Mohit Tater's Blog, page 538

Phishing Can Cripple A Startup: Reducing Risks And The Damage A Phishing Attack Can Cause

Startups seems to be popping up all over as it is easier than ever to start a business online. Plenty of startups are located in a person’s home during its infancy or permanently if the company has remote workers. Remote workers and in-house workers present the same challenges as some do not keep cybersecurity as a priority. Phishing is the process of stealing information through fraudulent emails or fake websites used to steal information like credit card information or passwords. Naïve or careless employees can easily be tricked with even knowledgeable staff members being susceptible to advanced phishing attacks. The following are tips to reduce the risk of a phishing attack as well as damage an attack can do to a startup. 

Doing Cybersecurity Trainings With Staff

The best thing that a company can do regardless of size can do is train their employees how to avoid phishing scams and other cybersecurity threats. The important portion of this training is making the training applicable to the company rather than simply having a general training. Companies that do a majority of their work online will need more extensive training than a company that just keeps financial records online in QuickBooks. Reducing risk is what training is all about as many staff members do not realize the risky behaviors that they partake in on a daily basis. The younger generation is usually more careful as they have seen a plethora of spam emails and scams throughout their lives. 

Sending Out Updates Of New Phishing Scams That Are Becoming Popular 

Phishing attacks are becoming cleverer in the ways that they are presented to the recipient of an email or a visitor of a website. Sending out a weekly or monthly email about new tactics that are becoming popular is wise. Those employees that might be at risk could read a phishing email then remember the email blast that was sent. Employees also need to be held accountable for leaks as risky behavior should not be overlooked especially when it can damage the business.

Company Accounts Can Be Compromised Through Phishing

Company accounts can easily be hacked through phishing as many employees use the same password for both personal and professional accounts. For this reason, institute policies of how often company account passwords need to be changed. Other policies that can be extremely useful is that of not allowing company devices to be used for personal reasons. Personal devices should also never be used for company work as they could already be infected with malware or a keylogger. One risk that far too many companies and especially startups forget to do is changed password after an employee has been terminated or leaves the company. The high employee turnover at many startups could be to account for this but make sure passwords are changed so a disgruntled employee does not have the opportunity to leak vital information. Passwords should be on a need to know basis as well to minimize the number of passwords that need to be changed after an employee has ended their time with the startup. 

A Phishing Attack Could Be Sent From Fake Company Accounts 

A hacker that has gotten information about company emails could be sending out emails from fake or real company accounts. The reply would be to the hacker’s email which could include a variety of information. The email could ask for payment details from a client as there was a system error. A large portion of clients would just reply with payment details if they received the email from their client manager or the email of an executive. A startup can cripple sales or ruin relationships with clients through just one of these successful attacks. Clients tend to talk in certain industries so this could leave the startup on the blacklist until it goes out of business. 

Clients Might Want To Work With Other Companies After A Successful Phishing Attack

The truth is that information being leaked is a nightmare to recover from and is inconvenient for everyone involved. The last thing that a client will want is to do more work for dealing with a startup. Clients hire companies to help them do less work and in the case of a data leak/stolen information this is rarely the case. A company might opt for an established competitor in your startup’s business niche. Companies that have been around for a long time might not have better cybersecurity policies but they do have the trust of others in the industry if they have been problem free. 

Phishing attacks are going to continue to occur as they are successful more than the average person would imagine. Understanding the risks and educating employees can reduce the risk of an attack obtaining important company information. Do not give clients a reason to flock to competitors due to a lack of focus on cybersecurity. 

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How to Choose the Right SSL Certificate for Your Website

Getting an SSL certificate for your website is a smart move to cultivate visitor trust and make your website safe from a data breach. When people trust your website, it makes them come back again.

Picking the right SSL certificate and the vendor is challenging as many providers to bundle up extras making purchasers lose objectivity. Typically, buying SSL from third party reseller comes out cheapest; just examine the type of customer assistance you’ll get after the purchase. If you plan to continue association with the same SSL provider for a long period, you can hope for a good discount if you pay multi-year fees upfront. 

