• Intro - New writing style; special fr*e book offer
  
• Interview - Copyeditor & Press Release Specialist Ellen Maxwell
  
• The Office Corner
  
• Fr*e Stuff
  
• Grammar Question of the Month: Capitalizing compass points
  
• Tech Tips: Claudia Slate - Increase in port 137 probes
  
• Tech Corner
  
• Writing Corner
  
• Trivia
  
• Word of the Month: Credibility
  
• Recommendations
  
• Judy's Corner - New ebook for postcarders
  

Sorry for the delay, but an overpowering case of the flu has been pounding me for more than a week.

* SP*M I regret to say that there are a number of words that new sp*m filters consider potential problems, like sp*m, fr*e, bon*s and unsu*scribe. I'll try to cloak these words using asterisks so your ISP doesn't block this ezine.

What a shame that we've gotten to the place where this is necessary. But if it means getting my message through, I'm gonna do it. Comments?

And do take time to read Merle's article, "De-Sp*m Your Inbox: How to Fight the Sp*m War and Win!" at http://www.ossweb.com/spam_fighting_tools.html

She says anyone can use her article in ezines or on their sites as long as they give full attribution.

* SPECIAL OFFER TO COMMUNICATION EXPRESSWAY SUBSCRIBERS. My good friend, Bob McElwain, is offering one of his fantastic ebooks to one of my subscribers: fr*e. If you are new to business or to the Web, you'll want "Your Path To Success." If you have a website and want it to be a top performer, then you may prefer "Secrets To A Really Successful Website."

Here's how we'll work it: I'll give you a special email address. The third person to apply for Bob's book will be the winner. You have to trust me on this. Here's the email address:

--- bobsbook@ossweb.com. ---

* THE WINNER of our monthly book drawing is Donna Zoglmann of Owensboro, KY. Congratulations, Donna! Want a chance to win a book? Go to http://www.ossweb.com/freebook.html.

Meet retired classroom teacher and author, Ellen Maxwell.

Q. HOW DID YOU GET STARTED ON THE INTERNET?

When I retired, back in early '96, most teachers I knew wouldn't touch a computer if their lives depended on it. I taught French as a Second Language to Grades 7 & 8 during my final year, and, because my courses were already laid out for me, I had more time to devote to the computers in the library loft!

I discovered that I could make up professional-looking worksheets highlighting precisely the grammar rules I wanted to emphasize, so I came up with my own. After I retired, I used many of them to write, first, an FSL workbook, followed by two English grammar activity books.

Once I finally jumped onto the Internet, I realised that there SHOULD be a goldmine involved for people like me; however, with very few exceptions, either the website owners weren't concerned with grammar and spelling - or else they had text writers who were literate, so my proofreading service began slowly.

Q. HOW DID YOU GET INVOLVED WITH iPR.COM?

Until I got my first "regular" jobs, writing occasional motor- sports articles for Speedvision.com and a daily column for the late-lamented Angryman.com, proofing projects were few and far between. My editor at Angryman.com soon became involved with the development of the "internet Press Releases" site (www.ipr.com) and brought me on board immediately.

I proofed the site as it was set up and all my present contacts have come from people who use it to post their releases. I've learned a great deal about marketing language (which sometimes clashes with proper grammar use) and how effective a well-written release or flyer can be to advertise a company's products or services.

Proofing websites, business plans and e-mail ads led to the other component of my work with iPR - an in-house press release editing, writing and posting service. I check new posts (if they're written by do-it-yourselfers) and will proof and post releases for those who don't have the time, ability or personnel to manage the task. I'll write, or substantially re-write, a release - once I'm familiar with the company and its requirements.

Q. WHAT ARE YOUR STRENGTHS?

They are mainly in the areas of proofreading (for grammar, spelling and punctuation errors) and re-writing text material - where necessary - to clarify the author's intentions or to make it more marketable. I pretty much leave the creativity to others, unless a company really wants me to write its releases. I'm also fairly good at shameless self-promotion and write releases for Maxwell's Editing Services. (They can be found throughout the listings at: www.ipr.com by doing a Search for "Maxwell's Editing Services" or "www.grammarogre.com".)

I'll initially get to know a company representative and have a general idea of what's required via e-mail correspondence. Only after we've agreed on what's needed and how we'll go about achieving the desired results will I begin to charge for my time.

Ellen Maxwell - Senior Editor - Maxwell's Editing Services
http://www.grammarogre.com - E-mail: emax@bmts.com

1. PRENTICE HALL REFERENCE GUIDE TO GRAMMAR AND USAGE: I've heard many comments about this publication, but wanted to wait for the next edition. Finally, the fifth edition came out. Well worth it! This book is in some ways similar to The Gregg Reference Manual, but has a different slant. Gregg is for business people and writers, and has many samples of business documents along with its grammar and usage. Prentice Hall targets writers, but this certainly includes many business people. I'll cover it more extensively in a subsequent issue.

