Despite congressional criticism, Facebook is planning to resume the aborted rollout of a feature that allowed the optional sharing of addresses and mobile phone numbers.
You can read their letter to congress here.
After their initial announcement, Facebook temporarily delayed the update, however it now appears that they will go forward with their original plans.
Are you aware how this effects your privacy? especially on specific Facebook apps? Are you concerned or does it even matter?
Comment here or click the Facebook link below to comment on Facebook.
Happy, safe networking.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Facebook HTTPS:// How secure are you?
After Facebook announced its HTTPS browsing security, many people went about their day posting comments, playing games and using other applications, all the time thinking that all their activity and comments were hidden from anyone except the chosen few. Not true.
Facebook comments are still visible in many search results, as are “likes, and “places” and many Facebook app activities.
Facebook uses HTTPS whenever your password is sent to them, and according to Facebook’s announcement: “Starting today [January 26, 2011] we'll provide you with the ability to experience Facebook entirely over HTTPS. You should consider enabling this option if you frequently use Facebook from public Internet access points found at coffee shops, airports, libraries or schools.”
The word “entirely” can be confusing to many folks. The HTTPS is not turned on by default therefore you must manually activate it from your “Account Settings” page on Facebook.
The “entirely” confusion relates also to Facebook Apps which are not included in the HTTPS (in my experience so far). If you visit a non secure app in Facebook, and want to return to HTTPS, you should re-check your account settings to see if it unchecked itself.
While on Facebook, look at your URL address; if you see http: instead of https: then you don't have a secure session and you can potentially be hacked if you are using a public computer or a wi fi connection in a public place.
Go to Account|Account Settings|Account Security. FB defaults to the non-secure setting.
Click Change.
Check the first box for HTTPS and the second box if you want to be notified whenever someone from a mobile device or new computer accesses your account. (This also means you at a new computer or your phone, etc)
and then click Save.
Remember,:
...If you visit a non secure app in Facebook, and want to return to HTTPS, you should re-check your account settings to see if it unchecked itself.
... and most important: what you post on Facebook, whether your page or a friends is public, and in many way can be returned in search results or other tools.
.
To stay abreast of trends and technology advancements, Sumner Davenport continues to participate regularly in developer forums and expands her knowledge through training courses sponsored by large internet marketing companies, developer forums and the internet search giants, as well as industry related events in her clients' areas of practice. By consistently monitoring trends, events and news, Sumner is better able to assist them in selecting the best venues for marketing their firms.
Follow Sumner on Twitter
Follow Sumner on Facebook
Follow Sumner on Linked In
Facebook comments are still visible in many search results, as are “likes, and “places” and many Facebook app activities.
Facebook uses HTTPS whenever your password is sent to them, and according to Facebook’s announcement: “Starting today [January 26, 2011] we'll provide you with the ability to experience Facebook entirely over HTTPS. You should consider enabling this option if you frequently use Facebook from public Internet access points found at coffee shops, airports, libraries or schools.”
The word “entirely” can be confusing to many folks. The HTTPS is not turned on by default therefore you must manually activate it from your “Account Settings” page on Facebook.
The “entirely” confusion relates also to Facebook Apps which are not included in the HTTPS (in my experience so far). If you visit a non secure app in Facebook, and want to return to HTTPS, you should re-check your account settings to see if it unchecked itself.
While on Facebook, look at your URL address; if you see http: instead of https: then you don't have a secure session and you can potentially be hacked if you are using a public computer or a wi fi connection in a public place.
https:// ( HyperText Transfer Protocol with Secure Sockets Layer.) The data transferred is encrypted so that it cannot be read by anyone except the recipient. Https:// is used by website that are collecting sensitive customer data such as banks, financial groups and most online stores, and, you may have noticed a small “lock” icon appear in your address bar on these websites.
Go to Account|Account Settings|Account Security. FB defaults to the non-secure setting.
Click Change.