These questions can help you compare SSL prices and make a prudent buying decision:

What type of property do you wish to secure (domain, sub-domain, etc.)?What is the number of properties you want to protect (Single, wildcard, or multiple)?What is the level of protection you want (low, medium, or high)?Do you conduct monetary transactions on your website using trusted third parties such as PayPal? If so, you don’t really need to purchase SSL as PayPal will secure transactions on your behalf.

Getting an SSL certificate for your website is needed to cultivate visitor trust because a lot of people are sceptical of going ahead with a website they don’t feel safe using, and rightly so. It also makes your website safe from a data breach. 

These days with an increase in cybercrimes, people are learning more and more, most visitors while visiting websites are increasingly mindful of searching the padlock icon in the URL bar. 

This is because people are aware that if the padlock is visible on the browser, the site has an installed SSL certificate. This ensures the visitor that and they can securely submit confidential information like credit card details, contact number, passwords, payment details and more to the site.

Users are alerted by browsers that a site is without a valid SSL certificate. Browsers warn users about out of date, misconfigured or missing SSL certificates exactly as Google does, that is, it flags websites that are not secure i.e. are unencrypted sites. These unencrypted sites are marked in red in the URL over the padlock to warn users that the site is not secure – most people who aren’t even tech-savvy know about this. Which gives the users the choice of continuing to the site or leave.

There are many types of SSL certificates available, each with differing levels of protection and usage. To objectively compare the types and vendors of SSL, you need to understand the finer differences between them.

But extreme caution needs to be exercised when applying for SSL. Your SSL can be invalidated for a number of reasons- if you serve mixed content (HTTP+HTTPS); have a domain name mismatch; miss purchasing intermediate/chain certificates; install more than one SSL on the same IP or socket number; or not renew SSL 90 days before its expiration. 

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A Quick Guide to Blackjack

When friends meet on various occasions to party, one of the common card games everyone likes to indulge in is blackjack. My group of friends are loyal casino players, most of our planned meets often end up in casinos. Recently we were talking about when and how we learned to play various games.

I talked about blackjack and that took me down memory lane. My first game and introduction to various games. I thought it would be fun to share it with you guys as well so here’s a quick guide to blackjack.

Blackjack is another one of those classic card games. It is played between the house – meaning the player and the dealer. The baseline of the game is that the player has to get as close to 21 as they without going over.

How it works is –



The dealer deals out two cards to each player betting and keeps two cards. The dealer has one card face up and one down from the two cards he has with himself. The players will then take turns trying to get as close as they can to 21. (Aces are equal to 1 or 11. Face cards are equal to 10. Number cards are face value.)The player calls “hit” to get a card and then stand to end their turn. A player can also call “double.” This doubles the bet they placed and can only receive one card and the turn ends. If a player has two identically numbered cards, they can split – this means they have to double their bet. They then get two more cards making two new hands that they can play. After all the players’ have dealt and their turns are over, the dealer reveals their card.The dealer will then “hit” if the total of the cards is 16 or less and stands on 17 and higher. The players who have a hand that beats the dealer without going over 21 wins.

If you are a beginner, it isn’t wise for you to play insurance. Even if you have played a few games, don’t let the confidence get to you. Unless you’re counting cards don’t make the mistake of making this move, which is essentially another new bet with new money based on whether the dealer has blackjack. The house usually had almost a 6 percent advantage over the player with an insurance bet, one more thing to take into account is that even if you have blackjack you will only win your original bet. If the dealer has a blackjack when you do, it’s a push—no win, no lose, so there’s no much point in making this move.

If you do want to, then make sure to check the dealer’s up card before you take any action, You should be aware of the dealer’s cards – is it bad i.e. 2 through 6 or good i.e. 7 through Ace? What the dealer has makes all the difference on what action the player should take to ensure a win.

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A Brief Overview of Why Video Poker Attracts a Lot of Players

While many people love easy games, a lot of players gravitate towards games that need not only luck but skills and strategy. One such game that lets people broaden their knowledge and apply strategies is video poker. The rules are easy to grasp, so even if you are an inexperienced player, you will have no problem understanding the game.

