from personal money and makes admin a whole lot easier. For a new PayPal account you will need a different e-mail address and a different credit / debit card for security reasons. You will also have to direct payments to a different bank account; again this is for security reasons.

Robert Pugh’s new book, eBay Q&A, is available now through the publishers Harriman House. You can visit them at www.harriman-house.com; and visit Robert at www.ebaybulletin.co.uk

PC General: Essential Windows Vista group launches

Launched in support of our sister magazine Essential Windows Vista, we have a new MSN group allowing readers and editors alike interaction and discussion. It's very much a self-help group and has been established in its prior guise for over five years. We'll be expanding the content of that site; as well as this; to provide what will hopefully be a must-stop visit for all of your Windows Vista-related problems.

Of course there is a common staff-base between eBay Advisor and Essential Windows Vista, so we also welcome Q&A / problems for answering here. The choice, people, is yours.

You can visit the group at groups.msn.com/windowsmadeeasy or by clicking the magazine logo above.

PC Security: Localised malware takes root

New McAfee Research Shows Regionalised Malware Rising, with more Attacks Tailored to Different Cultures and Technologies

Cybercriminals are increasingly crafting attacks in multiple languages and are exploiting popular local applications to maximise their profits, according to a new McAfee, Inc. (NYSE: MFE) report released today.

“This isn’t malware for the masses anymore,” said Jeff Green, senior vice president, McAfee® Avert® Labs. “Cybercrooks have become extremely deft at learning the nuances of the local regions and creating malware specific to each country. They’re not skilled just at computer programming—they’re skilled at psychology and linguistics, too.”

McAfee Avert Labs examined global malware trends in its third Global Threat Report, titled “One Internet, Many Worlds.” The report is based on data compiled by McAfee’s international security experts and examines the globalisation of threats and the unique threats in different countries and regions. In the report, McAfee details the following trends and conclusions:

· Sophisticated malware authors have increased country-, language-, company-, and software-specific attacks

· Cyber-attackers are increasingly attuned to cultural differences and tailor social engineering attacks accordingly

· Cybercrime rings recruit malware writers in countries with high unemployment and high levels of education such as Russia and China

· Cybercriminals take advantage of countries where law enforcement is lax

· Around the world, malware authors are exploiting the viral nature of Web 2.0 and peer-to-peer networks

· More exploits than ever before are targeted at locally popular software and applications


“Malware has become more regional in nature during the past couple of years,” said Green. “This trend is further evidence that today’s cyber-attacks are targeted and driven by a financial motive, instead of the glory and notoriety of yesteryear’s cybergraffiti and fast-spreading worms. We’re in a constant chess match with malware authors, and we’re prepared to counter them in any language they’re learning to speak.”


Geographical trends:

The United States: The Great Malware Melting Pot

Once the launching pad of all malware, today malware in the US includes elements of malicious software seen around the world. Attackers use increasingly clever social engineering skills to trick victims and are looking to exploit the viral nature of Web 2.0. Although the United States has cybercrime laws in place, the lack of international cybercrime laws and the differences in extradition treaties make it difficult for enforcement agents to prosecute criminals across borders.

Europe: Malware Learns the Language

With 23 languages in the European Union alone, language barriers used to be a hurdle for miscreants. Consumers in non-English speaking countries often simply deleted English-language spam and phishing e-mail. Today malware authors adapt the language to the Internet domain site where the scam message is being sent, and malicious Web sites serve up malware in a language determined by the country the target is located in. Cultural events such as the FIFA soccer World Cup in the summer of 2006 prompted email scams and phishing sites luring in soccer lovers. With the increased sophistication of malware, computer users in the EU are under attack.


China: Virtual Entertainment

With more than 137 million computer users—a quarter of whom play online gas—malware authors are cashing in on virtual goods, currency, and online games. A majority of the malware found in China is password-stealing Trojans—designed to steal users’ identities in online games and their credentials for virtual currency accounts. China has also become a breeding ground for malware writers, as a large number of skilled coders do not have legitimate work. The conditions have driven these hackers to cybercrime in search of money.


Japan: Losing to Winny—Malware Spreads from Peer to Peer

Winny, a popular peer-to-peer application in Japan, is prone to malware infestations that can cause serious data leaks. When deployed in the corporate setting, malware on Winny can expose data, steal passwords, and delete files. Unlike in most countries, malware authors in Japan are not motivated by money—instead authors seek to expose or delete sensitive data on machines. Another common target in Japan is Ichitaro, a popular word processor. There have been several attacks against Ichitaro users that exploited un-patched security vulnerabilities to install spyware on the target machines.


Russia: Economics, Not Mafia, Fuel Malware

The technical skills of Russians in a stumbling economy make for an active market of hackers. Some of the most notorious attack toolkits are produced in Russia and sold in underground markets. These gray-market malware tools, combined with lack of legislation against cybercrime, lead experts to believe that the Russian mafia will soon—if they haven’t already—latch onto computer crime. Although the Russian economic situation, like that of China’s, has driven many hackers to a life of cybercrime, Avert Labs predicts that with a strengthening economy and stronger law enforcement, Russian-made malware will gradually decrease.


Brazil: Bilking the Bank

Miscreants have made an international showcase out of Brazil when it comes to bilking online bank accounts. With a majority of Brazilians banking online, Cybercrooks use sophisticated social engineering scams to trick Brazilians into giving up personal information. In 2005 alone, the Brazilian Banks Association estimated losses at R$300 million (about $165 million USD) due to virtual fraud. Malware creators rapidly adapt password-stealing Trojans to the changes banks make to their Web sites.

Global View of Threats—By the Numbers:

· 371,002--Total threats identified by McAfee Avert Labs as of Feb. 1, 2008

· 131,800--Threats identified by Avert Labs solely in 2007

· 53,567--Unique pieces of malware in 2006

· 246%--Growth of malware from 2006 to 2007

· 527 – New malware identified daily by Avert Labs at the start of 2008

· 750 – Expected number of new malware identified daily by Avert Labs at the end of 2008

“It’s mind-boggling how sophisticated and savvy some of these attacks are,” said Joe Telafici, vice president of Avert Labs operations. “Cybercriminals are learning to exploit the cultural uniqueness of computer users around the world. But our global team of experts is prepared to fight against them and protect users.”