Check the first box for HTTPS and the second box if you want to be notified whenever someone from a mobile device or new computer accesses your account. (This also means you at a new computer or your phone, etc)
and then click Save.
Remember,:
...If you visit a non secure app in Facebook, and want to return to HTTPS, you should re-check your account settings to see if it unchecked itself.
... and most important: what you post on Facebook, whether your page or a friends is public, and in many way can be returned in search results or other tools.
.
To stay abreast of trends and technology advancements, Sumner Davenport continues to participate regularly in developer forums and expands her knowledge through training courses sponsored by large internet marketing companies, developer forums and the internet search giants, as well as industry related events in her clients' areas of practice. By consistently monitoring trends, events and news, Sumner is better able to assist them in selecting the best venues for marketing their firms.
Follow Sumner on Twitter
Follow Sumner on Facebook
Follow Sumner on Linked In
Sunday, January 30, 2011
A Little Humor
Hello, thank you for calling Computer Repair.
Caller : Hello, our printer is not working.
Customer Service: What is wrong with it?
Caller : Mouse is jammed.
Customer Service: Mouse is jammed? Printers don't have a mouse!
Caller: Mmmmm??.. Oh really?... I will send a picture.
Scroll down:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Caller : Hello, our printer is not working.
Customer Service: What is wrong with it?
Caller : Mouse is jammed.
Customer Service: Mouse is jammed? Printers don't have a mouse!
Caller: Mmmmm??.. Oh really?... I will send a picture.
Scroll down:
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Monday, January 17, 2011
No opt-out from your address & phone number being given to Facebook apps
Your friend just suggested that you join them in a new game or accept a hug, a card, a link to your photos and activity or some other Facebook app. It may look like harmless fun, but is it worth it?
Last Friday, Facebook rolled out new permissions that give applications access to individuals’ addresses and phone numbers. In a Facebook developer blog post, they announced that it is adding it to the company's "User Graph object," or the permissions required to install an app.
Surprisingly many people still give out their home addresses and phone numbers on their profiles. This makes sense for businesses who want their location known, but for individuals who are constantly finding their privacy invaded, placing your home address on any social network can be too much exposure.
When you agree to an app, a window pops up where you must click to allow it access to your profile, so you can use the app. Now these apps get more personal info about you than ever before.
Come apps require access to your friends information, through your profile and others access your data whether you re online or not.
It is important to review the terms and privacy policy of the app before clicking approve. Check to see if this app will openly share your information with their affiliates or 3rd party suppliers.
Facebook can be a platform to boost your business connections, or a place where you chat with your friends. In either case you should select the apps you agree to with case and make sure your privacy settings are current.
If your spam has increased in your inbox, you may want to check your apps and your privacy settings.
Happy networking...
Last Friday, Facebook rolled out new permissions that give applications access to individuals’ addresses and phone numbers. In a Facebook developer blog post, they announced that it is adding it to the company's "User Graph object," or the permissions required to install an app.
Surprisingly many people still give out their home addresses and phone numbers on their profiles. This makes sense for businesses who want their location known, but for individuals who are constantly finding their privacy invaded, placing your home address on any social network can be too much exposure.
When you agree to an app, a window pops up where you must click to allow it access to your profile, so you can use the app. Now these apps get more personal info about you than ever before.
Come apps require access to your friends information, through your profile and others access your data whether you re online or not.
It is important to review the terms and privacy policy of the app before clicking approve. Check to see if this app will openly share your information with their affiliates or 3rd party suppliers.
Facebook can be a platform to boost your business connections, or a place where you chat with your friends. In either case you should select the apps you agree to with case and make sure your privacy settings are current.
If your spam has increased in your inbox, you may want to check your apps and your privacy settings.
Happy networking...
Monday, January 3, 2011
Facebook crowned as the top-visited site in 2010
According to a report from Internet analytics company Experian Hitwise, Facebook accounted for 8.93% of all U.S. visits between January and November 2010. Google.com ranked second with 7.19% of visits, followed by Yahoo! Mail with 3.52%, Yahoo! with 3.30%, and Google-owned YouTube with 2.65%.