Along with the popular Jacks or Better game, there are many variations available in the game of Poker. In addition to that game, there are Deuces and Wild, Jokers Wild, Aces and Eights, Double Bonus, etc. This gives serious players a variety of games to choose from and keeps them engaged and provides them with a fun incentive to becoming a casino winner.

The various versions of poker include –



5-card draw5-card studTexas Hold’emOmaha Hold’emRazzPineapple7-card stud

Because of so many options available, the experience of the game is different from every game people play, and that is also why people enjoy it.

One of the biggest draws of the game is that the outcome of the game is not based purely on luck. Players need to have an efficient strategy and required skills to win at a game of video poker which attracts many. This game works with a combination of luck and skills.

Players get to put their knowledge to use in order to sway the odds in their favor which is much more satisfying than winning with luck. Games that are based on pure luck aren’t much fun after a while, especially for serious players. Because it is easy to learn, you get to earn money based on skill, and also play an arcade game while developing your own strategy; it is a perfect fit for people who like the strategic aspect of coming up with a plan for a win.

Usually, games that need skills, knowledge, and strategy are the ones with the best odds of winning, and video poker is one such game, which is also why players often gravitate toward it. Casinos have games with statistical built-in advantage, which is why games that aren’t based around pure luck give you more chances of winning.

It has a low house edge and as good as your strategy gets, the edge gets even lesser – people who are out to make profit lap up the way it plays out. The payout percentage is one of the main things that draws people to video poker. You don’t play against other gamblers, so the odds of winning are higher.

What makes Poker-

Poker is one of the most popular and commonly known card game that is based on a five-card hand. The player who has the best hand wins. The hands are ranked from the lowest to highest as follows –

High cardPairTwo pairThree of a kindStraightFlushFull houseFour of a kindStraight flushRoyal flush

One of the popular systems is “Jacks or Better.” How this system works is that you win if you have a pair of Jacks or better cards. Depending on the paytable, the payout percentage varies, but it is still better than the other poker games. You have a chance of return of more than 100 per cent, but that is offered in very few casinos.

Easy Availability For the Win

People who frequent casinos or online casinos and are fans of card games often go back to poker, no matter how many new games they are introduced. Video poker is really popular because of it’s resemblance to slots but needs skills and strategies in addition to luck.

Apart from online casinos and land-based casinos, it is often found in restaurants and supermarkets, making it more accessible compared to a lot of other games. You get many variations of games to play, which gives you options and makes it convenient for you to enjoy the game with choices whenever and wherever it tickles your fancy.

Because the game can be easily found, it makes it easier for people to practice, and because it uses strategy and practice makes it better, it increases your odds of winning – all the things needed to have fun while gaining mastery in a game.

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Marketing Ideas for Thriving in the Escort Industry

Running an escort agency is far from simple – you’ll be faced with legal, societal, and, marketing challenges. You need to find creative and unique ways to build your brand and ensure you keep attracting a decent amount of clients each month. This article will help you get the basics of marketing for escort services right and establish a relatively stable revenue stream. 

How to Advertise for Your Service Properly

The way you advertise for your escort service is far different from traditional marketing. You can’t run an ad in the newspaper or show a short clip on primetime TV. The only place you have for advertisement is the internet, and you need to make use of it:

Realize that Only People Near You Matter 

Escort services are local. You don’t care about people from other cities or countries, and that’s why it is necessary to curtail your ads. Generally, the most profitable demographics is the 35-45 years old male that’s living in the same city. When buying ad space, make sure you’re targeting this demographic. 

Where to place the Ads? 

This is another important question you need to ask yourself. You can’t just place the ads on some family-friendly YouTube video, no. There are mainly two places on the internet that are relatively successful. 

Porn websites are the primary place for your ad placements. People visiting porn websites are largely single and most definitely aroused, which makes them a great target. The only problem being the fact that porn websites are filled with spammy ads that most viewers just ignore. If you’re going to spend money placing ads here, you need to ensure your ads come off as authentic and trustworthy. You need to find some way to make the average porn viewer click on your website.Blogs and websites that talk about fetishes and sex in general: sex-positive websites that talk about fetishes, sex, etc. generally attract a lot of liberal people that don’t mind using an escort service. If you’re offering services related to those fetishes, it is a great way to advertise for your business. People generally have a much easier time acting out their fetishes with escorts. 



