No One Likes Your Web Site
Robert Weiner
MAY 19, 2009
Seems like everyone’s taking potshots at nonprofit Web sites these days. A few weeks ago I wrote about Jakob Nielsen’s study of nonprofit Web site usability. Their key findings: read more.
Robert Weiner
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Anatomy of My Web Site
Robert Weiner
APRIL 11, 2009
Several friends who have decided to explore WordPress have asked how I built my site. I now know enough to tweak the site myself, but sometimes need guidance from Robyn. Robyn also installed, or pointed me to, widgets that added new features, like the search box and a plug-in that pulls my blog posts from TechSoup into my site.
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Adding Google Voice to My Web Site
Robert Weiner
NOVEMBER 20, 2009
I just added a Google Voice widget to my web site (on the Contact Us page). The hardest part was figuring out how to embed the code on my site. When a caller clicks the icon s/he is prompted to enter a name and phone number. Google Voice calls that number, then connects the caller to me as a free VOIP call.
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Jakob Nielsen Thinks Your Web Site Sucks
Robert Weiner
APRIL 14, 2009
In a recent study of nonprofit Web sites , usability guru Jakob Nielsen asked participants "what information they want to see on nonprofit Web sites before they decide whether to donate?" Well, maybe it doesn’t exactly suck, but potential donors can’t figure it out.
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Lame spam of the day: Raw spam merge text
Robert Weiner
JULY 20, 2013
Some newbie spammer posted a message on my site that shows the contents of their spam merge database. In my opinion|Personally|In my view}, if all {webmasters|site owners|website owners|web owners} and bloggers made good content as you did, the {internet|net|web} will be {much more|a lot more} useful than ever before.|
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Lame spam of the day: CareerBuilder position notices
Robert Weiner
APRIL 26, 2012
This site says they're malware delivery vehicles. I found a vacant position at Security Finance Corporation that you may be interested in based on information from your resume or a recent online application you made on our site. You can review the position on the CareerBuilder site here: Chief Business Development Officer.
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Lame spam of the day: Fake BBC news stories
Robert Weiner
MARCH 20, 2013
Clues that it's fake: I don't know the sender; the sender shows as Wendy Kauffman but the text says it came from Rich Webb; it went to an account that I only use for newsletters and discussion lists; and hovering over the URLs shows that they don't lead to a BBC site. This site says these are malware delivery vehicles.
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Lame spam of the day: Instant Acrobat Upgrade
Robert Weiner
JANUARY 2, 2012
The update site is instant-acrobat-upgrade.com, not adobe.com. McAfee's site advisor says it's queued for evaluation. Since Adobe seems to update Acrobat weekly, this message seems plausible. Some quick indicators that it isn't real: I get updates through the installed Adobe Updater, not as email messages.
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Firefox error: sec_error_untrusted_issuer
Robert Weiner
MARCH 7, 2011
When visiting secure (https:) web sites Firefox would say "the connection is untrusted." When I said I wanted to trust the site I would get a further error saying "sec_error_untrusted_issuer" (The certificate is not trusted because the issuer certificate is not trusted). I then tried this approach, recommended by Matthias Versen.
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126 Lame spams of the day: Fake UPS and FedEx delivery notices
Robert Weiner
NOVEMBER 30, 2012
Like this site , I'm assuming these are malware delivery devices, but don't intend to experiment. They're so badly formatted, it's hard to believe anyone would fall for them. The spammers haven't even tried to make the reply-to address look legit. Some have a sender name from UPS but use the FedEx logo.
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156 Lame spam of the day: Fake eFaxes
Robert Weiner
AUGUST 16, 2012
A second version said "2 pages" and had a different caller ID and time stamp but pointed to the same site. Please visit www.eFax.com/en/efax/twa/page/help if you have any questions regarding this message or your service. Thank you for using the eFax service!
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Lame spam of the day: Need your help!
