After reviewing every scrap of code in this site and having others at two universities do the same, we have totally cleaned this site and run it now for over 3 months. Google’s robots are giving false reports! (Confirmed by RMIT tests here in Melbourne which have reproduced the same effect on another experimental site).
We have notified Google on three separate occasions, allowing 3 months intervals for them to correct the problem and re-requested another review.We have even been told by them that they could find no evidence of any malware or unauthorised downloads, phishing or anything else deceptive or unethical.
.But still we are listed as a bad site - What more can we do?
Because I also do web design as a business,I cannot afford the negative publicity this fiasco is generating.
At Mimentum we tried to provide peoiple with a totally free information resource to help anyone (not just the wealthy and gullible) create an online business. At no time has Mimenta ever made any profit from this blog, recorded addresses for business use or in any way tried to benefit from this blog - it was our way of saying thanks to all the folks we pestered over the years as we learned how to use the Internet and on line auctions - a sort of Paying It Forward - if you like.
Google make all the right noises but do nothing - we remain tagged as an untrusted site. Other search engines and even browers regard them as an authority - I see no hope of redressing this David and Goliath situation without costing us thousands of dollars.
The situation appears to be like this:
We clean the site —-.We ask Google to recheck it —- they check it and find it clean —– somoene files another batch of Fake Site bogus reports before Google remove the warning - which starts the process all over again.
This site is clean - we have tested it from over 137 different computers around Victoria Australia. We have had several attempts (through people leaving comments with malware add-ons) to infect the Mimentum Blog site - one from an on-line Casino and others from several sites (probably all the same business) trying to sell Share Investment Software. That is why we do not allow comment to appear directly on the blog site - they are actually re-typed in full, then the original comments are erased, to assure clean content for you - all out readers.
We will re-emerge with a new blog in a few weeks. You will be able to find it by using the link on www.mimenta.com or our sister site Triple L Fashions
So this is the last post from Mimentum (sniff sniff!) . . . .and a huge personal thanks to you all for your support.
May I just say - THANKYOU - you proved to us that it could be done (if you build it they will come) - even when the Gurus said it couldn’t - and have given us the conviction to keep going…
. . . and to Google, Microsoft and eBay - and all the other Internet Leviathans who misuse their power - this is only Round 1 - we will come back stronger and wiser
Well it’s been a chaotic fortnight!
Trusting Microsoft’s updates, I updated my Windows XP and all seemed fine. (I tried Vista but half my stuff didn’t work due to incompatible drivers and I resented the huge amount of disk space and resources it needed to run a few new geegaws and when Microsoft sales couldn’t help, I got rid of Vista, reformated my hard drives and went back to Windows XP.)
I don’t usually shut down my computer over night but after watching a TV program on Carbon Emmissions I thought I would be ecologically responsible.
When I restarted my computer the next day, Windows XP would not boot up. I loaded the original Windows XP Pro DVD to re-install XP. It said a file on the DVD was damaged or missing and could not install!
I tried the DVD for the Laptop installation of Windows XP Home and it returned the same message. Both DVDs were purchased from Microsoft about 2 years ago - Yep 100% genuine! . . . and100% stuffed!
Because I had an urgent job I restarted the computer in SuSe 10.1 (a version of Linux about 3 years old) and used Open Office to type out a quick letter. It showed me that all my files were there but useless without Windows.
I called Microsoft sales and was told that I could purchase new DVDs - of course I would need 2 - one for each computer (you can only install it on one machine) - because the originals were well out of there warranty and the most likely cause was a scratch on the DVD that no-one could reasonably expect Microsoft to accept responsibility for. Because the DVDs had loaded the Operating Syatem originally, obviously the damage had occurred later.
I have been toying with Linux for a while now but I really am no expert, especially with the terminal (or command line interface - you type in commands rather than click on pretty pictures). I had no trouble with the desktop and the icons, which work the same as windows.
I had two choices - buy a new copy of Windows XP or take the final leap into Linux.
I decided that because this was a business problem, I would swallow my indignance and purchase another copy of Windows XP. When I called back I was then told that they were no longer available. If I was lucky. I might find a few shops who still had a copy!
Would it have been a quantum leap in customer service to have told me that on the first phone call?
So Mimenta and Mimentum now run totally on Linux. . .
So as they say, “To boldly go where no man has . . . . ” etc.etc
or maybe . . . .”It’s life Jim, but not as we know it!”
You may have received a warning notice if you google this blog - don’t panic.
We were stunned to receive a message from Google that out site was compromised. Their robots can spot badware in a site but they don’t give you the type of ware to look for or where it is hidden.
The culprit was a link to an online gambling casino that was smuggled into the blog through a comment. It put a popup window on your computer but did no actual damage. It did not transfer throuh RSS feeds either.
We have reacted, traced the cause and eradicated it. It was a link from an online Casino site that slipped an internet popup window advertising the online casino. Although the link was annoying and done without our knowledge, it was not harmful to your computer.
When I found the link, I was aware the blogsite was old and due for a facelift, so I updated the lot with a new blog engine (much more secure) and a complete rewite of all the programming so it is absolutely clean.
We have informed Google of these upgrades but it takes a couple of weeks before they can check the site and give an all clear - removing the message.
Meanwhile we sit wait and watch all our new readers get scared off!
