While there, be sure to check out the “Share This” tools on the page to share with friends!

For any questions regarding this announcement, please call (602) 456-0150.

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We will be using the .htaccess file for this purpose. If you don’t know where to find it, look in your public_html (”root”) html folder. If the file doesn’t exist, you’ll need to create it using plain text and name it .htaccess

In this .htaccess file you may already have a setting that looks similar to this:
DirectoryIndex index.php default.php

This setting controls the pages that your parked domains will all look for by default. For example, when visiting http://www.mypctechs.com, if the above setting was in my .htaccess file, the server would deliver index.php first and default.php if that didn’t exist.

Because you are trying to get a parked domain to visit a different page than the two shown above, you’ll need to add some additional commands in your .htaccess file ABOVE the DirectoryIndex page. Otherwise the server will process the DirectoryIndex directive and your commands later in the file will never be executed.

Start at the top of your .htaccess file and add the following lines:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} ^(www.)?thenameofyourdomain.com$
RewriteRule ^(/)?$ newdefaultpage.php [L]

Change thenameofyourdomain to the domain that you’d like to set a new default page for. Change newdefaultpage.php to the name of the page that you’d like as default.

Doing this will preserve your standard default.php and index.php for all other domains, while giving your new domain a different default landing page. Upload your new .htaccess file to the server and enjoy!

NOTE: Be very careful when editing your .htaccess file and always make a backup copy of the file before you change it. If you notice any problems with your site after the changes you can always revert back.

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This tool gives you an easy way to find hot companies offering products and services on the social web. This beta project could very well be a testing ground for something much bigger down the road. Google has tried several times to integrate real time social web search results into standard Google searches, but nothing much has come of those efforts. If this tool takes off, I believe the research they gain from the project will lead to bigger things down the road. Specifically, the merging of standard web search results with results from Facebook, Twitter, news sites, and other social networking sites.

One other lesson that this experiment can teach us is the importance of a deep online marketing approach for your business that doesn’t focus solely on pay per click advertising to get the word out. In addition to SEM, proper SEO and social media marketing methods continue to gain ground as cost-effective ways to put products and services in front of prospective clients.

Get searching now and see if your company rates well in realtime.

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• A 20% off coupon for Computer Repair
• A 20% off coupon for web design and development
• A 20% off coupon for SEO and online marketing
• Featured website project, Mr. AutoGlass
• Yahoo now powered by Bing
• Positioning your website for success, useful SEO tips for small business

For savings on all of your technology services needs, click here to print our current coupons and read the my PC Techs August newsletter.

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Unfortunately, low prices did not always equate to convenience. The disadvantages to you are high when your only option is to drop a broken computer off somewhere down the road. Forced to crawl around under a desk unplugging cables, hoping that you can remember the correct sequence of cables to plug back in you finally get your computer back is no fun. If you make it past that step without being electrocuted, the next task is to haul the dusty computer and maybe monitor or other accessories out into the heat, rain, wind, or whatever weather we were having that day. Finally, the worst part, handing over all of your sensitive information to the stranger at the counter of the computer repair shop. Do you know the owner or person working at the counter? Great, but do you also know the other people working in the back room? Do they really even care about you or your data? Is your information safe? Just what ARE they doing back there with your stuff after you leave? Will they fix this problem only for you to discover more computer issues once you hook everything back up?

Things have changed considerably over the past five years, all for the better. These days, it’s more affordable for you to have your computer systems serviced on-site in your home or business. The hourly rate for experienced computer repair technicians has come down considerably, changing the playing field between on-site and in-store support companies. What used to be the biggest advantage for the brick and mortar computer store, physical presence, has actually turned into it’s greatest liability. The large operating costs of leasing a physical storefront have made it impossible for old style computer repair firms to compete. As a result of increased operating costs, lease, electricity and other limiting factors, physical computer repair shops are forced to charge more for computer repair services just to cover unnecessary overhead. Efficient on-site computer repair firms avoid these overheads, operating remotely, covering larger areas, and are able to pass the savings on directly to you, the customer. As a result of lower prices, more and more people are realizing the immense advantages to on-site repair, which go far beyond the ability to save money.

A client of ours recently left us a testimonial that sums up the experience quite nicely, “I liked your service, because right away I felt like my PC technician was a friend. He explained everything to me and answered all of my questions.” That is the level of customer service that a physical computer repair shop cannot match. Beyond simply fixing the problem, a technician in your home or business is a real person that is available to answer questions, explain to you what is wrong, and work with you – not just to fix one problem, but several problems all on the same visit. When your original problem is fixed, you’ll probably have time to fix three or four more problems that you otherwise wouldn’t have thought about had your computer been in a back room somewhere else. When you encounter a preventable problem, such as a computer virus, a live person there to assist you can not only help you remove it, they can offer expert training and advice on ways to protect yourself in the future. 95% of computer issues most people have can be fixed right there, on-site. In the rare instance that a more time-consuming repair is necessary, the technician already has everything taken apart for you and can take the necessary parts to a central repair facility for you, bringing back the repaired parts once complete. All the while, freeing up your time and allowing you to work on other things. More importantly, your ability to interact face to face with your computer repair technician gives you the advantage of knowing exactly WHO is working on your computer and whether or not you should trust them with your important pictures, business accounting information, emails and passwords.

