Welcome To The Ask Doug Website!
In the last decade that I've been doing business on the internet, I've received questions on a variety
of subjects...
Since I have a website that's all about spam, a website that's all about puzzles, brainteasers, and math problems,
a website about educational software and website design, and websites about assorted other subjects, you can
probably imagine that I get all kinds of questions!
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After a few years of answering questions, I decided it was time to start compiling some of those questions and answers in one place. Thus the "Ask Doug" website was born.
Below you will find links to some of the questions I've received and answered. If you don't find the answer you're looking for, you can
try using the search bar at the top of the page, or you can ask me a question!
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Do People Make Money from Blogs?
Do people really make money from blogs? How can you monetize your blog?
Questions About HTTPS
HTTPS and HTTP questions. Speed of https connections, coding and permissions, and security of https sites
Why Does Windows Vista Have That Security WIndow?
Why Windows Vista has that security question after the screen fades to black, prompting you to continue.
I have Windows Vista, and I'm getting a missing file error.
Windows Vista error - how to resolve a 'file is missing or invalid' or 'missing dependency' error.
Is This Home Business Legit?
A travel website offers several business packages for people who want to earn commissions on vacation travel packages. Is this legit?
Is PEMDAS no longer the standard Order of Operations?
PEMDAS: order of operations mnemonic designed to help students remember Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, Addition and Subtraction
Is Alexa Traffic Ranking Important?
Alexa Traffic Ranking is Alexa's way of measuring how popular your website is, based on traffic statistics.
How Important Is PR (PageRank)
Google Page Rank is Google's way of measuring the value, popularity and importance of websites.
What Is Hotlinking, and why is it bad?
Hotlinking - Hot linking is when a webmaster posts an image from another website on his own.
What Do You Think Of This Gallbladder Website?
Website offers a report on flushing gallstones out of your system with a natural home remedy. What do you think?
What Does This Mean?
<3 - it's not just a mathematical expression; it's a bit of internet shorthand!
Doug overlooked something!
Ericsson Hoax Follow-up Question - Anna Swelung, Anna Swelunt, Erricson, Ericcson, Ericsson.
Why can't I access these sites?
How HTTP and HTTPS interact with your internet security properties and trusted sites
Why Do I Get Nonsensical Emails?
Gibberish Spam - Spam With Nonsensical Words and Phrases - why spammers send out emails filled with nonsense
Why does the Gospel of John mention the number 153?
153 - 153 is a triangular number, and it's also a Happy Cube. In addition, it appears in the Bible, and is discussed by numerologists
How do I choose a Strong Password vs a Weak Password?
MySpace Hackers hacked my account. I know I should choose a Strong Password - what's a good string password?
Can I Stop Spammers From Doing This?
Spammers sending emails that appear to be from my domain - how to stop spammers from forging my domain name into emails
Is Ericsson really giving away free computer laptops?
Ericsson Company is giving away free computer laptops, according to an email. A previous version said they were giving away cell phones
Why can't I connect to my MySQL Database?
Client does not support authentication protocol requested by server; consider upgrading MySQL client error message
Can I Tresect An Angle Using This Method?
Angle Trisection: A possible method for trisecting an angle using a straightedge and compass
What happened to the missing dollar?
The question of the three men, the bellboy, and the hotel owner, who have a mixup over the room fee. What happened to the missing dollar?
PWND - What does it mean?
PWND, PWN, Gamers use this shorthand internet phrase, and it means 'owned', as in badly defeated.
Is the Winking Emoticon considered Flirtatious?
If you get an email with the winking emoticon, should that be interpreted as flirtatious?
Spam with dead URLs - what is the point?
A spammer forged my email address. The emails he sends contain dead urls. What is the point?
What Is CCAPP.exe?
CCAPP.exe is a file used by Norton Internet Security. It is a file required by the Norton system, but can cause problems.
Can I Download Software That's Not Verified?
