Now, Why Would You Want To Block Internet Sites?

I don't believe it but it's happening. The Malaysian Authorities have actually gotten Internet Service Providers to block one internet blog-cum-website because of its alleged offensive content. Without much foresight, the service provider actually blocked the domain, and in so doing, not only revealed its stupidity to international ridicule, but also exposing the lack of knowledge among the powers that control one of the leading authorities on Malaysia's future in the cyberworld.

The ban, which raised furore in cyberspace, has spilled into the streets to become topics of conversation at sidewalk cafes and hawkerstalls.

If the aim was to deny access to the said site by the self-styled moral guardians so that those who did not know what it was - and therefore would not be exposed to the site's allegedly vile content - then the authorities had failed miserably.

What it succeeded, though, was to make fools of its board of directors and how little they knew about their jobs and the internet. What the ban did was to actually trigger much more publicity on the site and increased traffic to it - not to mention of course, revealing 101 ways how you cannot ban access to any internet site unless you pull out the transmission lines with which you are connected to the world. And in a small way, the ban revealed why such as an important authority that regulates cyberspace laws should have people who are tech-savvy and internet-literate work there so that they would not continue to turn the Government's faces pink in disgrace.

If you have forgotten, several countries had tried the same trick of banning internet sites. Years ago Thailand tried on Youtube and failed. Pakistan tried, too, with some success - especially in raising more furore among the international community on the country. Of course Myanmar did, and succeeded, quite disgustfully, when it actually pulled the plug out of the wall. And as sure as pop-ups, some crazy tech-illiterate person/s or organisations would forget all these silliness some years down the line and try the same trick again so that you and I could get a good laugh.

Laughs aside, the bigger worry now is not how to wipe the embarrassment off the faces of those responsible for the ban but how to justify the actions of the MCMC, the authority which ordered the ISP Steamyx to deny user access to the site Malaysia Today.

What should keep the decision maker sleepless now is how to explain its own contravention of the Bill of Guarantees of the Malaysian Multimedia Supercorridor which assures non-censorship of the internet, among others.

And I heard rumblings from one online newspaper that the bloggers are now in the cross-hairs. Just don't you try banning Blogger...

Disabling Windows XP Services

I was facing some problems with my XP recently and had been going around seeking assistance. Apparently some poorly configured drivers during an application installation had contributed to a week of loss work and frustrating start-ups, some of which were initiated by XP itself.

The Event Viewer had revealed that most of them were services related and that led me to plumbing the web and tech forums to seek answers to one big question I had:

How much of the services on XP do I need and which ones can I stop at start-up?

The snooping led to this compilation which I found at BloggerDigest. I am displaying it here for my own easy access and if it helps you somewhat, feel free to provide feedback.

How To Disable Unwanted Windows XP Services
Security and performance are the two main concerns, that Windows XP users (similar to Windows Vista and Windows 2000) need to seriously understanding these 72 Windows services.

Windows service is essentially a Windows programme running in background and because of this, Windows service takes up system resources throughout its execution. While Windows security is not hardened, some of these Windows services might easily expose security vulnerability (such as Alerter, Remote Registry, etc).

This guide covers 72 Windows services, to show Windows XP users (as well as Windows 2000 or Windows Vista users) to determine which Windows XP services can be safely disabled.

Note: Not all Windows services can be disabled. Some are critical to Windows XP, and should not be disabled. However, you may re-enable them by booting Windows XP into Recovery Console mode.

Alerter
Function
Notify system users or programs about any administrative alerts that raised in Windows XP.
Status
Can be safely disabled at all time.

Application Layer Gateway
Function
Provides support for application-level protocol plug-ins for Internet Connection Sharing and Windows Firewall.
Status
Windows Messenger, MSN Messenger, etc, rely on this service to operate. If there is a firewall enabled to safeguard Windows XP, it is safe to enable.

Application Management
Function
Provides program installation related services.
Status
Disable this service will disallow non-administrator users to perform program installation related activities.

Automatic Updates
Function
Enables the download and installation of critical Windows updates.
Status
You can safely disable it, and manually trigger the process by using Windows Update online service.

Background Intelligent Transfer
Function
Transfers files between clients and servers in the background using idle network bandwidth.
Status
If Automatic Updates service has been disabled, you may want to disable this service as well. However, you may not able to download some of the programs from Windows Live, if this service is disabled.

ClipBook
Function
Enables ClipBook Viewer to store information and share it with remote computers.
Status
This service can be safely disabled, as most users don't utilize this feature.

COM+ Event System
COM+ System Application
Function
Supports System Event Notification Service by providing automatic distribution of events to subscribing COM components.
Status
These two services can not be disabled!

Computer Browser
Function
Maintain an up-to-date list of networked resources, such as network shared drive and printer, and supply the list to programs that request it.
Status
You may safely disable this service if you're not going to share any resources to the network.

