Real Point Blog

Secure Password Creation and Management

Phil Millard — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:25:33 +0000

We all know that we need secure passwords. Some of us have many different ones and some of us have one or a variation of the same one used for everything we do online. Mainly this is because we are humans and not computers and our memory is not so good at retaining random phrases, particularly if they contain symbols and numbers.

There are many very good and free password generators which take the angst out of creating a secure password. Sites such as:-

Try Strong Password Generator, Secure Password Generator or Norton Password Generator, although there are many more.

The trouble is how to manage and organise those passwords in a sensible and easy way, when we really need a different one for each site we use.

Clipperz is one solution.

Clipperz is a free (currently) password manager that cleverly displays passwords, login details and links to sites in a card index fashion that is simple to use and highly secure. The data entered is encrypted (scrambled) on your computer before it is transmitted to the Clipperz servers. in fact it is so secure that the company themselves are unable to retrieve either the password or any of the data if the master password is lost.

This means you just have to remember one master password used to access the information. Clipperz even will generate random passwords for you as you go. its neat, its quick and its simple. It works fine from mobile devices too.

Other on-line password managers include -LastPass and DashLane this one has Windows, iOS, Mac and Android versions.

If you are unsure about using an on-line manager there are small applications that you can download and use from your computer. Obviously, these are rather limited if you use multiple devices. One I personally like is Oubliette, its old, its very small and it does the job. Others include: OnePassword and KeyPass.

Please tell on via @rpbt how you get on.

Stay Safe!

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Ignore Social Media for SEO at your peril – infographic

Ian ODonnell — Sat, 04 May 2013 11:43:29 +0000

This great research based infographic was recently produced by Tasty Placement, demonstrating the importance of social media in helping your websites perform well in search engines, unsurprisingly Google's own social platform, Google Plus, generates the best results. So if you need help getting social right as part of your online marketing mix, you know who to call, just in case you don't have the number to hand it's 44.1676 521444!

Infographic authored by TastyPlacement, an
Austin SEO company, to view the original post, see the original

Social Media Infographic.

© ian for Real Point Blog, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Online Marketing, SEO, Social Media

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Three ideas for secure password generation

Ian ODonnell — Wed, 01 May 2013 10:00:24 +0000

We looked last week at ten things to avoid when crerating a password, but equally we all know the frustration of trying to create one that's both secure and memorable.

So I though I'd share three ideas that can help.

The first letter method. Create a sentence of at least ten words, ideally one that includes a number, that you can remember easily. Take the first letter of each word and the number as a digit and then merge these together as a password.
Eg.We live at 23 John Smith close in Timbuctoo nowhere = Wla23JSciTn
As you can se it creates what appears to be a random password but allows you a simple method to remember it.
The visual method. Draw a picture of four odd elements (ie not a standard phrase) and then create a merge of the four words that describe this. Eg. "Sunfloatingchocolateumbrella" (make sure the end product is long) This is really useful if you really struggle with remembering anything as you can keep the drawing with you, it's highly unlikely someone will guess it as a password clue.
The weird and wacky. Remember those childhood days of inventing your own language (or was that just me?) now's the time to go back to it. Create two words that don't exist in any language. Stick them together with a memorable number in the middle, a capital letter at the start and a character replacement with a punctuation mark (eg you know that you always replace 'e' with '!'. So you get something like "Wibbzy1066dok!st". The combination of capitals, numbers and punctuation means it should comply with most password rquirements and I challenge anyone to guess it!

In a future post we'll look at some password management apps available to help with secure entry to all those sites and services that demand it. In the meantime, if you want some advice and guidance on ensuring your computer systems are secure give us a call on 01676 521444.

© ian for Real Point Blog, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: online security, secure passwords

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

10 tips on what to avoid when creating secure passwords

Ian ODonnell — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 18:28:17 +0000

With the feature on The One Show tonight about identity theft and password security, I thought it would be good to share some things we've learnt about what makes a secure password and what doesn't, here's ten tips of what to avoid:

Using the same password as your username / company name / domain name (or just adding a number at the end of it)
Making it too short, password should be at least 8 characters
Using a default password, when you are provided with one, always change it before doing anything else on the provided account
Using a single dictionary word or normal phrase "catsatonthemat", hackers use scripts which run through these
Leaving the password blank (so that all you have to do is hit enter to get in)
Pets, friends and family names and dates, all too often this information is easily discoverable, especially in this age of social media, and is often among the first things a hacker will look for and try
Using the same password for everything, hack one and you've got them all
Sequences eg. 12345 or abcde
Straightforward number for letter replacement eg. passw0rd
Incremental number changes for each change eg. "Securebit1", "Securebit2", "Securebit3",

Watch out for our post next week on tips for creating a secure memorable password, and if you're worried that your passwords and accounts may have been compromised do give us a call and we can run a "system clean up" checking your computer for viruses, malware and other nasties.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

From design to search, changing trends in online

Ian ODonnell — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 14:42:04 +0000

Researching search trends recently on the range of services Real Point offers showed an interesting trend. Since 2007 interest has shifted from website creation (web design) to website visibility with the growth of interest in social media and SEO.