Robert Weiner
FEBRUARY 3, 2012
This site says it's a malware delivery mechanism. This one is simple and intriguing, but obviously a scam. Sender: KATHRINE BURRELL (accounting@rlweiner.com) -- nope, no Kathrine Burrells work here. Subject: Need your help! Text: Hello! Look, I've received an unfamiliar bill, have you ordered anything? Here is the bill (link leads to [link].
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122 Lame spam of the day: disappointed spammer
Robert Weiner
APRIL 19, 2013
Here''s one of the former, from a spammer I presume is trying to increase the search engine ranking for a site selling shoes. Most of the spam that reaches me comes as emails, but my blog also attracts a fair share of spammy comments. Some are particularly lame (and some are pretty amusing).
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Lame spam of the day: boundless online grant applications
Robert Weiner
JANUARY 11, 2012
I cling on to listening to the newscast lecture about receiving boundless online grant applications so I have been looking around for the finest site to get one. But maybe they mean "for unlimited amounts of money". Could you advise me please, where could i get some?
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Lame spam of the day: spelling error correction
Robert Weiner
JANUARY 10, 2012
The following comment (with a link to an unrelated web site) was left on my blog. Using fractured English to correct someone's (nonexistent) spelling errors struck me as a novel approach to SEO. Certainly like your blog on the other hand you have to check out the actual spelling on some of your content.
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Everywun Wants Your Clicks
Robert Weiner
DECEMBER 5, 2008
The San Francisco Chronicle published an article about everywun.com , a new click-to-give site. The article makes this sound like a new idea, but The Hunger Site (and their later projects for breast cancer, children’s health, literacy, rain forest protection, and animal rescue) has been doing this since 1999.
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Lame spam of the day: Amazon cancelation
Robert Weiner
MAY 2, 2012
Previous incarnations of this spam have led to a Canadian online pharmacy, and the hyperlinks in this one lead to a site in Canada. And of course it's not for a product I ordered. Would someone really click this? Sender: order-update@amazon.com. Subject: Amazon.com - Your Cancellation (147-911-9683). Text: (yes, blank lines at the top).
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Lame spam of the day: I’m in trouble!
Robert Weiner
DECEMBER 22, 2011
This site says the link leads to malware. Don't people know not to click links in weird emails from strangers? Probably not. Sender: Svetlana@rlweiner.com (My domain -- no Svetlanas work at my company). Subject: Fwd: I'm in trouble!
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112 Lame spams of the day: 123Greetings
Robert Weiner
AUGUST 13, 2012
The first 3 links point to hacked WordPress sites that mean do me harm, such as: aliceclayton.com/wp-content/plugins/akismet/greet.html. This site says the links install malware. This email was sent by 123Greetings.com, Inc., 1674 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. emeraldexpo2012.com/wp-content/plugins/akismet/greet.html.
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100 Lame spam of the day: messages from YouTube
Robert Weiner
MAY 8, 2012
This site says they're from an online pharmacy. I've seen several flavors of this spam lately. The formatting is pretty good -- not the usual lameness. It's the content that's lame. Version 1: Sender: YouTube Service (service@youtube.com). Subject: YouTube Service sent you a message: Your video has been approved.
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Lame spams of the day: fortunemart
Robert Weiner
NOVEMBER 19, 2012
The subjects have included: new site. Each spam has been one line of gibberish, plain text, no graphics, no formatting. I can't find any analysis of what happens if you click the links, and I'm not going to experiment. your friends. Re: Longer. plus several without subjects. The text follows. Each message was one line.
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Lame spam of the day: Digg + Facebook
Robert Weiner
JUNE 14, 2012
We look forward to seeing you around the site. Version 1: Sender: Facebook Verification (registration@datonet.at). Subject: Thank you for registering. Text: Thank you for registering with us at Facebook Social. Your profile has two different views reachable through clickable tabs: • View My Profile: see your profile as your network does.