The Experian analysis found that the most frequently searched term this year was "facebook."
"Facebook" was the top-searched term overall for the second straight year, followed by "Facebook login" and "YouTube," says Experian.
What does this mean to your 2011 marketing plan? In today’s competitive market, marketers who maximize the free and customizable Facebook platform may find staying connected with their customers and gaining referrals surpasses their paid marketing channels.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Google to Investigate Cloaking
According to sources, Google will address the issue of cloaking in the first quarter of next year.
Cloaking, which is against Google’s guidelines is defined by Google as follows:
"Cloaking refers to the practice of presenting different content or URLs to users and search engines. Serving up different results based on user agent may cause your site to be perceived as deceptive and removed from the Google index." (read more)
In short this is a practice that offers different search results to users and search engines.
Cloaking goes against Google’s webmaster guidelines and could even lead to the removal of a site from the search engine’s index. This is a precaution to sites that use cloaking.
This past month, Google has been investing more time on refining its algorithm against negative search engine optimization techniques. Google's Matt Cutts, in charge of much of the search giant's antispam efforts, over the past week Google plans to take a closer look at the practice of "cloaking," or presenting one look to a Googlebot crawling one's site while presenting another look to users. This can include "serving a page of HTML text to search engines, while showing a page of images or Flash to users," according to Webmaster Central help pages but Cutts implied that Google was looking beyond page content in its renewed emphasis on cloaking by suggesting that Webmasters "avoid different headers/redirects to Googlebot instead of users."
To stay abreast of trends and technology advancements, Sumner strives to stay current with the news and continues to participate regularly in developer forums and expands her knowledge through training courses sponsored by large internet marketing companies, developer forums and the internet search giant, Google, as well as industry related events in her clients' areas of practice.
No time or expertise to do it yourself? Contact Sumner.
Cloaking, which is against Google’s guidelines is defined by Google as follows:
"Cloaking refers to the practice of presenting different content or URLs to users and search engines. Serving up different results based on user agent may cause your site to be perceived as deceptive and removed from the Google index." (read more)
In short this is a practice that offers different search results to users and search engines.
Cloaking goes against Google’s webmaster guidelines and could even lead to the removal of a site from the search engine’s index. This is a precaution to sites that use cloaking.
This past month, Google has been investing more time on refining its algorithm against negative search engine optimization techniques. Google's Matt Cutts, in charge of much of the search giant's antispam efforts, over the past week Google plans to take a closer look at the practice of "cloaking," or presenting one look to a Googlebot crawling one's site while presenting another look to users. This can include "serving a page of HTML text to search engines, while showing a page of images or Flash to users," according to Webmaster Central help pages but Cutts implied that Google was looking beyond page content in its renewed emphasis on cloaking by suggesting that Webmasters "avoid different headers/redirects to Googlebot instead of users."
To stay abreast of trends and technology advancements, Sumner strives to stay current with the news and continues to participate regularly in developer forums and expands her knowledge through training courses sponsored by large internet marketing companies, developer forums and the internet search giant, Google, as well as industry related events in her clients' areas of practice.
No time or expertise to do it yourself? Contact Sumner.
Who owns your asset?
Asset: noun
1. a useful and desirable thing or quality
2. a single item of ownership having exchange value.
1. a useful and desirable thing or quality
2. a single item of ownership having exchange value.
Your domain name is an asset. Your domain name represents your business name (in many cases), links to your website, your company products and services, and/or your online store.
Who owns your asset?
You should.
So many people delegate the responsibility of designing and publishing their website to a web designer or web design company. For many reasons, some people and companies also delegate the full responsibility of their domain (asset) and their hosting account to their web designer. Some business people do this because they don't understand, don't want to be bothered with the details, or don't know what the risks are.