  What Kind of Ads Should You Place?

The text, the image, and the design of your ads will all play a major role in how successful your marketing campaign will be. You need to emphasize a few things that are important for potential clients: 

Talk about the kind of escorts you have: when advertizing, show attractive pictures of your models. Your whole business relies on them, and you need them in the marketing campaign if you want to be successful. Look at how this professional service flaunts their female escorts in the UKEmphasize security: many of the people who hire an escort want to make sure their names will never get out. You need to ensure you provide full confidentiality and you have no names leaked. This will be a cornerstone in building a recurrent client base that trusts your company.

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Timeline of Creating A Successful Website – From Initial Contact to Launch

In this competitive world of web design, creating a website that is user-friendly, visually appealing, and successful is an uphill struggle for website designers.

An excellent website requires thorough research, planning, gathering information and creating content. From initial contact to launch – the web design process has many milestones that can be broken down into easy manageable stages. These milestones need to be reinforced with timelines that are doable and realistic.

That being said, let’s look at the milestones and timeline for the website design process.

Initial Contact

This initial step is very crucial as it forms the project’s foundation for success. It involves understanding the requirement of the client and gathering relevant information. Therefore, when meeting the client, designers should ask questions and comprehend the target audience and the goals of the company. This will not only help you save a lot of time but also save you energy during the website design process.

Website designers in Greenville, SC must make sure they gather as much information as possible from the client.

Planning

The planning stage is yet another crucial stage in the web design process. Whatever is decided and mapped in this step sets milestones and timeline for the project further. This stage also requires the approval of the site-map that the designers create. So, designers must pay attention to details when taking feedback from their clients.

As soon as the site-map is approved, designers must decide which technology to use in designing wireframes.

Content

Content is the king, and that’s why it lies at the heart of every website. It is what hooks the users and keeps them coming back for more. A great content plan can not only help boost the traffic but can also increase the online presence and usability of a website. This stage is generally longer than the other stages and requires the knowledge of digital marketing in Greenville, SC

It’s a good idea to decide on the content before starting the visual design cycle. The timeline generally varies on the number of webpages and the fact that content is readily provided to the designer. If the client is not prompt with delivering the content, it will slow down the entire design process.

Design

Once the planning is done, the project moves up to the next stage — the visual design stage. In this step, the designer uses content and creates mockups to present to the client for approval.

The goal of this stage is to establish initial website designs so that the client can get an idea of the website’s intended look and determine the functionality of the webpages.

Once the client provides feedback and request changes, the designer must continue the process of fine-tuning the landing pages as well as inner webpages.

Development and Coding

Once the client has approved the design, the task of building the actual website begins. It’s time to refine the design and existing content, create new content, videos, infographics, slide shows, and other media that will appear on the website.

In this stage, the designers must create a demo installation for the client, so that he can review the webpages as they are being developed.

Launch

The big day is finally here!

Once the beta testing is done, the site is ready for its official launch. Since development and coding are already done, this major milestone takes very little time.

In this stage, designers must run final tests to be doubly sure that everything is functional. As soon as the website is reviewed and approved by everyone involved in the project, it’s time for the public to view it.

Once the site is launched, all you have to do is perform maintenance, provide updates and make improvements regularly.

Always remember, a website is a fluid medium, so the work of creating a website should not stop at the launch. Therefore, in order to stay competitive in search engine results, it is essential to keep the site up-to-date. 

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More is Better: Market Expansion with Payment Options on Your Merchant Website

Is your website giving visitors what they want? Offering your consumers an array of options at check-out time is essential for building trust with your clients and making your merchant site flourish. If you want to expand your online market and drive revenue, you’ll need to know exactly how payment options can help and how to integrate them the smart way.  

Want to bring in throngs of paying customers to your website? Integrating more online payment options will aid you in expanding your market. 



How Restrictions in Basic Payment Options Are Hurting Your Business

Remember when you designed your business website? Each aspect of the aesthetic, layout, and design you incorporated was built specifically with the consumer in mind. You wanted their experience to be as simple and easy as possible, so they would head right on over to the checkout page and make a purchase. 

