Erik Qualman's Blog, page 636

Twitter hacks: How smartly to avoid them

You might be surprised to know that Twitter currently has fifty million users active every day. But these days, people’s Twitter account has been getting hacked regularly. And, not once, but also twice every month! But, don’t worry. Don’t be that vulnerable to let others attack you. So, here are some tips to avoid your Twitter account from getting hacked.

Pick a strong password of eight characters and make sure that it has numbers and symbols

This is probably the simplest tip that I can provide to prevent your page from getting hacked. Well, if you want the title to be clearer, then I can simply tell that use some word which is not there in the dictionary. There are computerized dictionary attacks which are effortlessly capable of finding and abusing those words within no time.

Whenever you log into your account, make sure that  www.twitter.com   is in the address bar

There are many fake sites, viruses, spyware and malware which are often masked as common links. Also, you need to be very careful whenever you click on the links that you receive in your Twitter messages. Especially, all those people whom you do not know personally. For your benefit, I’ll give you a tip. Just observe that all those words that come between twitter and the extension.com are sure pointers that you will not be connected to Twitter.

Limit third part access

Trusted applications should have only popular and trustworthy sources like Facebook, Hootsuite, TweetDeck etc. although applications and programs developed by third party developers can be convenient and easy, they should be made use of very cautiously. But now, an article recently published reports that Twitter has rendered all third party applications out of date.

Change your password regularly

These days, password hacking has become very advanced. People usually use passwords like iloveu, love and such. Well, they are like welcome mats to all hackers around the world. So, I suggest you to use passwords which are quite random and very long. Also, frequently keep changing it.

Don’t share passwords via email

You should never ever share your passwords through email. No matter for what purpose it is. You can instead call the person and tell him personally. Or, your account might probably get hacked within an hour.

Add your phone number

Through text messages, Twitter helps you to interact who people whom you follow and also people who follow you. At the same time, it also acts as a security measure. So, if you add your phone number to your Twitter account, it is impossible for others to change your password until they get hold of your phone.

Require personal information

There is a security setting available on Twitter where you need to include your personal information like your phone number or email address before changing your password. But, this information is not required by default. So, you need to enable this option. You can do so by ticking a particular box which says – Require personal information to reset my password.

Log in and out with care

As mentioned earlier, whenever you log into your account, make sure that there is only www.twitter.com displayed in the address bar. Or, your username and password have possible changes of being stolen. And, see to it that you always log out after using Twitter, especially on your smartphone. As smartphones can also get lost or be stolen.

Regularly check your account

Well, I know this is common sense. But, it is necessary that you check your Twitter account on a regular basis just to ensure that everything is going on fine. Because, there are many cases where Twitter accounts have been hacked when not used for a couple of days.

Do not reuse passwords

Many people usually have the same passwords for all social networking sites as they find it easy to remember. But, this is another open doorway for hackers to steal your password.

Save a back up

You should always save a back up of your website on either a flash drive or any online service. It does not matter even if the website is too small. So, in case your account ever gets hacked, you can reset your password and put on your old site.

About The Author: Kelly is a writer/blogger. She loves writing, traveling and reading books. She contributes on Lex Kogan

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Social Media and My Electric Company

Have you noticed anything new on your electric company’s website lately?

Perhaps a link to their Twitter or Facebook account? Utility companies have begun to use social media in an effort to connect with their customers. Has your electricity supplier joined into the social networking phenomenon?

Why They Join In

Electric companies use social media as a way to reach their existing customers.

Sometimes they are reaching out to new customers, or potential clients in their area. Occasionally a new supplier will move into your area. These new companies have moved in due to de-regulation concerning utility companies around the country. De-regulation allow customers to have more choices for their utilities and helps prevent monopolies in certain areas. Social media allows companies to find new customers, which is much less annoying than the door-to-door sales teams.

Not only do electric companies use social media to reach out to potential customers, but they can offer energy saving tips to all customers.

Why Energy Saving Tips?

Along with deregulation, the U.S. Government has pushed utility companies to save energy.

Skyrocketing rates for all energy has caused electric companies to want to help their customers save money. The more energy customers use, the more the electric supplier must purchase or create.