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124 Lame spam of the day: Starbucks is giving away gifts
Robert Weiner
NOVEMBER 16, 2011
Heres the site [link] There are just 207 left!! It's a mystery, but there are only 207 of them so act now! Sender: Mwiza Mireille (kamwiza@yahoo.fr). Subject: blank. Text: OMG, Starbucks is gifting away new gifts. Rush, Do not wait a moment. Quote of the Day! Curtain nature of their occupation and the reprehensible distance from.
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Lame spam of the day: Credit Card is one week overdue
Robert Weiner
JULY 7, 2011
According to this site the attachment installs malware and attempts to steal your money and identity. Got two of these today. Version 1: Sender: Automatic notification (help@creditdepartment.com). Subject: Credit Card is one week overdue. Attachment: Financial_Statement#65402.zip. Text: Dear Customer, Your Credit Card is one week overdue.
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Lame spams of the day: LinkedIn messages
Robert Weiner
NOVEMBER 20, 2012
This site says the links deliver malware. They look reasonably line LinkedIn messages, though I don't recall ever getting something quite like this from LinkedIn. The subject has been "LinkedIn new messages" but the senders aren't LinkedIn addresses. They've been: Lewis Shannon LinkedIn [cameoingo37@ggtco.com].
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Lame spams of the day: More fake LinkedIn invitations
Robert Weiner
AUGUST 6, 2012
The "accept" links lead to site that I assume intend to do me harm, like: [link]. The "friends" have been: Samuel Padilla. Ezra Sexton. Lewis Padilla. Zane Dawson. Finn Prince. Kevin Spears. Jerome Sandoval. Nathaniel Knox. Raymond Wilson.
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Editable List of Donor Databases
Robert Weiner
AUGUST 26, 2009
What's more, they added descriptions, logos, and links to the vendors' sites. The good folks at Asipration have taken my list of donor databases and put it into the Social Source Commons wiki. You can go directly to the list at [link] or preview it below:
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122 Lame spam of the day: weight loss blog comment
Robert Weiner
NOVEMBER 21, 2011
For certain i will make sure to don’t forget this web-site and check it out constantly. Researching in Search engines I eventually have discovered this page. Reading this So i’m thrilled to say that I have a really good sense I discovered just what I was looking for. At the end there's a hyperlink that says "Weight Loss Program".
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More lame spam as blog comments
Robert Weiner
DECEMBER 15, 2011
I wish to apprentice while you amend your web site, how can i subscribe for a blog web site? Reading your current article causes me completely happy. At once, I will be able to learn even more knowledge. Thanks greatly. Great beat ! The account helped me a acceptable deal.
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112 Lame spam of the day: Who Is She To You?
Robert Weiner
DECEMBER 7, 2012
Brunext.net looks like an exact duplicate of that site. This type of phishing spam is seldom worth a glance, but I was drawn in by the subject line and the random capitalization. An interesting twist in the story is that brunext.com appears to be a real company. Sender: Malcox Jason [brunext@brunext.net]. Subject: Who Is She To You?
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Getting RSS Feeds Via Email
Robert Weiner
MAY 16, 2010
However, I found a way to do this even for feeds that don't offer email delivery by playing with these instructions for setting up a Google FeedBurner subscription for one's own web site: [link]. FeedBurner's instructions are designed for someone posting an RSS feed link on a web site. Click the button that says Activate.
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Lame spam of the day: pizza order
Robert Weiner
APRIL 18, 2012
Text: You've just ordered pizza from our site. Here's the whole thing: Sender: JustineSherrick@hotmail.com (no attempt to make it look like a business email). Subject: Order confirmation. Pizza Ultimate Cheese Lover's with extras: - Italian Sausage. Diced Tomatoes. Diced Tomatoes. Extra Cheese. Easy On Sauce. _. Bacon Pieces. Diced Tomatoes.
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Lame spam of the day: Traffic ticket N88790
Robert Weiner
MARCH 16, 2012
The From address doesn't even try to look real, the message was written poorly, and there are no graphics, contact info, or links to a web site. But I was able to resist because of the lameness of the message. I do like the use of "automatical" -- that should be a real word. Yours or no" is good, as well.
