4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Caveat Emptor- Caution before Coin, April 17, 1999
This review is from: Risky Business: Protect Your Business From Being Stalked, Conned, or Blackmailed on the Web (Hardcover)
Once again, Janal would have received five stars for his introductory work on internet security were it not for the numerous typos and editorial errors throughout the book. To cite a glaring example, on page 315 of the book, one of Janal's four crisis communication measures is repeated twice.
Though the book's content is repetitive in many places, much of the information to be found here can be quite eye-opening for those who are either new to the internet or use it infrequently. While it is true that a lot of the information presented in this book can be found on the net, most people probably would not have the time, patience, or money to find it on their own. Janal should be commended for putting together this information and presenting it as a warning for those thinking of venturing on the net. Janal really does give the thinking novice cause for pause.
The organization of this volume is lacking in a couple of key areas and could have been better organized. Contact information for those quoted was repeated ad nauseum, and could have either been presented once at the end of a chapter or as an appendix at the end of the book. Since the book's target audience is obviously those who are new to the internet and those who rarely use it, Janal could have appended useful information, such as links to useful organizations. Granted, this information was included throughout the book, but really interrupted the flow of his easygoing, understandable dialogue and got in the way of important points in the text. Some of the chapters could have been subdivided into smaller, meatier chunks of information. On the other hand, other pieces of information, such as domain name trivia, could have been dumped altogether.
Yet, from a practical standpoint, the internet, as presented by Janal, can be a legal nightmare. One must consider intellectual property issues, copyright infringement, libel laws, trademark abuse, and domain name protection, in addition to various invasions of privacy and civil liberty long before venturing onto the internet.
To his credit, Janal freely admits that his book is no substitute for good legal help, and the wise web entrepreneur will retain good legal services long before going on the net and facing a problem. Most progressive companies that are serious about competing in the digital era have already taken the steps necessary to protect themselves, and intelligent web surfers are using the internet with a good deal of caution.
In the end, as many of the dangers Janal points out are often unavoidable and come out of the blue, there really is no substitute for a good legal offense, general and up-to-date awareness of the internet medium, and quite frankly, plain old common sense.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Follow this advice to protect your business., March 19, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Risky Business: Protect Your Business From Being Stalked, Conned, or Blackmailed on the Web (Hardcover)
Common sense is often obvious only in retrospect. If you are starting or running an online business of any kind, this layman's oriented approach to security is the perfect place for you to start protecting yourself and your business from all kinds of nasties...
o hackers
o intellectual rights infringers
o etc., etc. -- even your own employees!
It's given me the right place to start asking my techies the right questions on numerous security-related issues. It's *THE* "protect yourself" book that we recommend in our book, "Make Your Site SELL!"
While a couple of parts are getting a touch dated, most issues are evergreen. I'm sure I'll find myself referring to it five years from now, if Dan can't convince the publisher to issue a new edition (hint, hint, Dan!).
Thanks Dan, for an unequivocal 5-star effort.
-----
-Ken Evoy, kevoy@sitesell.com
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly recommended by Internet ScamBusters, February 4, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Risky Business: Protect Your Business From Being Stalked, Conned, or Blackmailed on the Web (Hardcover)
This well-written book by Dan Janal is a "must read" book for people interested in protecting themselves and their businesses from Internet scams and fraud. We often recommend it to the subscribers of Internet ScamBusters (the number one electronic newsletter on Internet fraud). Dan provides a very realistic assessment of what to watch out for online - and unfortunately, there are lots of issues. But fortunately, it's not too hard to protect yourself when you know what to look for.
Dr. Audri G. Lanford, editor Internet ScamBusters
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