Energy saving ideas shared by electric companies isn’t really a new idea. For years these companies have placed tips on how to share energy in brochures and slips placed inside of bills. Their websites usually have pages devoted to saving energy. Working together with clients through social media is just one more way to share the word.

Customer Service

One of the best things about social media is how instantly everything is shared.

Companies began noticing that their customers or potential clients asked questions on their social networking accounts. While sometimes the clients were unhappy with service, other times they were asking questions regarding their service. Social media makes it very easy to ask questions and find the answers.

Companies also noticed that when someone asked a question, many other people would ‘like’ or ‘follow’ the answers. They found that people were happy they didn’t have to waste their time calling in or emailing their own questions that someone else may have already asked.

Questions that are asked, among which can be tied to billing, service issues, how to save money on everything from your furnace to refrigerator, often can be placed on the company’s website FAQ. It is easier to track concerns via social networking and to find out exactly what customers think of a service.

Social media is easily accessible for anyone with a computer, tablet, or mobile phone.

Mobile access has made it easy to see your social media profiles anytime, anywhere. People can basically carry their utility company with them when they follow the social media pages or accounts of their utility. Electric companies can notify customers of outages, emergencies, and send out estimates based on the customers location.

Thanks to mobile phones, locations can be tracked by an application from the utility – this allows the company to send out location specific alerts.

Photo credit: idealsvc.com

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Are Casinos Getting More Social?

Social media is a part of our life and nothing shows this more than the current trend of advertising.

No longer do casinos need to rely on television commercials or static ads in print magazines. While people still see these ads, nothing is quite like social media for supplying instant marketing to a huge amount of potential customers. Casinos around the world are cashing in on this phenomenon.

Instant Gratification

People that use social media are fans of instant gratification.

As a society our lives have become more fast paced. If a marketing campaign can’t reach thousands of potential customers in moments, it isn’t on social media! People that visit casinos- online and off- love to be aware of upcoming tournaments, discounts, and travel information. When casinos let customers know about special events, chances are that they’re going to reach more people, faster, on social media. Event marketing through social media has exploded.

Casinos are able to tell more people about events that are coming up and keep those people informed if there are changes to the event. Social networking allows notifications to be received  instantly. When people can check their social networks for information, they’re a happily engaged customer.

Mobile Marketing

Social networking has gone mobile.

Phone and tablet apps allow people to access their social networks all the time. No longer do people need to wait to check Facebook or Twitter until they get to a regular computer. This has allowed casinos to keep in touch with players no matter where they are in the world. Mobile playing has increased with the number of games available for mobile devices. Just as more companies are accepting mobile payments from customers, casinos are not slow to act.

Casinos are cashing in by using advertising in mobile game apps. Casinos that have gaming apps developed are ahead of the game and winning big in the mobile, social world.

Customer Interaction

By creating a place where customers can easily interact with the casino or casino staff, this social marketing has created a win-win situation.

People can find out more about the casino, ask questions, and talk to others who visit the casino. Online casinos can grow their customer base as people see their friends talking about the casino’s social page. This is similar to word of mouth advertising, with a lot of technological advantages. Good experiences are easily showcased to potential customers, while bad experiences can be addressed in a professional manner and turned into ‘good’ experiences.

Thanks to social networking, casinos have found a great way to advertise without sending their overhead through the roof.

Social networking, if done properly, is a no-cost way to increase a customer base and customer satisfaction. Outsourcing of the social accounts handling is still low cost when compared to other forms of advertising. Lastly, the reach of social pages is almost limitless and can raise the casino’s reputation through the roof.

It’s all in the roll of the social networking dice.

Photo credit: groupviva.com

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Which Social Media Tool is Best for My Small Business?

Social media marketing is a vast landscape.

When you decide it’s time you started making better use of social media to promote your small business, it’s easy to get distracted for hours looking at all the different social networks and wondering:

‘Which of these should I be using?’

Let’s break this down and look at the big networks one at a time.

Do I Need to Be on Twitter?

With a character limit that affords you one or two short sentences plus a URL, Twitter’s the place to broadcast interesting, concisely phrased updates and curate some of the best content in your niche.