The Global Threat Report is available for download through the McAfee Threat Centre: http://www.mcafee.com/us/threat_center/default.asp.

PC Security: Spybot Search and Destroy gets an update

Spybot gets a worthwhile upgrade

Spybot-S&D 1.5 already had quite a lot of advantages over version 1.4: improved compatibility, more effective detections and new functions. But even good things need to to be improved, and between all the positive feedback we received, there was also information about some things that needed corrections: the immunization sometimes needed to be applied twice before sticking, many users wanted the file shredder back, and it was impossible to remove entries from the user blacklist in the Internet Explorer plugin. But first of all, we apologize for the long starting time of Spybot-S&D 1.5.1 to all users. This item has been fixed now in this new version 1.5.2.

We are convinced that you will work (or that you already work) with the best Spybot ever: Spybot-S&D 1.5.2 has all advantages, but no handicaps over all previous versions!

In the last weeks our partners and we changed our downloads over to version 1.5.2. This version is also available through the integrated update within the next days.

Small Business: Promote your eBay Store

It's essential to promote your eBay store - otherwise how will your customers know to visit you?

When putting together your website, there’s one very important thing you’ll need to remember - there are an awful lot of them out there; many of which aiming to get the same audience for which you’re aiming.

eBay will to an extent look after the site promotion for you; providing optimised data directly to Google within any terms or phrases you so desire but ultimately the effort for promotion on your website has to be your own.

You need to ensure that there’s something unique about the way in which your site is promoted in order to ensure you get the right type of audience.

How does it address the needs of its audience? What’s particularly special about it, in comparison to other sites of a similar nature offering perhaps the same product base for a very similar cost?

The techniques we use for promotion will ultimately reflect upon the success we experience from that promotion. Using bulk e-mail (or spam) will probably not achieve the desired result. In many countries it’s now illegal to send unsolicited mail via email or post, and you could find yourself in hot water with your internet service provider.

It’s better instead to use a search engine such as Google. You can use Google in two ways - to directly promote your site by allowing Google to find it and index it; or using the Google Adwords programme as a means of setting an advertising budget then ensuring tht your spending never goes above it. With many thousands of hits a day, you’re guaranteed site success. With a domain name directed to your eBay store, the promotion is complete!

This article continues in issue four of eBay Advisor, with a number of detailed step-by-step guides.

Review: Philips VOIP 321

David Bradforth takes a look at a superb VOIP-capable phone, available to the UK directly through Skype.

Despite the enormous rise in popularity of making calls across the Internet, there are still some things which you'd have trouble doing. If you need to call the emergency services, you can't use Skype at all - it's simply not designed for that.

With the VOIP321 from Philips you can get the best of both worlds. Allowing you to connect one handset to both a landline and your computer, the VOIP321 allows you to make and take calls from both networks on the single handset.

The display allows you to work through your Skype address book while away from the computer; and all it takes is a press of a button to choose between a fixed line or a Skype call.

There's a lot to be said for having a cordless handset to use VOIP services. Up until this point I've been using a headset while sitting on my PC simply because a lot of the time I need to switch across to the Mac in a matter of seconds.

While the Philips offering failed to work with the Mac version of Skype, for the PC the sound quality was consistently high and easily matched that of a fixed headset.

What was annoying was the need to have the telephone socket next to your computer. if you're using a fixed network, it's possible that your landline socket is in an entirely separate room to your computer and hence providing the connections the phone needs proved a challenge.

Included with the handset are 60 minutes of SkypeOut calls; a nice addition for those looking to immediately experiment with the device. The price is a little high, however. For £55 I can buy a new cordless handset for the landline, plus a headset for the computer and have significant change left over to spend on SkypeOut minutes.

That said the convenience factor can't be understated and above all else that's exactly what this offers. Quality and convenience but it comes at a price.

Product Information

• Product Name: VOIP 321
• Price: £55
• Supplier: Philips (skype.com within the UK)
• Website: www.skype.com

Review Amilo Pro v3405

David Bradforth takes a look at a competitive offering from Fujitsu-Siemens offering good performance in a compact shell

Computing on the move continues to evolve at a rapid pace. With the public demanding lightweight, slender, powerhouses that rival the processing ability of desktop PCs; an increasing number of manufacturers are offering relatively high-specification laptops to suit those with a smaller budget.

The first thing you'll notice about the AMILO Pro is how little it weighs. Given the size of it, pretty much that of a standard compact notebook, the AMILO weighs surprisingly little; which can make all the difference when using a computer on the move.

It boasts a full-size keyboard, 14.1-inch WXGA display, 60Gb drive, 512Mb RAM and a multi-format capable DVD writer. You can use the built-in wireless capabilities to download large files; burn them to DVD and share them with friends.

Watching a move on the display was a joy. The glare factor that used to be present regardless of the notebook in use seems to no longer be present and the sound quality made it easy to lose yourself into the movie rather than the quality of what you were listening to.

To test the graphics capabilities of the device, we installed Sierra's FEAR and were pleasantly surprised. With an integrated processor we have to admit that expectations were low; but it played well and looked very nice.

If you're in the market for a laptop or notebook you could do much worse than the AMILO Pro. It's a stylish offering that integrates very nicely with the modern home computer users world. It's also Windows Vista ready, and now very competitively priced. A recommended purchase from those fine folk at Fujitsu-Siemens.