Cryptographic services
Function
Provides three management services
Catalog Database Service, which confirms the signatures of Windows files
Protected Root Service, which adds and removes Trusted Root Certification Authority certificates from this computer
Key Service, which helps enroll this computer for certificates.
Status
This service should be enabled at all time. Automatic Updates and Task Manager rely on this service to Function properly.

DHCP Client
Function
Allow Windows XP to automatically obtain IP address, WINS server information, routing information, etc.
Status
There is no reason to enable it, if you're using fix IP, or no DHCP server available in the network.

Distributed Link Tracking Client
Function
Ensures shortcuts and OLE links to work properly when the target file is renamed or moved, by automatically maintain links in NTFS file system.
Status
Depending on your wish, this service is safe to disable at all time.

Distributed Transaction Coordinator
Function
Coordinates transactions that span over multiple resource managers, such as databases, message queues, and file systems.
Status
For most home users, this service is safe to disable at all time.

DNS Client
Function
Allows Windows XP to communicate with canonical names rather than numeric-based IP address, by resolving and caching DNS names.
Status
This service should be enabled at all time, to facilitate Windows XP communicate over the network, especially on a network environment with domain controller.

Error Reporting
Function
Allow error reporting (to Microsoft) for services and programs running in non-standard environments.
Status
You may enable this service only when you are frequently encounter system or program crash.

Event Log
Function
Enable event log messages raised by Windows-based programs to be viewed in Event Viewer.
Status
Unlike Error Reporting service, this service should be enabled at all time to assist you resolving system failures, audit system security logs, etc.

Fast User Switching Compatibility
Function
Enable fast user switching feature that introduced in Windows XP.
Status
Although fast user switching is good, but it consumes huge system resources, both memory and CPU. So, it is better to disable this service for performance reason.

Help and Support
Function
Enables Windows XP Help and Support Center to run on this computer.
Status
Depending on your wish, if you feel comfortable without consulting Windows XP help, then you may safely disable it.

Human Interface Device Access
Function
Enables generic input access to Human Interface Devices, which activates and maintains the use of predefined hot buttons on keyboards, remote controls, and other multimedia devices.
Status
This service can be safely disabled to free up more system resources to critical services.

IMAPI CD-Burning COM
Function
Manages CD recording using Image Mastering Applications Programming Interface (IMAPI).
Status
This service can be safely disabled, as most Windows XP users are using Nero burning software for CD/DVD burning.

Indexing Service
Function
Indexes contents and properties of files on local and remote computers and provides rapid access to files through flexible querying language.
Status
If you don't frequently searching files using Windows search Function, or you can tolerate with slow searching Function, then you can disable this service to free up some system resources.

IPSEC services
Function
Provides end-to-end security between clients and servers on TCP/IP networks.
Status
Don't disable this service, if you're connecting over an IPSec secured connection.

Logical Disk Manager
Logical Disk Manager Administrative
Function
Detects and monitors new hard disk drives added to Windows XP, and sends disk volume information to Logical Disk Manager Administrative service for configuration.
Status
You may enable these two service only when you are going to add new hard disk drives to Windows XP, rather than turning it on at all time.

Machine Debug Manager
Function
Supports local and remote debugging for Visual Studio and script debuggers.
Status
Disable this service if you don't perform program debugging processes.

Messenger
Function
Transmits net send and Alerter service messages between clients and servers. Note, this service is not related to Windows Messenger or MSN Messenger.
Status
This service is safe to disable, if you disable Alerter service.

Microsoft Software Shadow Copy Provider
Function
Manages software-based volume shadow copies taken by the Volume Shadow Copy service.
Status
Disable this service if you don't perform Windows Backup.

NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing
Function
Enables an authorized user to access you computer remotely by using NetMeeting over a corporate intranet.
Status
You should able to justify the reason of enabling this service, that allow remote users access to your Windows XP.

Network Connections
Function
Manages the network and dial-up connections, such as network Status notification and configuration.
Status
This service should be turned on at all time, if your Windows XP is connected to network or Internet.

Network DDE
Function
Provides network transport and security for Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) for programs running on the same computer or on different computers.
Status
This service is safe to disable, if there is no such need for your Windows XP.

Network DDE DSDM
Function
Manages Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) network shares.
Status
Disable this service, if you don't use DDE network shares.

Network Location Awareness (NLA)
Function
Collects and stores network configuration and location information and notifies applications when this information changes.
Status
Enable if this service, if your Windows XP has Internet Connection Sharing or Internet Connection Firewall enabled.

NT LM Security Support Provide
Function
Provides security to remote procedure call (RPC) programs that use transports other than named pipes.
Status
You may enable this service, if your Windows XP needs to log on to pre-Windows 2000 computers or domains

Performance Logs and Alerts
Function
Collects performance data from local or remote computers, based on pre-configured schedule parameters, then writes the data to a log or triggers an alert.
Status
Unless you are in the midst of fine tuning Windows XP, you may safely disable this service to free up system resources. This service has potential to impact Windows XP performance after running for some times.