But what happens when they can’t? They navigate to the competition and make a purchase there. According to surveys, 50 percent of customers reported that they would leave a website if that website didn’t offer their preferred payment method. This means that half of your potential consumer base won’t make an exception for you. You need to make yourself available to them, instead. 

As an online business owner, it’s smart to think of payment options in terms of site usability. Your website can be as streamlined as possible, with lightning-fast loading speeds and easy navigation—but even if it fits all the criteria for a user-friendly portal, it’s not friendly to a user if that user can’t actually use it to make a purchase.

If people can’t pay with your current options, they won’t use your site, and you’ll lose out on business. However, you can fix that problem by adding additional payment options. There are a variety of alternative payments that are becoming popular these days, including bank transfers, prepaid cards, charge cards, cryptocurrency, all kinds of digital wallets, and mobile payments. 

How to Use Alternative Payment Options to Expand, Drive Revenue & Build Trust

Still undecided about hopping on the bandwagon with more payment options for your customers? It’s important to consider exactly how they can help your business grow. The truth is that your checkout page and the options available there can make or break you when it comes to expanding into new markets and building that sweet, revenue-driving trust which makes a business stand out online. 

Customers put more trust into a business that offers them what they want—if your business has their preferred payment method, you’ll become their preferred merchant over the competition. 

How does it work? When consumers are in the final stages of buying at the checkout page, you already know that they’re searching for a specific type of payment method they know and trust. This makes checkout faster and easier for them, but it also eliminates any stress new customers may have about payment security. If they have experience with a certain method and have learned that they can depend on it, that trust will extend to you as well because you’re offering a vetted option. This will help build your online reputation and get you ready for the next step: market expansion.

If you’re looking to expand your market overseas, alternative payments areessential. That’s because different geographic regions rely on different payment methods to complete their online transactions, and credit cards are no longer the go-to payment method for many countries. For example, The Netherlands relies mainly on iDeal to make purchases, while Chinese citizens prefer Alipay. By integrating the correct types of payment for the location you’re trying to target, you can maximize your sales and build trust within the new market.  

To understand how payment options can aid in online business growth, we can examine it on a larger scale with the popular online gaming website 888 casino NJ and their recent expansion into the United States. Not only can US-based consumers find traditional payment options on the site, but there are alternative and geographically-specific options as well. This menagerie of choices caters to a wider demographic within the specific targeted location, covering all the bases for connecting with the new client base.

In order to connect with consumers across the world, you need to make your site familiar to them by offering the payment methods they prefer. 



Integrating Alternative Payment Options into Your Website the Smart Way

Before you add as many payment options as possible to your website, there are a few things to consider. Integrating a payment method(and a payment gateway you can use to operate from) should not be taken lightly, and you should be absolutely certain that it will benefit your consumers and your company before you decide to take the plunge. 

Integrating payment options can be a costly affair, so do your research ahead of time. This doesn’t just entail you thinking about it, either—you need to ask your customers what they think. Create a poll among your paying customers and query them about their satisfaction with the current options. If it isn’t broken, you don’t need to fix it. However, if enough people say they want more options, give them what they want. 

If you are trying to reach a new market, this goes double. Search for a payment provider that will bridge the gap between currencies to make international transactions a reality for your business, but don’t let that be the last step. You need to know which specific payment options are the most popular in each country, and also throughout the regions within that country. 

You must integrate options that consumers are able to use and that they will use, or there’s no use in trying to expand. They won’t make an exception for your products if the competition has similar wares yet allows them to shop the way they truly want. 

Furthermore, learn about which currencies are becoming more popular, like Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. If you want to cater to a younger crowd or other markets that favor them, accepting cryptocurrencies could make you stand out above the rest. 

Finally, make sure that adding on the payment options your clients seem to want will not hurt your business in any way.But remember, the whole process must stay completely legal and hassle-free. You don’t want any issues with international banking laws on your hands, and you want your customers to feel 100 percent safe using your services.

Now that you know the benefits of having multiple payment options on your site, you can begin to drive revenue, build trust, and expand your market into new territory. It’s easier than ever to give your business a boostand please your customers, so what are you waiting for? Start giving them what they want today. 