Published Specifications:

• Audio Output : Sound card 
  
• Battery : Lithium ion 
  
• Built-in Devices : Stereo speakers, wireless LAN antenna 
  
• Cache Memory : 2 MB - L2 cache 
  
• Dimensions (WxDxH) : 33.8 cm x 23.3 cm x 3.3 cm 
  
• Display : 14.1" TFT active matrix 1280 x 800 ( WXGA ) 
  
• Graphics Controller : Intel GMA 950 
  
• Hard Drive : 60 GB - Serial ATA-150 - 5400 rpm 
  
• Input Device : Keyboard, touchpad 
  
• Localization : English / United Kingdom 
  
• Networking : Network adapter - Ethernet, Fast Ethernet, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11a, IEEE 802.11g 
  
• Operating System : Microsoft Windows XP Professional - English 
  
• Optical Storage : DVD±RW (+R DL) - integrated 
  
• Platform Technology : Intel Centrino Duo 
  
• Power : AC 120/230 V ( 50/60 Hz ) 
  
• Processor : Intel Core Duo T2050 / 1.6 GHz ( Dual-Core ) 
  
• Product Description : Fujitsu Siemens AMILO Pro V3405 Edition - Core Duo T2050 1.6 GHz - 14.1" TFT 
  
• RAM : 512 MB DDR II SDRAM - 533 MHz 
  
• Run Time (Up To) : 4 hour(s) 
  
• System Type : Notebook 
  
• Telecom : Fax / modem - MDC - 56 Kbps 
  
• Weight : 2.4 kg 
  
• Wireless NIC : Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG
  

Product Information

• Product Name: AMILO Pro v3405
• Price: £700
• Supplier: Fujitsu-Siemens
• Website: www.laptopshop.co.uk

Small Business: Online auctions.. with no fees..

For small businesses, fees can be a killer. We take a look at eBid, allowing you to sell items but pay only upon a successful sale.

For the small business, having to pay listing fees for the items you place onto eBay is something of a pain. Whether you sell the item or not, the listing fees have to be paid. If that’s not something you can afford, perhaps you should look a little further beyond eBay - much as we at eBay Advisor hate to admit it.

eBid (www.ebid.co.uk) operates in a similar sense to the Amazon marketplace. You can list items for free; but you pay a percentage of the final value to the company in return for the listings. eBay has a significant advantage over eBid - simply in strength of nunbers - but if you use the Search Engine Optimisation tips described later within this section you’ll be in as good a chance of success as anybody else.

We'll take a further look into eBay alternatives in the next eBay Advisor.

Community: Superb Wednesday brings malware galore

Alex Hincliffe from McAfee sums up some of the more peculiar viral attacks doing the rounds.

Whilst the masses stay vigilant to “love” attacks [1][2][3][4] in the run-up to Valentine’s Day (tomorrow, don’t forget!), others, including McAfee Avert Labs, are wary of further hybrid spam and malware attacks. This morning we received thousands upon thousands of “Google Ad link” samples via our anti-malware and anti-spam automation systems.

A topical social-engineering trick highlights the race to the White House [5] for the Hillary Clintons and Barack Obamas of the world. It’s actually surprising we didn’t see more of this attack yesterday–the week’s anniversary of Super Tuesday [6].

The spam email (example below) contains a link (hidden by HTML [7]) that points to Google’s page-ad service passing another URL–a malicious one–which effectively redirects your browser to a site hosting a protectively detected Downloader.gen.a [8] sample. The site used in this attack is suspected to be linked to the notorious Russian Business Network (RBN) [9].

Other examples of this spam included some of the following subjects:

• Hillary Clinton Full Video !!!
  
• Interesting dvd with Beyonce + 4 asiatic lovers!
  
• Interesting dvd with Jennifer Lopez + 5 english boys!
  
• Interesting mp3 with Beyonce + 5 portuguese horse!
  
• Interesting photo with Mylene Farmer + 6 black stallions!
  
• Interesting video with Keira Knightley + 2 black dogs!
  
• Keen melody with Christina Aguilera + 4 english boys!
  
• Keen photo with Britney Spears + 4 asiatic stallions!
  
• Kick-up mp3 with Christina Aguilera + 5 irish mans!
  
• New melody with Kylie Minogue + 3 spain dogs!
  
• New presentation with Mylene Farmer + 6 portuguese lesbians!
  
• Part of presentation with Jessica Parker + 6 black dogs!
  
• Shocking photo with Jessica Parker + 3 italian horse!
  
• Stunning presentation with Beyonce + 3 black stallions!
  

We urge you to be vigilant and keep your anti-spam and anti-malware protection up to date. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it normally is. (Obviously much of the above applies equally to eBay - if it looks too good to be true, it probably is - so take much more care before downloading it.)

[1] : http://www.publicopiniononline.com/localnews/ci_8249998
[2] : http://blogs.knoxnews.com/knx/silence/archives/2008/02/valentines_day.shtml
[3] : http://www.nbc13.com/gulfcoastwest/vtm/news.apx.-content-articles-VTM-2008-02-13-0006.html
[4] : http://press-releases.techwhack.com/16498/microworld-technologies
[5] : http://www.independent.co.uk/news/in-the-news/race-for-whitehouse
[6] : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Tuesday
[7] : http://www.avertlabs.com/research/blog/index.php/2007/08/20/the-risks-of-html-formatted-e-mails
[8] : http://vil.nai.com/vil/content/v_142821.htm
[9] : http://www.securecomputing.net.au/news/69637,britney-paris-used-as-hook-in-new-spam-botnet.aspx

Sellers Workshop: How to make a six-figure sum on eBay

New DVD, book and audio CD pack promises to help you earn a six-figure sum on eBay.

There’s no shortage of get-rich schemes out there. They promise to help you earn a six figure sum without any work. The funny thing is, eBay could actually help you to achieve that dream - if you find the right starting product; then continue to find a buyer with an interest in that product you can upgrade or swap your way to a multi-million pound fortune.

Of course you’ll need to get to grips with the most appropriate way to use and hence earn from eBay first. On the one hand, eBay Advisor is here to help you do just that; on the other hand some prefer an instructional tutorial video that offers something similar.

The Elementary eBay DVD, available from www.online-auction-profits.co.uk, aims to show you the secrets of earning on eBay; revealing some of tricks of success.

