What's New at Hover HQ

We are seeing reports that a new phishing attack is affecting our Subscriber’s Inboxes and will compromise your security if responded to.

Here is a sample:

From: noreply@smith.net [mailto:noreply@smith.net]
Sent: donderdag 7 januari 2010 14:27
To: diana@smith.net
Subject: A new settings file for the diana@smith.net
has just been released

Dear user of the smith.net mailing service!

We are informing you that because of the security upgrade
of the mailing service your mailbox (diana@smith.net) settings
were changed. In order to apply the new set of settings click
on the following link:

http://smith.net/owa/service_directory/settings.php?email=diana
&diana&from=smith.net&fromname=diana

Best regards, smith.net Technical Support.

If you have received anything like this, just ignore this message, delete it, and do not click on the link.  All emails coming from Hover, your service provider, will identify us as Hover.com.

Our Abuse team is currently investigating information related to this phishing scam.

Here are some quick answers for the customers of 1stDomain.net who will soon be joining the Hover community.  We are thrilled to welcome you.

How did I get here?
Your registrar, 1stDomain LLC, has voluntarily ended their accreditation with ICANN (International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers).  1stDomain has chosen us to be your new domain name service provider and ICANN has approved us.

Who is Hover?
Fair question.  Hover is a division of Tucows Inc., a publicly-traded company that has served millions of Internet users worldwide since 1994.  Tucows is one of the leading domain name registrars, with over 9 million domain names under management.  (We’re not going anywhere.)  Hover is focused entirely on making domain and email management simple.  We have great tools and we are in the process of making them better.  We have a huge library of tutorials and help videos.  Most importantly, we have a large, accessible, knowledgeable, eager customer support team to help you in any way we can.

What is happening with my domain name?
Your domain name is absolutely still yours and it should still be resolving to wherever you have been pointing it.  However, as of Tuesday, January 5, you can no longer manage it (make changes to settings or information) at 1stDomain LLC.  We are working as quickly as we can to migrate your domain name to our system and to assign you login information so that you can start managing it at Hover and we can start helping you do that.  We expect to have that done within the next 48 hours.

What if it expires amid the transition?
We will not let that happen.  Hover always provides a 40-day grace period following the expiration of your domain name.  So even if your domain name expired tomorrow, there would be plenty of time to get you set up in our system and get you renewed without any additional charge.  Even if your domain name expired recently and you think you might have missed the renewal notices, we can try to help with that too.  In short, we intend to do everything we can to make sure you happily own and manage your domain name at Hover for as long as you like.

What happens next?
You will get an email from us with your Hover username and password.  That means your domain name or domain names are there in a Hover account waiting for you.  Log in and get started.

Help?
Sure. Email us at help@hover.com or call us at 1.866.731.6556.
You can start browsing around Help Section for tutorials, discussion forums and videos.
Check out our blog at: http://stuff.hover.com
Follow us on Twitter: http://about.hover.com/twitter

Update: The original version of this post implied that ICANN had ended the relationship with 1stDomain. This is incorrect. 1stDomain LLC has voluntarily ended their relationship with ICANN. The post has been updated to reflect this. Sorry for any confusion we might have caused!

If you are forwarding your mail to or through your Blackberry, please note that RIM (Research in Motion) announced today that “North American customers may be experiencing delays and outages in receiving or sending emails over the network.” There are multiple articles, forums and tweets on the web discussing this subject. Remember that you can always send and receive through our webmail: https://mail.hover.com .

Here’s a quick journey from ancient history to the future from Hover-friend and guest-blogger Jason Kerluck.  Jason is a technology writer who has written how-to articles for websites like Cyberwalker.com and InformIT and provides assistance to Little Geeks.org and other local charities.

While I was out doing my grocery shopping recently, I passed a Bell Ringer for the Salvation Army. I went for my pockets in the hope I had more than lint to offer. But I rarely carry money anymore, and could only offer an apology while mustering a sheepish smile. I could help thinking, “Those guys should have some way of taking debit, they’d bring in so much more money that way.” But in this day and age…what is money?