Plug and Play
Function
Enables a computer to recognize and adapt to hardware changes with little or no user input.
Status
This service should be enabled at all time. Disable it will cause Windows XP becomes unstable.

Portable Media Serial Number
Function
Retrieves serial number of any portable media player connected to Windows XP.
Status
Disable this service will cause protected content unable to download to the device.

Print Spooler
Function
Manages print queues and load files to memory for later printing.
Status
You may safely disable it, if you don't have a printer attached to Windows XP.

Protected Storage
Function
Provides protected storage for sensitive data, such as private keys, to prevent access by unauthorized services, processes, or users.
Status
This service should be enabled at all time.

QoS RSVP
Function
Provides network signaling and local traffic-control setup Functionality for QoS-aware programs (Quality of Service) and control applets.
Status
You may enable this service, if you're using QoS aware applications.

Remote Access Auto Connection Manager
Function
Creates a connection to a remote network whenever a program references a remote DNS or NetBIOS name or address.
Status
This service should be enabled at all time, in order Windows XP to communicate successfully over the network.

Remote Access Connection Manager
Function
Manages dial-up and virtual private network (VPN) connections from your Windows XP to the Internet or other remote networks.
Status
This service should be enabled at all time.

Remote Desktop Help Session Manager
Function
Manages and controls Remote Assistance.
Status
You may safely disable this service, if you don't want remote users to access to your Windows XP via Remote Desktop.

Remote Procedure Call (RPC)
Function
Allows processes to communicate internally and across the network with each other.
Status
Don't ever disable this service! Disable this service will cause Windows XP fail to boot up.

Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator
Function
Manages the RPC name service database, which is similar to DNS service for TCP/IP.
Status
This is also a critical service, which should be turned on at all time.

Remote Registry
Function
Enables remote users to modify your Windows XP registry settings.
Status
Editing Windows Registry is dangerous! Unless you could justify the reason of enabling this service, Remote Registry service should be disabled whenever possible.

Removable Storage
Function
Manages and catalogs removable storage media (such as USB mass storage drive) and operates automated removable media devices.
Status
This service should be enabled if you frequently attaching removable storage media to Windows XP.

Routing and Remote Access
Function
Enables multiprotocol LAN-to-LAN, LAN-to-WAN, virtual private network (VPN), and network address translation (NAT) routing services for clients and servers on the network.
Status
Unless you're running Windows XP as server, this service is safe to disabled at most of time, for most Windows XP users.

Secondary Logon
Function
Enables starting processes under alternate credentials.
Status
Disable this service will disable Run As features.

Security Accounts Manager
Function
Stores security information for local user accounts.
Status
Disable this service will cause Group Policy objects, DHCP, etc, to fail Functioning.

Server
Function
Allows the sharing of Windows XP resources, such as files and printers, as well as named pipe communication.
Status
If you don't want remote users access to Windows XP resources, or attack via Windows XP hidden share (such as C$, D$, IPC$, etc), you may want to disable this service at all time.

Shell Hardware Detection
Function
Provides notifications for AutoPlay hardware events.
Status
If you don't want Windows XP automatically pop up auto-play dialog box, you could safely disable this service.

Smart Card
Function
Manages access to smart cards read by Windows XP.
Status
There is no reason to enable this service, if you don't have smart card reader attached to Windows XP.

SSDP Discovery
Function
Used to detect UPnP devices found on the network.
Status
Disable this service, if you don't have UPNP devices attached to the network.

System Event Notification
Function
Tracks system events such as Windows logon, network, and power events. Notifies COM+ Event System subscribers of these events.
Status
This service should be enabled at all time, especially Windows XP powered laptop (to receive battery related events).

System Restore
Function
Performs system restore Functions, such as saving periodic checkpoints.
Status
This is one of the system resouce sucker. Although, it is useful in the case of system failure. If you can tolerate with system failure or you could restore Windows XP to Functioning state via Norton Ghost image, then you may safe to disable this service.

Task Scheduler
Function
Configure and schedule automated tasks on Windows XP.
Status
Disable this service will disable scheduled tasks from running automatically. However, according Microsoft, this should remain enabled at all times.

TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper
Function
Provides support for NetBIOS over TCP/IP and NetBIOS name lookups.
Status
This service could be safely disabled, if you don't share Windows XP resources.

Telephony
Function
Provides Telephony API (TAPI) support for programs that control telephony devices and IP-based voice connections.
Status
If you don't have a modem attached, or connect to Internet via modem, you may safely disable this service.

Telnet
Function
Enables remote users to log on to Windows XP and run programs, via various TCP/IP Telnet clients
Status
There is no obvious reason to enable this service, especially if you don't want remote users access to Windows XP.

Terminal Services
Function
Allows multiple users to connect interactively to a Windows XP.
Status
You may safely disable this service, if you don't allow remote users access to Windows XP.

Themes
Function
Provides user experience theme management.
Status
If you are using Windows Classic theme, you can safely disable this service to boost Windows XP performance.

