PRworks, a full-service public relations firm and affiliate of Intrada Technologies, Inc., has polished its brand and added a new key hire to its team.

Jason S. Kirsch, APR, has joined PRworks as senior counselor. Jason brings more than 20 years of experience building brands, leading campaigns and providing strategic communications expertise.

The newly-minted PRworks brand is marked by a new logo design, new website, and reaffirmation of its strategic approach and commitment to the core values of collaboration and integrity.

“This begins an exciting new chapter for PRworks, as we build on the expertise we provide to our clients and debut an updated brand,” said David Steele, partner at both PRworks and Intrada Technologies. “Jason’s character and experience is just the right fit for PRworks, and we are thrilled to have an individual of his caliber and reputation come aboard. With Jason on the team, and the energy of our refreshed brand, we look forward to helping more organizations advance their missions and achieve their goals.”

Kirsch said, “PRworks was born out of a belief in the power of strategic public relations to bring about positive outcomes for organizations and those they serve. The firm also stands by an unwavering commitment to ethical conduct. It’s an honor to be part of the PRworks team and to build on its legacy as a strategic communications partner.”

​Prior to joining PRworks, Kirsch was senior director in the marketing organization at Capital BlueCross, where he led brand management, public relations, digital marketing, advertising and creative services. He also previously oversaw marketing and public relations for Metro Bank, and conducted media relations and served as spokesperson for two Pennsylvania governors.

Throughout his career, Kirsch has managed communications and provided public relations counsel for a range of issues and critical junctures for businesses such as mergers and acquisitions, regulatory actions, data breaches, and high-profile organizational changes.

Kirsch holds the Accredited in Public Relations (APR) credential, a mark of distinction in the profession that signifies a distinguished level of expertise and a commitment to ethical conduct. He serves as accreditation co-chair for the Public Relations Society of America’s Central Pennsylvania Chapter; is an instructor for the Accreditation in Public Relations program nationally; and also is an adjunct professor at York College. He earned his master’s degree in communication studies from Bloomsburg University and his bachelor’s degree in communication/journalism from Shippensburg University.

PRworks was founded in 2001 by Robert Saline, APR, Fellow PRSA and Deborah Saline, APR, Fellow PRSA, two highly respected public relations counselors who are nationally recognized for their expertise and dedication to the profession. The Salines, now retired, sold PRworks to Intrada Technologies in 2015 after the two firms spent several years working together as strategic partners.

The PRworks-Intrada affiliation provides clients with a single and seamless integrated source for marketing, communication and technology services – a valuable strategic advantage for organizations given the critical bridge between marketing and technology.

www.prworksinc.com

Building Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn

Do you know how to build your brand on LinkedIn?  How to optimize your personal LinkedIn profile?  How do you make meaningful connections?  Intrada Technologies does.

Last month, Intrada Technologies visited Landmark Commercial Realty, Inc. and hosted a LinkedIn Lunch and Learn. Whew…say that five times fast!

David Steele, co-founder of Intrada Technologies, delivered a 45 minute presentation to a group of Landmark’s commercial real estate agents on how consistent, correct use of LinkedIn can help them obtain leads. 

According to LinkedIn.com there are:
- 67 million users
- 106 million monthly active users
- 1.5 million groups
- 40 percent of users visit daily
- 2 new members join each second

“LinkedIn is a great business to business tool for relationship building and lead generation. If you are not using it, you should be,” commented Steele. “From our (Intrada) experience, we have had clients refer us to their connections. We have gained new clients through our current contacts, as well as the site’s referrals.”

Individual Pages (Personal Brand)
Personal LinkedIn profiles are like an online resume and cover letter where you can highlight your skills, job experiences and how you are valuable as an employee. “Personalize it and make yourself stand out from others. Use keywords that are common in your profession when writing your profile,” said Steele. “We encourage posting articles, whether written by you or someone else, a few times a month. Posting these articles positions you as an industry expert and helps you engage current and prospective contacts. This engagement can open doors for leads.”

Business Pages (Company Brand)
Socialmediaexaminer.com explains that these pages can help grow the visibility of your company and offer you the opportunity to engage with your clients on a digital level. The company page can serve as a credible extension of your digital brand. We will discuss this topic in-depth in a future article so stay tuned!

Making Connections
LinkedIn can be considered a digital Rolodex®. It is invaluable whether you want to expand your network, develop leads, or search for a new job. Making connections doesn’t happen overnight. Here are a few tips to get you started.

DO NOT open any emails if you don't know the sender.

DO NOT open any attachments or click on any links in an email unless you are expecting the email and know the sender.

The computer malware that has spread across 150 countries appears to be slowing down but we are not out of the woods. With a few reports of fresh attacks in Asia and Europe on Monday, we are expecting additional attempts will continue throughout the week. If infected, your data will be encrypted and held for ransom for $300 to $600.

The best prevention is to avoid all emails you are not expecting.

If your network is managed by Intrada Technologies, we will be applying the Microsoft fix and rebooting machines throughout the day to apply the patch.

If you have a question about an email, please submit a help desk ticket to have the email checked before opening.

By Eric Harkreader
Date Published: 4/24/2017

Sometimes, a client's technology needs go beyond the physical IT infrastructure driving their day-to-day business. Many of our clients do their best and most life-changing work outside of the home office. Luckily, Intrada and its sister communications company PRworks are used to coming up with creative solutions that leverage the deep bond between technology and communications. That's why we jumped at the chance to help our good friends at the River Valley Regional YMCA with their recent Annual Awards Dinner, a 151-year-old tradition.