The modern concept of money has been around for well over 5000 years, and in that time it’s been represented using anything from Bales of Barley to Bars of Gold. The funny thing is that even though we’re not trading in goats anymore, the value of money still changes with supply and demand. And more importantly, for better or worse, money is a central part of our lives. It drives us to go to work, and allows us to buy our food and pay for our shelter. It’s been called the root of all evil, and is always coming up in songs! But we are entering a new era in commerce; we’re nearing the end of tangible money.

It’s not really that far of a stretch for us either. Unlike so long ago, the dollar amounts on the coins and paper bills we use today have little to do with the actual value of the materials they’re made from. Gold is still traded, but good luck buying your morning paper using that. Cheques have no real value at all, regardless of how many zeros are on them. Not until you cash them and the electronics get involved are they worth anything.

As a seller in our wired world, coins and bills just aren’t very practical when buying things online. Could you imaging getting payment from an Ebay sale in pennies (or goats for that matter)! There are several services now that offer ways to accept payments from your buyers.

• PayPal http://www.paypal.com is likely the most well known site. But there are others out there that work a bit differently.

• ZayPay http://www.zaypay.com works via Text messaging to send small payment via smartphone. This is great for anyone who sells low cost items like online games for smartphones. This could also work by making donations to those Bell Ringers easier!

• Moneris http://www.moneris.com is a company well known for their Debit/Credit card services. But they offer online payment processing as well.

Regardless of what you sell online, there are easy ways to get paid fast.

Now that’s all and well for those who own cell phones and computers. But as a result, the biggest hold up to this change is waiting for the technology to finally get to the point of being cheap enough to be readily available. For a cashless world to exist, everyone would need access to these devices.

The question is then “How will we be paying for our stuff in 10 years?” Right now the Debit/Credit card is king. Virtually every store you go to accepts these cards, many use wireless marvels that seemingly work in the middle of nowhere. The system as it is works fairly well, but magnetic strip cards are also pretty easy to counterfeit. They also wear out fast with use, at least mine does! As a result, these old school cards are getting upgraded and are now coming with electronic chips imbedded in them. These chips are a lot harder to forge than the simple magnetic strip. And they’ll also make it possible for secure readers to be installed at home to also allow for easier online purchasing.

And what’s more, these chips don’t really need to be on a card to be convenient. Many gas stations and restaurants are now using RF (Radio Frequency) chips on a key fob that you just swipe over a sensor to take payment. As more and more of these readers become commonplace, what’s stopping us from moving from cards to wearable RF tags? And for the brave among us, what stopping us from having those chips implanted? These could store your information, while biometrics and pin codes will prevent the bad guys from stealing your hard earned money. Some fear this as a bad omen, but technology is only bad when used improperly.

Finally, the end of cash is also good not just for online retailers, but also the economy as a whole. And for anyone, nothing is as good a motivator as saving money. The act of making money uses a lot of resources and costs a lot of money!  No longer having to make, as well as handle all of that cash will save governments billions over time. What’s not to like?

Now get out there and start selling.

If you have a Web site or a blog, if you are a Web designer, a business consultant, a software developer, a patent agent, a printing company or a party planner, if you are someone who people tend to come to for advice about the Web, if you have a lot of friends and followers…you could be making money by recommending Hover.

Just send an email to affiliates@hover.com with your name, email addresss, phone number and mailing address (so we can send you your checks!).  We will respond with a unique coupon code that you can use to promote our service.  You will earn 50% of net revenue on the initial purchases that you generate.  (Net revenue tends to be the total price of any purchase on Hover minus $8.50 for cost of goods.)  We will send you a check at the end of every quarter.

If you are a Hover user, you have likely already been recommending our service to others.  Get your fair share.  Email us today.

This is a contribution from Hover friend and guest-blogger Jessica Muhlbier.  Jessica is a genuine chatterbox, social media guru, avid writer and up-and-coming digital celebrity.  She lives at www.jessicamuhlbier.com.  We’ve asked her to share a bit of her blueprint for becoming famous on the Web.

We all have something to share, as if back in kindergarten feeling excited and curious on show and tell day. We all have a unique voice, both knowledgeable and insightful, which can inform or inspire others. Whether you’re a writer, photographer, musician, gadget geek, shopping expert, or food critic, we all have a special talent or passion that can be shared with the world.