It’s presented by Bill Myers, a veteran of tutorial videos and offers a friendly and authorative style. While its focus is the eBay USA site [and it's a site that's a few years old], the tricks and techniques it describes apply equally to every eBay site around the world.

It works its way throught the different issues involved in building an eBay account, then buying/selling and offers practical advice to success.

It’s supplied with a book entitled eBay Profits 2007 - it looks nice and is supplied spiral bound. There are no page numbers within the book, but it does have a logical progression again taking you through many of the key principles of eBay use. It’s also supplied on audio CD.

At £67, this pack isn’t cheap but does provide a sound footing in what you’ll need to know. Take a look.

Buyer's Workshop: The Challenge

The task, should you wish to take part, is to completely furnish a house using nothing other than eBay and a budget of; at most; £500. The intent is to track down the individual or couple who have made the most effective use of the eBay community when furnishing a home or appartment. The rules of the challenge are as follows:

• You need to purchase a item for every room in the house. Bedroom, Bathroom, Living Room, Kitchen - at least one item for each room.
  
• You should be able to live with only those items you’ve purchased. Obviously we’re not including food as a part of the challenge; that’s an extra you can buy once the challenge has been met.
  
• We need evidence of your purchases. We’ll need your eBay user ID to be able to track down exactly which items you’ve bought.. which sadly means that...
  
• Only recent purchases count. Sorry for anybody who furnished their flat a little while ago; we will find an alternative way to approach this in the future and hopefully we can include you then.
  

If you’re up to the challenge, email the editor at the usual eBay Advisor address giving full details of whom you are, where you’ve moved to and what you bought for each room in the house. Winner appears in print - deadline is 1st June; winner appearing in issue five.

Qercus: Exploring eBay (part 5)

David Bradforth presents further practical hints for those looking to get more out of eBay.co.uk when running RISC OS.

Where do you go for RISC OS bargains? Let’s face it, if you have a PC you can go to a local PC World; as RISC OS users unless you happen to live near CJE Micros, The Data Store or CTA Direct you’ll have trouble finding a supplier with a retail store.

The answer is eBay. It provides a convenient means for people looking to shift some of their old software or hardware and a convenient marketplace in people looking to make the most of their free time.

The problem for RISC OS users is access. As eBay evolves, sadly the RISC OS browsers available are not. There are some that make a good effort - NetSurf, Firefox and Oregano 2 - but to have success on eBay you really need a mixture of the three and it’s beneficial if your email client can handle HTML mail.

With many millions of buyers and sellers, the advantage of eBay is that of price. For sellers there is always a market, if you hit the right price for the buyers. Iyonix PCs have sold
on eBay for under £400, if you’d like an iMac to run Virtual Acorn on you can get one for under £300 and general peripherals such as hard discs are available for next to nothing.

Taking a browse through eBay at the time of writing (a Sunday towards the start of February) I found the following:

• RISC OS 4.39 (Adjust) ROMs for £35 through Uniqueway - a saving of some £45 over the original retail price.
• Virtual A5000 for £4 - a saving of £25 over the original retail.
  

If you take the time to view the user names you’ll see some familiar faces on eBay. Castle Technology / Iyonix Limited have used eBay, Uniqueway, APDL, CJE Micros and others - providing a reasonable guarantee of support for products you buy through them.

Many used to view eBay as a black art; but given the number of people selling through eBay it’s another avenue you can use to support your favourite platform.

You’ll find that the money spent on eBay does make its way back into support of the platform and ultimately guaranteeing its longer-term support. Make a point of ensuring that your purchases are of legal products (original issued products) and if you’ll need support ask the developers if they’ll be prepared to.

We’ve got more practical hints & tips, plus archive articles from the Exploring eBay series, at http://www.ebayadvisormag.com/.

Buyers Workshop: Valentines Gifts to Buy on eBay.... for yourself...

Hello Friends.
Wanna play a game?

SAW IV – EXTREME EDITION

AVAILABLE ON DVD AND BLU-RAY FROM MARCH 3, 2008

Saw IV takes London by storm

The most psychologically terrifying instalment of the hugely successful horror franchise has pulled out all the stops with the Saw IV Extreme Edition produced exclusively for DVD and Blu-Ray. This unmissable version, never screened at cinemas, will be available to buy from Monday 3 March, 2008, with more scares, more gore, more SAW than ever before!

YOU THOUGHT IT WAS OVER...

Plus, hard-core fans can watch all the gory moments in dazzling picture quality and sound with Saw IV Extreme Edition on Blu-ray disc. Filled with special features, the disc also includes the world’s first interactive Blu-ray disc movie blog, allowing users to create and share their own added content.

BUT THE GAMES HAVE JUST BEGUN.

Upon the news of Detective Kerry's murder, two seasoned FBI profilers, Agent Strahm (Scott Patterson) and Agent Perez (Athena Karkanis), arrive at the depleted police precinct and help veteran Detective Hoffman (Costas Mandylor) sift through Jigsaw's latest grizzly game of victims and piece together the puzzle. However, when SWAT Commander Rigg (Lyriq Bent), the last officer untouched by Jigsaw (Tobin Bell), is suddenly abducted and thrust into the madman's harrowing game, the officer has but ninety minutes to overcome a series of interconnected traps...or face the deadly consequences. Rigg's citywide pursuit leaves a wake of dead bodies, and Detective Hoffman and the FBI uncover long hidden clues that lead them back to Jigsaw's ex-wife Jill (Betsy Russell).

The clock is ticking.... Availability is limited.

The desire to purchase factor is increased with exclusive packaging and box sets to accompany this extreme edition. Saw IV is packaged in a brilliant limited motorised collectable sleeve with sound chip, plus an exclusive Saw comic and loads of extras. The Saw Quadrilogy is also released to coincide with Saw IV and is packaged in a Collectable Limited Edition moulded face box set. The eagerly awaited SAW III Director’s Cut will also be available on 3rd March, making “Saw” unmissable in store this spring.