Uninterruptible Power Supply
Function
Manages uninterruptible power supply (UPS) connected to the Windows XP.
Status
No reason to turn on this services, if there is no UPS attached to Windows XP.

Universal Plug and Play Device Host
Function
Provides support to host Universal Plug and Play devices.
Status
If you disable SSDP Discovery service, you may safely disable this service as well.

Volume Shadow Copy
Function
Manages and implements volume shadow copies used for backup and other purposes.
Status
You may safely disable this service, if you don't rely on Windows Backup.

WebClient
Function
Enables Windows-based programs to create, access, and modify Internet-based files.
Status
This service can be safely disabled, if there is no such need.

Windows Audio
Function
Manages audio devices for Windows-based programs.
Status
Disable this service, if you don't want your Windows XP to speak at all!

Windows Image Acquisition
Function
Provides image acquisition services for scanners and cameras.
Status
No harm to disable this service, if there is no such need.

Windows Installer
Function
Adds, modifies, and removes applications provided as a Windows Installer (*.msi) package.
Status
This service should be enabled at all time, in order to perform Windows update.

Windows Management Instrumentation
Function
Provides a common interface and object model to access management information about operating system, devices, applications and services.
Status
This service is critical to Windows XP, and should be enabled at all time.

Windows Management Instrumentation Driver Extensions
Function
Monitors all drivers and event trace providers that are configured to publish Windows Management Instrumentation or event trace information.
Status
This service is not as critical as the Windows Management Instrumentation service, but is worth to enable at all time.

Windows Time
Function
Uses NTP protocol to synchronize Windows XP local time with NTP server.
Status
Enable this service, if you want to synchronize Windows XP time with a NTP server.

Wireless Zero Configuration
Function
Automatically configured WIFI (802.11) network adapters.
Status
This service should be enabled on laptop that supports WIFI connection.

WMI Performance Adapter
Function
Provides performance library information from Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) providers to clients on the network.
Status
This service should be enabled at all time.

Workstation
Function
Creates and maintains client network connections to remote servers.
Status
This service should be enabled, when running Windows XP on a network environment.

Broadband Speed Test

I wrote about the poor broadband speed I am experiencing a while back several posts. I decided to not jump to conclusion that Streamyx service sucks, so I went on the prowl and bumped into this broadband speed test. Boy, was I in for some surprises.

Indeed, the broadband speed (download) was near what was promised but the upload was only one half. Look at the test results and you will see the shockung truth. If you are looking for a good speed test, this one is it.

WOS site is now up and running, and known as MoWeS

I blogged about the CHSoftware site recently and what a waste it would be if the site was shut down. Well, I am glad to say here that the site is back online.

WOS or Webserver on a Stick has also been given a new name: MoWES which in their own words, means:

MoWeS stands for the three letter abbreviation Modular Webserver System and makes it possible, to run a webserver based on Apache, MySQL and PHP from an USB Stick or any other writable media (harddrive, flash cards etc.) without installation under Windows

Self-financed sites like this, where open-source people gather for a good cause to give other lesser abled and lesser skilled people a chance to work on and enjoy various technological breakthroughs, are hard to come by.

Not many people - out of the goodness of their hearts - want to spend money and possible un-recoupable man-hours to improve the lives of others.

Whenever I come across sites like MoWes, I count my blessings and pray that they continue to do their good work on the net. Their efforts, which often go unnoticed, are what keep the spirit of the Internet alive and the wheel of experimentative technology rolling forward.

For that, this small Netizen say "Thank You".

Petronas MAS Phone Scam - Guess Who Gave Away Your Phone Number

Updated: Aug 19, 2008!
It appears that the Petronas scam has gotten beyond Malaysian shores. Judging from the comments from across the Causeway, I think this issue needs to be examined and investigated in-depth by Petronas. All the numbers are given and one wonders how and why the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) failed to nip the problem in the bud. Surely by triangulation, the scammers' location can be identified, his/her identity revealed and the irresponsible person caught and severely punished. How difficult is that in this age and time when even nasty SMS-senders have been caught and charged?

This blogpost first appeared on April 10 (content as per below). I decided to upgrade this post to see if more discussion here will somehow spur the authorities into action and get the scammers using all methods possible. If possible, the authorities should also get those who sold phone number datas to third parties - especially loyalty schemes and card memberships.

Barely two weeks after I highlighted the unsolicited offer from a bank given to RealRewards members, I am hit with this.

This time, it was a RM14,000 (about USD5,000) offer from Petronas MAS - whatever that acronym means in terms of legitimacy - that my phone SIM card has won.

I wont insult your intelligence by explaining what this might be. And I certainly hope anyone who receives similar messages would be wise enough not to dial the number listed.

But I am highlighting this here so that the authorities concerned could nab the suspect who probably has a list of scammed victims tucked up somewhere.

In case the authorities are wondering how, the phone number of the responsible is up there in the pictures.

I won't be calling the scammer but I do hope our Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will call him/her up pronto.

