Evidence of Things Not Seen; What eBay Denies in Plain Sight - Hack-Proof Passwords - Web Business Models - Expiring Domains - Crowd Clout

This week I continue my cook’s tour of eBay and all things scam related. I visited a site that I’ve actually followed for quite awhile, one that is driven by a crusty old bird named “Doc”…one of those eBay stories of a once contented seller, done wrong, who now makes it his sworn duty to expose the width and breadth of scams on the site. And to that end, ol’ Doc has done quite a job. While he concentrates on the eBay Motors side of the business, he nevertheless manages to document an incredibly wide range of bad goings-on with extensive screen captures and data.

On my last show, I pointed out that Paypal’s new security device worked well. What it underscores is that in all of the concern for phishing on eBay, it still remains the responsibility of every user to protect themselves as best they can…and one of the easiest, yet most overlooked means of defense is a good, secure password. Listen in as I describe how to make your password virtually unhackable.

HitTail’s blog points out what I’ve been saying about the cost of traffic on-line. You are paying for it, you will pay for it…even if you’re not readily aware of doing so.

A good post on TheStreet.com regarding eBay and Skype.

Haven’t heard much about drop-off stores lately, have we? There’s as site that is run by drop-off store survivors that does a very good job of educating anyone who will listen as to the economic pitfalls of drop store franchising.

Michael Rappa details the basics of doing business on-line with his post on Business Models on the Web.

A good site to begin any business on-line is one where you can search for expiring domains that may just fit perfectly for what you have in mind…the right domain with some history under its belt might just give your business a jump start.

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Links from this week’s show:

Power Press Web Site Marketing Strategy - Write press releases that will drive traffic and buyers to your website or auction. Normally $37.97, you can receive $10 Off ($27.97) by entering “lonelyboy” (omit the ” “) in the Promo Code box.

e-Junkie - The best digital download manager available. Enter code: “SELL101″ for a one month’s free service.

GoDaddy Discount - Get $96 in Free Extras with your domain name from GoDaddy.com. Each domain includes free hosting with a Web site builder, a free Blog, Complete Email and much more. Enter code “pod54″ and get 10% off your order.

eBay Motors Sucks - Don’t let the name put you off…Doc has assembled quite a bit of information and documented it well with screen captures, many of which eBay has deleted.

Auction Count Mayhem - Doc’s page on the wild swings in auction counts that he and others maintain are examples of a wide spread attack on the site.

Doc’s Example of an eBay Phishing Kit - Another example of exactly how attacks are conducted and how easily available the tools are to do so.

HashaPass - Hashapass automatically generates strong passwords from a master password and a parameter.

Google Gadget Password Generator - Similar to HashaPass.

HitTail Article on the Cost of Free Traffic on the Web - Well written article.

Am I The Only One eBay Drop-off Store Franchise Information - A great site to visit before to make the leap.

Business Models on the Web - The 9 business models for the web.

eXpiresoft - Another’s expiring domain may just be your head-start.

Crowd Clout - TrendWatching piece on the power of crowds when it comes to purchasing.

Open Source Code for eBay Listings - By creating eBay listings related to the content using a simple ASP function call you can set up variables and call eBayDisplayItems function to create unique eBay listing choosing the correct keywords and searching category.

Free Directory List - In bound links.

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