My 2¢ Worth

t gives me great pleasure to bring you the interview I promised two weeks ago.

t gives me even greater pleasure to reveal that interview is with none other than the director of iCop: jl scott, ph.d. The interviews can only go down hill from here...

eriously though, I've always found jl to be out-spoken, yet down to earth. She always stands up for what's right. A truly great lady!

ith any luck I'll bring you another interview next week — then a couple weeks of articles — then back with a couple more interviews.

'm doing the interviews under the theory that the best way to learn is from those who are already in the trenches. They have been there and done that. They've made mistakes and they've also made some good decisions. Plus the interviews are just plain fun.

Feature Article

Special Interview

with jl scott, ph.d. Director of iCop

Dr. jl scott is the director of iCop. She is also the author of "The MASTER COURSE" - "Who's Driving Your Bus?" - "Taking Care of Business" and "Kickin' Butt & Takin' Names!" She is the owner of Transitions Publishing Company and currently publishes the JUST GOOD BUSINESS ezine.

Having raised four children, while running her own companies and attending college, jl is now divorced and lives in Orlando, Florida. She enjoys the outdoors, reading a variety of subjects, jazz and comedy. Her passion in life is to help as many disadvantaged children as possible all over the world.

Web Sm@rts: Hello jl. Thanks for agreeing to do an interview for us.

jl scott: Hi, Ed! Always a pleasure. Thank you for asking.

Web Sm@rts: I'm going to put you on the spot right away. I guess the top question — the one my readers are going to ask me is what do the initials jl stand for? Why the pseudonym? Do you have something to hide?

jl scott: Oh, I probably have plenty I'd prefer that people didn't know, just like everyone else in the world! But, that isn't the reason for the pseudonym. In fact, the pseudonym as always been addressed right in my bio on the iCop web site - along with a photo that probably can't be mistaken for a man.

The name "jl scott" came into being back in the 1970s. I was writing political commentary for our local newspaper. I was also the President of the PTA, and I didn't want the two connected. Some of my material would not have been well-received from a woman in that time, much less the President of the PTA!

When I came online, I had a two-fold reason for resurrecting the name. I had watched and learned for nearly a year before I launched my first web site. I noticed that although some extremely savvy women were operating online, no one paid much attention to them. Sad to say, but it was the same old story. I'm happy to report that in the last five years, that is rapidly changing.

The second reason is, I suppose, an admission of "something to hide." I was well known in a couple of highly professional arenas off-line. Quite frankly, I would have been embarrassed for former business associates to know I was working on the Internet. Even my children thought I 'd gone over the edge!

I'm no longer embarrassed to work online. But, I keep the pseudonym because it has branded me - and iCop. It becomes controversial at times, but hey - all publicity is good publicity! No one ever wonders why Samuel Clements used "Mark Twain," so what's the problem?

Web Sm@rts: No problem...  jl it is!

Could you tell us your background? I know you used to do some public speaking. I believe you were involved in some capacity with the legal system at one time.

jl scott: My first career was in the entertainment business. I was a choreographer, and also danced professionally for a number of years. I retired from that and decided to go to college, so I wouldn't end up living my nightmare of turning into an old, fat dancing teacher.

Public speaking just seemed to come to me naturally. When you write, seems you always end up speaking to groups. Then, of course, there were the civic organizations, etc. I've been the president of so many organizations I can't even remember them all. I also spent a couple of years doing workshops and seminars on The MASTER COURSE - which I now sell online in addition to my work with iCop. In fact, that's what I originally came online to sell. It can be found here: www.themastercourse.com.

During the time I went to college, and for a number of years afterward (15 in all), I had a company that did corporate reorganizations and company turn-arounds. My clients were companies trying to stay out of bankruptcy. So, a huge amount of my time was spent settling lawsuits with the attorneys who had filed against my clients.

My former husband was an attorney (and judge) so I had the use of his law clerk to research the laws for me. When you work in that capacity, you have to know at least as much, if not more, than the guy on the other side. Most of the time, they didn't keep up with changing laws, and I did, so I usually got what I wanted. That made me quite successful at what I was doing. Not that I'm up to speed now, of course.

After that, I went into counseling and therapy. That's when all the serious public speaking came about. But, the burnout rate in that was high, and I'm not generally known for my patience. Therapy takes a lot of patience!