Better, give him/her two tight slaps on my behalf for sending unsolicited offers and announcements to me.

To Petronas and MAS staff reading this, please inform your legal department and sue the pants of the fella who send this spam on your behalf. The number is up there for your taking.

The Relevance of Google Page Rank and Malaysian Advertisers

I HAVE long thought that Google Page Rank is important to the success of a site, and if you are ranked between 5 and 7, your site is indeed important and if you are anywhere lower than that, you are not so important in a world where Google rules. And this concern was amplified some time last year when this site was zeroed by Google, as did some other pretty popular sites.

Although there are a number of the sites which are hardly worth the time spent on, simply for their senseless regurgitation and repeating of content from the bellies of other sites, they have been given some respectable pageranking for some strange reasons.

So, I have decided deep-plumbing Google about the importance of its Page Rank so that I can gain insight into the heart of the problem. And this effort has turned up some pretty interesting things about Google Page Ranks and how people out there could have been misled by its misplaced importance. I will share with you some of my findings here.

One of the earliest papers arguing the accurancy of the Page Rank is that of Google Watch which posted an article by Daniel Brandt (founder and president of Public Information Research, Inc). While search engine optimisers argue whether or not they should use PR as a yardstick to measure their site's success, lesser mortals like you and me should read what Google Watch has to say about Page Ranking in its article: PageRank: Google's Original Sin .

The most recent update was on June 26 2004, four years ago, which capped the conclusion on Page Rank (and I quote):

The consensus among observers is that PageRank is not nearly as important as it was up until mid-2003. Many sites with good PageRank are not doing well in Google, and many with poor PageRank are ranking well for keywords that are important to them. These days, the keywords in the anchor text of external links are more important than the mere fact of the link itself. (In its classic form, PageRank was computed from links without any consideration of content.) Finally, the Google toolbar indication of PageRank -- which has always been too crude to be of much use -- is no longer even reliable.

It has always been the case that large sites with average or below-average PageRank have a difficult time getting all of their pages indexed in Google. This is one area where PageRank may still play a role. But for the most part, this essay is out of date. It remains posted here for historical reasons.

I remember getting quite alarmed about the Google Page Rank of a certain site dropped and how I failed to get a response from the people at Google Singapore. No one wanted to say anything and the public relations people representing them gave a promise that was never delivered. In the end, I was no smarter than I was in the beginning when I wanted to find out what the basis for the Page Rank system was.

My query then was to have an understanding of how a site can be made better to conform to Google's crawling needs and ease of search for users looking for related materials, and if Google Page Rank played a part in this, I would like to know why. But with the futility of my effort, I turned to Google itself and sure enough, there were more answers than I could possibly digest - and enough for me to make a layman's conclusion over PR.

I am now questioning the relevance of the Google Page Rank after having read so much about how it could be flawed - and I also wonder if the Page Rank button on my Google Toolbar serves more than a decorative purpose.

If you wish to plough through the many papers that I have found, please do so here:

• Google PageRank: Biased and fundamentally flawed?
• How PageRank Works & Why the Original PR Formula May be Flawed
• The Weight of Google PageRank in Ranking (one of the earliest on PR)

and a whole lot more here

Footnote:
Having said that, how do Malaysian companies that want to make their online adspend more worthwhile pick the best sites to advertise in?

Well, I think the best is still to get a site traffic report and if possible, keyword searches. If you are targetting a generic crowd, go for the highest I suppose. And if you are looking for more focussed hits, keyword search reports will do just fine. Apart from that, if you still want to amuse yourself, use PR to guide you.

Streamyx is Really Screwed

I didn't believe it at first and now that there is no other factors to consider, I will say it out loud. Streamyx is in trouble!

Look at the download screenshot which I took of 15 times when downloading from various sources - this is the No 15th, taken from a downloading test of AVG's latest AV from popular site Download.com.



Judging from the transfer rate of 15kb/s you would think I was using a dial-up. You could'nt have been more wrong. And I suspect the broadband is nothing but hotair - although I must admit it was fast when I first susbcribed.

In the face of stiff competition, I just hope TM's Streamyx service will buck up. If it doesn't, it will definitely fall flat on its face! It is among one of the earliest service providers and has had a monopoly of the market for a good many years. Jaring don't count much as it is already hobbling towards the sunset of its existence. Not keeping up with service quality and promises to customers will kill any business in no time and I think anyone worth his/her pay at Streamyx should be very worried. If they haven't, probably they have not put their ears on the grounds and listen to the rumblings of their customers. Which is also why they have not heard the thundering footsteps of their competitors hot on their heels - if they have not overtaken them (Streamyx) yet!

And if Streamyx fails to see stiff competition coming, it should shoot itself in the feet because it is simply no good having the promotions all about town when quality and aftersales service are not up to mark. When you promise your subscribers/clients, you have to deliver. It doesn't matter if it is a 1MB or 512K. Heck, your client is not going to give you the two cents and they will move on, brudder!