OGG Format Files can be played in Windows Media Player, if software is downloaded, but should I download it?
Is This Turnkey Website Business For Real?
Turnkey Websites - websites that are guaranteed to make money, at least that's what they claim. Is this a scam?
Frames - How Do I Keep a Dynamic Address Bar?
Frames from different domains, making them work together to display a different URL for each framed page.
Why Isn't The Address Bar Changing?
When you click a link in a frame, no change occurs in the browser address bar.
Java Applets and Flash in Menus
Should you use java applets, javascript, or flash animation in your menu bars and navigation systems
How Do I Get More Hits, and Raise My Ranking?
Getting web hits, driving up your site ranking in the search engines, using pay per click systems, and watching out for phony SEO offers
What is Pharming? How Is It Different From Phishing?
Pharming and Phishing, two kinds of online scams. Pharming is really a specific TYPE of phishing scam, and much harder to detect.
Create a Web Page Pop Up without Toolbars
How to design a web page pop up without toolbars that looks the same in every browser, using javascript.
Changing ISPs and Email Addresses When I Move
When moving, you may need to change your ISP, which means you may need to change your email address.
Why am I getting emails with Zip Files?
Virus creators hijack email addresses and use them to send spam with viruses attached as zip files.
Recognizing A Viable And Trustworthy Company
Looking for a manufacturer of titanium and gold inlay men's rings - how do you know if the website you've found is viable and trustworthy?
My Site Doesn't Look As Good In A Smaller Window
Text wraps and the layout changes when users resize their web browsers. Use absolute widths instead of percent widths to solve this problem
Two-Tier and Three-Tier Architecture?
Two tier architecture and three tier architecture: 2 tier places the workload on the client, 3 tier puts it on the server.
Should I Trust An Online Business?
Online scams and questionable business practices abound. Look for businesses people trust, with a reputation for honesty.
W32.Blaster.Worm - how do I get rid of it?
W32.Blaster.Worm prevents users from connecting to the internet, which can make virus removal very difficult.
What Is Phishing?
Beware of phishing - internet scams that try to steal credit card numbers, bank account numbers, passwords, and other personal information.
Internet Explorer For Macintosh problem
Internet Explorer For Mac does not handle table border styles the same way as other web browsers (including IE, Foxfire, and Safari)
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Shoudl I provide passwords at unsecure sites?
What security risks are involved in using passwords or other member login information on unencrypted websites using HTTP instead of HTTPS?
Examples of HTTPS
HTTPS (HyperText Transport Protocol Secure) is the secure version of HTTP. See examples of HTTPS sites.
Shouldn't your site meet Bobby's requirements?
Should you take the time to make your site meet Bobby's Accessibility requirements? How much hassle is it, and what is it worth?
What Is A Trojan Horse?
Trojan horses are computer viruses that are disguised as helpful or interesting computer programs. These dangerous programs are really a trap.
What is a computer virus?
Definition of computer viruses. What are viruses and how do they work? A simple explanation for new computer users
How do I know when my pages are listed?
Search engines can take weeks or months to list your pages. How can you track when they finally make it in?
Someone is faking my email address.
Forged email addresses can make you look bad, especially if it appears that you are sending pornographic spam.
Undeliverable emails from unknown email addresses
Delivery failure notification message is caused by a virus forging your email address so you get the 'undeliverable email' message
Website layout changes while images are loading
Width and Height Properties used in HTML image tags control the display size of an image. Also functions as an image placeholder while it is loading.
Titles for my web pages?
Search Engine Optimization is greatly improved with page titles that contain keywords and keyphrases for your website
Any tricks to promoting a non-profit website?
Promoting A Non-Profit Organization Website - no different than promoting a For Profit site, except you have more options, and less expensive options.
Should I let my child join an internet website?
Message boards, educational websites, and other internet websites have membership options. Should I let my child join any of these sites?
Should I let my child browse the internet?
