Cruzio Newsletter - Number 119, September 11, 2008
1. What Changes Would You Like to See in Cruzio's Email? Tell Us.
2. Cruzio.com Mailbox Capacity Tripled
3. Beware of Phishing: Cruzio NEVER Asks for Your Password in Email
4. What to Do If You Gave Your Password to a Phisher
5. Get Listed
6. Cruzio Aids Local Job Seekers
7. Time to Work On Your Online Sales
8. Ask Questions, Post Comments in Cruzio's Support Forum
9. Upcoming Classes
10. Great Show October 3rd
11. Watsonville Store Hours Changing
12. Moving?
13. Get Cruzio Credit with Buddy Bucks
14. Feed the Hungry, We'll Waive Your Late Fees
15. About This Newsletter
16. How to Reach Cruzio (Dial-in or Tech Support)
1. What Changes Would You Like to See in Cruzio's Email? Tell Us.
We are redesigning Cruzio's email system from the bottom up.
In the coming months you'll see some very profound improvements.
This is a great time to let us know what you think and what you want.
Please take our email survey at:
http://www.mycruzio.com/emailsurvey
2. Cruzio.com Mailbox Capacity Tripled
We've tripled the size of all @cruzio.com mailboxes as a first step
in the coming email improvements. Capacity in these mailboxes will
now be 100 MB and we are planning even higher for the near future.
In the next few months, we'll also be increasing mailbox size in all
other Cruzio-hosted mailboxes, such as those ending in @baymoon.com and
our classic Web hosting accounts, where you use your own domain name
to receive email.
This is only the beginning.
3. Beware of Phishing: Cruzio NEVER Asks for Your Password in Email
There's a type of scam called "phishing" which uses tricks to get
you to reveal personal information over the Internet.
The latest phishing scheme we're seeing -- and it is a smart one --
is for the hacker to take an ISP or company name and email to millions
of random letter combinations at the company's domain, pretending to be
the company itself.
This type of fake email has been received by some Cruzio members.
It pretends to be from Cruzio Support. It isn't.
The email urgently but vaguely describes a system problem which you
supposedly must address immediately or lose the use of your account.
You might not notice the misspellings and oddly worded English. But
you can't miss the request for personal information:
Email: Username:
Email: Password:
Date of Birth:
DON'T ANSWER.
Don't fall for this. Phishers use any little piece of information they
can get or guess about you to pose as someone you trust. But someone you
trust would never, ever ask you to fill out these questions in email.
And why would Cruzio want to know your date of birth?
Remember, the more urgent the request, the more likely it is a scam.
For more information on current phishing or other problems, check out
Cruzio's Technical Support:
http://www.cruzio.com/support
Cruzio has blocked this spam several times, but hackers tend to shift
wording and senders, making them hard to pin down. We are watching our
system carefully to halt any phishing-related behavior.
Please, don't hesitate to email us or post in our forums to ask us
about stuff like this! We'll always be happy to answer your questions.
4. What to Do If You Gave Your Password to a Phisher
If you fell for a phishing scheme, don't beat yourself up. They are
quite successful and increasingly sophisticated.
If you sent your Cruzio password to a phisher, change it immediately. If
you call or email Cruzio during working hours we'll change it for you right
away. (831 459-6301 option 4, or support@cruzio.com).
To change the password yourself, go to Cruzio's home page at
http://www.cruzio.com and log in at the upper right corner. Once you're
logged in, click "Manage Email" in the upper right of any page on the site.
Click the "Change Mail Password" button near the bottom of the screen.
Remember to memorize your new password!
The remedy's the same if you think you've compromised a password for
another website, such as your bank or brokerage. Reach the site as soon
as possible by phone or email, and tell them what happened. And it never
hurts to change your password as soon as possible.
5. Get Listed
Take advantage of your free listing in the Santa Cruz Guide to publicize
your business or hobby. Any Cruzio member can put an entry in the Guide
free of charge. It's a great benefit of membership.
It's easy:
Just log in to the Cruzio website. Select the Guide tab and click "Add Listing."
After creating an entry, you'll see your listing appear here:
http://www.cruzio.com/index.php?option=com_jreviews&Itemid=85
Since our site is one of the most popular in Santa Cruz County, this
will give you lots of exposure.
Other Cruzio members -- there are about 20,000 eligible -- can rate
you with up to five stars and write detailed reviews. Tourists and shoppers
on Cruzio's website can read your entry and click on your links. You can
even link back to your profile page, where they'll see all your vital
information and your pictures, logos, and a blog.