In addition to providing seamless A/V support—equipping and managing all lighting, sound, and video projection for the night—we approached the client with an offer to share the night's highlights in real-time, uploading photos and videos to the client's Facebook page. By letting Intrada support the night's social media as well, the Y's communications and executive teams were instead able to focus on the night itself, graciously welcoming every attendee and ensuring the program went off without a hitch. But the real winners were the attendees, including our four-person team, who laughed, cheered, and cried right alongside the other 200-plus attendees over the course of the night. Story after story served as testimony to the life-changing good provided by the Y, a pillar of the Williamsport community. We marveled at range of emotions on display documenting the human condition.

From overcoming epilepsy through pilates, finding communal strength to battle cancer, or funneling grief into life-saving health changes, the night made clear that this group of people—this community—was a living, breathing entity, whose lives were deeply intertwined. And the Intrada team was so proud to be a part, helping behind the scenes to ensure the night was all the client had hoped for...and more.

Date Published: 12/1/2016

"I remember vividly sitting in front of my black and white television at the age of 9 watching Walter Cronkite (one of my role models) reporting the news." That was the moment Bob Saline knew he wanted to embark on a career in the communications field. And although he originally wanted to follow in Cronkite's footsteps, public relations was (and is) his true calling.

Bob Saline, president & CEO (retired) of PRworks Inc., hails from Brockway, Pennsylvania—a borough in Jefferson County. He is the only child of a mother and father who instilled in him a love of people. "My parents would give the shirts off their backs for family and friends. Because my dad worked in the hot end of a glass blowing operation and my mom was a stay-at-home mom, they made sure I got through college without any debt, and did the same for some of our relatives. They were well respected in our community—just really good people."

The life lessons his parents taught him have been carried throughout his life, both personally and professionally. Bob has several passions, but mentoring is at the top of his list. "I have coached those in the PR field, individuals in my church—young families, people I have worked with. I truly enjoy it." Bob is a member and also volunteers at the Rotary Club of Harrisburg and Slate Hill Mennonite Church. "I have been through all of the leadership offices in Rotary and this April, I will join a team going to Haiti to put in a water filter at a rural school." In 2015, he and his wife managed the international media for the Mennonite World Conference that attracted more than 6,000 Anabaptists from around the globe and this year "I guided the publicity for our church's bicentennial celebration of the original church."

Responsive Web Design (RWD) is an approach where design and development should respond to the user’s behavior and their environment. The environment is based on screen size, platform and device orientation. The technology uses a mix of flexible grids, layouts, images and an intelligent use of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). Based on the device used to access the site, the website will automatically switch to accommodate for resolution, image size and scripting abilities. This would eliminate the need for different templates based on the device used to access the website.

Traditional Web Design or Web 2.0 allows for unlimited design and function delivery. Through the advancement of HyperText Markup Language (HTML), Extensible HyperText Markup Language (XHTML), JavaScript (JS), and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Intrada can quickly deliver a simple landing page or advance online applications by using standard platforms.

A website's success is not solely based on the technology it uses, but more so, it's ability to provide for customers what they need and to engage potential prospects to become new clients. Intrada breaks down the development process and assigns the appropriate team of professional individuals to focus on specific aspects of the process.

A new ransomware, Locky, has been discovered and is causing problems for computer users everywhere. The Locky ransomware encrypts your data files, locks you out of them and then demands .5 bitcoins to decrypt your files. This virus is particularly nasty due to its ability to encrypt files on unmapped network shares.

In addition to locking your files, Locky will completely change your file name, making it that much more difficult to restore the right data.

Worried about getting the Locky ransomware on your computer? Here are some more details about the virus:

1. Locky is installed through email, particularly fake invoices Currently, Locky is installed through an invoice. You will receive an email with a subject containing an invoice and an attached document. When the document is opened, the text is scrambled and you will have to enable macros to make the text readable.
2. The virus will encrypt your data The moment you enable macros within the file, Locky is on your computer. It begins to encrypt your data and change the file names. It will scan all local drives and unmapped network shares to find files.
3. Recovery instructions will appear Your wallpaper will change to instructions on how to retrieve your data. This is the ransom note for your data. You will be instructed to visit a decrypter page, purchase bitcoins and send them to an address. Once your payment is made, you are provided the way to decrypt your files.

Locky is an easy trap to fall into because missing an invoice or not making a payment is something most people try to avoid. Remember to be conscious of emails from unknown senders, specifically when they have attachments.

If you do fall victim to the Locky virus, contact Intrada Technologies. Diagnostics are free at Intrada and Virus/Malware Removals start at just $69.95!

The Monthly “Steal” by David Steele

The Monthly “Steal” is a bit of relevant technology information intertwined with personal thoughts, opinions and some real life experiences. It is written by David “Steele” and is free, hence a “steal” from a “Steele”.

206 Hospitals in 29 States were hacked effecting 4.5 million patient records in 2015. According to an article recently published in the Washington Post in February, a Los Angeles hospital paid $17,000 in bitcoin ransom to unload computer records.

“The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key,” Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center CEO Allen Stefanek said. “In the best interest of restoring normal operations, we did this.”

But hospitals are not the only target. JPMorgan Chase, Home Depot and Target were all victims of cyber-attacks in 2014.   It is no secret that personal information is valuable; the FBI released an article that indicated that in 2013, over 2 million health care records were compromised which was 31% of all reported data breaches. Cyber criminals are selling the information on the black market at a rate of $50 for each partial electronic health record (EHR), compared to $1 for a stolen social security number or credit card number.