How much should children be allowed to browse the internet? What about protecting them from inappropriate websites like pornography and hate sites?
What is the best placement for my navigation menus?
Should navigation menus be placed across the top or down the side of your website? What is the optimal navigation menu placement?
Why doesn't my site look good in Netscape?
Websites that look good on Internet Explorer may not look good on Netscape, Safari, Firefox or Opera. Test your site on multiple platforms
Is it wise to post my contact info on my site?
Should webmasters post email address, address, telephone, fax and other contact information on their websites
How Secure are secure servers?
Are secure websites really secure? Is it really safe to provide credit card numbers, social security numbers, and other information on them?
Al Gore didn't REALLY invent the internet, did he?
United States Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) network was the precursor of today's internet, and it was not invented by Al Gore
Who is Bobby, and should I be doing anything about him?
Make use of Bobby to get information about whether your site meets web content accessibility guidelines.
What file attachments can I safely open?
Many file attachments in emails contain viruses. How do you know what is safe to open, and what is not?
Can't I receive EXE, and MDB files in Outlook?
Outlook blocks receiving of file attachments which may contain malicious scripts or viruses. How do I deal with this?
Can viruses attack through image files?
Can viruses get into your computer through image files attached to your emails? No, but be careful anyway.
Why do people get so upset about email forwards?
Email forwards can be fun, or they can be annoying. But they can also be a back door for spammers to get your email address.
How do I keep spammers from getting my email address?
Spammers often have automated email harvesters that browse the internet looking for email addresses. How do you prevent them from getting yours?
Should I delete the file SULFNBK.EXE?
Email warnings about the file sulfnbk.exe should be ignored. This is a hoax causing users to delete a legitimate system file
Should I use an automated website promotion tool?
Automated website promotion tools can be of great value when you're starting out, but be careful in choosing, and read the fine print.
Should I change my email address?
Changing your email address has both pros and cons. Changing your address can decrease spam, but may cause loss of contacts.
Interpreting internet slang is beyond me!
Leet speak, internet shorthand and slang can make interpreting emails a difficult task. Here are some interpretation tips.
Why shouldn't I use capital letters?
Typing an email in all capital letters is considered rude in many circles; it's like yelling at the recipient
Telling the difference between real and fake viruses
Virus information can be found at the McAfee website and Symantec website, as well as other resources, such as Truth or Fiction.
Any special requirements for formatting hyperlinks?
Format hyperlinks carefully for best search engine optimization, and for handicapped accessible pages
Why should I use ALT Tags in my images?
ALT Tags in HTML Design are important for slow loading pages, and for vision impaired visitors.
Meta Tags - Description and Keywords. What are they?
Meta tags And Web page design: Description and Keywords are two meta tags you'll need to use when optimizing your web page for search engines.
Internet Listserve and Email Addresses
Is your email address safe from spammers? Just because the site you've joined hides email addresses from visitors is no guarrantee.
How can I get in a search engine FAST?
Getting your website listed fast in a search engine like google, msn, or alta vista is a challenge.
HTTP and HTTPS - What is the difference?
Security is an important issue on the internet. Understanding the difference between http and https is very important to internet users
What exactly is the 'Diameter of the Internet'?
Measuring the size of the internet, as a function of distance measured in clicks between randomly selected web pages.
How do I interpret those odd punctuation marks?
Internet users often express emotion in emails through emoticons, or 'emotional icons'. These are images indicating smiles or frowns
Can I Put My Credit Card Number in an Email Message?
Credit card numbers and email messages are a match made in heaven...NOT. Never put your credit card info in an email!
Do I Really Need To Renew My AntiVirus Subscription?
Why does my AntiVirus software have a yearly subscription renewal? Is that really fair?
What AntiVirus Software Do You Use?
AntiVirus software is critical to the health of your computer. Is it difficult to pick the right software package?
Virus Definitions - What Are They?
Virus definitions help fight computer viruses, just like antibodies fight biological viruses.
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