Another bonus is that linking from your Guide entry to your website will
get your site more hits. And links from Cruzio's popular site will
increase your search engine rank.
When you look at businesses in the Guide, you can see how many times
they've been viewed (by potential customers!). The most popular entries
have already been visited hundreds, even thousands, of times.
6. Cruzio Aids Local Job Seekers
Santa Cruz's local Career Center was in trouble. With a tightened budget,
it was about to close its Capitola office, forcing job seekers in the
northern part of the county to drive all the way down to the remaining
center in Watsonville -- on $4 per gallon gas.
$4 a gallon is a lot when you don't have a job. And ironically, the
state budget dropped just when people began to need employment help
most.
So some local heroes stepped up to help: Cruzio worked with a group
including the Workforce Investment Board, the EDD, the Good Times and
the Santa Cruz Adult School to keep the center going. Sutter Health provided
used computers and Cruzio is providing Internet access free of charge. In some
ways the facilities were actually improved by the change -- newer computers
and better Internet for the job seekers.
We hope to help keep the center going for as long as it's needed. The
Internet is one of the best ways to locate jobs and communicate with
employers these days, and we are glad to pitch in.
7. Time to Work On Your Online Sales
The big stores are doing it: when times are tough, expand sales channels.
Companies like Saks 5th Avenue and Macy's are turning to the Internet as
a low-cost way to boost business.
But the Web is an equalizer, and small companies can sell over the Web
too. To improve your online sales for the approaching holidays, we
recommend you:
* Use an up-to-date design and software like Cruzio's Website
Plus.
* Have someone in your organization take a Cruzio class in Web
design and maintenance. A site done right saves time.
* Join us at the Small Business Fair where we'll show you
how to get a high ranking in Google and other search engines
* Make sure your company has the domain name it needs: check
to see if ernies-shoes.com or marys-hats.biz is available.
* Add a shopping cart with ShopSite.
Our Member Services staff is here to help you plan your Web presence.
Please feel free to call, stop in to our office, or email
office@cruzio.com to brainstorm.
8. Ask Questions, Post Comments in Cruzio's Support Forum
Our new site has a hugely useful new feature.
When you're on http://www.cruzio.com , click the "Support" tab at
the top of any page and you'll be in our new tech support forum.
You'll find lots of handy information -- setup instructions and tips
on how to set up Cruzio services or download free software. But that's
only the start.
It's also a place to enter your questions or suggestions. You can begin
a new topic in any of the forum boards. For a start, if you've got a
comment or question about the website itself, post it here (remember
to log in first!):
http://www.cruzio.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=38&topic=244.0
A member of the Cruzio staff will review your question promptly. And if
you know the answer, we encourage you to help your fellow members. The
general public can read your posts, but only Cruzio members can write.
9. Upcoming Classes
In this next month or so, you'll have class opportunities to match your
level of expertise:
For beginners, try "Internet 101" where we will go over the basics,
starting at how to use a computer mouse and manage email. It's a great
class to recommend to someone who's been struggling with their computer.
Internet 101
September 18 5:30-7:30 pm,
October 9 9:00-11:00 am
When you're ready for your own website, start with "Plan Your Web Presence,"
or if you are already web-savvy, go straight to "One Night Website." After
the Website class, you'll have a new site up and running.
Plan Your Web Presence
September 16 12:00-1:00 pm,
October 2 12:00-1:00 pm
One Night Website
September 11 5:00-8:00 pm,
October 14 5:00-8:00 pm
One Day Website (same class as One Night Website, but in the day)
September 23 9:00 am-12:00 pm,
October 30 9:00 am-12:00 pm
A website is important. Having lots of people visit the site is the
next crucial step. We help you find your audience with "Get to the Top of
the Search Engines" and then teach you how to monetize your work with
"Start Making Money Online."
Get to the Top of Search Engines
September 25 5:30-7:30 pm
Search Engine Optimization Secrets
October 23 9:00-11:00 am
Start Making Money Online
September 30 9:00-11:00 am,
October 21 5:30-7:30 pm
And finally, whatever you've learned, wherever you are, you can
always schedule one-on-one consultations with a knowledgeable Cruzio
instructor. Go over questions and problems you've encountered.
Advance reservation required.