Web Sm@rts: You've never been shy about speaking your mind — at least not in the time I've known you. How has this helped you? How has it hindered you?

jl scott: No, I've never have been afraid to say what's on my mind. And, when you've lived as many years as I have, you've learned a few things. One of those things is that most of the things people fear never come about. So, what's to be afraid of?

I'm sure it's helped me build the "jl scott" personality of no-nonsense, common sense, integrity. I find that most of my readers are highly intelligent people who appreciate my candor. It has definitely been an attention-getter online! It's also made me some truly incredible friends.

Of course, anytime we call attention to ourselves, we're going to make some enemies, too. I suppose that could be looked at as a hindrance. But, my experience is that those who would like to tear us down for our honesty are wholly dishonest themselves. The difference with me is - I'm not afraid to admit when I'm wrong. Unlike some others, I haven't reached sainthood yet.

And, I've been in the public eye, in one way or another, for so many years, that's the last thing that's going to bother me. I've already been so successful in past careers that I don't have anything to prove now - certainly not to people who make their careers on the backs of others. So, frankly, I find my so-called enemies pretty amusing.

Web Sm@rts: When did you start using the Internet regularly and why?

jl scott: Several years ago, my stepfather had a stroke. He either had to have someone with him all the time, or stay in a nursing home. I didn't want to see him sent to an extended care facility when he could still have a life at home. Since my half-brother wasn't willing to do it, I took on the job of caring for him.

That ended my travels, and had me pretty much housebound. Within a couple of months, I discovered the Internet, and realized that I could still communicate with the world, and make a living. When the day came that my step-dad did have to have round the clock professional nursing care, I went back to going where I please. That's one of the nicest things about working online! Pick up your career, i.e., computer - and go!

Web Sm@rts: You recently changed the iCop model. Could you tell us a little about that? What is the current mission of iCop?

jl scott: I've pretty much stopped chasing people around trying to force them to use ethical business practices online. No more reporting, no more hollering at people. I decided that education is the answer.

So we changed the model to include not only online business owners, but also, those who are preparing to begin. Now, we have a terrific Member Center where we all teach and help each other. Multiple forums allow one-on-one help and assist all members in meeting each other. So, they also become business associates.

Our mission statement hasn't changed. It's still, "... to provide an organization for those online business owners who are truly concerned with establishing the highest business practices on the Internet."  We just go about it differently now.

And, it's fun! The members are building the organization to be exactly what they want and need.

Web Sm@rts: What mistake(s) were you making at the start that you later realized you were holding you back?

jl scott: I think that would be not starting at the beginning. I made iCop too "exclusive." I expected our members to already know how to project a professional image. I didn't account for the fact that many online business owners are in business for themselves for the first time. I didn't allow for training.

Web Sm@rts: If you could start all over again, what would you do differently?

jl scott: I'd allow people online to know me much more personally than I did at first. Online, we seem to be more of a personal community than I found "brick and mortar" business to be. It's better here to let people know who you are on a personal level a bit more.

Once I started allowing myself to use my sense of humor (which I certainly did not, at first) and allowing more of my personal life to be known, I found that folks started warming up to me in a hurry. That's tricky though. Too much personal information can become highly unprofessional.

Web Sm@rts: I tend to agree that too much personal information is unprofessional, but just where do you draw the line?

jl scott: Well, as I said - it's tricky because it would be so easy to go too far. We don't need to go so far as to consider every visitor and subscriber as our best friend. We don't want to talk about our personal relationships, financial woes, or every little ache and pain we have. But then, I wouldn't talk about those things to people I meet at a party either.

By being more personal, I mean just letting more of our personality come through, rather than staying in dry business mode all the time. For instance, a couple of years ago, my readers got quite a kick out of it when I told them I was going to drive clear across the country with my "90 pound puppy" in the car. And, again a few weeks ago when I made fun of my own Southern accent.

Web Sm@rts: What are the three most common mistakes you see other people make when they are trying to build their reputation and what should they be doing instead?

jl scott: I just mentioned one of those mistakes above. Being too stand-offish with people online seems to create walls that are hard to break through. We have to be "real people."

The second would probably be people trying to do everything themselves. There's a lot of work in building and maintaining a web site, as well as building and maintaining relationships. And, relationships are the name of the game.

It's better to get help where we need it and relieve some of the pressure. For instance, I know I'm a techno-idiot, so I don't try to do technical things. I'm also not a terrific web designer. So again, I get help. And, by the way, there's nothing worse than a web site that looks like an amateur built it, if we're trying to market a product or service!