What’s amazing is that most companies still don’t take cyber security serious or value the importance of properly securing customer data. Companies install door access systems, alarm systems, locked server racks and camera systems all focused on physical security, but when asked how they are securing their customer data, there is often a lack of detail. Most IT companies and computer professionals practice “General Network Management” or “Best Practices”. There are general guidelines that, when followed correctly, produce safe and secure computer networks. Where most companies struggle is how to confirm that best practices are being followed, usage policies are enforced and employees, IT staff and vendors are trained and held accountable.  

In 1996, the Federal Government created the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act – HIPAA. The primary goal of the law is to make it easier for people to keep health insurance, protect the confidentiality and security of healthcare information and help the healthcare industry control administrative costs. The Rule requires appropriate safeguards to protect the privacy of personal health information, and sets limits and conditions on the uses and disclosures that may be made of such information without patient authorization. HIPAA focuses mainly on medical and patient rights but the same requirements located under the HIPAA Security Rule provide a solid foundation and accountability to ensure “General Network Management” or “Best Practices” are valid and are providing a solid network environment. Before, IT companies would send a network technician and tell them to secure the network. Now, they send in a network technician and say this network needs to be HIPAA or Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliant providing both the IT company and the customer with accountability.

Many companies may say, “but I don’t deal with medical so why do I need to be so secured. When IT companies are hired, they are trusted with financial information, personal information and company information. By applying a HIPAA or PCI compliance requirement to your network will force vendors and staff to be more aware and involved in both the physical and function security of information. In most cases, the cost to properly secure and manage a network is a fraction of the cost associated with a data breach or privacy violation.

Resources:

FBI Cyber Division - April 8, 2014

The Washington Post - February 18, 2015

Cyber Attacks on U.S. Companies in 2014 - By Riley Walters - October 27, 2014

David Steele, Partner / Webmaster

djsteele@intradatech.com
570-321-7370

Don’t take the bait. There has been a huge increase in phishing scams received in emails that appear to be harmless or legitimate, but lure you into their net then steal your privacy, infect your computer or hold your data hostage.

This can be very damaging and costly to the company and computer network. The following information is provided to help you educate your staff and prevent damaging infections.

Common Phishing Hooks:

LINKS IN THE EMAIL: links in the body of an email might look valid, but when you click on the link it takes you to a totally different address. If you hover over the “baited” link, most browsers will display the actual link you would be directed to in the bottom left corner.

EMAIL ADDRESS: Spammers use what is called “Spoofing” to present you with an email address that looks convincing, but it’s actually hiding the bogus email account. Common scams include emails stating there is a package waiting at the post office or there has been a questionable charge on your credit card and you must sign in to confirm the charge. I, personally, don’t click on any links in emails that relate to financial accounts such as credit cards or utilities. If I get an email – I open a browser and go to the site directly to verify account status or I call the company customer service line.

GRAMMAR: Most scams have incomplete sentences, poor grammar, and lack of customer brand and contact information. If it does not seem right, there is a good chance it is not valid.

ATTACHMENTS: Scammers will attach files that, when opened, will try to install malware and infect the computer. The best protection is not to open any attachments that you didn’t expect or were not sent from a valid source. Do not enable any macros or approve the installation of software.

FREE SITES: Avoid websites that require you to install an application to access free files including fonts, music, videos, games or other applications. Validate the site is safe before downloading and installing any applications.

The latest lure in phishing scams is ransomware. The user is tricked into running a program or accessing a website that runs a program that will encrypt and lock all your data. Your data is held hostage and then requires payment to purchase the password to unencrypt your data. This can be a real sinker because it may encrypt all data across a corporate network, including network drives.

If you have received a questionable email,

contact the HELP DESK and have the email verified.

All applications should be approved before installing for both company acceptable usage and protection from malware infections.

If you would like to read the entire article on Avoid Getting Caught in a Phishing Scam or other articles from Intrada Technologies, visit: www.intradatech.com/knowledgebase.

The Monthly “Steal” by David Steele

The Monthly “Steal” is a bit of relevant technology information intertwined with personal thoughts, opinions and some real life experiences. It is written by David “Steele” and is free, hence a “steal” from a “Steele”.

Over the last 2 months, Intrada has seen a huge increase in email scams designed to steal individual identity, access online accounts or control computers. In the IT industry, we call these Phishing Scams because they are fishing for information. It is largely known not to plug in any device or USB drive or insert a disk into your computer if you don’t know where it came from. But, phishing scams are delivered mainly through email, not by plugging in an external device. These email scams many times look harmless or even like legitimate emails. But, once you click on the attachment or the link in the URL, the scammers usually try to install malware, ransomware or other backdoor applications that cause loss in data and a violation of your privacy.

Phishing Scams are not new. Phishing was first recognized in the mid 1990’s by a hacker named Khan Smith. Smith used the arrow symbols <>< that resemble a fish and commonly used in online chat communications, making it hard for AOL to filter the communications. This same symbol is associated with Christians and was used as a secret Christian symbol long before Smith. Combine this symbol with stolen or hacked email accounts to see why most credit Smith with leading the phishing epidemic.

So how do you keep from getting caught by Phishing Scams? If you receive an email that you are not expecting or from a sender you do not recognize, it’s best not to open it. I suggest you think of it as junk mail and trash it.

