security

Just as in real life, we seek trust and confidence in those we interact with each day. The same applies to our online consumer relationships.

In the article, “The Four Pillars of Building Instant Trust Online.”  ClickZ’s author speaks to this need of trust we human beings crave and how marketers can build trust online.

The four pillars he speaks to in the article title include Appearance, Transactional Assurances, Experts and Media, and Consensus of Peers. When you look closer at these pillars you find some tangent, applicable approaches to achieving instant online trust in your client relationships.

As our grandmother and career advisor have always reminded us – first impressions do matter. Books are judged by their cover just as we are by our outward appearance in a job interview. So why wouldn’t Web sites be judged with the same initial scrutiny? Research has indicated that people form an initial impression of your Web site within 50 milliseconds. This is 1/20^th of a second. In other words, we subliminally decide whether a more considered review of the page is warranted. In the immortalized words of Joey Russo from the 80’s sitcom, Blossom – “Whoa”. We can pause here for a deep breath if you like.

Don’t get discouraged. There are things you can address to dress up your appearance to make the most out of that 1/20^th of a second. The visual design should always be professional in design. Fonts, colors, and graphical elements must combine into a unified look. Neatness is critical. Remember white space can be your friend. And as always, less is more.

As far as transactional assurances, consumers need to know that their email address isn’t being sold off, they aren’t part of a spam scam, and that ultimately, their personal information is secure. Reassure them every step of the way.

Experts and media can build legitimacy. Your audience may not have heard of you before, but they are impressed by awards and recommendations from well known organizations and established brands. Be sure to place these above the “fold” to ensure they are noticed.

Consumers for the most part like being part of the “in” crowd and knowing that 200,000 other thirty-somethings have purchased this product can be what seals the deal for them. Check out the complete article for more tips on how to build trust in your online marketing relationships.

Melody K. Smith, April 26, 2010

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Fake gift card scams are blossoming like spring flowers on Facebook.

In the latest internet con game, tens of thousands of users have been tricked into joining Facebook fan pages that claim to be giving away gift cards of up to a $1,000 for big-name companies, Robert McMillan of IDG News Service reports on SFGate in “Facebook Takes Steps to Deal with Gift Card Scams.”

The bogus pages feature fake posts from other users suggesting that the giveaway offers are real, but the sites typically lead to affiliate marketing websites that try to collect data and generate Web traffic for advertisers, according to Simon Axten, a Facebook spokesman. He advises users to be suspicious of any online activity that “feels strange” — unfamiliar links in messages from long-silent friends or a promise of financial reward if you invite friends to join a group.

Such gift-card scams have been around via email for years, says, McMillan, but are fairly new to Facebook, which says it removes the pages as they are found. But “because anyone can set up a fan page for virtually anything — and many pages do contain legitimate gift-card offers — it’s a thorny problem for Facebook to solve,” he adds.

The SSN take: As long as new ways to scam people come on the scene, there will people taking advantage of others greed or gullibility.

John Sniffen, April 21, 2010

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As Spammers turn to social media to prey on users, it will become more and more important to differentiate yourself to succeed in business.

A recent Technology Review article, “Spammers Turn to Social Networks,” focused on the increasing threat of spam in the world of social media. The reason for the threat is an aura of trust, which makes people more apt to click on a strange link or befriend someone they don’t know. While it’s disappointing to see spam ruin the social media fun, it should also put honest social media marketers on alert. There is a thin line between you encouraging legitimate business through honest means and spammers using that mentality for bad.

The SSN Take: Build your marketing network slowly and avoid blindly attracting customers because you could be viewed as spam.

Patrick Roland, April 19, 2010

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With all the media about the dangers of social media to your personal identity and safety, it is refreshing to read how Facebook actually assisted in an arrest of a thief.

After being betrayed by a thief who presented himself as a friend, one lady took it upon herself to warn others and eventually help in the arrest of the 20 year criminal. WAVE-3 news reported about this heroic success in their article, “Women team up to track down theft suspect.” Feeling like the police weren’t doing enough and surely seeking a little retribution of her own, this victim turned investigator used Facebook to contact other “friends” of this thief after he stole cash, checks and credit cards from her home. After making contact with the thief’s next target, together they worked with the police to locate the con artist and an arrest was made.