Following the fainting suffered from SAW III, this release has been issued with a warning from Matt Ware, Head of Communications for the East of England Ambulance Service, saying that viewers should be aware of the shock of the images on the big screen advising them to check out the previous three instalments on DVD first so they have an idea of what they’ll be seeing.

SAW IV – Extreme Edition will be available on DVD from Monday 3 March for £19.99; with the moulded box set at £29.99. Of appeal to eBay Advisor readers is the moulded box set - if it's a truly limited edition, it will be worth a decent sum of money very soon. Takes a gamble, it's all upto you.

News: Xara X1 for $19

Xara Group are offering the superb Xara X1 for $19 throughout February. Allowing the creation of some pretty amazing illustrations in very little time, this was previously available at $179; and you also qualify for a discount should you choose to upgrade to Xara Xtreme. It's a stunning product, at a very good price - so is well worth considering if you wish to add something special to your eBay listings.

Visit Xara at this link to get further information.

eBay Basics: Absolute Beginners

New to eBay? You may be nervous about that first buy. The eBay Advisor team take you, in detail, through those first steps over seven pages. You can download the original article by clicking the picture immediately below.

To truly appreciate the global wonder that eBay has become takes very little time at all. All you need do is look at the number of active listings within one of the popular categories to realise just how many people are actively buying and selling through eBay every day - and this doesn’t include those who browse but have yet to buy.

In its ten active years, eBay has grown from the creation of French-Iranian programmer Pierre Omidyar into a globalised community of buyers and sellers. Cynics call it the ultimate clearance sale; with all manner of rubbish available at any one time. In reality it’s perhaps somewhat more complicated than that.

Now eBay globally is a hugely profitable company operating in more sectors than just online auctions. They’ve taken on PayPal, the Internet money service; Skype, the Internet communication service making it cheap (and in some cases free) to call the world and a variety of other complimentary businesses including shopping comparison site shopping.com.

But with this focus very much on their new developments, how can those new to the site make the most out of eBay itself? With each issue of the magazine we attempt to move things forward a little each time; while still ensuring that those new to the eBay experience can get into it quickly. We’ve taken the opportunity therefore to provide the absolute beginners material at the front of the magazine. Everything you need to get started immediately on eBay is here - later on we go into detail in different aspects of the environment..

To PayPal or not to PayPal
For some PayPal is the cause of more concern than it should be. PayPal is the integrated payment mechanism for eBay. Starting life as a separate site, so many people were using the service through eBay the company bought it and integrated it ad infinitum. The cause of concern for many seems to be the fees associated to it as a seller; and the fraud risks.

As a seller, eBay charges you a listing fee when you add an auction to the site. That’s of little surprise to any of you, as we’re sure you can expect eBay is a business and that’s the way they stay at the forefront of online auctions. However eBay also own PayPal and you are charged for receiving payment made for those auctions (a kind of stealth charge if you will).

eBay argues that the charge is separate and is a standard PayPal charge for receiving payment, but with the two together eBay do take a commission on your listings in a number of ways.

If you’re concerned about using PayPal, take a look at Nochex or Netcash. Each company offers a secure mains of payment rather than a typical cheque/postal order/cash alternative with the advantage that it can be traced and recovered in many circumstances if the products supplied are faulty.

It also offers a level of protection against fraud. There are people within the eBay marketplace, just as there are in the real world, who will do what they can to deprive you of your money then provide shoddy merchandise.

Getting started

The PDF attached - click the picture at the start of this article - is seven pages long and explains the first steps with eBay. We'll update it periodically, but keep this online from now on.

Qercus: Exploring eBay (part 4)

David Bradforth takes a retro look at RISC OS products on eBay

Every now and then I do find myself having a surge of nostalgia. I remember the rush of adrenaline when I first received an Acorn computer - an Electron, in fact - and the many hours spent playing either Snapper or Hopper.

Over time, that rush was repeated on more than one occasion - for my first Archimedes (an A310) to a StrongARM Risc PC and an Iyonix PC. I have, over time, owned them all.

When my desire to reminisce overtakes me, I do tend to look towards eBay for a well budgeted solution. After all, if you wish to get your hands on a Risc PC you may get a complete bundle on eBay for the price of buying just the computer in a store. For older computers, eBay may be your only chance.

In this month’s Exploring eBay piece, I’m stepping back a little from the usual format to simply investigate buying some of the more frequently demanded items on eBay. Along the way I’ll discuss some simple failsafe hints to ensure that your ultimate purchases are as succesful as possible.

Do remember to share your own experiences, via The Electronic Quill. Colin is always looking for comment from readers and the eBay experiences of one are of immense value to others.

The Acorn A4
Shortly after the releases of the A5000, Acorn Computers announced the release of the A4 portable. As the only native RISC OS portable computer, it run RISC OS 3 on a black and white screen [which allowed for a colour monitor to be plugged in] and provided very good business performance for those using RISC OS computers.

The hardware support was pretty good. A trackerball was announced, to replace the rather appalling scrollpad; and with a native ARM3 processor it was easily one of the fastest computers of its time.

Of course that was 1992. Now we are in 2007, some fifteen years later, and an Acorn A4 (as a desired item) could cost you £500 through a dealer.

Look no further than eBay. Occasionally you’ll find a listing such as that opposite where the seller is unsure of whether the item is correctly functioning and hence states so within the listing.

This provides little reassurance for those looking for an impulse buy, but if you do have a little knowledge of RISC OS it’s frequently easy enough to resolve the little problems that may arise.

Practical Hint: Read a listing all the way through, taking note of any potential faults. If you ask questions either via informal mailgroups or the c.s.a.a newsgroups you may find a real bargain.

BBC Master 128
Not wishing to disparage the BBC Micro series or the Master Compact, the Master 128 was the ultimate - and easily the best - implementation of the BBC Micro series.

Allowing the use of onboard shadow RAM, games such as Elite and Exile benefitted to a notable extent with additional missions, graphics and sounds to those suitably equipped.