Next week, Packet One will launch its WiMax in the city. Another launched its service in Klang Valley two weeks ago. And I have spoken to industry players and the common mnn in the street. The people are excited - especially the latter.

Guess what is the common thread running through their complaints and why they are considering service hopping?

Are the Malaysian Public Relations Industry Ready for IT Age?

I have been watching the Public Relations industry (PR) in Malaysia for quite a while - more than two decades to be exact. And I have been following the development not within but from outside, as a media person than a practitioner where I would (and did) get the change to connect with and interact with as many PR practitioners in as short a time as possible.

From the days when the IT age was still in its infancy in the mid 80s till today, some 20 years mind you, little has changed although all PR personnel today use computers and not the clanky IBM typewriters their predecessors do in the days of yore. Some of the younger PR person, I suspect, have never even seen an Olivetti Traveller (an indispensible too for journalists on the go) which the IT Age has left behind in the rusty corner of antique stores of today.

Yet, many PR persons today have not moved on in terms of their working habits - you only need to attend press conferences to fathom the frustration I see and the amusement I feel each time PR practitioners dish out stacks of papers wrapped in the unmistakable Press Kit folder.

Sometimes, you might get a CD, happily, but the delight often were reduced to disappointment when the CD is nothing but a company product catalogue or a corporate video - useful but not that really useful if not armed with an electronic press releases and a folder full of digital pictures in various formats for both print and electronic. Some Press Kits even carry the almost extinct 4R photographs or even Kodak Ektachrome slides - don't be surprised.

What the IT use failed to carry through to their PR work I failed to understand. If one uses computers at the office, what is it that when PR officers handle press conference failed to understand that journalists also use computers and therefore a soft copy is more welcomed that stacks of hard copy? If you think I am making a mountain out of a molehill, think again.

I recently was invited to a press conference of a telecommunications company launching a recycling project. When I arrived at the venue, I was greeted by a PR staff and handed over the customary Press Kit folder with sheets of paper within - from the background of the project to the CEO's launch speech. And when it was over, I was again handed a plastic goody bag. And I had just listened to how much the company cared for the enviroment and would spearhead this recycling campaign.

If I had been the CEO of the company, I would have recycled the media liaison person for having such a short foresight. For Pete's sake, wouldn't a CD containing all the information in that Press Kit be better? And cheaper too! If you can, even a thumbdrive with your corporate logo emblazoned across, would be more useful as journalists could recycle it after using the content. Why waste paper if you so much as talk about recycling?

If you are a current PR practitioner, I think it is time to think about proper use of IT. Today's media convergence has made the practice of public relations more sophisticated but not necessarily difficult. If you are trained in PR, then the onus is upon you to be at the cutting edge of technology, especially information technology. If not, you will be left behind by the media industry which is also there at the front row.

The PRice to pay for PRice Undercutting in PR Biz

I was having lunch with a lovely former journalist who is now a proud owner of a public relations firm of potential. During the lunch, the topic of conversation turned around the subject of public relations and the media.

While the PR business is growing and will continue to grow in a developing country like Malaysia, already the ugly side of the business is emerging. She mentioned how price undercutting was robbing her of clients and how some organisation who engage PR firms based on promises of how they could do more with less.

I find this rather disturbing and every PR person who walks through the doors into my office is viewed with suspicion - is he/she waiting to pounce on unsuspecting editors and journalists, to sweet-talk the editor into giving the coverage the PR person has promised his/her client? For that reason, each PR material I scrutinise based on its merits. And if I so much as sense it was merely carpet bombing of editors on the editorial floor, (ie. send all releases to all desks in the hope of securing coverage) down go the release into the dustbin, waiting in line to be thrown away by my Indon cleaners.

The trouble with price cutting, I told the PR practitioner, is that it demeans people who actually work very hard to do their jobs as public relations practitioners - not make-up artists for any organisation. This means, the PR practitioners know the meaning of public relations, and how to best carry out dissemination of information in the spirit of garnering goodwill from the publics (yes, publics - not public ) in the interest of the company. This is not the same as getting come cheap publicity just because they are pally with the editors.

The PR officer who knows his/her job, is not only able to disseminate information well for use by the media, but is also able to measure the success of a campaign and provide follow-up analysis to the client - even if it is a piecemeal project. In marketing terms, this is after-sales service - you inform the client what his campaign has achieved and how he can strengthen his market share.

And for all the work a good public relations practitioner does, clients should also bear in mind that these activities, all measureable and quantified, cannot come cheap. And if anyone who offers this cheap promise should be asked to show hoe he/she would do it. They should not be given the job even if it was recommended by your PR director if the offer is not of merit.

If you are the CEO of any company who intends to engage any PR practitioner for any campaign, then you will have to know what PR is all about and what public relations practitioners do. Listening to PR pitches without this basic knowledge and only looking at the bottom line of the moment is like walking blind-fold into a minefield that may cripple a new product line or blow up and undo years of good branding and image building efforts.

