How To Shop Safely Online

Stay Safe Shopping Online

Shopping online isn’t a novelty anymore, most of us have ordered something at one time or another, and if not, we pretty much all know someone who has.

Online retail shopping is big business, and is reckoned to generate sales in the hundreds of billions of pounds region, but the greater the use of digital time, then the potential for exposure to ID theft when you’re involved in financial transactions (shopping, that is) grows bigger.

The risk of being caught out by cyber criminals can be kept to an absolute minimum, just taking a few moments, and a dose of common sense to keep yourself safe and sound.

The first thing to ensure is that the computer you’re using has up to date operating systems, updates are issued for a purpose, they respond to deny new types of threats and viruses. Many computers do this automatically, but it is best to check.

If you spot something on a site that you haven’t used before, or haven’t had recommended to you, it is best to check for authenticity, even if the name is common.

Use an authenticity checker such as Web Trust for example to confirm that the site belongs to the retailer and is not a phishing scam out to catch your financial details.

Check that the site gives a full postal address, with a returns policy and contact details other than online. Use your common sense if the site is offering a bargain that seems too good to be true, it just might be so, and be not what you think it is,

When you get to the secure page of the online equivalent of the checkout, before you enter any of your personal details, a quick glance at the address in your browser bar can tell you if the transaction is going to be secure.

The sellers address should begin with https:// not the standard http://. The S indicates that the site has met the necessary set of security guidelines and that it can be trusted.

The S stands for Secure Sockets Layers, which ensure information is encrypted before transmission over the internet, and can only be read by the seller’s terminal.

Always make your payments by credit card, rather than by debit card, if your information should go astray online, the debit card could be used by a hacker to directly access your bank account.

The credit card means that you are actually using the credit card company’s money, and they have a vested interest in protecting against fraud and non-delivery.

Traineeships and Apprenticeships Today

Traineeships and Apprenticeships Today

The government of the day seems determined not to let school leavers slip or slide away, or fall through any cracks on their way from school to further education or employment, or a mix of the two.

The number of young people leaving school to enrol at universities is falling only slightly under the increases of the already weighty costs of university fees and maintenance costs, but these pursuing their own particular paths.

Of course there are a great number of school leavers after A levels who do not have much of an idea of what they see themselves doing as a career, and choose Continue reading Traineeships and Apprenticeships Today

SEO Theory – Backlink Category Relevance

Backlink Category & It’s Importance

Starting at the beginning, if you analyse the backlink profile for almost any site that ranks at or near the top of Google for competitive search terms you will see an interesting pattern.

Virtually all of the top ranking sites (for uber competitive high traffic phrases) have a commonality…. their backlink profile shows a strong relevant category pattern.

This isn’t accidental. In the majority of cases, those sites are industry leaders, so typically attract lots of Continue reading SEO Theory – Backlink Category Relevance

Construction & Plastic Usage

The Ever Growing Use Of Plastic In Building Construction

Building materials change over time, with fashion, innovation, availability, raw cost, processing costs, and a host of other factors.

Buildings predominantly constructed with wood, wattle and daub, stone and even aluminium can be seen as testament to builders using the materials of the day.

The contrasts in materials over time are most obvious when building extensions to existing construction. Even relatively young buildings, say houses built 50 years ago, will upon trench and foundation digging, show sewer and drainage Continue reading Construction & Plastic Usage

Alcohol & Driving

Looking into Alcohol

Alcohol is the most commonly used drug in Western society, and many others around the world, with exceptions of some religious states.

Given its almost unrestricted availability, it’s not much of a surprise to find that it is one of the most widely abused drugs too.

Alcohol, like many other drugs is a depressant, acting on various parts of the central nervous system, it slows down some of our brain functions.

When the brains speech centres are affected, speech can become slurred as if said with a swollen tongue. Vision centres affected will give Continue reading Alcohol & Driving