I think the final thing would be taking things too personally. There's just no point in getting involved in battles. For instance, if someone wants a refund - give it to him or her. Don't take it as an insult.

And yes, once in awhile, especially with digital products, we're going to have the customer who buys the product, then asks for a refund 10 minutes later. We know they get to keep the product, and it's exasperating. Nevertheless, I feel like it's important to handle it gracefully and just make the refund. Be a professional! If we argue, all kinds of things may be said that hurt us later.

Web Sm@rts: I like to begin my day with a cup of coffee along with reading and responding to E-mail. How do you begin yours?

jl scott: Exactly the same way! By the time I get through all the email, someone has written something that gets my heart started for the day.

Web Sm@rts: Do you run your online activities like a regular 9 to 5 job or just work it when the mood strikes?

jl scott: I try to run it like a 9 to 5 company, but it never works. I'd think I'd died and gone to heaven if I only put in 40 hours a week! So, I guess the answer is - I work when the mood strikes, and the mood's just beating me over the head about 16 hours a day!

Web Sm@rts: How do you handle "hate" mail?

jl scott: Now, why on EARTH would you think I'D get hate mail, Ed? LOL Well, of course, I suppose we all do, sooner or later. I'd have to say, it might depend on my mood at the moment. In the beginning, I took the time to try to find out what the writer's real problem was, and try to turn him/her around. And, sometimes, I still do that.

Once in awhile, I'll fire back at someone, especially if they are offensive enough to have it rank as abuse. And, there are a couple of people, I never take anything from, and, in fact, almost enjoy firing back.

But, as time has gone on, and I get busier and busier, I tend now to ignore it completely, and not even dignify it with an answer. There's no place for them to go if they can't get a response out of me. End of battle.

Web Sm@rts: Which browser do you prefer and why?

jl scott: Oh, I take a lot of flack for this one! I use Netscape and don't plan to stop anytime soon. I do it mainly because it stops some of the spyware and almost all of the viruses. Those viruses are designed for Microsoft products and Netscape is immune to them. Especially in email. So, while everyone else is tearing their hair out with losing data, doing hard drive restores and the like, I just move right along with my work.

I know a lot of people don't like Netscape, and "they" claim only a tiny percentage of people still use it. My site stats tell me different. So, I like to check iCop members sites in Netscape, since it IS sometimes hard to make things work there that work in IE.

I create my sites in Netscape too so I don't have that problem. All that just makes common sense to me.

Web Sm@rts: We may have to agree to disagree a bit on this one. Internet Explorer is 10 times faster than Netscape and my site stats tell me that less than 3% of my visitors use it. I do admit, however, that things that "work" it IE sometimes don't "work" in Netscape - and if it won't display in Netscape you're losing a significant portion of your visitors!

jl scott: That isn't unusual. A lot of people disagree with me on this issue. I know other people who are still, like me, showing 25-30% Netscape users in their stats and others, like you, who say 3%. I have NO idea what could bring about that huge variation.

Web Sm@rts: As far as viruses go - isn't that WHY we have virus protection on our computers? You do have virus protection, don't you?

jl scott: Heck yes! I'm not so naive as to think just one "fix" will solve all problems. And, I DO use IE now and then when I can't bring up a site correctly in Netscape - so, I'm vulnerable every time I do that. In fact, I use virus protection and a firewall. But, I'm also not so naive as to believe they will always work!

Not long ago, one of our iCop members lost her entire hard drive to a virus, in spite of using both virus protection and a firewall! There's always that period of time between when a virus hits the Web, and when they come out with a block for it. I just feel that not using the products those viruses are written for, i.e., Microsoft products, any more than I'm forced to, cuts the odds way down for me being infected.

Web Sm@rts: Which sites do you visit most regularly?

jl scott: You know, other than Google, I don't think there's a single site I go to regularly. Other than iCop's forums, I mean. No wait! I do go to the Boogie Jack web site www.boogiejack.com frequently when I'm looking for HTML coding, and things like that. Now that I think of it, I still go to The Newbie Club site www.newbieclub.com too. I need that technical information fairly often!

Web Sm@rts: Yeah, the iCop forums are great, aren't they? I used to visit Boogie Jack's too way back when I was learning my craft. Thanks for mentioning him. There's a man I would like to interview.

Thanks a million jl. This has been very enlightening. I know we've just barely scratched the surface with this interview. Would you be willing to come back and visit with us again at a later date?

jl scott: Any time I can work it in, Ed. I don't give many of these types of interviews. But, I've actually enjoyed doing this one for you! Thank you!