But, maybe your curiosity lured you to open the email. Here are some additional ‘red flag’ checks:

LINKS IN THE EMAIL: links in the body of an email might look valid, but when you click on the link it takes you to a totally different address. If you hover over the “baited” link, most browsers will display the actual link you would be directed to in the bottom left corner.

EMAIL ADDRESS: Spammers use what is called “Spoofing” to present you with an email address that looks convincing, but it’s actually hiding the bogus email account. Common scams include emails stating there is a package waiting at the post office or there has been a questionable charge on your credit card and you must sign in to confirm the charge. I, personally, don’t click on any links in emails that relate to financial accounts such as credit cards or utilities. If I get an email – I open a browser and go to the site directly to verify account status or I call the company customer service line.

GRAMMAR: Most scams have incomplete sentences, poor grammar, and lack of customer brand and contact information. If it does not seem right, there is a good chance it is not valid.

ATTACHMENTS: Scammers will attach files that, when opened, will try to install malware and infect the computer. The best protection is not to open any attachments that you didn’t expect or were not sent from a valid source. Do not enable any macros or approve the installation of software.

FREE SITES: Avoid websites that require you to install an application to access free files including fonts, music, videos, games or other applications. Validate the site is safe before downloading and installing any applications.

Why doesn’t most virus protection software catch phishing scams? This is because the email does not actually contain a virus. The email contains a link to a website that tricks users into providing access information or to download and install an application to protect their computer. But, in reality, the person just infected their machine. Virus protection does not stop a user from loading software unless it is identified as malicious. Also, if the email has an attachment that is zipped; virus scanners can’t scan zipped files. Other attachments include Microsoft Word documents, that, when opened, require micros. When the user hits enable, the virus installs the malware that can infect the computer.

The latest lure in phishing scams is ransomware. The user is tricked into running a program or accessing a website that runs a program that will encrypt and lock all your data. The sender, who is usually in another country, holds your data hostage then requires a payment from you to purchase the password that will unencrypt your data. In a corporate setting, this can be a real sinker because it will normally encrypt all data across a corporate network, including network drives. When you have been a victim of ransomware, you are presented with two options:

1. Pay the ransom to get your password, which is not guaranteed, to unlock your files and reload the infected computer.
2. Reload the infected computer and restore files from backup.

Bottom line – it’s just ugly and nothing is worse than having your privacy violated or someone holding your personal data hostage. The best protection from phishing scams is:

1. Educating yourself and your staff to not be click happy.
2. Have good virus and spam filtering solutions in place to help prevent the temptation of hitting the inbox.
3. Backups.

If you are a customer of Intrada and received a questionable email, contact tech support and have emails and websites verified before opening or installing any software. If you would be interested in learning more about Intrada or our scanning services, give me a call or email me today.

User Notice Document - AVOID GETTING CAUGHT IN A PHISHING SCAM
Short version of article to be distributed to all employees. (click here)

David Steele, Partner / Webmaster

djsteele@intradatech.com
570-321-7370

David Murdocca, is an account executive for Atlantic Exhibits who actively engages with his clients to embrace an owner’s or executive manager’s perspective. As a Trade Show Specialist, David’s work ethic sets him apart from other marketing professionals who cannot relate as well to the financial aspects. David has a passion for the trade show industry that provides him with knowledge and relationships required to build upon his expertise. This passion drives him to simplify his client’s trade show experience, strengthen their brand, encourage more meaningful customer engagement and generate more quality sales leads.

David Murdocca has been assisting businesses in the trade show field to successfully and profitably market and sell their products and services for over twenty years. From prior positions as a general manager for a mid-sized company and an owner/president of a small business, David understands the importance of events. He has attended over 500 major trade shows, domestically and internationally and brings exhibit industry passion and expertise to any organization. His functional background has ranged from design consultant to trade show coordinator to senior exhibit consultant to director of sales to general manager and to president and owner of an exhibit house. David regularly attends shows to discover new industries and trends. He has presented hundreds of exhibit and event marketing seminars and interactive strategic planning workshops at venues ranging from board rooms to conference centers.

David Steele and Nichole Keiner from Intrada meet with David Murdocca in December of 2015 to discuss his idea to present himself as a Trade Show Consultant. This level of service and title was not fully developed in the industry and we needed to develop content that would support searches to present this to company owners and marketing managers. Trade shows are expensive and companies are looking to increase the return on this investment.

Intrada was asked to research and create a website presentation that would validate this level of services and provide continual support to build ranking and organic placement throughout key trade show searches online. David is using this new website to communicate with clients on a regular basic with articles, reviews from shows and continual improvement processes. David is also using Twitter at shows to meet new prospects and linking his activities with national and international events.

Website: www.DavidMurdocca.com

Launch: March 2016

Address: 4605 Brookfield Corporate Drive, Chantilly, VA 20151

Phone: 443-473-7696

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WordPress - 4.5
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The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recently released a statement informing those who use the Windows Operating System of security vulnerabilities related to Apple’s QuickTime application for Windows. While no threats or infections have been reported in relation to this vulnerability, it has been recommended by the DHS that any QuickTime application be removed from a Windows environment. If you have a Mac PC or Apple device with QuickTime installed there is no risk and no need to remove it. Apple chose NOT to release critical security updates to the QuickTime for Windows application, resulting in the vulnerabilities originally reported by Trend Micro. If you are unsure if you have QuickTime for Windows or would like to speak with a technician regarding this threat call (570) 321-7370 or visit our office at 31 Ashler Manor Drive in Muncy, PA and we would be happy to look over the PC for you.