Embracing this notion of show-and-tell is incredibly easy in our googleable age. No longer do we flip through the Yellow Pages to retrieve a name, number or listed business address; we simply browse the web. We browse, bookmark what we love, share links with our friends, post and tag photos, and browse some more. Showing-and-telling is already an instinct, so sharing your voice and brand with the world is both friendly and inviting. To build your online brand – and to one-day become “googleable” – all you need to do is to embrace your innate kindergarten notion and familiarize yourself with the basics, starting with your very own website.

Getting Started

The Web is consistently evolving to become more comprehensible and sociable each and every day; so getting started with your online brand isn’t as tricky as you may think. Aside from a computer and solid Internet connection (obviously), all you really need is your time, patience, and personality!

Getting started with your online brand can be broken down into three main steps: creating a website, listening, and socializing!

1. Create a Website

Since an online presence is so crucial, having your own website or blog is the foremost important factor in building your online brand. There are many free blogging platforms such as Blogger or Wordpress.  You can point your own domain to any blog or website, just so it’s a little more “you”. For instance, my website is powered by Wordpress but instead of myname.wordpress.com it’s myname.com. This makes my website a little more memorable and professional looking. Both Blogger and Wordpress are incredibly user-friendly with HTML capabilities for those who are a little more design savvy.

2. Engage & Listen

When building your online brand, it’s important to be aware and “in the know” of what your competitors, customers, or target audience is doing. Unless you’re an A-list celebrity, you need to communicate and engage in conversations in order to build your brands awareness. To engage effectively, listening to others is essential. Downloading a free RSS feed organizational tool, such as Google Reader or News Gator, will allow you to subscribe to news streams, favorite websites, and blogs so you are constantly in the know. RSS feeds are also available for your smart phone, which makes reading ‘on the go’ incredibly convenient.

3. Engage & Socialize

To be a savvy and organized chatterbox, go ahead and get social! Although there are hundreds of social media tools out there, it’s easiest and most effective to only focus on a few. Having a solid presence on just a few social networks, as opposed to 50, allows you to develop strong and genuine connections. I recommend Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook due to the high popularity and brand-building benefits.

Twitter

Twitter is a micro-blogging phenomenon. At 140 characters or less, big brands such as Rogers, Air Canada, MTV, and Starbucks use twitter daily in order to converse with followers, increase customer service, and provide news and brand-related information. But it’s not the big brands that are solely driving Twitter it’s the individuals with a unique voice – just like you and me – that are cultivating the Twitter discourse. Use twitter to your advantage by personalizing your profile with both a picture and background and by engaging in conversations also known as “tweets” .

To further enhance your Twitter experience, explore the array of third party twitter applications that are available for both your computer and smart phone. I use and enjoy Tweetdeck for my Mac computer and Twitterberry for my Blackberry smart phone.

LinkedIn

A LinkedIn profile is a combination of your resume, cover letter, and professional network. LinkedIn allows you to keep in touch with your friends and co-workers, search and post jobs, and join or create groups of interest.

LinkedIn is especially handy for it’s now linked with Twitter. This means if you “tweet” via Twitter with the #in hashtag symbol it will automatically change your LinkedIn status, for all your friends and coworkers to see.

Facebook

Use Facebook to your ultimate advantage by personalizing your profile. A good Facebook profile should include an accurate picture and informative details about yourself; and don’t forget to include a link to your website or blog.

Once you are Facebook-savvy, you can enhance your experience by joining or creating Facebook ads, groups, or fan pages.

Website, check. Listening, check. Socializing, check…Now What?

Once you have established your online presence, ensue to engage on a daily basis. Consistency is key in order to keep your readers coming back for more. Building the perfect online brand takes time and commitment, so be patient and have fun. Remember, your personality is what separates your brand from the rest, so enjoy your online experience and never stop showing-and-telling to the world.

Hi All,

Can you believe that there is just over 30 days until Christmas? Our staff will be taking a few days off during the Holidays to spend with Family and Friends. We will be open on Christmas Eve, and will be open from the 29th to 31st (but with a few less Hover elves) . Here is our Christmas Week schedule:

From our Team to You and Yours, we wish you all the best at this time of year, and here’s hoping that 2010 will be a happy and healthy one for all.