Cruzio One on One
September 10 2:30-3:20 pm, 3:30-4:20 pm,
September 17 2:30-3:20 pm, 3:30-4:20 pm,
September 24 2:30-3:20 pm, 3:30-4:20 pm,
October 1 2:30-3:20 pm, 3:30-4:20 pm
For more information, and to register for classes go to:
http://classes.cruzio.com
10. Great Show October 3rd
Just a quick tip from Cruzio's event calendar: Greg Brown and
Robert Earl Keen will be playing a benefit show in Watsonville on
October 3rd. For details, check the calendar:
http://www.cruzio.com/index.php?option=com_events&task=view_detail&agid=933&year=2008&month=10&day=03&Itemid=63&catids=29
11. Watsonville Store Hours Changing
Projects have required us to pull more of our staff up to Santa
Cruz, so our Watsonville store will be closed Fridays and Mondays
for the next few months. Sorry for the inconvenience.
12. Moving?
If you are moving your home or office, please contact Cruzio.
We're here to help the Internet portion of your move go smoothly.
It's best to let us know several weeks ahead of time, especially
if you have DSL or if you're cancelling a phone line. We can often
save you from an interruption in Internet service and prevent
costly fees -- but you've got to let us know. Call us at
459-6301 or email office@cruzio.com.
13. Get Cruzio Credit with Buddy Bucks
Recommend us to friends, family, colleagues: if a new customer gives us
your email address, registration number, or full name when they sign up
you'll get $10 credit (or more) to your account. If two friends sign up,
$20. Three friends, $30. It just goes on and on.
14. Feed the Hungry, We'll Waive Your Late Fees
If you're late on a payment to Cruzio, turn it into a donation
to hungry folks in our community. We will waive your late
fee if you bring 3 cans into our office for our Second Harvest
Food Bank barrel. Learn more about this charity at
http://www.thefoodbank.org
15. About This Newsletter
Cruzio doesn't like to waste bandwidth with extra email, but we sometimes
have events and announcements that users need to know about. This seems
like the most efficient way to let people know what's happening. Hope
it's helpful. Please email support@cruzio.com with any comments or questions.
By the way, we would love to have a regular, predictable schedule
for this newsletter...but we simply do not send it unless there is real
news enclosed. Thus the haphazard datelines.
16. How to Reach Cruzio (Dial-in or Tech Support)
To reach the Cruzio Information Center, for online technical and
sales information:
http://www.cruzio.com/support
To dial in to Cruzio, set your software to dial one of the numbers
below (note: we've expanded and joined modem pools, so you may be
using another number. If so, don't worry, it still works just fine).
Dialup (in Santa Cruz County): 459-9408
Nationwide Dialup: Look up local number on the left side of the page:
http://www.cruzio.com/support
or call Cruzio toll free, 1.800.303.3302
If you've got a problem, but can still surf the Web:
Most questions are answered in Cruzio's Support Forum at
http://www.cruzio.com/support
To call Cruzio:
459-6301............Use this number to check Cruzio's system status,
pay your Cruzio bill, find out more about our hours and location,
or to reach someone in customer service and technical support.
722-6200 .......... Cruzio's number in Watsonville.
To send email to Cruzio, use one of these addresses:
support@cruzio.com ......for technical support
office@cruzio.com .......for billing and ordering information
Member services contact form:
http://www.cruzio.com/index.php?option=com_contact&task=view&contact_id=6&Itemid=310
Support Contact Form:
http://www.cruzio.com/index.php?option=com_contact&task=view&contact_id=5&Itemid=312
Or leave a message for us in the forums:
http://www.cruzio.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=183
Cruzio's locations:
Santa Cruz: 903 Pacific Avenue, Suite 101, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Watsonville: Plaza Vigil, 25 E. Beach Street, Watsonville, CA 95076
Cruzio's hours:
Sales hours (These are summer hours, through 9/28):
Santa Cruz: 9am-6pm, Mon to Fri; 9 am - 2 pm Sat, 10 am - 2 pm Sun
Watsonville: 10am-6pm, Tuesday through Thursday
Technical support: 8am to 6pm, Mon to Fri, 10am - 2pm Saturday
System monitoring, including customer-alerted emergencies, 24 hours
per day, 365 days per year (leap years, 366 days)
Thanks very much from Cruzio:
Chris, Peggy, Julianne, Mark, Paul, Gershom, Jessi, James,
Juana, Nikkie, Mike, Don, Bruce, Westi, Andrew, Jaime,
another Chris, yet another Chris, Diana, Jake, Shawn,
Zachary, Carlos, Sandi and another Jake;
Jake, Annika, and Carly (the kids)
Annika, age 13, invented a fictional character who's all too familiar:
"Beneath the sweet innocent exterior beats a heart full of snarky
comebacks and sardonic mockeries, as it is in many American teenagers."