Small businesses can make excellent use of Twitter for self-promotion, but there are other possibilities, too. You could offer customer support via tweets, or tweet out market research questions and collate the answers.

If you won’t be on hand to respond to Twitter messages on a daily basis, it may not be a good choice for your business. Twitter users tend to expect a rapid response, and can get snippy if it takes days to get an answer.

Do I Need to Be on Facebook?

Facebook has a huge number of active users, but may not be the best use of your time.

Consumers on Facebook tend to follow brands as a way of publicly expressing their own personality and values, rather than a way to communicate with the brand.

Add to that the short lifespan of a Facebook status update in user News Feeds, and unless you’re offering some highly engaging content with incentives like special offers or contests, your conversion rate of Facebook fans to new customers may be low.

If your product or service lends itself to great images and cool videos, though, Facebook could be a good fit for your business. It’s grown increasingly visuals-focused since engagement proved to be higher on image posts than any other type of Facebook posts.

Do I Need to Be on Google+?

Google+ offers one huge benefit: your Google+ profile can be linked to your website, blog, and so on to give Google’s search engine a better grasp of your online output. If your small business relies on search traffic to keep customer acquisition rolling, then Google+ is an option worth exploring.

The etiquette around self-promotion on Google+ is complex, and posting frequent self-promoting updates may be perceived as spammy and intrusive. This is a place to establish your brand positioning, rather than trawl for new customers.

Do I Need to Use All the Social Media?

In a word, no. It’s far better to use one social channel well than to use many different networks poorly.

There are dozens more social networks than the three mentioned here. Pinterest, Quora, GitHub, LinkedIn, Instagram and others each have their own style and values, appealing to different segments of online society.

Focus on understanding your market and which social media they use the most. Where do they look up a business that interests them – on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, or somewhere else? Do they use social media to find special offers, or to seek customer support?

When you’ve got that figured out, focus your time and energy on just one or two social networks that are best aligned with (a) your market and (b) your business objectives. If you have time to handle a third or fourth network, go ahead, but don’t overload yourself.

About the Author: Sophie Lizard is a professional blogger on business, technology and marketing topics; she’s currently researching the life and career of Gary Crittenden.

 

 

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Getting Social with Real Estate

Social networking has infiltrated our lives.

There isn’t a facet of people’s lives that doesn’t include some sort of social networking. Millions of people have Facebook and Twitter accounts. Most people that use social media have more than one account with multiple platforms.

There’s Instagram, Whisper, Tumblr, and Pinterest. Members can share information regarding anything they wish and more importantly people are sharing their real estate stories.

Home Buying and Properties

Real estate companies have found that social networking is a great way to spread awareness of the homes or properties that are available for sale.

With so many people on social networks real estate companies are able to reach hundreds, if not thousands, of potential buyers instantly. Consumers now spend most of their time researching properties online. It is far more simple for a potential buyer to find information online regarding a property than to hunt down the same data through libraries or town records.

Through social media a real estate broker can list pictures of a property in real time, on site.

Not only can the agent list those pictures, the agent can also create a virtual home tour, then answer questions in real time, be they questions on pricing, work done on the home, the importance of finding the right title agency, or comparable homes in the neighborhood. Conference calls via Skype or other instant messengers can help create virtual showings. Google Plus allows a ‘hangout’ function where an agent can show the home in real time to anyone that wishes to join their ‘hangout’.

Branding

As with other companies, real estate agencies can build their brand through social media.

Easy access to potential buyers can create the perfect environment for branding. People will be able to browse your company’s profile and get to know exactly what type of properties you offer.

Your customers will also get to know the personalities of agents that participate in the social networking. Agencies with a prominent logo, catchy taglines, and great customer service are more likely to be visited on social media than a boring company with no logo and links with no information to properties that have no real  data listed about them.

Customer Service

Social networking is a great way for real estate companies to provide customer service.

More people are using social networking on their mobile phone, tablets, and other devices. People spend more time connected via mobile means and conduct quite a bit of business through mobile devices. Home and property purchases can be conducted through these means – in fact with the capability of most mobile phones people can browse listings and contact agents without ever even sitting down at their computer.

Real estate agents are using mobile devices as much as their customers. They are able to field phone calls and emails anywhere, any time.