2. WINDOWS XP FROM A TO Z: In-depth page of answers for all the questions that come up for Windows XP users. The thing I find most appealing: you can use it without having a computer degree. Answers are short, explanations are clear and directions are precise. Submitted by Elsie Lee, ELIX Virtual Management, www.elix.com.sg
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_abc.htm

3. MARKETINGPROFS.COM: online publishing company that specializes in providing both strategic and tactical marketing know-how to Internet and offline marketing professionals through a combination of provocative articles and commentary.
http://www.marketingprofs.com/index.asp

FR*E BOOK! Subscribers are eligible to sign up to win a fr*e copy of "The Home Office and Small Business Answer Book: Solutions to the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Starting and Running Home Offices and Small Businesses" by Janet Attard or Allan Wyatt's book, Word 2002 Beginner's Guidebook. Everything the novice needs to learn to use Word 2002. http://www.vitalnews.com/wordtips/ Sign up once a month at http://www.ossweb.com/freebook.html - Winners announced here!

FR*E DICTIONARY! Webgrammar offers all site visitors the chance to win a fr*e Webster's dictionary, monthly. Sign up! www.webgrammar.com/contest.html

Q. When do I capitalize north, east, south, and west?

A. According to the Associated Press Stylebook and other style guides, don't capitalize them when they indicate compass direction. Capitalize them when they designate regions, e.g., ...storm in the Midwest...storms in the Northeast...throughout the Western states.

Watch your ports! Many users have noticed an enormous increase in port 137 probes in their logs since September 27th. At the moment this increase is being contributed to the 'Bugbear/Tanatos' virus and the 'Opaserv/Scrup' worm. For more information see:

Incidents.org
http://isc.incidents.org/analysis.html?id=170

Symantec (Bugbear)
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.bugbear@mm.html

Symantec (Opaserv/Scrup)
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.opaserv.worm.html

Mcafee (Bugbear)
http://www.mcafee.com/anti-virus/viruses/bugbear

Mcafee (Opaserve/Scrup)
http://vil.mcafee.com/dispVirus.asp?virus_k=99729

Kaspersky (Bugbear/Tanatos)
http://www.kaspersky.com/news.html?id=961598

Kaspersky (Opasoft/Scrup)
http://www.kaspersky.com/news.html?id=961626

1. DELL AUCTION:
Buy and sell used and refurbished computers, peripherals and software of any brand.
http://www.dellauction.com/

2. USING FORMMAIL 1.6?
Your mail may not be going through. Here's what Jake Ludington of Lockergnome says: "In investigating a possible block of the Lockergnome newsletters, I discovered that apparently there are still many installations running the defective Formmail 1.6 script on their servers. So much so, in fact, that a large chunk of IP addresses, including Lockergnome's, have been blacklisted in several places.

"We are not running the vulnerable script," he says, "and I'm confident that the IP addresses close to ours aren't either, but I have no idea about the overall block. If your site uses a version of Formmail, I'd highly advise you to make sure it isn't vulnerable - you could be aiding a spa*mer in spreading their garbage, without even being aware." More on how to plug the hold at: http://www.lockergnome.com/issues/webmasterweekly/20020830.html

3. TIPSDR.COM:
They've filtered out the most popular Microsoft Knowledge Base articles and categorized them into meaningful groups like "Office XP installation problems." At first glance, it looks like it is all XP stuff, but if you scroll down, you will find other MS versions (OS and Office) listed as well. I think the guy running the site belongs to just about every tech affiliate program there is, but that does not diminish the value of having these KB articles in easier to locate categories. Recommended by Claudia Slate.
http://www.tipsdr.com/

1. THE RHYME ZONE:
Full of resources. Type in a word to find its rhymes, synonyms, definitions, and more.
http://www.rhymezone.com

2. TECHNICAL EDITORS' EYRIE:
>From Jean Hollis Weber's Resources for Technical Editors page.
http://www.jeanweber.com/links/grammar.htm

3. KNOWPLAY?
Points visitors to reputable online sources to look up definitions, quotations, acronyms, encyclopedias, etc.
http://www.kplay.cc/reference.html

1. HOW DIGITAL CAMERAS WORK:
Learn what goes on inside a digital camera and what to look for when buying one.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/digital-camera.htm

2. CREATE YOUR OWN TIME CAPSULE:
Type in a date and get the price of staples, popular books, toys, etc. Quick and Advanced Wizard.
http://dmarie.com/timecap/step1.asp

Merriam-Webster's says credibility is "the quality or power of inspiring belief." We need to build up credibility regarding ourselves and our businesses. It's important for online businesses to have some kind of information about the owner; a privacy policy; testimonials; and good contact information. Especially if you sell services.

1. SCAMBUSTERS:
The title says it all. It's the premier publication on Internet Fraud. And be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the home page and review their resources. Powerful.
http://www.scambusters.org/

2. PROFESSOR CHARLES DARLING'S GRAMMAR SITE:
Outstanding to use as a quick reference for grammar questions.
http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/index.htm

3. HYPE's COLOR SPECIFIER:
extensive color chart
http://users.rcn.com/giant.interport/COLOR/ColorSpecifier.html

My colleague, Martha Retallick, just published a dandy new ebook on Postcarding. If you are interested in specializing in this area, do go to her site and review what her book offers. I learned from the many marketing tips, and found a wealth of resources.

Martha is a down-to-earth person willing to share her knowledge and teach others from her mistakes. Find Postcard Marketing Secrets at http://www.PostcardMarketingSecrets.com. Being a postcarder is a Good Thing.

I'm back from my second visit to my mother's since she had her strokes. Loved the quality time spent with her and my siblings. During my visit she passed out and we had to call 911 for help. It turned out that her problem was not stroke-related. Mom is now moved into her suite at my brother's home, and is very happy.

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Questions, comments, recommendations?
Contact Judy Vorfeld at www.ossweb.com.contact.html

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