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How to Make Your Next Exhibition a Success

Exhibitions, if well used, can be a significant turning point for your
business’ marketing and sales. When you choosing the best time to showcase your
products and services, as well as prepare, exhibitions will help you:

Reach your prospective clientsRaise awareness on your brandNetwork with other business ownersFind potential investors

Success in your next exhibition depends on your preparations, planning, and
strategies. You need to prepare adequately before ahead of the event. Here are
a few tips to get the best out of your upcoming exhibition.

1. Planning

Participating in an exhibition doesn’t just involve having a stand and a few
staff to represent your brand. You need to come up with realized plans that
will ensure participants stream to your stand/stall.

Customize your stand according to what your business offers. If you need a
PA system for your presentation, ensure everything is well set and working
before the actual event.

Branding your stall is also very crucial. Decorate your stand with company
colors to give attendees the idea of what your brand stands for.

If you are considering hosting an exhibition that is exclusively for your
company or business, choose the right venue. The kind of venue you select must
be spacious enough to accommodate your guests, and have all the required
facilities such as lighting and be comfortable.

Just like finding wedding venues requires great research, so does your exhibition venue. Many wedding venues are completely suitable for an exhibition, because these venues have the resources to accommodate guests.

2. Invest

Budgeting for an exhibition requires more than just paying for the venue and
building a stand. You need to go for the best-positioned stand where most
attendees will pass. This might require some extra spending, but it will boost
your outreach significantly.

If there are new products that need to be purchased and delivered to the
exhibition center, ensure they are delivered in good time. You can also come up
with some freebies and giveaways to attract more people to your stand. Don’t
mind spending an extra coin. It might give you good leads that will stick with
you for years to come.

3. Select
the Right Team

You need skilled and passionate staff to represent your brand. Therefore,
it’s essential to select the best among your employees to do the presentation.
They should be knowledgeable about the products and services and be sociable.

It’s also crucial to sit down with your marketing team and set realistic
goals for the exhibition. Let your staff know the aim of participating in such
an exhibition, and what they should be working towards.

4.
Marketing

Marketing is the heart of every exhibition. You need to publicize your participation through any available means. You can use flyers, post on your website and social media, and involve your PR team to notify people about the upcoming event. You can also use other creative methods such as giving business cards and branded clothes. People love to walk away with free items!

Make sure anyone who hears about the business and the exhibition sees an
opportunity to add value. Failure to do the right marketing could make the
entire exhibition a disaster. Remember, if nobody visits your stand, all the
planning and resources will go to waste. That’s why advertising is among the
most crucial processes of every exhibition.

Final
Thoughts

Every exhibition is different, and each business has different requirements
and preferences. Avoid last-minute rush by planning your venue or stand in
advance. Budget for your event to ensure your employees have all they need to
make a creditworthy presentation. Don’t forget to promote your event, and
definitely don’t wait to market last minute!

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5 Simple Ways to Reduce Your Energy Bill

Everyone likes to save on their energy bill, and many people use basic strategies to conserve money and energy. Turning the lights off when you leave a room, consolidating laundry, and using power strips are some of the ways that the eco-conscious approach reducing their energy bill. There may be ways to save that you don’t know about, however. Whether it’s your air conditioning, furnace, or sun/shade solutions, here are some very simple ways to cut your energy bill down to size.

1. Lower the water heater temperature.

Just behind cooling and heating as top costs contributing to your energy bill, is your water heater. This appliance distributes hot water to all sinks, showers, dishwashers, and laundry appliances. Since the water heater stores heated water in the tank, set at a certain temperature, you can easily save the energy used to heat the water by lowering the temperature to the recommendation of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. There are also tankless water heaters that can save you money over time.

2. Use appliances strategically to balance electricity.

Strategic use of your appliances allows you to not only save on your energy bill but also be more efficient with your household responsibilities. One way to accomplish this is to dry laundry loads consecutively instead of allowing the dryer to cool down in between. Also, make sure the dishwasher is full before running it. Strategies will vary depending on your current consumption habits.

3. Install sun shades or awnings.

Installing awnings or solskjerming over your windows is a stylish way to control your energy costs. They protect the building materials of your home from sunlight, reduce solar heat gain, offer sun/shade versatility, and can add a nice aesthetic to your home.