Using social media to answer questions regarding properties has created a fast growing phenomenon that is setting the stage for all future real estate transactions.

Photo credit: Mashable.com

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Do We Have Too Many Social Media Detectives?

According to a 2012 infographic from Mashable, more than 50% of individuals learn about breaking news through their social networking sites instead of on traditional news media.

Regular citizens can break news stories as they happen — or at least quicker than traditional news media, in many cases.

But there’s a definite downside to news being able to spread so fast via these sites.

Rumors, misidentified suspects, or downright false information spreads just as quickly — and can even hinder police investigations.

False Information

By far the biggest downside to getting news from social media, false information can spread just as fast — or even faster — than accurate information. According to the same Mashable infographic, almost 50% of respondents had received breaking news via social media, only to find out later that it was misleading or false.

Rumors and false information spread via social media can be hurtful to families — such as the prematurely reported deaths of Joe Paterno and Steve Jobs.

Incorrect Identification of Suspects

Following the Boston Marathon tragedy earlier this month, social networking sites were abuzz with rumors, conflicting information — and incorrect identification of possible suspects.

One of the people falsely identified as one of the bombers was 17-year-old Salah Eddin Barhoum, who was terrified to see his face spread around the internet, attached to the bombing.

But there’s another problem with people jumping on incorrect identification of suspects: they can hinder the investigation.

With so many people sharing and re-sharing the wrong person’s photo, it can be more difficult for law enforcement to get the right photo out — which can make it harder to find the actual suspects.

One often-overlooked issue with social media being such a quick way to disseminate information is that traditional media outlets feel pressure to keep up — with sometimes damaging consequences. After the Boston Marathon bombing, CNN incorrectly reported that a suspect had been firmly identified after video analysis of the scene.

After that report, the AP tweeted that an arrest was “imminent” — a claim quickly refuted by CBS, who tweeted that they had learned no arrest was, in fact, made. CNN jumped back into the fray, claiming that an arrest had been made, followed by a similar story on FOX News.

All of this confusion likely stemmed from news sources attempting to be first with a story — without being careful to make sure the story was actually true.

How to Avoid Becoming Part of the Problem

As previously mentioned, spreading rumors and false information can get in the way of a police investigation, and slow the spread of accurate info.

You can avoid being part of this problem by:

·         Following law enforcement agencies, both at the federal and local level. You can double-check information that you hear via social media with these agencies’ feeds to make sure you’re not forwarding the wrong things.

·         Taking a moment to check up on photos and other information you first hear about on social media — especially when an investigation is ongoing.

·         Refusing to share or re-tweet information that you can’t verify is true, or that doesn’t come from a reliable source.

Social media can be a powerful tool for law enforcement when used wisely. But everyone needs to be careful that they are not getting in the way instead of helping.

About the Author: Angie Mansfield writes about social media, small business topics, and business owners such as Steve Wynn.

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Facebook and Germany: To Like or not to Like?

By Stephanie Kopf

August 2008, around 3,5 years ago, there were 100 million active Facebook users worldwide. As of September 2011 that number is eight times bigger.

Germany had 18 million Facebook users in 2010, being behind other European countries such as France and the UK.

In 2011 the average German stayed on Facebook for 135 minutes – a little over two hours. The statistics show the average time spent per visitor on different websites. But Facebook usage has hit some snags in Germany, due to widespread concern connected with how seriously Facebook takes users’ privacy.

Politicians have called for probing in to just how Facebook saves and uses personal information from users. The Consumer Protection Minister in Germany, Ilse Aigner, publicly called to her colleagues to stop using Facebook in the past, while she herself deactivated her account. And while Facebook  is especially popular among young people in Germany, many are still cautious as to how much they make public and who can see their posts and profile information.

In 2011 a group of Austrian students filed 22 complaints against Facebook, after discovering that supposedly deleted information from users was actually still available and not deleted at all. The complaints went through the Irish Data Protection Commission, as the Facebook office in Dublin is responsible for European Facebook users. The case is ongoing and has received widespread media coverage throughout Europe.

The European Commission is currently working on a law for stricter data protection management in Europe, which could directly affect the way Facebook manages its users’ personal information.

