By Colby Horton
Shop Site of the Month
Cascade Auto Body - Vancouver, Wash.
www.cascadeautobody.com
One of the more innovative features of this site is the ability for customers to check the status of their vehicle. Using a five-digit code, customers can view photos tracking the repair process of the car. Professional and fun graphics, easy navigation and quick load time contribute to the site's ease of use and overall marketing capabilities.
Web Wise
Advice Worth Repeating: E-mail Can Spread Viruses
Many Internet analysts predict the number of high-risk computer viruses will increase exponentially in 2003. Computer viruses not only hit large corporations; they hit small businesses and home computers. To avoid falling victim to malicious computer viruses, follow these simple tips:
First and foremost, make sure your computer has current anti-virus software installed. If you recently bought a computer with anti-virus software pre-installed, chances are the software is out-of-date. However, updates to anti-virus software are easy to obtain. Most updates can be downloaded immediately from the Internet.
Most computer viruses spread through e-mail attachments. Be very leery of opening any attachment you receive. Most e-mail programs allow you to receive an alert before opening attachments. Make sure that capability is activated in your e-mail program. This will ensure you are warned before any attachment is accidentally opened.
Most online e-mail services such as Yahoo and Hotmail automatically scan attachments for viruses. However, this does not guarantee a virus-free attachment. A good rule of thumb: if you don't know who the attachment came from, do not open it! For all other attachments, confirm the sender meant to send you an attachment. Many viruses are spread unbeknownst to the initial sender.
As a general rule, do not open attachments ending in .bat, .exe, .com, .pif or .zip. Most of these file extensions provide a red flag for virus detection. For now, you don't have to worry about attached images (.jpg, .gif, .bmp or .tif) or text files (.txt). These files are safe to open and will not contain a virus. In addition, look for double extensions on attachments. For example, if you receive an attachment named "attachment.doc.pif," do not open it. This is a sure sign of an infected attachment.
Some viruses can corrupt your entire hard drive, ultimately causing you to lose all your files. So it's worth exercising caution in opening e-mail attachments; and investing in current anti-virus software.
Net Numbers
More than 62,000 virus threats exist today.
Source: McAffee (www.mcaffee.com)
ASA Web Ways
Register Online for ASA's Annual Convention
The 2003 ASA Annual Convention is now available on the ASA Web site, www.asashop.org. Register using a secure Web site and alleviate the hassle of filling out forms by hand. The convention will be held March 19-22 in Sandestin, Fla.
In addition to online registration, the Annual Convention Web site features general information as well as travel accommodations, optional activities and a schedule of events. The Annual Convention Web site can be accessed from the ASA home page.
 |
Net Worth is written by Colby Horton, ASA's electronic communications manager. He can be reached at (800) 272-7467, ext. 234, or by e-mail at colbyh@asashop.org.
|
Copyright (c) 1996-2008. Automotive Service Association. All rights reserved.