A BBC Master will be found by CJE if you ask them to search; but they’ll have to charge for the service. You are better off looking around eBay to see if a seller has a bundle on offer that agrees with your desired retro feel.

Frequently they’ll be ex-school machines, made available to teachers and students rather than being thrown into the skip. They’ll hence have security markings on them, but as a functional computer you’ll find nothing sturdier than the BBC Master.

Make a point of looking for your games at the same time. Then when your bargain arrives, you’ll have something to play on it.

Games to look out for include Exile, Elite, the majority of the Play It Again Sam titles and anything original from Acornsoft.

Do bare in mind that anything pre 1986 has the chance of not running on the Master 128; but will be good to own anyway.

The majority of Master Compact titles will run without fault on the Master 128; subject to ADFS being the default filing system and - of course - your having a 3 and a half inch drive installed.

Practical Hint: Elite, in original Acornsoft form, will not run on the Master 128. You are better off buying the Superior/Acornsoft edition (currently selling for around the £20 mark) which includes all available variations.

Acorn Atom
At the start of the Acorn tree there was the Acorn Atom. Running early versions of many attributes found on the BBC Micro, this was originally sold in a kit form as well as fully made.

With a keyboard much like that of the BBC Micro, the Atom first introduced the world to the potential of Acorn computing. With support from Acornsoft amongst many others, the Atom probably helped to ensure that Acorn had its later successes.

As I write, there’s an Atom on eBay at £70 with seven days to go. I do expect this to pass the £200 mark; and will report in the next Qercus on whether I went against my better spending
judgement and bought it regardless.

In the meantime, happy eBaying. Do let us know how your purchases go and also if you require any help or advice my address is david@ebayadvisormag.com.

News: Photoshop Elements 6 to release in Mac version

Adobe recently announced the highly anticipated Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 6 software for Macintosh® is now available for pre-order at www.adobe.com/go/buyphotoshop_elements_mac . Photoshop Elements 6 software for Mac® combines power and simplicity so consumers at all experience levels can easily achieve outstanding results with their digital photos. In advance of its early Q2 2008 ship date, the Macintosh community will get its first peek at the new product features during the Macworld Conference & Expo, Jan. 14-17, 2008 in San Francisco (Booth #S1302).

“We’re excited to showcase a brand new version of Photoshop Elements at Macworld,” said John Loiacono, senior vice president of Creative Solutions at Adobe. “In this release, we’ve focused on going beyond the basics to make everyday and advanced tasks even easier to achieve. Photoshop Elements 6 for Macintosh allows people to organize and find photos quickly, unleash powerful editing tricks without any heavy lifting, and creatively share photos that give them all the bragging rights.”

Make Photos Look Their Best
Photoshop Elements 6 software helps photo enthusiasts achieve desired results quickly and easily. New features based on proprietary Photomerge® technology let users easily combine the best facial expressions and body language from a series of shots to create a single, perfect group shot. The new Quick Selection Tool reduces a once time-consuming select-and-adjust task to a single click. Photographers - beginner to expert - can choose from one of three edit modes, each geared toward a different experience level. A new Guided Edit mode helps walk users through the steps of improving a photo. Photoshop Elements 6 software streamlines editing with clean, uncluttered screens that draw focus to the photos, with new tabs providing simple access to the many capabilities of the program. Additional enhancements include an improved conversion tool that dramatically converts color images into elegant, nuanced black-and-whites.

Create and Share Photos in Fun, Unique Ways
Photoshop Elements 6 software offers creative options to tell stories in fun and engaging ways. Customizable layouts let users create scrapbook pages, photo books, greeting cards and burn to CD/DVD for high impact sharing which requires no previous experience. Additional sharing options include ordering prints, creating personal online albums for sharing photo creations on the web, and printing photos into real U.S. postage stamps. (obviously somewhat lacking for a UK audience).

Pricing and Availability
Adobe Photoshop Elements 6 for Macintosh will run on Leopard, (Mac OS X v 10.5), as well as previous versions of Mac OS X starting with 10.4.8., and is immediately available for pre-order at www.adobe.com/go/buyphotoshop_elements_mac for an estimated street price of US$89.99.

News: Changes at the head of eBay

Meg Whitman will step down as President and CEO of eBay on March 31, 2008.

Whitman joined eBay in March 1998. At the time, eBay was a U.S.-only, auction-based trading site with 500,000 registered users, just 30 employees, and $4.7 million in revenue. Today, the company has hundreds of millions of users worldwide, more than 15,000 employees and nearly $7.7 billion in revenue. Whitman led eBay to become one of the fastest-growing companies in history. Over the last 10 years, she has built an unforgettable portfolio of brands and a thriving business that enables millions of people to trade, pay and communicate online.

"Meg's passion for all things eBay changed the world," said Pierre Omidyar, Founder of eBay and Chairman of the Board. "With humor, smarts and unflappable determination, Meg took a small, barely known online auction site and helped it become an integral part of our lives. We're all enormously grateful that Meg dedicated herself to stewarding eBay through its 10 most formative years."

eBay's Board of Directors voted unanimously to elect John Donahoe President and CEO. Donahoe came to eBay in February 2005 from Bain & Company, where he had served as worldwide managing director since 1999. For nearly three years, Donahoe has been President of eBay Marketplaces, which accounts for more than 70 percent of the company's global revenues. In this role, Donahoe has been responsible for the growth of eBay and its other ecommerce businesses around the world, and during the time he has managed this business unit, both revenues and profits doubled.

"During the last three years, John and I have worked very closely together to arrive at this day, and we'll continue to work together through the transition," said Whitman. "I'm extremely confident in John's skills and the abilities of John's veteran management team. eBay and its millions of users are in great hands as they head into the future."

Omidyar added, "John is a great choice to lead eBay. He understands our community and is committed to continuing Meg's legacy. The Board and I look forward to supporting John as he takes eBay into the future."