Google Releases Its Gadgets On Blogger Layouts

Blogger gets better by the day and as you are aware, they have released the Gadgets for you to use. If in the past you only had a few widgets to play with, mostly HTML/Text stuff, now you have practically everything Google developers (and users) have developed over the years. From weather to astronomy gadgets and tic-tac-toes, and what-have-yous. Check out this latest feature - and clutter soon to hit Blogger sites!

How To Record Sound Off Your Computer

There will come a time when you need to record sound or music which is playing off your computer. The low-tech method is to play the sound or music and then activate your sound recorder, and play the mike near the speakers. This is good when the quality of sound is not that important to you. Sometimes you get other feedback as well as the uninvited echo.

However, if you need to get a clear recording off your computer, like for instance you need to capture a radio stream, you will have to do something better. The devices are all within your XP and Vista.

Here is how: Click on the Speaker symbol on your taskbar.

In the Master Volume window, Click Options > Properties

There are 3 things you need to do here:
1. Select Line-In from the drop down.
2. The pick Recording
3. Then Check the Stereo Mix Box and Save.

There you are. Now, you can test playing a song from a CD/DVD drive or from within your computer. Then open your Sound Recorder and see if it records.

Hope you find this useful. Write to me if you need additional help.

Beijing Games Via YouTube

August 8 is an auspicious day and the Beijing Olympics has just been launched at 8.08 Beijing Time.

The event is witnessed live all over the world via satellite television and land based transmissions. What which would be unthinkable two decades ago is happening right before our eyes, thanks to high-speed connectivity.

On the internet, while there is no many direct streaming, the Olympics organisers have instead put up a wide selection of video clips on the many Games that will be contested during the duration - thanks to YouTube.

This is a fine example of how a non-news website embrace the new media through a social media once thought to be fun tool for youngsters to upload their favourite pop concert.

You don't need hi-tech infrastructure to broadcast to the world, no need for high-speed servers and large bandwidth. And you don't need to spend a bomb just to get your message across or search for specific target audience. Just use existing technology and if you don't try to re-invent the wheel, you will get there faster.

Check out the website here. There is plenty to learn for those embarking on online journalism or new media, whichever fancy name you prefer to call it.

Meet The Nut Graph - New Kid On The Online News Block

If there is anything you can see as a direct result of the March 8 general elections, where the ruling coalition took a beating because it ignored the influence of online news alternatives (blogs and YouTube etc), it is this: the online news business in Malaysia is relatively unexplored and its market undertapped. Otherwise how else would you explain the emergence of new online news sites?

Other than the 10-year-old Malaysiakini, which has positioned as the alternative media quite successfully, there is little to quench the thirst of the Malaysian public looking for alternative news sources except for blogs and some forums here and there.

Joining the early bird Malaysian Insider , which took off a week before March 8, is NutGraph, scheduled for roll-out this month.

According to the posting at its landing page Nut Graph: "promises to provide insightful analysis into the news in and outside of Malaysia. Featuring seasoned journalists and well-known columnists, The Nut Graph will connect the dots for readers to make sense of politics and pop culture."

If you don't know what a Nut Graph is, visit the Wikipedia. It states: "In journalism, a nut graf (sometimes spelled nut graph or nut 'graph, and also called a billboard) is one or more paragraphs, particularly in a feature story, that explain the news value of the story."

It is an interesting name which incidentally also points to a niche market yet unexplored by Malaysian online news sites. Which direction Nut Graph will take, only the founding team knows.

From the banner on the site, it would appear that it strives to be another website attempting to make sense of Malaysian politics and pop culture. The Malaysian Insider has proven itself quite successful handling the former (especially with little interference from the Government), so I guess there is no harm in Nut Graph extending its ambition a little wider to include the latter in terms of news scope.

I cant wait to see what engine Nut Graph will use to manage its content. Will it be Wordpress as it did the Malaysia Votes site - which incidentally was founded by two young but prominent journalists who are also on the Nut Graph's helm? Or will it follow the footsteps of the Malaysian Insider and use Joomla instead? It should be interesting to watch.

However, what is even more interesting to see is that now the share of the revenue pie is already shrinking, and to be shared with the traditional brand-strong online edition of print media and the existing online media (ie. Malaysiakini, and the blogs).

The reason online sites did not take off the past few years is because there is no profitable revenue generating business model. Except for pinching pennies out of the ad clicks (read: Adsense), and cold calling prospects, there is very little online news site can hope to earn from their news generation - however interesting that may be.

So far, only Malaysiakini has succeeded in getting paid subscriptions and it should now be in the black quite contentedly if its traffic, as trackked by Alexa, is anything to go by as seen from the graph below.

Malaysiakini - look at its traffic rank after the March 8 spike. And just below it, coming up pretty fast, too, is the Malaysian Insider.

If you remember correctly, Malaysiakini opened its doors to all and sundry a week before the elections and soon closed them shut after the results were out. And from the graph, it takes very little to guess how many readers stayed back and who is probably laughing all the way to the bank.