Well, everyone knows by now that you shouldn’t post things like “I hate my boss” on your Facebook page. As for which data goes where: what you don’t know can’t hurt you, as the saying goes. But once you do know, you’re entitled to do something about it.

Image: © Giorgio Magini/ istockphoto

Stephanie Kopf writes for the blog www.trenditionist.com . She has lived in Siberia, New York City and Germany. Her subject areas include anything related to the human psyche, European news, education, communication in all its forms, as well as the interaction of all of these with each other.

Visit us at http://www.trenditionist.com

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As Search Engines Become More Social, Everybody Wins

In the last decade, companies like Google, Bing, and Yahoo have revolutionized the way we discover things online. Well, to be honest, revolutionize might not be the right word. Rather than revolutionize the way we search, they’ve defined the way we search.

Search is changing, now, however. And if we are to use the world “revolutionize” when it comes to search, we should start using it to describe social search. Social search will change the way that people discover things, whether they’re looking for a good dry cleaner or places to eat on their upcoming vacation.

Curious as to how social search will change the way people discover? While things are still being defined, there will no doubt be significant change to the way that you search for things in the near future. This is how social will change search for the better.

More Tailored Results

As social becomes more of a part of search engine rankings, expect your results to be more relevant. This is already happening to some extent, but in the upcoming months and years it will happen even more.

Search engines use algorithms to determine how your results appear. It’s a complex algorithm comprised of a number of things, including a website’s authority, the links it has, and the content that’s produced on it. By incorporating a human element into those results, it’s very possible that your search results could become more tailored to you.

Think of it like this. You’re in Paris for a vacation, and you’re trying to figure out somewhere to eat for dinner. A lot of people solve this problem by searching online, which will give them a result based on the search engine algorithms. If social is included in the mix, that search result could possibly include a restaurant that your neighbors liked when they visited Paris a few years ago.

You could get results based on things that your friends or family have liked or reviewed. Additionally, having a human element included in search engine results could mean that websites are relevant to certain searches, which provides more tailored results.

Less Garbage and More Relevant Content

As social becomes more integrated with search, the possibility that you’ll get less “garbage” with your search results becomes greater. Search engines will begin to reply less on the link structure of specific web pages, which benefits the user as link spam could become a thing of the past.

“Spamdexing” is an unfortunate, unethical SEO tactic that doesn’t do anything to improve the quality of the website and is considered “black hat”. As social becomes more relevant to search engines, spamdexing could become eradicated, as human input will become a factor into the ranking algorithms.

Since the overall amount of spam will likely be reduced with the rise of social search, it can be assumed that companies will have to work harder to provide meaningful and relevant content in order to increase their rankings organically. This leads to a more colorful web full of content that is meant for the reader.

Current Results

Social search will help to bring your current results for what you are searching for. Have you ever searched for something to reference for an article, only to find information that’s many years outdated? With social search, the likelihood of that happening decreases, and current and relevant information becomes more available.

Social search engines are constantly receiving updated feedback from a variety of different human sources, which means they’ll be more relevant and be able to provide more current results. This could make search engines act more like social network streams like Twitter, where you’re getting real time constantly updated results.

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Social Media and Flying off With a Deal

In the market for some great travel deals?

Skip the travel websites and hit social media for the very best in deals.

While travel deal sites might seem like the place to turn, they’re not likely to actually help you snag the lowest prices. Thanks to Facebook and Twitter you may pay far less than any regularly advertised price.

Facebook Fans Hear First

By taking the time to ‘like’ a company’s Facebook page you will often find deals before anyone else.

This might seem odd given the number of fans many businesses have, many people hide such feeds from their news feed. This means that if you don’t hide the feed or check the page often – you’re more likely to see special ‘fans only’ travel deals. This can be for airlines, hotels, car rentals, and more.

Not only will you find these secret deals, but you can win travel packages. Facebook pages of all types run contests for travel. Destination travel is the most popular type of contest prize with Disney parks coming out on top of the list. Cruises are another big prize.

Twitter at the Speed of Sound

For the fastest way to find what you need for traveling, try Twitter.