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Resources from the Compasspoint Panel
Robert Weiner
JUNE 3, 2010
My own resources page: [link] It includes links to articles like: Should Your Organization Use Social Networking Sites? Idealware's "Consumers Guide to Low Cost Donor Management Systems" [link]. Social Media. Before You Jump in with Two Feet in Social Media - Important Boring Basic Stuff First.
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Lame spam of the day: Termination of my CPA license
Robert Weiner
FEBRUARY 21, 2012
According to the AICPA's web site it's a phishing scam. I'm crushed. I didn't even know I had a CPA license, and now it's being revoked. Over and over (19 times in the past 2 days!). Unlike most lame spam, at least they bothered to make it look real.
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Lame spam of the day: US Airways reservation
Robert Weiner
APRIL 2, 2012
This site says the links lead to malware. Air logo looks terrible, the formatting is sloppy, all the departure cities and times are the same -- only the flight number and confirmation code (and hyperlink destination) vary, and there's no arrival city (which is perfect if you think about it).
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131 Lame spams of the day: Your score apparently changed!
Robert Weiner
DECEMBER 21, 2012
They included a variety of graphics that look like typical credit score spam, but the sender addresses are obviously faked and the links look like they point to hacked WordPress sites like nbouhout.astblogs.org//wp-content/themes/trulyminimal/includes/framework/plugins/score_for_free.html. Senders: Credit Masters [flaredx379@blomnet.com].
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122 Lame spam of the day: You are highly needed
Robert Weiner
JULY 2, 2012
Although the war has ended, for me to proved this to you, see the site below for more information, [link]. I will be vivid and coherent in my next message in this regards, meanwhile, could you send me an email confirming that you have visited the site and that you have understood my intentions? Anita George , a member of the U.S.
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How To Search the Social Web: The Ultimate Toolkit
Robert Weiner
APRIL 13, 2009
She calls it a "comprehensive guide to a wide range of resources, Web sites, services, and advice that will help you find, filter, and monitor the information you need more effectively." Robin Broitman of the Interactive Insights Group has created an extensive list of tools for searching the social Web.
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Lame spams of the day: messages from key.com
Robert Weiner
MARCH 29, 2013
This site lists them as malware delivery devices but doesn't elaborate on the threat. I received seven copies of two versions of this spam. Plain text, no formatting, no logos. Here they are: Senders : Georgina_Stevens@key.com. Gavin_Deal@key.com. Ana_Bowers@key.com. Denise_Fish@key.com. Rickie_Roberts@key.com.
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122 Lame spams of the day: so many ebills
Robert Weiner
DECEMBER 26, 2012
This site says they're malware delivery devices, so do not click on them! I got two dozen of these this morning, which may be some kind of record. A few of the senders: alets-no-reply@customercenter.citibank.com. alets-no-reply@serviceemail6.citibank.com. citibank.com. alets-no-reply@citibank.com. citibankonline@customercenter.citibank.com.
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Nonprofit Technology 601
Robert Weiner
JUNE 16, 2009
This post lists books, reports, Web sites, blogs, and conferences that nonprofit techies — and not just those newbies — should know about. Heather Carpenter’s Nonprofit Leadership 601 blog posted a list of resources for people who are new to the field of nonprofit technolology.
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Lame spam of the day: Notice from WesternUnion) : Account Deactivate.
Robert Weiner
JULY 11, 2011
We are continually improving our Web site to better serve you. NOTE: The form needs to be opened in a modern, javascript enabled, browser. (ex: ex: Internet Explorer 9, Firefox 3, Safari 3, Opera 9). We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. -.
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122 Lame spam as blog comments
Robert Weiner
NOVEMBER 30, 2011
For instance, the first one is promoting a financial planning site -- who would hire a financial adviser based on this kind of marketing? I assume that most of these are planted for search engine optimization rather than to get people to click a link. 1) I am really satisfied with this posting that you have given us.
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