As always, diagnostics are free at Intrada! Virus/Malware Removals start at just $69.95!

You’ve created a Facebook fan page. Your company finally has a Twitter and now you’ve even set up a free HootSuite account to schedule out posts. Sometimes. When someone at your office thinks about it.

According to statistics, 73% of Americans have a social network profile. That is 233.6 million people with just one social profile. One. Personally, I use Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram multiple times a day. I get on Pinterest and LinkedIn a few times a week. My generation, and those younger than myself, are glued to social media. Think of how easy it would be to send one tweet and reach hundreds of people.

Not right away, mind you. Gaining social media followers may take some hard work, but the payoff is worth it. It’s a free way to interact with your consumer. How can you beat that?

Still not sold? Here are five reasons why having social media is a benefit to your business:

1. Interaction – Other than speaking in person, there is no better way to interact with your consumers than through social media. While there is a certain negative stigma that comes with making yourself available 24/7 (not all of your employees may happy about it), you have the advantage of being able to reach consumers 24/7. A customer could tweet at you, asking a question about your product and, if someone is watching diligently, they could have an almost instantaneous response. Talk about helpful customer service! Speaking of customer service – someone leaves a nasty message on your Facebook page? Offer a response by giving them your office phone number. Put the ball back in their court and show everyone that you care. Start a weekly poll about something fun! Be entertaining and make people want to want to tweet at you, post on your timeline or send you a message on LinkedIn.
2. Transparency – Being direct and not having a hidden agenda is the best (in my personal opinion) part about social media. It’s about having fun and interacting with your audience. Not trying to sell something. If people like you and your brand via social media, that will translate to your sales. Made a mistake that needs to be addressed? Put out a press release and then address it on social media. Whether you believe it or not, this generation of young adults – your future consumers – are willing to let mistakes go a lot more easily if you’re honest and upfront about them. Let the newspapers and your blog take care of the press release, but get your apology on social media as soon as possible. This generation, my generation, respects that. You messed up. Everyone does. Don’t hide it - that will only make the situation that more newsworthy when it comes out later. Show your audience that you are doing the best you can, no matter the circumstance.
3. Humanize your Brand – The great thing about social media is that you can give your service or product human qualities. Do you pride your brand as being eco-friendly? Are you geared towards the modern business person or the weekend warrior? What would your brand be like if it was a person – take that and run with it in your social media plan. Say your brand produces sporting gear and equipment. You may want to focus on the words courage or determination. Your messages should always be crafted to insinuate those ideals. Has it been really snowy in your area lately? Throw up a post about thermal workout gear and never giving up. A sports star has done something bold and really great? Wow, they must embody your brand. Use those words and add them to your marketing campaign.
4. Creativity – There are so many directions you can take your social media presence. I’m a huge fan of Taco Bell on Twitter (they’re funny and I love tacos). And honestly, what is Denny’s even doing with their social media? Does anyone know? Not really – but it’s entertaining and hysterical. According to this post on the Social Times, Denny’s “embracing the weird” has put them in the #1 spot for “Brands Doing an Amazing Job on Social Media”. Having a unique social media strategy and being different just might garner you some attention. People like funny. People like different. Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb and try something new. Who knows? It might turn into the Thing that your brand is known for.
5. Bragging Rights – Want to show how fun your office is? Take a picture at your staff meeting and put it on Instagram. Share that to Twitter and Facebook. Someone on your team won an award in their field? Copy the article URL and make a post on your company’s LinkedIn. Taking a company team-building retreat? Write a post about all of the great skills you’ve learned! Don’t misconstrue this. I’m not implying you need to post a status every time someone uses the microwave without complication or you recycle a piece of paper. That would be out of hand. But social media outlets are notorious for people posting their accomplishments. Take advantage and do what your audience expects – show them how awesome your brand is.

Social media is happening now. Your consumers are online. Right now. They’re out there, waiting for you. Why wouldn’t you want to use free outlets to reach them?

Right! Mailing lists.

I’m not saying they don’t work. All I’m saying is that the only mail I open is what I’m expecting (I’m looking at you - books I’ve ordered online and my dreaded student loan statements). But take that as you will.

If this has sold you on create social media and dutifully updating on a regular basis, great! Now is the time to get started. Make sure that your pictures are high resolution and if you’re using more than one medium, that you keep a cohesive look. (Like using the same cover photo for Facebook and Twitter).

Happy posting!

Worried about the time it takes to set up all of your accounts and monitoring everything to make sure you’re posting on a regular basis? Here at Intrada Technologies, we offer education and services to help improve presence and develop a positive online reputation.

The Army Heritage Center Foundation, in cooperation with the U.S. Army and our other partners, serves as the lead agency supporting the development and expansion of the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (USAHEC). The Center is being developed to preserve the memories of Soldiers and their Families, honor their service, and help educate the American public about the Army and its’ Soldiers’ contributions to the Nation.

The Foundation was incorporated in 1999 as the Military Heritage Foundation after Secretary of the Army Louis Caldera committed the Army to, “the establishment of an Academic Research Facility and Army Museum at the United States Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.” Since its establishment, the Foundation has been the catalyst in forging the unique public-private partnership that has advanced the Center. Then, after Secretary of the Army Thomas White announced the creation of the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center in October 2001, the Foundation assumed doing business in the name of the Army Heritage Center Foundation. The intent of the name change was to more closely align the Foundation’s efforts to the development of the Center.