Both sunshades and awnings come in many versatile and appealing fabrics that offer special features, such as reversible shades with both a light and dark side that can be turned to either reflect (light color) or absorb (dark color).

4. Change air filters regularly.

This tip almost goes without mention, but it is crucial to saving you money on your heating and cooling costs. Your unit has to work hard to heat and cool the air and transport it through the ducts. The filter is located where the air is pulled into your system, trapping airborne particles sucked in with the air.

Therefore, air filters help your cooling and heating system run efficiently by keeping airborne particles from clogging coils and damaging the system.

5. Ultra-insulate.

Insulation protects you and your home from heat, cold, and wind, and makes it possible to maintain an ideal temperature for saving energy. Check all the insulation in your home, including walls, the attic, and around your pipes to make sure your insulating material is in good shape. There are more insulating materials to choose from these days, so don’t settle for the itchy, pink fiberglass stuff. You can also wrap pipes to and from your water heater to keep it from having to work so hard.

Your energy bill doesn’t have to be outrageous. Follow our five simple tips above to save big every month.

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6 Benefits of Using PDF Files For Your Business

Most people have heard of the PDF file format, although not everyone fully understands it. You probably know that it is one of the most common formats and there are good reasons for this being the case. PDF stands for portable document format (Which means calling it PDF format is incorrect. That is like saying portable document format format). PDFs are especially helpful in a business environment, although there are some situations where they are more useful than others. Learn more about why PDFs are as useful as they are.

1. Universal

The biggest advantage that PDFs offer is their universality. All computer operating systems can open PDFs, which means it is a great format to use if you do not know what software the recipient of a file will have. You can be certain that whoever receives the PDF will be able to view it. Modern internet browsers can open the file immediately, which makes it easier than ever before to view quickly. If you do not view it in an internet browser, you will need a program to view a PDF. However, there are many different programs that can be used and most of them are completely free and easy to download. Because PDFs are so widespread, nearly everyone already has a PDF viewer. DOCX is one of the other most common formats, but you need Microsoft Word specifically to view DOCX files. Some other programs can view it, but the formatting may be messed up.

2. Secure

The second most important thing PDFs bring to the table is security. Unlike essentially every other file format, editing a PDF is difficult or even impossible in some cases. This may seem like a downside, and it is if you are using a PDF for the wrong reason. However, this is a very intentional choice, which makes it useful for situations where you do not want just anyone editing the file. In particular, PDF is great for contracts, because no one can change the terms of the contract easily. You can however use a PDF editor tool if you do need to make any essential changes. 

3. Preservation

One problem that some file formats face when being transferred is that you cannot be completely sure what the other person will see. For all you know, the file was corrupted or there was a compatibility issue which prevented them from seeing the same thing you sent. PDFs are designed not to have this issue. PDFs are almost more similar to a physical piece of paper in this regard. It isn’t exactly the same, but you can think of a PDF as an image of the file, which will always be preserved exactly as you created it.

4. Functionality

Another benefit of PDFs is its functionality. You can include many things in a PDF that you may not expect, such as interactive buttons, password protection, buttons to trigger media, hyperlinks, and more. The most common functionality that PDFs are primarily used for is entering text into a form. You can specify where text can be added, so someone can fill out these text fields, but make no other changes.

5. Compact

Here’s a really simple benefit, but it’s one that makes a big difference. PDFs are a very compact file format. The file size of a PDF will be smaller than basically any other type of file that contains the same amount of information and images. You may not feel like this is a big deal, but there are size limitations on the files you can send in most email programs. Because PDFs are compressed, you should always be able to attach one to an email. This is especially helpful when you need to transfer many PDFs quickly.

6. Widespread

Finally, PDFs are incredibly widespread. This may be the most important benefit of all. All across the world, in offices, homes, and business of all kinds, people use PDFs to convey information. We already discussed the universal nature of PDFs, and their widespread nature ties into that aspect. However, the utter vastness of people using PDFs also means that the file format is likely to never fade. Any files you create in this format are more likely to still be useful decades in the future, because PDF will never stop being a hugely beneficial format.

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