In addition, eBay announced that Rajiv Dutta, currently the President of PayPal, has been named Executive Vice President of eBay Inc. and will also replace Donahoe as President of eBay Marketplaces. Dutta, who will report to Donahoe, has also been elected to the eBay Board of Directors.

Dutta is a 10-year eBay veteran who has previously served as eBay's Chief Financial Officer, and President of Skype, eBay's communications business. Since July 2006, Dutta has successfully led PayPal to achieve more than $65 billion in payment volume and three consecutive quarters of accelerating revenue growth. Dutta will apply his experience, strategic abilities and leadership skills to accelerating growth in the company's core business.

"Rajiv is one of the most talented executives I've met," said Whitman. "John and Rajiv make a fantastic combination, one that will help ensure the continued growth and success of all our businesses."

Scott Thompson, PayPal's current Chief Technology Officer, will replace Dutta as President of PayPal. A three-year PayPal veteran, and a 25-year veteran of the payment and financial services industry, Thompson has been responsible for the products and system architecture that has fueled PayPal's growth and global expansion.

Bill Cobb, President of eBay North America, has decided to step down from that role. Cobb, an early eBay executive who created the company's first integrated marketing campaigns and later led eBay's international expansion, will retire from the company at the end of the year. Lorrie Norrington, currently President of eBay International, will become President of eBay Marketplaces Operations and assume Cobb's responsibilities. Norrington will report to Dutta.

Editorial: Stand by your feedback

to er is human.. to forgive.. well..

So you've got a negative feedback on eBay? Perhaps it was down to a fault with the product sold that you were unable to resolve, or simply that the buyer didn't contact you. Either way, there's nothing to be ashamed of.

Positive and Negative feedback are both a part of the eBay experience. It's what makes the experience what it is. When I myself list an item on eBay, i always describe what's in it - and supply a photograph where possible of the item itself. This allows for no confusion.

A buyer recently left negative feedback because they assumed that something not featured in the photograph would be included in the auction; they'd asked no questions beforehand and just left negative feedback afterwards.

In these circumstances, it's usual to feel a little upset - just respond in kind with an accurate description of what they've misunderstood with a neg response.

If you then have an offer of mediation (which you have to pay for), or a choice  of hiding the feedback by mutual agreement - don't. It's better that the feedback is kept. It gives buyers or sellers a chance to see the highs and lows of your eBay experience.

Take everything the eBay experience has to offer - after all, that's what it's there for.

Industry News: Microsoft proposes acquisition of Yahoo!

Microsoft are taking aim at Google for dominance of the search-engine marketplace, it would seem, with a proposal to take control of Yahoo.

Microsoft today announced that it has made a proposal to the Yahoo! to acquire thecompany for a total equity value of approximately $44.6 billion. Microsoft’s proposal would allow Yahoo! shareholders to elect to receive cash or a fixed number of shares of Microsoft common stock, with the total consideration payable to Yahoo! shareholders consisting of one-half cash and one-half Microsoft common stock. The offer represents a 62 percent premium above the closing price of Yahoo! common stock on Jan. 31, 2008.

“We have great respect for Yahoo!, and together we can offer an increasingly exciting set of solutions for consumers, publishers and advertisers while becoming better positioned to compete in the online services market,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer of Microsoft. “We believe our combination will deliver superior value to our respective shareholders and better choice and innovation to our customers and industry partners.”

“Our lives, our businesses, and even our society have been progressively transformed by the Web, and Yahoo! has played a pioneering role by building compelling, high-scale services and infrastructure,” said Ray Ozzie, chief software architect at Microsoft. “The combination of these two great teams would enable us to jointly deliver a broad range of new experiences to our customers that neither of us would have achieved on our own.”

The online advertising market is growing at a very fast pace, from over $40 billion in 2007 to nearly $80 billion by 2010. The resulting benefits of scale along with the associated capital costs for advertising platform providers make this a time of industry consolidation and convergence. Today this market is increasingly dominated by one player. Together, Microsoft and Yahoo! can offer a competitive choice while better fulfilling the needs of customers and partners.

“The combined assets and strong services focus of these two companies will enable us to achieve scale economics while reaching R&D critical mass to deliver innovation breakthroughs,” said Kevin Johnson, president of the Platforms & Services Division of Microsoft. “The industry will be well served by having more than one strong player, offering more value and real choice to advertisers, publishers and consumers.”

The combination will create a more efficient company with synergies in four areas: scale economics driven by audience critical mass and increased value for advertisers; combined engineering talent to accelerate innovation; operational efficiencies through elimination of redundant cost; and the ability to innovate in emerging user experiences such as video and mobile. Microsoft believes these four areas will generate at least $1 billion in annual synergy for the combined entity.

Microsoft has developed a plan and process that will include the employees of both companies to focus on the integration of the combined business. Microsoft intends to offer significant retention packages to Yahoo! engineers, key leaders and employees across all disciplines.

Microsoft believes this proposed combination would receive all necessary regulatory approvals and expects that the proposed transaction would be completed in the second half of calendar year 2008. Microsoft is also committed to working closely with Yahoo! management and its Board of Directors as they, along with Yahoo! shareholders, evaluate this compelling proposal.

Advertisement: QXL.com

Sellers Workshop: What's your Type?

The type you make use of within any design document can ultimately reflect on how people perceive your product or service. David Bradforth takes a look at how designers can most effectively select a typeface and use it to best effect within their documents - a technique which applies equally well when designing listings for use on eBay.

Type is everywhere, and not just on the pages of the magazine you’re reading at this moment in time. Take a moment to look around the environment you’re in at this point in time, and you’ll see evidence of type. From the train departure board within a station to the warnings on cigarette packets, the text on a loaf of bread to the idents used on television each has a message to convey. It’s all about communication through visual markings, using the right text to accompany images; and ultimately to become a great designer takes and understanding of the messages type conveys and how you can manipulate those messages to work for you.

Typography is such a vital part of graphic design, but it gets very little respect. While the computer has made fonts accessible to the many, there are literally thousands (if not millions) of badly designed corporate business brochures, websites and so on that illustrate the need for training.