The new media business will definitely hot up from now on, especially with the going-ons at the political front.

Will this spell the end of the traditional print media or will it evolve into something even better? No one knows. Let's site back and watch the fun and more compete for your eyeballs, including yours truly.

YouTube - Video No Longer Available

When YouTube started, I was wondering when the service would be facing problems caused by increasing demand, especially of proportional increase in bandwidth needs and rising costs in infrastructure.

I think after three years, the hugely popular video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips, is beginning to show its slip.

Created in mid-Feb 2005 by three former PayPal staff, the San Bruno-based YouTube, which uses Adobe Flash technology to display user-generated video content, now not only has to contend with copyright challenges caused by users uploading unauthorised content, but also availability problems.

Never mind the fact that Google has acquired it two years ago - but the usual We're Sorry This Video Is No Longer Available message which was virtually unseen in days of old is now popping up ever so frequently - and even when the video is still up there on YouTube.Could it be because the infrastructure is lacking or cannot keep up with the demand?

If you have been embedding your videos or those taken from YouTube, you may have seen this above image popping up. Unless you are tech-savvy - or interested - you probably will move on to another site or link when the Video No Longer Available message hits you in the face.

Although there are several discussions on the YouTube forum such as this one, which suggests that it could be a glitch caused by malformed client side server requests, I suspect the problem has something to do with the server's side. Afterall, the [EMBED] scripts are generated by YouTube and probably the only customisation users do is the screen resize, which logically should not cause the Video Not Available message to pop on.

Right now, there appears to be selective 'disappearance' of available video. I have tested a few and some, despite being 'Not AVailable' play again when you refresh your webpage. Some just stay dead.

For public relations purposes, and generate goodwill, I suggest you insert a cautionary line at the bottom of your video embeds if you are using YouTube until the problem is resolved.

Put this: "Please Refresh If Video Is Not Available." It may not solve YouTube's problem, but at least it will not cause your visitors to be angry with you or think that you did not use updated content.

Robb Montgomery's holding a 'Camp Video Journalism' course

Robb Montgomery has written to inform that Visual Editors will be organising 'Camp Video Journalism' next month in Chicago. This is a three-day Camp VJ workshop .

Details:
Location: Chicago Sun-Times
Organized By: Visual Editors Event
Description: Chicago workshop in Video Journalism
Dates: September 24, 25, 26

An idea about this event:

WOS Site Out?

IN December last year, I wrote about webserver on a stick and how useful it was for testers like myself. The mobilty and portability provided me with the ease of working on various Apache-server based softwares without having to lug a laptop around. Just plug and play from any already-running computer terminal.

I also mentioned about chsoftware.net which provided the fantastic software WOSmixer which allowed me to mix and match content management softwares and databases, from Wordpress to OsCommerce and the likes.

However, I returned to the website recently to check for latest update. There were none. According to the on-site posting, the site is being upgraded. Dated July 23.

When or if it would come back, I don't know. I suspect the site has been discontinued, as many good sites have been due to finances or lack of interest. It has been two weeks since the last posting was displayed. It is a pity such a good site had to go if it has really been discontinued.

I have written to the innkeepers and have yet to receive any reply. Hopefully, someone who has been this blog who knows them would alert them of my concerns - and probably thousands who visit their site intermittently.

Meanwhile, if you need to configure a webserver on a stick, check out T2's website. There is a tutorial on setting up Wordpress using Xampplite which you could use to also install other Apache-oriented softwares.

WiMax is here - albeit limited

Packet One Networks (also known as P1) created history today - having launched its WiMax broadband service in Klang Valley, albeit several areas in the city as well as on the suburbs, and Subang Jaya.

This writer was told that the company's focus is on homeusers who have long been frustrated by the persistently interrupted and slow broadband access - land line or wireless. And the move, spearheaded by the CEO Michael Lai himself, is timely and smart, especially after the traditional providers of broadband access had not lived up to the demands of users nor has kept up with industry needs. Lai should know having led the TMNet as its head honcho until two years ago.

With the launch, and hopefully the promises that follow the roll-out soon would be matched by the accessibility and speed - not forgetting an impeccable customer service.

With the shift towards the Internet and multimedia, the highest disservice P1 can do to itself is to fall short of expectations - just as many of the service providers have proven themselves to be and what P1 can take tremendous advantage of.

From what was seen at the launch, which this writer was privileged to attend, the future looked bright for this company - but if only it paid heed to the wants of its users, especially in the Klang Valley, where many are globetrotting yuppies who have been frustrated by slow connections and persistent denial of access and connectivity.

If P1 places its customers above the bucks that would roll in to its coffers, then its shareholders should laugh all the way to the bank.

If not, then another service provider will be hot on its heels. In fact, another had launched a similar service just a day earlier. And with competition, Malaysian Net users will most certainly benefit - not only in costs but also service. Now, let the broadband war begin, seriously!