This social network is known for the speed of replies. People can ask a question and receive recommendations from around the world in minutes, sometimes seconds.  People from all walks of life use Twitter and love to share their experiences. You can also get links from Twitter to news articles on the web that discuss different airlines and the travel industry as a whole.

Like Facebook, most businesses have a Twitter account.

When a hotel or cruise needs to fill spots they may use Twitter to offer deep discounts to fill rooms fast. The deals are shared quickly and are snapped up almost as soon as they are tweeted. If you’re using Twitter to find travel deals one of the best strategies is to create an account and follow only travel related companies. You won’t miss any deals in the ‘noise’ of people you follow.

Research Everything

Never forget to research any company before accepting a discount. You may end up on a nightmare vacation. Social networking can be used to check up on the reputation of any company. While many companies have good reputations, some pay people to boost their online satisfaction ratings. Asking friends or social network followers about their experiences can save you time, energy, and a headache from bad service.

Don’t forget about other networks such as Reddit, Pinterest, and Google Plus are all great places to find more steals on travel.

You don’t need to spend hours picking through specials or bidding on hotel rooms. Through social media the discounts travel directly to your account.

The best part of using social accounts to locate discounts is that you will learn about the deals first and often from people you already know. Don’t blindly nab a special, let your friends verify them for you.

Photo credit: travelsneakpeek.com

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How to Behave on Social Media: Basic Rules for College Students

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If you’re intelligent enough to become a college student, you may think you’re exempt from making stupid mistakes. Permit me to insult your intelligence. You are just as capable of messing up as someone with an IQ below body temperature. This is especially true when it comes to misusing Social Media.

Just telling you to use common sense or the Golden Rule may not be enough to make sure you do not misunderstand the rules for using Social Media. That’s because an impulsive action on your part may not be taken back, just because you’re sorry.

The Internet is forever. Something that appears online cannot be expunged by a simple deletion. Practically everything that goes up there is archived, in one way or another. The last thing you need to find out is your own indiscreet action has now become viral, thanks to a quick acting person who republished your indiscretion.

Do Unto Others As You Would Have Others Do Unto You

Never, ever, post something to the Internet about someone else that you, yourself, would not like to have posted about you. In addition to the harm you could cause someone else, your bad action could be viewed by others as a lack of character on your part (or grounds for a lawsuit). Those others may include:

College admissions personnel
Prospective employers
Litigious attorneys hired by the person wronged

and so forth.

One Picture Is Worth a Thousand Lawsuits

You may think it’s funny to take a picture of someone in a compromising situation and upload it to a Social Media site. If that person thinks you besmirched his or her character, you could end up in court on the wrong end of a lawsuit or criminal prosecution. This is no joke.

You Can’t Take the Fifth After the Fact

Let’s suppose you took a pic of yourself doing something that’s clearly against the law and impulsively shared it online. That pic can become Exhibit A when you are arrested and prosecuted for breaking the law. You only have the right not to incriminate yourself (in the USA) after the fact, not before. If you MUST break the law, don’t document it and publish it.

How to Become a Registered Sex Offender

It’s easy! All you have to do is take a picture of, or describe in detail, a sexual encounter with an underage person. That’s child pornography, under the law. You don’t get off because you, yourself, may be underage. All that means is your status as a sex offender will follow you around after you reach the age of majority.

Character Self-Assassination

You may feel it’s within your rights to express yourself in any way you choose. However, if you publish your expressions online, you could be liable to actions by those who are associated with you or are harmed by your actions. This includes:

Putting up hate speech.

Violating the rules and regulations of any association, school, employer or community to which you belong.

Making terroristic threats.

These offenses can follow you around for the rest of your life. Many employers are reviewing the online character of prospective employees and declining to employ those who demonstrate a bad character.

You Don’t Have the Right to be Wrong…

…and you don’t have the right to be rude. Make sure you avoid the appearance of same online. While the instant gratification of Social Media is alluring, it can also lead to a permanent black mark on your record as a person if you abuse it.

When in Doubt, Don’t

If you have the sneaking suspicion that what you are about to post is questionable, stop. You will never regret the bad things you didn’t do. You may always regret the bad things you DID do.

Image sources: http://flic.kr/p/e1yRKg.

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