Cruzio Newsletter - Number 97, October 10, 2006
1. Meet the Tweegles, Win an iPod
2. Producing Spiffy Web Sites with Great Ease
3. Email That Can Deceive You
4. The Cure for Computer Viruses
5. Free Classes in Watsonville
6. Wednesday Workshops in Watsonville
7. Buddy Bucks
8. Moving?
9. Late Fees Waived if You Help Us Feed the Hungry
10. About This Newsletter
11. How to Reach Cruzio (Dial-in or Tech Support)
1. Meet the Tweegles, Win an iPod
Who are the Tweegles? The mystery has been revealed at
http://www.thetweegles.org
You might be surprised by who (or what) you find there. While
visiting the site, you can enter for a chance to win an iPod
(not just a nano, either -- one of the cool video iPods). And for
those who are artistically inclined, check out the Gallery link
and learn how you can "tweeg" a picture and submit your own abstract
Tweegle art.
2. Producing Spiffy Web Sites with Great Ease
Cruzio staff members are having fun building personal Web sites with
our new Website Plus and Premium products (we get to use them first!)
Many of us now have blogs and personal photo galleries on the Web.
Some of us have reserved sections of our sites for our families
to use -- with the new tools it's easy to set up logins and passwords
for other people, who can put in their own text and photos from their
Web connections.
We've put funny polls on our Web sites, and created forms to
collect information from visitors. Once our site is up, we sit
and watch the reports to see how many people are visiting -- per
hour, per day, whatever we like. It's all built in.
If you'd like to see an example of what our new tools can do, visit
http://www.thetweegles.org
On one of the links we explain exactly what we did to create this
tidy little site that would be great for a family or small business.
It used to be that setting up the framework for such a site was
complicated and time-consuming, but now it's easy. Once you've got the
framework in place, your creativity can bloom.
3. Email That Can Deceive You
Spammers, jammers and crackers use email to achieve nefarious ends.
They create fake graphics and phony Web pages imitating banks,
government offices, and other trusted institutions -- and their fakes
look quite realistic. This deceptive practice is called "phishing."
For example, in my mailbox I've recently received email messages from
"Amazon Security" warning me about "Unauthorized Access" and from
"Washington Mutual" telling me to "Update your Online Banking Records."
Both emails were fake. I don't even have an account at
Washington Mutual, so it was easy to figure that one out.
It's hard to recognize a fake message. After years of experience, many
of us at Cruzio still sometimes wonder: "Is this legitimate?" But if
you follow some guidelines, you won't lose money or reveal personal
information to even the most realistic phishing scheme:
1. If you reached a site via an email link, don't ever enter your
password or other personal information.
2. Don't send secret information via email either.
3. If you think a request may be legitimate, email or call the
company directly -- or use a Web address you've seen in official
company literature, such as your bank statement.
4. Watch out for warning flags like misspellings or bad grammar.
5. The more urgent the message appears, the more likely it is
to be a scam.
Take care, and give these tips to relatives and friends! Don't let
scammers take advantage of you.
4. The Cure for Computer Viruses
We'd all like to see our computers running more efficiently and every
so often we suspect a virus or worm is causing us harm. (Sometimes we
suspect... sometimes we *know*).
Cruzio has a Web page of resources which help you protect against
and repair computer ailments,
http://www.cruzio.com/support/security/computer_care.html
and we give workshops on the topic from time to time. We'll also
do the cleanup for you, if you choose. Since we spend a lot of time
and effort keeping our own computers secure and clean, we're able to
offer the same service to customers for a low price.
Compare our prices to any other computer repair shop and you'll see
we offer an excellent deal. And, not to brag, but our computer
technicians are the finest you'll find*. If you are a Cruzio
member -- and if you are reading this newsletter, you probably are --
you'll even get $20 off a computer spa package. Call us to set up an
appointment!
http://www.cruzio.com/services/tech_services/
(*that really did count as bragging, didn't it.)
5. Free Classes in Watsonville
Introduction to the Computer and the Internet, a 2-Day Class
Spanish: Monday Oct 23 & Wednesday, Oct 25, 7-9:30 pm FREE
English: November 2006, dates to be announced
Both at 23 E. Beach Street, Plaza Vigil, Downtown Watsonville
Help a friend or relative learn to help themselves on the computer.
Gershom Toriz, our Watsonville store manager, teaches classes for
computer novices in English and Spanish.
The first session covers computer basics like starting up the computer,
using the keyboard and mouse, creating a document, and properly
shutting down. The second session introduces the Internet, email
and Web browsing. Lots of tips and tricks are included, and
Gershom is great at helping people feel comfortable while pointing
out where we should be cautious.
The series is for beginners and we recommend that both classes
be taken the same week if possible. Let us know you are coming
by calling 831 722-6200.
6. Wednesday Workshops in Watsonville
Every Wednesday afternoon from 3 to 6 pm, our Watsonville Store
Manager Gershom opens the doors for anyone to come in and ask
questions about the Internet. He generally covers basic computer
operations (your computer has to function to reach the Internet,
after all), how to use Web browsers, find information on the
Internet, and use Cruzio's Web mail program. You're welcome to
stop by, no registration necessary and it's free of charge.
7. 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 to your account. If two friends
sign up, $20. Three friends, $30. Etcetera. They'll be happy you
recommended us, and you'll be happy to get the credit on your account.
8. 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 canceling 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. For more information,
please see
http://www.cruzio.com/services/highspeed_access/move_dsl.html
9. Late Fees Waived if You Help Us Feed the Hungry
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
P.S. Get ready for our holiday food drive, coming soon!
10. 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.
11. 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 our Web page:
http://www.cruzio.com/support/dialup_isdn/nationwide_numbers.html
or call Cruzio toll free, 1.800.303.3302
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
Cruzio's locations:
Santa Cruz: 903 Pacific Avenue, Suite 101, Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Watsonville: Plaza Vigil, 23 E. Beach Street, Watsonville, CA 95076
Cruzio's hours:
Sales hours: 10am-6pm, Monday through Friday; 10 am - 2 pm Saturday
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, Stephen, Paul, Gershom,
Jessi, Michael, Maria, James, Juana, Krissie, Nikkie, Mike,
Don, Bruce, Edgar, Brian, Westi, Andrew, Jaime, another Chris,
yet another Chris, and Reema;
Jake, Annika, and Carly (the kids)
Carly: "Sapphires are my second favorite jewel."
Mom: "What is your favorite?"
Carly: "I don't know."