Intrada took over site management and support in 2008, when the site was not maintained correctly causing some security concerns. Working with the staff to stabilize and update different functions, allowed Intrada to learn more about the Army Heritage Center Foundation. A tour of the facility, including the education center and museum, was amazing.

Intrada was asked to research and create a solution to address the high bounce rate the site was receiving. Intrada also took this as an opportunity to upgrade the webstore and site to a responsive template supporting mobile friendly standards. The site launched in early December and staff is pleased with the new look and functions.

Website: www.armyheritage.org

Launch: December 2015

Address: 950 Soldiers Drive, Carlisle, PA 17013

Phone: 717-258-1102

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So our employees can enjoy this special time with their families, Intrada Technologies will have special holiday hours.

• Closing at 1:00 PM on Dec. 24 - Christmas Eve
• Closed - Dec. 25th - Christmas Day
• Closed - Jan. 1st - New Years Day

As always, we are on call for emergency situations. Please leave a message at our emergency extension 570-321-7370 ext. 210. A tech will respond promptly.

Clients have asked, instead of hiring a sales person, should I put that money toward an online marketing or search engine optimization? As a company that supplies SEO, SMM and SEM services, I love to hear this and it’s a good strategy if managed correctly depending on your current staffing and market focus. I can’t say enough about having someone that breaths air and knows how to listen to a prospect because computers don’t listen, they just tell. But on the flip side, things are changing and if you’re not online, you are just local.

There is a lot of talk about how the generation coming does not know how to communicate with each other without sending a tweet, txt or other online communication. I watch teenagers and they can’t seem to keep their eyes or hands off their smart phone. What is so important on that screen? YO! – put it down and look up and talk to me. So I must be getting old that I want to talk to someone when making business decisions. But when I’m shopping online, leave me alone until I ask for help and stop trying to chat with me. However, these teenagers might be the ones looking for products or services in the future and you want to make sure your company shows up where they look.

The next generation is very transparent and tech savvy so having a solid online presence is critical unless you are not interested in reaching them as consumers. But I think there needs to be blending between humans and technology, and you need to understand your target market. Online sales or lead generation through SEO, SEM, SMM and digital media should be a part of every companies marketing plan. Based on your business model depends on the extent of that involvement and it should also support traditional marketing methods. Marketing campaigns should drive traffic to your website which should be designed to convert that prospect into a lead or sale. Leads require responding and follow up. It’s proven that conversion rates are higher when a qualified sales person does the follow up and closing.

So the answer: There is a blend and I see the internet as a referral source to your sales team. So depending on your sales team configuration, that will determine how much should be spent on Internet Marketing.

I also recommend you hold your SEO, SEM and SMM vendor to the same accountability as your sales team. In most cases, sales professionals’ success is based on activities and goals. Why don’t companies hold their Internet Marketing vendors to the same accountability? I think it’s because most Internet Marketing vendors don’t offer accountability and most companies are not viewing online resources at the same value. But what if you did and expected results? If you hire a lead generation or cold call company, they provide you detailed lists, call scripts and record keeping to justify their services. At Intrada, we have an aggressive online internet marketing campaign using Pay-Per-Clicks, landing pages, call to actions combined with traditional print advertising. We also focus on article generation like this one to build ranking on target keyword/key phrases for organic placement. But we also have a sales team that follows up on all leads and does traditional cold calling. It’s a balance and, depending on your business, your current staffing and target prospects, determines how you balance this decision.

So how do determine this balance? Intrada offers a Strategic Market Planning session designed to teach our team about our client and then identify the marketing goals. With the goals identified, a marketing plan can be created to deliver those goals and provide tracking, accountability and desired return on investment. Some of the questions asked and information gathered in the marketing planning session include:

• History and Company Background
• Service and/or Product Information
• Current Staff and Positions
• Current Market Reach / Target Market Reach
• Current Market Saturation / Target Market Saturation
• Current Competitor Challenges / Target Market Competitors
• Current Sales, Budgets, Marketing Campaigns, Web Traffic and Online Visibility
• Past Marketing Campaigns Efforts
• What do you want to accomplish? Goals / Objectives / Growth

With this information, Intrada researches the current placement of a company on both online and physical placements. Intrada also identifies competitors, both physical and online, to establish a competitor analysis. Using tools available from search engines and other paid services, Intrada identifies the estimated search traffic available based on keywords and key phrases. After compiling this information, Intrada is able to provide a detailed marketing campaign designed to accomplish the goals, objectives and desired growth of a company using both digital media and traditional media.

So you want to find out if you should invest in SEO, SEM and SEM service instead of hiring another sales person? Contact an Internet Marketing company, establish some goals and get a quote. If you decide to move forward, hold the vendor accountable for hitting those goals and benefit from the largest referral network in the word.

If you would be interested in learning more about Intrada, give me a call or email me today.

David Steele, Partner / Webmaster

djsteele@intradatech.com
570-321-7370

This email was received with the following message and attachment:

ADP provides comprehensive payroll services and human resources management solutions for businesses of all sizes.

These emails do not originate from ADP and attachments may be malicious.

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David Steele, Partner / Webmaster

djsteele@intradatech.com
570-321-7370

In a world of ever growing dependence on technology, we sometimes leave ourselves vulnerable to security risks simply through complacency.  When the internet became part of our everyday lives people were skeptical about the security of this “invisible web” that was, at the time, a little clunky and scary to anyone born when Apple was just another type of fruit, and Windows were well Windows.  It seems though, that with the modern improvements in web pages, and the ever growing availability of the internet across many different devices (they now have Wi-Fi enabled refrigerators that can text you when you're low on milk) that maybe we've lost that vigilance while surfing and even in our everyday lives.