**************

I'd appreciate it if you readers would help me out by sending in any other questions you'd like to have jl answer the next time I interview her. Ed...

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Second Article

How to Tame Your Mouse

by: Stephen Bucaro Bucaro TecHelp

Does your mouse work erratically, skip and jump across the screen, or freeze up? Most problems with the mouse are caused by dirt or miscalibration.

Clean Your Mouse

Most mouses (mice?) work by use of a rubber ball that moves three rollers. It is very common for the rubber ball to pick up dirt and feed it into the internal mechanism of the mouse. Tame your mouse by giving it a good cleaning.

To clean a mouse, turn it over and remove the cover that retains the rubber ball. The cover is usually circular with groves that let you turn the cover in a counter clockwise direction for removal. Remove the rubber ball from the housing, wipe it clean, and blow air into the mouse housing. Inspect the rollers to make sure they are free of dirt. Then reassemble the mouse.

Jerky mouse movement can also be caused by the mouse pad. Most plastic laminate covered mouse pads do not provide enough friction for the mouse to track reliably. Cloth covered mouse pads perform much better, although they don't last as long.

Calibrate Your Mouse

If your mouse still does not behave, check it's calibration. Select Start | Settings | Control Panel, and open the Mouse utility. In the Mouse Properties dialog box, select the Buttons tab and move the Double-click speed slider control to set the time between clicks that you want to be recognized as a double click.

Then select the Motion tab and adjust the Pointer Speed slider control to your preference. In the Acceleration section, set the None radio button, then click on the OK button.

Check The Mouse Driver

On startup, Windows loads a virtual PS2 mouse driver that is contained (along with other virtual device drivers) in the file C:\Windows\system\vmm32.vxd. If another mouse driver is located in the folder c:\windows\system\vmm32, Windows will load that one to replace the mouse driver in vmm32.vxd.

A second mouse driver, or other device driver may be interfering with the PS2 mouse driver. Use the Device Manager to troubleshoot errors. To access Device Manager select Start | Settings | Control Panel, then open the System utility. Select the Device Manager tab. In the list of devices, double-click on Mouse. If there is an exclamation mark (!) or a red "X" on the mouse icon, this means the mouse has a problem. A PS2 mouse uses IRQ 12. Make sure no other device is configured to use IRQ 12, causing a conflict.

A DOS mode mouse driver may be interfering with the Windows mouse driver. If the file autoexec.bat exists in the root directory of the C drive, open the file in Windows Notepad and look for entries like Device=mouse.sys. If the file config.sys exists in the root directory of the C drive, open the file in Windows Notepad and look for entries like c:\dos\mouse.com. To disable the statement type the letters REM (for remark) in front of the line.

If the file System.ini exists in the folder c:\windows folder, open the file in Windows Notepad and look in the [boot] section for the entry Mouse.drv= If the file win.ini exists in the folder c:\windows folder, open the file in Windows Notepad and look for entries like load= and run=. If a line refers to a mouse driver, disable the statement by typing a semicolon (;) in front of the line.

If you operating system is Windows 98/Me/2000, then you can use the System Configuration utility and the System Information utility to study the startup configuration of your computer. To open the System Configuration Utility, select Start | Run, and type c:\windows\system\msconfig. To open the System Information Utility select Start | Programs | Accessories | System Tools and click on System Information.

Check The Display Driver

Sometimes a mouse will work erratically because the display driver is not working properly. The first thing you can do is disable the graphics drivers hardware acceleration. Select Start | Settings | Control Panel, and open the Display utility. In the Display Properties dialog box, select the Settings tab and click on the Advanced... button.

In the dialog box which appears, select the Performance tab and move the hardware acceleration slider control to None. If this doesn't solve the problem you might try updating the display driver. After locating a proper driver, this is done in the same dialog box on the Adapter tab by clicking the Change button to open the Update Device Driver Wizard.

Try a New Mouse

Most problems with the mouse are caused by dirt or miscalibration. If cleaning the mouse doesn't solve the problem, the procedures described above may guide you to the source of the problem. However, a computer mouse is a cheaply manufactured mechanical device. As such they don't last long. If nothing else works, maybe its time to retire that old mouse.

**************

Copyright©2002 Bucaro TecHelp.
To learn how to maintain your computer and use it more effectively to design a Web site and make money on the Web visit bucarotechelp.com To subscribe to Bucaro TecHelp Newsletter Send a blank email to bucarotechelp-subscribe@topica.com

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