Selecting the right words for your message is vital; but the way you present it is equally so. Consider a magazine such as Hotdog; if the magazine were presented in a fashion similar to say PC Basics; but with the same content it would not have half the success it does. The reason is simple – you need to understand your audience. PC Basics has an older readership than Hotdog, and it’s an entirely different market.

So how do you go about selecting type successfully?

Using Type in Context

Typography is basically about communicating a message through the use of a legible pattern of shapes. Back in the early days, it was by carving a message into rock, then progressing over time to the digital layout systems of today. Whether you were using a rock or InDesign, the principle is much the same – to visually stimulate the reader so they have a better understanding of the message you’re trying to convey.

With the introduction of the graphic designer as an artist, type was taken into new territories; forming a part of the design in such a way that occasionally it was impossible to read the text used. Hence one important consideration in typography is this – do you want people to notice the design, or to notice the words but without an understanding of the work that’s gone into it.

Consider the branding for McDonalds, with the ‘M’ logo forming the well-known golden arches. While the menu may change in restaurants around the world the branding is consistent; so whether you’re in the USA, France, Spain or the UK you can always tell a McDonalds from a distance because of the bold yellow branding. Psychologically, the bright colour is attractive to kids with the arched logo indicating fun within.

Where health and wellbeing are the primary aims of a company, the corporate logos take a classic approach in their formation. Using a combination of simple type (Marks & Spencer use the font Optima to good effect within their stores; while their online presence uses a light variant of Helvetica to signify that the company has everything for you) and stylish presentation the impact of type in this sense cannot be understated.

Fonts and Feeling

With a quick walk down the high street you’ll quickly notice that the same fonts are used everywhere. Variants of Comic Sans are frequently used where fun is the primary emotion (along with various ‘illustrative’ types that incorporate fun elements into the fonts themselves). 

If your message is important, a bold type such as Helvetica or Impact is often better. The strength of fonts is key, crucial to the delivery of the message – so using the most appropriate font weights is also important.

When developing your own artwork, it’s worth remembering that despite the variations in styles and fashions the fundamentals of typography have remained the same. While Serif fonts (such as Times and Garamond) can add respectability to a brand, over-using Italics can cheapen the perception of a product.

The use of colour will change the perception of what a product might be. Using bright colours for a business product may lessen its appeal to your target audience. Imagine purchasing photocopy paper with bright red and yellow packaging – it’s an added expense in production and ultimately the customer will go for the product that does the job best for them.

One of the great things about fonts in logos is that you can alter the text of a logo without changing the impression of the font. With McDonalds being a prime example, where various activist websites have produced logos based upon the McDonald’s golden arch design and font, the signage remains familiar regardless of the fact the aim is different.

Changing the meaning of words
What’s important about typography is this. No matter which typeface you set your work in, it will still be the same work. Regardless of whether it’s a 2000 word article, or two words, typography serves as a way to improve the impact of a good quality message.

If you’re developing a branding for a new product line, but there is some flaw in the text side of the branding (or other graphical elements of it) choosing a stylish typeface will not help to correct what is already a fundamental error.

The essence of choosing fonts is to convey tone, style and attitude. Clear, crisp and concise lettering will always have visual appeal, whereas typefaces with more of a flourish to them have their place in headings/promotional items as well.

Ultimately when it comes to selecting a typeface to use within a creative piece, whether it’s web or print-based, you’ve got a number of primary considerations to make.

Through the use of Cascading Style Sheets you can use literally any font within a web page. However there’s very little point in selecting a font that only a small percentage of your audience will have access to; hence limiting the overall impact of your site. Sticking to the standard fonts supplied with Windows (Times, Arial and Courier) will ensure that your site maintains the best visual impact and experience across all users’ computers.

On the other hand, using the latest version of Flash there’s nothing to stop you building a Flash project that makes use of each font; although this will ultimately slow down users experiences of your websites and have you running into issues if you need to update quality within the future and don’t have easy access to the fonts used.

In the print sense, selecting the right face comes down to a number of factors. You need to understand the message you’re trying to send to those picking up your item, regardless of what it is. If you’re trying to sell low-fat food to the audience of today, do you have a way of passing on the message that it’s low-fat without including the word ‘fat’ as a part of the branding? Sainsbury’s Be Good to Yourself range is a prime example of a successful implementation of this theory.

Next you need to understand your target audience. If you’re going for a younger audience, the style of typography used will reflect this perhaps using type with somewhat more of a flourish; an older audience appreciates type that’s clear and easy to read, presented appropriately. Using graphical backdrops for a younger audience is acceptable, but if the majority of your audience is a little older than that making the text easy to read should be your priority.

When it comes to physical typography, an understanding of the golden rules of typography will help to ensure that your message is best achieved. They’re certainly there to be broken, but provide useful guidance as to how you can get the most out of type on the printed page. These are:

1. Don’t mix too many different fonts on a printed page; use at most two on a page and keep them very different. This will ensure that the reader makes more focus on your content rather than the way in which it’s presented.
   
2. Keep capitals to a minimum; perhaps using them purely for headings on the printed page. Using capitals within body text MAKES IT LOOK LIKE YOU’RE SHOUTING.
   
3. If you ensure that your text is divided into columns of between 40 and 50 characters, the eye can scan it quickly making it easier to read.
   
4. Orphans (short lines at the top of a column) and Widows (a single world on a line) just look wrong.
   
5. Don’t centre text for headers within body text. It makes the page less easy to scan.
   
6. What’s the point of the typography? Is it the words, or their style? Either way it’s fine, just so long as you state it at the start.
   

Finally take a look at other existing examples around you to get an idea of what’s been achieved before. Plagiarism is nobody’s friend, but taking inspiration from the creative elements around us is a basic element of design. Then, once you go shopping for the right typeface (through www.fonts.com or similar) you’ll have a clear idea of what you’re looking for and hence be in a position to better understand which faces are available for your needs.