We've come along way since those days of “Napster” and “Netscape Navigator”, but the sad reality is that while the internet may have become prettier, but not too much safer.  The reality is that NO security software anywhere, no matter how modern, can guarantee 100% that a nasty new infection won't hijack your PC and leave you stranded on the side of the “Information Super Highway” that we've all come to rely on, even if only to check your email or to follow your friends and family on Facebook.  That being said, 100% of security software is useless if you give permission for scammers to access your PC. I know what you're thinking, “Why would I give a 'scammer' access to my PC?” well chances are you already have.

One of the more simple types of phishing scams involves “piggy-backed” software.  I’m sure you've been there, you're installing a new piece of software and unbeknownst to you a tiny little checkbox sits checked at the bottom of the install wizard, but you just keep clicking NEXT because you REALLY want to use this new software.  That's when you notice “PC Optimizer PRO” is now running every time you startup your PC and now your computer is running poorly.  “Wait, 'PC Optimizer PRO' says it can fix this for $99.99 I just have to sign up with a credit card.”  BOOM, now they have your information and they are going shopping, but this isn't even the worst case scenario.  The true threat today comes in the form of a courtesy call.

It's about 5 o’clock at night and you’re sitting down for supper, the phone rings. “Hello”, you answer.

“Good evening” the other voice replies, “My name is 'Chip' and I am calling on behalf of ‘Microsoft’” he continues.

“Our systems have indicated that your Windows Updates may have become corrupted by an infection, are you in front of the PC and able to get me access right now?”

“Oh no”, you reply. “Yes, okay I’m on the computer now”

“Great, could you please do the following…?”

They then walk you through getting them access to your PC, after all this is “Microsoft” they know what they’re doing.  The problem is…this ISN’T Microsoft.  Once inside the “tech” disables your input so you can't use your keyboard and mouse, then the screen goes black. The PC is still on but you can't see what they have access to or what they're doing. In a panic you turn off the computer, but it's too late, they're in and they got what they came for.

While this is an EXTREME example, it happens every day.

Another scenario involves the same process as above except there never was an infection and you just paid $100 for them to do absolutely nothing, or maybe they leave behind a piece of software that captures all of your keystrokes, including passwords, social security numbers, account numbers, etc.

This isn't meant to be a doom and gloom scare tactic to frighten you. This is reality, and these things CAN happen to you or your friends and family.  There is hope though!  IT professionals fight day in and day out to find and eliminate these threats, but we can’t be everywhere, nor can we catch everything.  The best offense is a good defense.  Here are a few tips to help keep you safe:

1. (Microsoft, Dell, Amazon, etc.) None of these companies will contact you without YOU first contacting them.  If someone calls claiming to be from ANY of the major IT companies, ask for a name and job title and a number and extension to return a call to.  Most of the time the “tech” will try desperately to keep you on the line, this is a sure sign of a scam.  If the “tech gives you a personal cell phone number (not an 800 or 888), this is a MAJOR red flag!
2. Pop-up web pages aren’t just annoying they’re infectious.  Pop-ups stating that your PC is “infected and you need to go to this site to clean your PC” are 99.9% scams.  Don’t follow these links, avoid clicking on the pop-up windows as this can activate an infection.  CTRL+ALT+DEL and restart your PC all together as a last resort to avoid malware.
3. Be Aware!  Always have a general awareness of where you are on the web.  Be cautious of anything that looks “out of place” on a favorite web site. It is easy to be directed away from safe areas to not-so-safe sites so watch what you are clicking on.
4. If you’re not sure STOP! If you get to an area or if a message pops up that you don’t understand stop where you are.  Don’t accept any prompts that you don’t recognize or haven’t seen before.
5. The best course of action for any of these situations is to take your PC to a LOCAL trustworthy IT company like us at Intrada Technologies* to verify any issues and secure the device.

 *Malware removals from Intrada Technologies start at $69.95(+tax).

Just remember that technology is amazing and very useful so long as it’s treated with its proper respect.  More than ever the internet is a very complex, powerful tool that can be used to accomplish incredible things, good or bad!

SCAM ALERT

We have received several calls from people reporting that Microsoft has contacted them at home to inform them of a problem with their computer. Cybercriminals don't just send fraudulent email messages and set up fake websites. They might also call you on the telephone and claim to be from Microsoft. They might offer to help solve your computer problems or sell you a software license. Once they have access to your computer, they can do the following:

• Trick you into installing malicious software that could capture sensitive data, such as online banking user names and passwords. They might also then charge you to remove this software.
• Convince you to visit legitimate websites (like www.ammyy.com) to download software that will allow them to take control of your computer remotely and adjust settings and leave your computer vulnerable.
• Request credit card information so they can bill you for phony services.
• Direct you to fraudulent websites and ask you to enter credit card and other personal or financial information there.
• Neither Microsoft nor our partners make unsolicited phone calls (also known as cold calls) to charge you for computer security or software fixes.

If you have been called and already gave the individual access to your computer, it is recommended to have your computer checked and cleaned by a professional right away. It is also recommended to change computer password and online accounts.

Will Microsoft ever call you? There are some cases where Microsoft will work with your Internet service provider and call you to fix a malware-infected computer—such as during the recent cleanup effort begun in our botnet takedown actions. These calls will be made by someone with whom you can verify you already are a customer. You will never receive a legitimate call from Microsoft or our partners to charge you for computer fixes.