Everyone likes to save money, and given the opportunity, 9 out of 10 will go with the less expensive option. It’s nice that the tables have turned to favor the customer, making it possible for everyone to experience better computer repair service without extra work or hassles, and at prices those large computer stores just can’t beat.

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Here’s what we expect:
MUST have 5+ years hands-on PC troubleshooting, hardware and software.
Good people skills required.
Macintosh A+.

We hire experts. If you’re not a qualified computer repair technician please do not apply. You will be tested for tech skills and required to pass a thorough background check as part of the interview process. This is an on-site support role, so you will be traveling throughout the Phoenix metro area.

Still interested? Please send a detailed resume in Word or PDF format to jobs@mypctechs.com.

Location: Phoenix, Arizona
Principals only. Recruiters, please don’t contact.
Please, no phone calls about this job!

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Next you walk over to the fruit aisle. You want to make an apple pie for dessert and look through all of the red apples in stock. It appears that some of the apples are old – they are withered and stale looking. The fresh apples are bright, crisp and fresh looking. Which ones do you choose for your pie?

Research has shown time and time again that looks sell. When people are presented with a choice between similar products that are similarly priced and offer similar features, they will almost always select the one with the brighter, more colorful packaging. A colorful, shiny label will always outsell a dull, bland one. A shiny, bright apple will sell faster than old fruit.

Studies are also very clear in identifying the unmatched power of the internet for business marketing. Search engines give your business power to place advertisements for your products and services directly in front of your target customers the moment they are searching for you. Google and Bing are supermarkets for business, and your products can be grouped with others in a similar category, just like cans of peas. Now, imagine a client searching the internet for your product or service, but really they are standing in the supermarket in front of cans of peas. What happens when YOUR can of peas (website) is placed on the shelf in front of them, right next to all of the cans of peas provided by your competitors?

Trying to design a do-it-yourself free website for your company, or going with the cheapest possible web design offering from the kid down the street working from his moms garage, is like one of those pea manufacturers handing a child a crayon and saying “Go ahead, design a label for our peas.” There are certain things that a professional marketing company will know about label design that a child will not. Important details will be missing from the final design such as branding, calls to action (buy these peas now!), ingredient labels, and all of the other secrets that are so important to help a consumer make the decision to purchase.

When a business website is designed by an amateur, cheaply without concern for quality, or by a web design firm that does understand online marketing, guess who buys the peas? No one. You could have the best peas in the entire world. They could be juicier, tastier and softer than all of your competitors peas. None of that will ever matter. Your potential customers will never get far enough along with your product to pick up your can of peas, read the label, or take it home to find out what’s inside. Considering the importance of online marketing to today’s business success, you could miss out on thousands of dollars in new sales. At the extreme, based on what your competitors are doing online, your business could fail due to an inability to compete in your industry.

“Build it and they will come” is absolutely incorrect when it comes to a new website for your business. Business web design and online marketing firms such as my PC Techs give your new website the upper hand. New websites designed by my PC Techs are built using cutting-edge technologies and incorporate the latest in coding and marketing techniques. With a my PC Techs website, you are getting much more than a new website. You get a proven marketing vehicle for your products and services.

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HP follows close second in the poll which was recently presented to a group of IT professionals. My findings follow closely with the results of the poll, we always recommend Dell first and HP second for new laptop purchases. Dell provides a slightly higher quality of hardware than HP, but in my opinion HP provides a slightly higher quality of support. You can’t go wrong with either.

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The following websites have already integrated the new Tweet Button. Expect to see many, many more soon.

AddThis
Arizona Republic/azcentral.com
Ask.com
CBS Interactive
CNN.com
Cracked.com
Detroit Free Press
eHow.com
Eventbrite
Gawker Media
HuffingtonPost.com
Hulu
LIVESTRONG.com
Redfin
SFGate.com
ShareThis
Sky News
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The Des Moines Register
The Indianapolis Star
The Onion
The Tennessean
Threadless
TIME.com
TV Guide
USA TODAY
WordPress.com
WUSA 9
Yardbarker
YouTube

Take a look at this mashable video for a demonstration of how it works:
http://mashable.com/2010/08/12/tweet-button-official/

Now to start working on my own version of a Wordpress interface for this.

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