Happy Holidays!

John Moffat
Manager, Customer Service

An old scam is making the rounds yet again. This one appears to be a system status update from the webmail administrator asking you to provide certain details about your account so that we can delete all the unused accounts to make room for new ones.

Problem is, the email isn’t coming from the webmail administrator or your good friends at Hover, it is coming from a scammer who is trying to get your email username and password so that they can hijack it and send out spam, or worse, use it as the first step to accessing your credit card or bank accounts.

here is a sample of a recent example that I received:

Some things to note about the email:

1) It didn’t come from Hover! We always send out email under our real names and company information. We don’t hide behind generic addresses or terms like “Web mail administrator”. You will always get email from a real person that works here.

2) We would never ask you for these kinds of details in an email message. We already know who you are, what your passwords are and so on. The scammers don’t, which is why they are asking!

3) We would never do any work on our system and not post details about it to our Help center. Its always a good idea to check in and see what we’ve going, but especially if you ever get an email like this one!

4) Our customers pay us for their service, we would never delete any account that a customer had paid for, even if it was unused.

5) The email doesn’t mention Tucows or Hover anywhere. We would never hide our company affiliation like this!

There are other tip-offs as well – we have legal requirements that govern what we can and can’t say in a message like this, and other items as well. However, the simplest way to find out if a message like this is legitimate is to simply forward it to “help@hover.com” and ask us! You can call us at 1-866-731-6556 as well.

It is always better to be safe than sorry. Don’t fall prey to these scams. Once someone has access to your email address, they are often able to get quick access to your other online accounts like your banking and work accounts – which never turns out well. Do your best to protect your email address!

I can’t stop blogging now.  Somebody else say something, please.

This post won’t quite fulfill the stated promise of the blog since I am going to talk about a service we offer.  But I can’t help it.  There are myths that need to be dispelled.  Fears that need to be allayed.  Shackles that need to be broken!

I have talked to so many people over the past few months that would love to have a better email address and just can’t seem to do it.  People putting sloppy looking Gmail and Hotmail addresses on resumes.  Actors.  Photographers.  Real estate agents.  I have a friend who manages her SAT tutoring business at something almost exactly like ADF37@aol.com.  (I have altered it slightly to protect her identity from my throng of readers.)  This is her livelihood.  She uses that address in local advertising.  She sends invoices from that address.  She hates it.  But she’s afraid to leave it.

Concern #1

I don’t want to start using a whole new email interface.  (I also don’t want to manage multiple Inboxes.)

You don’t have to!  Completely disconnect an email address from an email interface in your mind.  And nobody ever needs to check more than one Inbox.  We offer Webmail but we barely encourage anyone to use it.  We know there are companies that spend ten times what we spend to develop theirs.  You can get yourself a simple, short, memorable, unique email address and continue to use whatever email program you prefer.   Just forward the email to an existing email address.  Then set up your Outlook, Mac Mail, iPhone, Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo! or just about anything you use to send your emails out from your new address.  We have wonderful tutorials and videos in our Help section that help you do it.

Concern #2

I don’t want to have to tell everybody that I changed email addresses.

You don’t have to!  You really don’t.  I just did this.  I got a new personal email address and I just started using it as described above.  In my case, I have always forwarded all email to my work Inbox.  People send emails to my old personal email address.  I respond using my new email address.  So anyone new that I reach out to gets my new address.  Anyone who reaches out to me at the old address is getting a response from the new address.  Eventually, anyone I would possibly care about has my new address.  And anyone who doesn’t can still reach me anyway at the old one.

There are plenty of people who are just fine with their generic email address.  That’s cool.  Listen, ultimately it’s about substance, whether you’re socializing, networking or conducting business.  But if you grimace a bit every time you give somebody your email address out loud.  Or you feel like you could use just an ounce of credibility, polish, consistency, recall, humor or anything from a new one, don’t be afraid.  Come on in.  We can help.

Hover is a proud sponsor of www.torontogirlgeekdinners.ca.

There is an event coming up on Monday, November 9.  We’ll be giving away some free email addresses.  If you are in Toronto and you are a girl geek, go to the site and get signed up to join in the fun.