Your domain account shows who is listed as the owner of your domain name(s) and who are listed as administrator and technical contact. It also controls the settings for where your email and website are hosted.
When delegating the control of your domain (your asset), you may want to consider the benefits of delegating vs the benefits of your maintaining ownership control.
When you give full delegation to an outside person, web designer or company:
This person has sole access to the account where the domain name was purchased. Many web designer have a reseller account with domain registrars (ie, GoDaddy, Network Solutions etc.) and they purchase your domain for you, but keep it in their account base. They maintain full control and have the only password access to the account. Any changes are in the total control of this web designer.
This person has sole access to the account where the domain name was purchased. Many web designer have a reseller account with domain registrars (ie, GoDaddy, Network Solutions etc.) and they purchase your domain for you, but keep it in their account base. They maintain full control and have the only password access to the account. Any changes are in the total control of this web designer.
This may sound good from a delegation viewpoint, however, consider this:
(1) If your web designer is a sole proprietor, and something happens to them (accident, illness, death), how will you obtain access to your asset? If they have maintained full control, you may wait months or years, or never obtain the access information. If your web designer is a member of a company, hopefully the company will have this information for you.
One company experienced this problem. They had been working with the same person for years who took care of anything internet for them. Unfortunately this person was the victim of a car accident which then left all of his clients without any access to their web accounts. We were able to work with this company and the registrar of their domain name to prove their actual ownership. Even so, it took legal assistance and months to finally gain access and ownership to the domain
account and we had to rebuild their entire website. Another customer was not as lucky and had to purchase another domain name and wait out the expiration of their company domain name.
account and we had to rebuild their entire website. Another customer was not as lucky and had to purchase another domain name and wait out the expiration of their company domain name.
(2) If you want for any reason, to change your services to another web designer/company, you will have to request access to your asset.
Unfortunate real life examples:
(a) One company was experiencing dissatisfaction with their web designer and wanted to make a change. When they asked for access to their domain account, they were suddenly presented with a $1000 bill for unpaid services. The invoice was no more specific that that. No amount of communication would clear up what unpaid services related to this $1000. Only after paying the $1000 did they receive a transfer of ownership of their domain name to them and received the password.
(a) One company was experiencing dissatisfaction with their web designer and wanted to make a change. When they asked for access to their domain account, they were suddenly presented with a $1000 bill for unpaid services. The invoice was no more specific that that. No amount of communication would clear up what unpaid services related to this $1000. Only after paying the $1000 did they receive a transfer of ownership of their domain name to them and received the password.
The problem, however wasn’t over when, once they accepted ownership of their domain the web designer took down their website from the internet. The web designer gave an excuse why she couldn’t transfer the hosting account to them and it was weeks before they received any web files from this web designer. Fortunately for this company, we were able to capture and download many of their web pages and files prior to the crash of their site. This way they had a representation of their website within days while their full site was being fully rebuilt. This method is not always possible. Some web designers prevent web pages from being captured, or the source file being read.
(b) Another company requested and waited months for access to their domain and hosting account. During their wait, their website remained out of date and they were unable to make any changes to it. Once they received their domain name account, they found that their domain name had expired. It was fortunate for them that they were still able to re-purchase it.
Recently I gave a presentation to a business group, and heard even more stories like these. I also heard how many of the successful business owners had no idea how little control they actually had over their asset or their web presence.
There are honest web designers who maintain control of their clients assets and they have long term mutually beneficial relationships. There are other web designers who maintain their clients by holding them hostage through the control of their assets.
And there are web designers who work with their clients and the client maintains control and grants them technical access to do all that is needed. In our experience, it is this type of designer who works on a customer satisfaction platform.
If you aren’t sure who is listed as the ownership of your domain account, you can check at www.whois.net
You will see something similar to this:
A sure fire way to know how much control you or your designer have is to ask them for your account log in and password information. Remember your domain name is YOUR asset.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)