Which just proves what we believe here at Real Point, that a great looking website is nothing if no-one knows about it! Fortunately, we won't only deliver you a well designed website but also ensure that it brings customers to your door.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Facebook Announces New Look for News Feed

Chris Cooper — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:18:35 +0000

Facebook has announced a new version of the News Feed "designed to reduce clutter and focus more on stories from the people you care about".

Inspired by the mobile version and apps, the new Facebook has the same look and feel across the mobile, tablet or web versions of the site. Stories have been redesigned to be more vibrant and colourful, and photos have become a lot more prominent.

New options have also been added allowing you to explore different types of content - such as Photos and Music - alongside the current News Feed.

The new design will be rolled out slowly over the coming weeks, or get a head start by joining the waiting list.

Facebook has also started rolling out an updated profile page design, improving the Timeline interface that was introduced in 2012, so don't be surprised when the interface changes!

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Why focus on local SEO?

Ian ODonnell — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 11:00:20 +0000

Being number one on Google nationwide or even worldwide for your business type and service is always going to be difficult, time consuming and costly and unless you have national reach, will be unlikely to deliver return on investment.

Local makes sense

Even if you do have national reach, it's easier and cheaper to convert local leads. People like to use someone local even if there is not necessarily any need to do so. For example, someone in Solihull is more likely to choose a web designer in Solihull, than a web designer in Manchester, even though all meetings could be done virtually.

Search engines are increasingly putting locality at the centre of the search results. If I search while in Coventry I will get a different set of results to if I was searching in Birmingham. It's even more important if, as is increasingly likely, your audience is using a mobile for performing the search.

So getting your local search optimisation right is vital. Here's 10 things to consider:

Google+ Page (Places) for your business, with a verified listing
Bing Places verified listing
Getting the categories right when listing your business
Citations (as many as possible) with consistent Name, Address and Phone number (NAP)
Your website NAP must be consistent with citations, ideally on all pages of your site
Your NAP needs to be a physical address in the search location, with a local geographic number
Inbound links which mention place name and service from local sites
Site content and pages optimised around location
Build and encourage reviews on directory and places listings, especially your Google+ page
Geotagging on localised social media activity

Too time consuming or techy?

Then we can help. We've launched two "Get On With Local SEO" packages.

For those on a tight budget we provide a toolkit, resources, reporting, support and mentoring package to support you in doing the work, costing £29+VAT per month (12 months minimum contract).

For those who think they may struggle to find the time to do it themselves then we provide a full service package, costing £199+VAT per month (6 months minimum contract).

Call us today on 01676 521444 to find out more, or visit the get on with website to read more detail and pay online.

(Survey results on what makes a difference in local search)

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Coventry Telegraph interview Ian ODonnell

Chris Cooper — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 18:08:37 +0000

Our MD, Ian O'Donnell was recently interviewed by Coventry Telegraph for their Business Monday feature, talking about how Real Point Design started out and why he believes that it's a great time to start a business when you're young.

© chris for Real Point Blog, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Business, FSB, Ian ODOnnell, Real Point

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Get on with social media

Chris Cooper — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:46:24 +0000

Alongside Real Point's website design and online marketing services, we also run a range of social media courses at our office in Hampton-in-Arden.

Each course focuses on a different social media platform and gives a detailed look at how social media can help grow your business.

Talks include LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Blogging, and SEO. All our talks are hands on; bring your own laptop or we can provide one on the day. At the end of the course you won't have just heard about a topic, but applied what you've learnt too.

Our next set of dates have now been confirmed. For more info and to book, see www.getonwith.co.uk or call 01676 521 444.

© chris for Real Point Blog, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Get On With, Social Media, Social Media Courses

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

Out and about at B2B Expo

Chris Cooper — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 14:10:15 +0000

On Tuesday 15th Jan 2013, Real Point attended the B2B Expo, a free networking event organised by the Coventry Telegraph, the Belgrade Theatre and the Federation of Small Businesses.

If you visited our stand at the Belgrade or attended the 'Winning business using Social Media' seminar presented by our MD Ian O'Donnell we hope you found it useful and took away some ideas for your business.

We ran a prize draw on the day so we'd like to offer a big congratulations to Lou Clark from Saint John Security Installations in Coventry who was the winner of our website package worth £750+VAT.

Obviously we can't offer a free site to everyone, but if you'd like to find out more about our web design services, see our website or give us a call on 01676 521 444.

Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh