#i am putting these extra steps of detective work in to avoid getting people spamming me

[oidheadh-con-culainn]

okay- if one were say, doing their history rsr (im assuming you know what that is? if not- history leaving cert project) on the morrigan/ways she was worshipped- what direction would they go in to find sources?

okay so unfortunately for you we have no sources whatsoever that would tell us how she was worshipped or even if she was worshipped at all. this is the same for basically all of the irish mythological characters/gods. we simply don't have that information. it doesn't exist. sorry, this is disappointing to a lot of people.

since all of our literary evidence is christian and post-dates any worship of these figures by centuries (often many centuries), we don't know to what extent the literary depictions resemble any original gods at all, and we don't have sufficient archaeological evidence that we can interpret as religious in order to get a better sense of what veneration might have looked like if it happened

so. that's a bummer for you.

but i have sources on like. the morrigan as she appears in literary material -- not sure what the requirements are to make a project sufficiently historical but i'm sure there are angles you could take. and on the plus side, she's one of the more convincing mythological figures who seems to have an existence in the imagination outside literary sources, which is always fun.

(there are a few characters who seem to have been invented just to fill out triads / explain patronymics / solve a problem for the scribe; she's not one of them.)

first, for finding sources, if this is intended as a historical project then ignore anything about modern polytheist and neopagan approaches, because these are, well, modern, so that's going to mislead you. reconstruction could be interesting to research in its own right, but it's not at all helpful for trying to get to grips with historical material and it's likely just to send you down misleading rabbitholes. also ngl there's a lot of misinformation floating around a lot of those circles online: some folks are good with sources, but others will parrot something they read in an 80s "celtic goddesses" book that never had the slightest shred of evidence in the first place. not what you want for a history project!

also avoid anything that claims to have all the answers, because that's usually bullshit. if you have access to jstor or similar academic materials, that's a good place to start, although most of what i'm about to drop below isn't on there. if you don't, time to make a friend with benefits (library access). avoid anything that's TOO old -- a lot of 19th century writings about mythological stuff are utter bullshit, partly because they were working with incomplete versions of texts. and they always bowdlerise stuff in their retellings e.g. cut out the sex and the weird fuckery, which paints a super misleading picture.

i realise you are only doing a school project and not an academic thesis and there is a difference, but also i used a bunch of shitty sources in my EPQ (extended project qualification, i guess probably a similar thing but in the UK) and nobody ever really taught me how to evaluate them for reliability so i try and pass the message on.

a few directions:

mark williams "ireland's immortals: a history of the gods of irish myth" is a good book to start getting to grips with (a) what the mythological material actually says and (b) why it's challenging to work with, as well as (c) some of the ways it's been interpreted over time that lead to some of the pop culture depictions you see. doesn't have a huge amount about the morrigan specifically

angelique gulermovich epistein's thesis "war goddess: the morrigan and her gemano-celtic counterparts" is probably the most thorough treatment you're going to see of the morrigan. i don't agree with everything in it bc i'm chronically unmythological, but it's likely your best starting point for getting a sense of her appearances in the sources. there's a version of this available online but the formatting's fucky which makes it hard to reference, so let me know if you can't find a decent copy.

john carey has a number of articles about mythological stuff including an old one called "notes on the irish war goddess". this is in the journal eigse which can be hard to find online; i have it, so let me know if you need access

michael clarke's article "demonology, allegory and translation: the furies and the morrígan" is a fascinating take on the reference in the tain to the morrigan as equivalent to the fury allecto, and discusses the impact of classical texts on irish material. this is in "classical literature and learning in medieval irish narrative" which is a great book but may not be easy to get your hands on. again. let me know, i think i have a scan of this somewhere. a shitty scan, but it's better than nothing.

that's everything i can think of right now, though you can always comb the references in those to find more things so it should be plenty to going on with

good luck!

[philipfloyd]

Do Private Blog Networks (PBNs) Still Work in 2018? Should You Build One?

If you use SEO to promote your website, you most probably have heard of PBNs (Private Blog Networks). The concept isn’t very difficult to understand (although it is difficult to execute), but with the overload of information out there, you might be conflicted.

  Do PBNs still work in 2018? Are there any risks? Well, the short answers are yes and yes. So should you build one? That’s up to you. However, this article has to purpose to help you make an educated decision. This won’t be a guide on how to build one; however, if you’ve thought about building a PBN for your websites, then make sure you’re giving this a good read.

    What Is a PBN?

Do PBNs Still Work?

How Google tricked everyone and was always one step ahead

The fine line between PBN and owning multiple sites

PBN Advantages & Disadvantages

Advantages

Disadvantages

Should You Build a PBN in 2018?

  Disclaimer: Just to get things straight from the start, we do NOT recommend building a PBN. They are risky and against Google’s terms of service. They also cost both time and money which you could be investing in safer and more efficient, evergreen tactics.

  What Is a PBN?

  PBN stands for Private Blog Network. Long story short, it’s a group of websites that a webmaster owns for the sole purpose of boosting the rank of other websites.

  These networks fall into the BlackHat SEO link building tactics category. Obviously, at first, they didn’t. But after people started abusing them, Google took action. Before 2014, PBNs were the stuff. The hype was high and everyone started building them. Everyone wanted to get in for the ride.

  That was until Google completely destroyed a few PBN services and some popular marketing bloggers’ PBNs. Here’s just one example of a single PBN service out of many that have fallen:

    The truth is that PBNs are nothing more than Web 2.0s on steroids. Instead of using subdomains from WordPress.com and Blogger, you use expired domains that already have authority built to them. If you purchase the right expired domains and build the network properly, you can get yourself a nice asset.

  In order to avoid getting caught by Google, BlackHat SEOs have to constantly hide their traces. What a tiresome struggle… This list of traces can contain:

  Whois Info: If you have 10 domains that all link to one another and are all registered publicly under the same name, everyone is going to know it’s a PBN. Now most of the time the details aren’t public and you can also purchase Whois protection for extra fees (sometimes offered for free) but I’ve heard stories of Google having access to Whois info anyway.

  IP Address & Hosting: If more websites are on the same IP, they’re definitely connected in some way. That’s why shared hosting accounts are dangerous. If someone spams that IP address, you’re also on the list. You can purchase dedicated IPs for each domain to fix this. (Not only for PBN sites. Do this for all your sites. It helps keep things safe.)

  Company name and contact details: Some countries legally require you to post this information if you monetize your site in any way (you do, since it’s part of your marketing strategy, so if someone reports you, you risk getting fined).

  Design, Code, Formatting, Content: Many times, people simply duplicate these websites by copy pasting and changing some basic aspects, like colors and logo. However, the platforms and themes they use are always the same.

  Analytics Accounts: Have 10 sites under the same Analytics Account? Good luck evading Google.

  Script IDs: If you have different tools that require tracking, you’ll need separate subscriptions for each and every one of them, otherwise anyone could figure out the connection between two sites.

  Now these are the most basic ones and they are often publicly available. However, some people say (including me) that Google might be looking at other things as well:

  E-mail accounts: Register anything under the same e-mail, especially if it’s a Gmail and you’ll end up linking everything to it. One mistake and you can compromise it.

  Location: Have you logged into the same e-mail account or worked on all your PBN sites under the same IP at home? Good job, you just told Google you own them. You need proxies and proxies to keep things clean.

  Doesn’t this sound sort of like a hacker or criminal hiding his !@% from the police? I actually never understood why Google doesn’t try to make these things illegal. I mean… if you’re spamming the internet and accessing the website with bots without the owner’s permission… If you’re constantly pretending to be someone else… Shouldn’t this kind of stuff be fined? I guess they either can’t or they just want people to keep doing them.

  Now call me paranoid, but we use so many services from Google, such as Chrome, Analytics, MyBusiness and Gmail. They’re all owned by Google. Am I saying that Google is reading your e-mail to figure out if you have a PBN or if you’re buying links? No. But… Maybe?

  Your Gmail account is probably connected to your smartphone. You have the internet connection on everywhere these days, so Google knows your location. You and another webmaster appear at the same location and 2 hours before your websites start linking to each other? Just saying…

  Those are just speculations but think of it: If you wanted not to be caught owning two different hosting accounts, would you register under the same e-mail? Most definitely not. I’m not saying that someone from Google is reading your private e-mails and spying through your webcam. I’m just saying that there is a possibility that some sort of algorithm is out there, tracing administrative relationships between websites.

  Do PBNs Still Work?

  You’re probably wondering if PBNs still work. How much has Google evolved and how good is it at catching these schemes in 2018?

  Well, despite what many people think after 2014, PBNs still work and they will work as long as backlinks are a ranking factor, something that won’t change very soon.

  How Google tricked everyone and was always one step ahead

  When PBNs started to become popular, I’m sure that both parties were somewhat terrified. The webmasters of getting caught and Google of people discovering the ultimate BlackHat SEO technique.

  However, Google was also one step ahead. I’ll explain:

  You see, as mentioned before, Google cares about backlinks. Link building is still a very important ranking factor. They’ve tried removing the links from the algorithm, but apparently, the search engine results are worse:

    A PBN can’t really be detected if it’s done properly. There’s simply no way of finding out, or at least being sure. Everybody links to other websites. People know each other, they talk and they give links. If you banned solely on patterns, innocent people doing White Hat SEO might get hurt. You might as well ban everyone, right?

  So what did Google do? How did they catch the ones that were truly thinking of building a PBN as a BlackHat way of ranking their money sites high? Well… they didn’t.

  Instead, Google targeted a few popular PBN services and some popular marketing bloggers that were using them and blogging about them.

  Today we took action on a large guest blog network. A reminder about the spam risks of guest blogging: http://t.co/rc9O82fjfn

— Matt Cutts (@mattcutts) March 19, 2014

  But how? How could Google possibly identify an entire network of private websites, built by professionals and experts in the BlackHat SEO industry? Well… it’s an easy answer. They bought the service. It’s that simple.

  I mean… everyone could. Even Matt Cutts. Just order the service and know exactly what PBN sites are used. Worst part? Many people and local business owners had to suffer. Their websites got penalized and they did not even know how, because their SEO companies acted as intermediaries and bought the PBN service instead. It happens all the time: “Guaranteed #1 position.” and also guaranteed “It wasn’t me boss” in case of penalty.

  How did Google get to the marketing bloggers? I have no idea, but I’m sure they were targeted. Don’t you think it’s kind of strange that immediately after, many popular marketing and SEO bloggers got their PBNs penalized, while hundreds of other unknown players kept saying that they worked? Had it been just a Google update and no manual verification, it could’ve been a disaster.

  After getting penalized, both Spencer Haws and Pat Flynn (two very popular niche site builders and bloggers, you should check them out) turned 180 degrees, writing about how much time and money they put into their PBNs just to lose everything in one second. And then the almighty phrase started showing up everywhere: “PBNs are DEAD!” No… they’re not. They’re just very risky. However, people stopped jumping head first into it.

  The fine line between PBN and owning multiple sites

  I collaborated with a pretty big nutrition and fitness company. It was really hard work as I did all the content and promotion (although I had nothing to do with bodybuilding). Anyway, I did a lot of research before writing anything and managed to pull up great quality content that increased the organic traffic of the website by 30% in under 6 months.

  Bragging aside, one thing that was really difficult about that particular project was that there were simply no websites to get links from. Why? Because almost all the websites were owned by 3-4 companies that were direct competitors. At least that’s what my boss told me, but I tend to believe him since he’d been in the market for over 10 years.

  I started doing some research to find link opportunities and found out that these websites were all linking to one another.

  See where I’m going with this?

  While the fact that I had nowhere to get links from was frustrating, the fact that I discovered a PBN was fascinating.

  There was just only one issue:

  This wasn’t really a PBN. Nobody was getting penalized. I even reported this to John Mueller but my request was completely ignored. Why? Well… probably because the websites were completely legitimate businesses, with their own phone numbers, teams and services. You could very well order products from them and they would send them to you under their name.

  And that’s when I started thinking that the PBN issue is much bigger than it seems. Is that really a PBN? Not sure… Can Google detect it and consider it a PBN? Probably. Should it penalize it? I don’t think so.

  I believe that multiple websites from the same company can create a network that dominates the first pages of Google. On multiple positions.

  I did a little research just to prove that this is the case for various markets and countries. While looking into the motorcycle niche, after only 2-3 searches, I bumped into this motorcycle news website (motorcyclenews.com) that ranks very well for some keywords.

  I then used SpyOnWeb.com to determine if any other websites are linked to it via IP or some code. Turns out that many are. The relationship has been established through the Google Adsense account.

    Then, I used cognitiveSEO’s site explorer to take a quick look at what websites are linking to it:

    I only searched some websites that are in the same niche, like performancebikes.co.uk, ride.co.uk, classicbike.co.uk and mcnsport.co.uk. They all link to motorcyclenews.com. These are only 4 sites, but there could be others that are not so easily correlated.

  Could this be considered a PBN? Maybe. But they’re all legitimate, authority sites that sell bikes or offer some sort of service. All of them generate organic traffic, offer interesting and good quality content and some even have physical, printed magazines.

  Is that unethical anymore? Should it be against Google’s TOS?

  Imagine that you build a very successful coffee shop. How do you expand? Do you make the same shop bigger and bigger until it eats up the whole city? No, you open a new one in another city and another city and so on. But do you make cheaper, worse coffee and just recommend people to your main shop in the primary city if they want to drink the good one? Of course not. You serve them the best you can if you want them to stay. And when they visit the initial city, they’ll know where to go.

  It’s the same with these websites. Sure, you can’t call them all Starbucks, but you can build new ones all the time when you want to expand and they’ll all survive and thrive as long as they all provide quality to the users. And not even interlinking or using the same IP will be able to get them penalized.

  Google’s only request is to provide quality to the users, so that they keep coming to Google to search and find YOU, because that’s how Google survives. If bad websites rank at the top because of some PBN scheme, people won’t like Google anymore.

  Most PBNs are websites that lack design, personality and usefulness. They just fill the web and use Google’s resources (for crawling, indexing and other things).

  However, if these websites are good, I don’t think anyone will have a problem. You can’t even call them a private blog network, at least not in the BlackHat SEO way of saying. In my opinion, it’s perfectly White Hat to have multiple high quality websites.

  However, you can still get penalized…

  PBN Advantages & Disadvantages

  Although PBNs do have advantages, in our opinion, the disadvantages overweight them so we do not recommend that you build a PBN.

  However, we will outline them, just to make sure you’ll get a good overview of things. 

  Advantages:

  More efficient with ranking: From all the BlackHat SEO techniques, PBNs are probably the most efficient. The better the expired domain names you purchase, the faster you’ll see the results.

Harder to get caught: Also, it will take some time until you get caught, if you get caught. You’ll have to be always looking over your shoulder and erase your every trace. It’s not an easy lifestyle, but it’s safer than blasting links with GSA Search Engine Ranker.

Easy in theory: Buy expired domains at a domain auction, build websites and put content on them, cover up all traces, link to money site. The part with covering up all traces is a little bit more difficult, but you’ll get the hang of it. That is if Google doesn’t hang you first.

Extra profit: You can also profit off PBNs by selling links to other websites. As long as they’re not direct competitors, it doesn’t really matter. However, keep in mind that this exposes you to risks. Someone could compromise your network.

Full control: This one is the best one. I have to admit…. don’t you just like it when you’re in control? No more “Here’s my nice content, will you link to it?”

  Disadvantages:

  High cost: At first it might sound cheap. Some shared hosting, a couple of IPs, some domain names and some content. Couple of hundred bucks? Well… make that double. Then multiply it by 50. If you really want to do this the right way, you’ll need good hosting, tons of IPs, proxies and tools. Sure, you could only be spending $1.000 on your network if you’re in a low competition market, but will the investment be worth? For high competitiveness you need to buy expired domains that have a high authority and you need a lot of them, at least 10-25. You also need to make sure they aren’t spammed. They can go for thousands of dollars each and we haven’t discussed the content yet. You think 500 word spinned articles will do the job? Think again, or the Panda’s gonna catch you.

Takes a long time: Although when you start linking the results are seen rather fast, the whole setup process is time consuming. You start with one site, then expand, but each takes time.

Difficult to manage: You’ll also have to constantly take care of your network. Excluding the content that you need to keep posting, each site comes with its own problems like SPAM, hackers, bills… and remember you have to do them all under a different name, IP and probably device as well, just to make sure.

Can get caught: The worst part is obviously that you always have the risk of getting caught. Is it worth investing all this time and money for it?

  Should You Build a PBN in 2018?

  This really depends on who you are as a person. Do you like taking risks? Do you care about Google’s TOS? Some people see Google as this evil entity that controls the internet and would love to profit off it.

  You see, the truth is that great websites on Google, that always rank at the top, don’t need to build PBNs.

Webmasters that provide great content, that network and connect, that promote their content, products and services properly don’t need to use any kind of schemes to get to the top.

They will always be there or at least they will get there at some point, because the users dictate this.

  So should you build a PBN? Probably not. We consider it to be wiser to spend all that money and time to develop one website first. Then you can expand to another website and another one and have your little legit network of high quality websites.

Spending thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours on simply buying expired domains and filling them with content you don’t really care about instead of spending it into user experience, quality content creation, promotion and better services doesn’t seem very wise.

  At the end of the day, it’s a mix of time, skill and luck that decidess whether you’ll get caught with a PBN or not. You might get caught after the first 2 weeks. You might never be caught and even your grand grandchildren will use your PBNs to profit. However…

  If you’re in for the long run SEO game, you’d better stay away from PBNs and focus on evergreen White Hat SEO techniques.

  Search Engines are always evolving and getting better at detecting tricks every day. Why not focus on playing fair and actually improve the skills that truly matter? Why waste your time with learning how to hide when you can learn how to create better experiences?

  Whatever side you’re on, we’re curious about your experience with private blog networks. Have you ever owned one? Have you ever tried a PBN service? Have you got penalized? Do you still own one and does it still work? Let us know in the comments. 

The post Do Private Blog Networks (PBNs) Still Work in 2018? Should You Build One? appeared first on SEO Blog | cognitiveSEO Blog on SEO Tactics & Strategies.

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[pagedesignhub-blog]

6 Tips for Reducing Internet of Things Security Risks

New Post has been published on https://pagedesignhub.com/6-tips-for-reducing-internet-of-things-security-risks/

6 Tips for Reducing Internet of Things Security Risks

The Internet of Things (IoT) is expanding at a rapid pace as product developers rush to put in chips and sensors that hook up to the Internet in an extensive array of gadgets — from IP cameras to TVs, to printers and storage doors.

IoT has most effective been around due to the fact 2009, however consistent with enterprise analyst Gartner, nearly five billion IoT-related gadgets were hooked up closing yr, and by means of 2020, there will be greater than 50 billion related devices.

For small companies, speedy IoT adoption can pose protection risks which are similar to the vulnerabilities the “bring your very own device” (BYOD) fashion added with the enormous use of employee-owned cell devices for paintings purposes.

But the hazard may be even greater with the IoT considering the fact that there are greater endpoints. An Atomik Research survey currently observed that domestic workplaces have already got a mean of eleven related gadgets, together with objects like printers, scanners, video equipment and WiFi routers.

The hassle is that many connected devices aren’t built with safety foremost in thoughts, and as a complicating issue, they’re usually linked to a critical domestic office or small business WiFi router.

The common WiFi router isn’t designed with protection as a pinnacle priority both. In fact, a 2016 Wall Street Journal-subsidized examine found that of the 20 famous wireless routers evaluated, handiest six had present day firmware and just used sturdy password protections. Worse but, these routers aren’t set up like corporate firewalls and unified hazard control (UTM) solutions to defend all of the endpoints at the LAN.

Device builders aren’t the only group excited by using the possibilities of IoT; hackers are keen to take advantage of vulnerabilities as extra IoT devices come on-line. They are seeking out methods to gain entry into home or business networks, in which they can accumulate get admission to sensitive statistics. Only 20% of IT specialists surveyed by means of Atomik were confident within the protection of new-to-marketplace IoT gadgets.

Top 5 Internet Security Threats The Internet is a very frightening vicinity. If you don’t have net security software, you are gambling a volatile game. That’s a very simple and direct assertion but an effective one. I am positive most PC customers have had a few form of malware on the PC. We all had been the sufferer of a pandemic, adware, adware, phishing or unsolicited mail. All these have the potential to motive crippling damage for your PC, threaten your privateness or reveal for your personal facts.

Since 2004 on line buying, banking and digital trading has extended 25% each yr. If you are performing any of these actions with out the aid of net protection software, you’re being very silly and making hackers very happy. It has by no means been more risky to save online. The Spam/Spyware industry on my own has emerge as a billion greenback underground network. Your facts is precious. Hackers are will to invest time and resources to achieve. Therefore, it is extra essential than ever to learn how to combat these threats with internet protection software program and educate your an self on secure surfing techniques. Here are the top five threats to your internet safety.

1. Spyware

Spyware is an all-inclusive term that consists of maximum malware such as Trojans, spyware, pop-up ads, modified cookies, keyloggers and many others. This time period does no longer consist of virus which is engineered to replicates itself, now not spy or thieve. Spyware is usually engineered to look at your on-line activity and find safety flaws. This is commonly step one in placing you up for a while information robbery. Hackers have evolved state-of-the-art equipment which includes keyloggers that can file each key you kind. Yes which means passwords, banking statistics, and e-mail entries may be uncovered the use of this software. A brief tip is to avoid free anti-spyware. This has been demonstrated to be ineffective and sometime can be adware itself. Remember that adware works by exposing flaws on your net protection. So search for the anti-adware application with a primary magazine endorsement. Here is a link for greater information on adware removal. Visit the web site beneath for greater information a merchandise for adware elimination.

2. Identity Theft.

Hackers can scouse borrow your facts by way of a variety of techniques. Once this information is won, it’ll be used to make on line purchases the use of your credit card information, divert paychecks and create fake documents. Usually the top internet safety software program comes with some protection in opposition to this hassle. An internet safety suite may be your excellent wager to shield your online statistics. Quick tips to guard yourself towards on line ID robbery are in no way provide your credit score card info to any web page that does not provide more than one types of internet safety to shield your transaction. Another key component to search for is a prime secure price processor emblems and records. And last but not least, please study the net security warning earlier than the payment is processed. It best herbal which you defend yourself towards this net safety threat.

Three. Spam Mail

Spam Mail itself isn’t risky. However Spam mail could have malicious hyperlinks which can do the entirety from cause your PC to be infected by way of an epidemic, introduce adware, and entice extra unsolicited mail. A excellent net junk mail filter is often a good option. Using internet safety software program and a few commonplace feel will assist you keep away from be inundated with junk mail mail. Quick net safety tip: When typing your cope with into the internet. Try the usage of a aggregate of thirteen letters and numbers. This will make it very hard for cope with to be introduced spam mail list.

4. Phishing Mail

There is not doubt that you can have heard the time period “phishing”. If you have not, you soon will because it’s a major internet safety hazard. This approach has become one of the more popular methods of stealing essential records together with user names and password. This works via sending messages in your email account pretending to be depended on web sites inclusive of eBay, Paypal or your bank. The links redirect you to a faux website that mimics the trusted site. You type on your personal records and hacker using it to make online transactions along with your information or your money. This is actual hazard to you net protection. The excellent way to keep away from this is to update your net browser with phishing detection. Also other internet protection software applications have high-quality phishing detection structures including Webroot’s Spysweeper and ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite.

Five. You!!

That’s right perhaps the issue the poses the biggest threat to your net safety. Social engineering consisting of clicking on obvious junk mail links, downloading freeware and sharing files is a completely risky exercise at the net. By simply making an investment in the first-rate software program and updating frequently, should save you from frustration and identification robbery. This is the one class wherein the good buy bin needs to be avoided. Also, by no means download whatever this is sent for your mail unless you have scanned it for spyware and viruses. However, in the age of virtual sharing people regularly buck internet security via trading photographs, movies, and documents with out hesitation.

Are you surprised that computer viruses didn’t make the Top five net safety threats? There are several reasons for this isn’t always considered the number one internet protection chance. One is that the hackers were shying far from the usage of viruses because the generation is mint to disrupt and damage your internet safety. However, adware is less difficult to increase and lots greater powerful. Also, maximum laptop users and Windows builders have taken the steps to defend themselves. Anti-virus applications are pretty correct and may usually respond to new viruses through updating the signature databases day by day.

All in all, you’re chargeable for that steps you take online. However, there may be no want to chance to drop your precious records or cash due to loss of PC upkeep. Upgrade your computer by using increases the quantity of internet security measures. Feel assured which you accomplished the whole thing to shield yourself and revel in the entirety the internet has to offer.