Report phone scams

Help Microsoft stop cybercriminals by reporting information about your phone scam.
http://support.microsoft.com/reportascam

In the United States, use the FTC Complaint Assistant form.
https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/#crnt&panel1-1

For more on this scam, visit: https://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/avoid-phone-scams.aspx

David Steele, Partner / Webmaster

djsteele@intradatech.com
570-321-7370

The Monthly “Steal” by David Steele

The Monthly “Steal” is a bit of relevant technology information intertwined with personal thoughts, opinions and some real life experiences. It is written by David “Steele” and is free, hence a “steal” from a “Steele”.

I’m not sure about you, but I’m frustrated with most search engine optimization vendors who promise a huge sales pitch, but provide a weak strategy. When I ask companies how their SEO strategy is working, most don’t have specific results. I believe that is because what companies want or expect from an SEO vendor is not exactly what SEO is intended to provide or what SEO vendors are providing as part of their SEO service.

SEO is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's unpaid results - often referred to as "natural," "organic," or "earned" results.

As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, what people search for, the actual search terms or keywords typed into search engines and which search engines are preferred by their targeted audience. Optimizing a website may involve editing its content, HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of backlinks, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic.

If SEO involves editing content, HTML and associated code to affect the visibility of a website on search engines unpaid results, once a website is optimized, what’s next? I believe that once a website is optimized, you need to focus on maintenance, driving traffic to increasing ranking. But, I know several companies that hired an SEO vendor that is offering monthly SEO services, but has not changed or added anything on their website in months. My question would be: what are they doing every month?

I think this is a perfect example of where both the customer and the vendor feel they on the same page but what the programmer is doing and what the customer thinks they are doing are actually two different things. We are in a period where SEO standards and accountability comparisons for SEO companies are not consistent or even existent. So how do you know you have the best vendor to handle your Search Engine Optimization?

RESULTS: Set specific goals to organic placement that you will test and measure on a monthly basis.

I find it amazing that companies will test and measure a single billboard but they will not measure their website at the same level. Websites can support multiple channel marketing campaigns that, when used correctly, can provide real time tracking and results. SEO combined with marketing can be complex and requires a continual effort to increase search engine ranking, ad placement and conversions. The primary goal of any SEO strategy is building your site ranking. And then with ranking comes increased paid and organic placements.

In SEO and SEM terms, rank (or ranking) refers to where a Web site or Web page is ranked within search engine results. For example, if your Web site is about microphones, when a person queries "microphones" in a search engine, your ranking indicates where in the search results your Web page is listed (e.g. within the top 5 results, on the first page, the 300th page and so on). A Web page rank within a search engine is also commonly called a position. http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/R/rank.html

The advantage of a strategic SEO process combined with an Internet Marketing Campaign is that it allows for tracking of specific goals and return on investment. At Intrada, we use SEO, SEO Tactics and SEM as part of a larger Internet Marketing Campaign or Digital Media Campaign. Since search engines can change algorithms that at any time effect organic listings, you don’t want to put all your efforts on this single source, because it could change without any notice at anytime.

I break down SEO into 3 stages to help organize and track the process:

1. PLAN – Set optimization goals

We start by learning our client. What is their passion, what is important to them, their history, what they want to accomplish and what separates them from the competition. It’s very important not to lose sight of a company brand, image or message and work to blend a website presentation to both the human prospect and the search engine. Understanding what is important to the client and what makes up the client provides Intrada the necessary information to balance the user experience with what keyword or key phrases are needed to maximize the desired placement. This includes the company name and locations, but it also includes products and services. We then identify who already shows up under our keyword goals and compare current ranking, keyword count and quality to establish a plan to set goals that will be used for testing and measuring the success of the campaign.

2. OPTIMIZE - Optimize current website and content to maximize placement goals

Based on the Optimization Goals, content is reviewed and suggestions are made to increase keyword counts to support the Optimization Goals. Once the content is approved and updated, programmers edit the code to maximize tagging, indexing, navigation, linking, usage of friendly URLs and support of mobile friendly standards. Intrada follows recommendations from Google Webmaster, Schema.org and W3C for code standards and web accessibility.

3. MONITOR & MAINTENANCE – Switch to pushing content

Once a website has been optimized, you don’t keep optimizing the same content over and over. Intrada monitors for errors and applies tweaking based on reports from Google Webmaster tools and services like MOZ. But if you’re not adding additional content, continual optimization is not going to full fill the need. We call it the 80/20 plan. 20% percent of our time is used to review reports and apply tweaking but 80% of our time is be spent adding new content to support the weak keywords identified on the Optimization Goals. Search Engines want to see changes, fresh content, cross linking and activity.

Search Engines want to provide the best possible search result to their customer. You need to prove to the search engine that your website is that resource. So prove it. This generally combined with an SEM (Search Engine Marketing) or SMM (Social Media Management) campaign to develop content to support Optimization Goals and use Social Media to cross link with articles the client’s website.

Don’t get me wrong, this process is not the smoking SEO gun. But this is how Intrada manages websites SEO and Marketing Strategies to provide measurable results. By putting the processes into phases allows us to communicate with our clients and focus on specific goals, removing the confusion and providing accountability. I find most companies don’t know SEO was not working for years. Don’t miss opportunities – hold your SEO company accountable for results and set specific goals to organic placement that will be tested and measured on a monthly basis.

If you would be interested in learning more about Intrada, give me a call or email me today.

David Steele, Partner / Webmaster

djsteele@intradatech.com
570-321-7370