“They did a great job using social networking sites,” said Trooper Ron Turley of the Kentucky State Police Frankfort post. “They actually turned the tables on the individual and they ought to be commended for that.”

The SSN Take: Social media has once again proved itself useful. It is also a reminder that everything out “there” is trackable. Good thing to remember for job seekers and sales staff.

Melody K. Smith, April 10, 2010

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If you’re spending even a moderate amount of time online, you probably hear regular warnings about the latest security threat, scam or other scheme that is spreading across the social networks.

While some users react by feeling helpless against a savvy cybercrook, others relax because they’ve got the latest security software. However, in “Protect Yourself Against Social-Network Scams,” Harry McCracken from FOXNews.com points out that some of the best precautions come from common sense habits.

• He advises that you should always use the current version of your browser because it will have updated patches for security leaks.
• Another tip is to judge emails and messages very carefully.
• Be on the lookout for fishy or cryptic notes.
• On a similar note, be cautious about clicking on “short URLs,” which are pervasive on Twitter.
• Lastly, as technology goes increasingly mobile, take care not to let the whole world know you’re not home, when you really just wanted to tell your friends or family.

SSN Take: An essential component of your social media policy should be taking proper security measures. If one employee from your company is hacked, it can be dangerous for everyone.

David Hardt, April 5, 2010

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David Thimme, Strategic Social Networking, addresses the topic “Redrawing the Line for Employee Privacy.”

The two minute video makes clear that there are some tough decisions and trade offs when social media are in use at an organization. You can access the video from the SSN Minute link or navigate directly to YouTube.com.

Stephen E. Arnold, April 1, 2010

Social media has opened up new opportunities for less than honest predators.

Newsmaker.com.au recently highlighted the act of social engineering in their article, “Social engineering: Deceiving people, not machines.”  This new term refers to the exploitation of the human aspect of computers, i.e. the user, into giving up secure access information. The author shares tales of employees giving up information that seems impossible to believe with little effort. It isn’t that they are stupid or are intentionally attempting to fraud the corporation; they just seem to be too trusting. Instilling some level of paranoid about revealing secure information in employees from their very first day on the job is advised.

The SSN Take: Phishing emails have been reported in over 50% of users’ in-boxes. Corporations need to educate staff on proper procedures and to beware.

Melody K. Smith, March 31, 2010

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In the rush to get imbedded into social media to improve your business’ marketing, you could be leaving yourself dangerously exposed.

Mashable’s article, “Chatroulette Founder Working to Preserve User Privacy,” recently detailed how this online phenomenon may be putting its users at risk. The site works to randomly connect two unknown people with audio and video chat. But a recent addition, blending the site with Google Maps and showing where each chatter is located, may have crossed a line. Without a way of opting out of the map, users clearly could be putting themselves at risk for stalking, identity theft or worse. Remember, this danger is not simply limited to Chatroulette.

The SSN Take: Do your research on privacy settings and don’t be in such a huge hurry to reap the benefits of social media that you get into unsafe situations.

Patrick Roland, March 29, 2010

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It was mafia boss Pasquale “Scarface” Manfredi’s “love of Facebook” that led to his arrest a few weeks ago.

“Social Networks, Criminal Networks?” describes the story of the Italian gangster, charged in over 20 crimes and a number of killings, who was traced to his hideout from a log-on to the popular social networking site. Moreover, the Justice Department now trolls sites like Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter, looking for clues criminals may inadvertently drop. It’s worked: in 2007 a man was arrested after putting “rest in peace” pictures of a man on MySpace – before the man was reported dead. Graffiti artist Cyrus “Buket” Yazdani gained such a huge following from his “tagging” feats on YouTube that it drew the attention of the authorities (as well as thousands of fans). And lastly, a man wanted for drunk driving plainly listed his city of residence on Facebook and MySpace. Police quickly tracked him down and arrested him.

The SSN Take: What’s worse than being a criminal? Bragging about it on the Internet.

Samuel Hartman, March 27, 2010

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How far can and should employers go to guide employees’ social networking activities to prevent or reduce employment-related problems?

That’s a question Gene Connors answers in “Here are 10 Social Media Commandments for Employers,” which originally appeared in Workforce Management. He proposes 10 social networking commandments that he says should “enable employees to enjoy social media without employer static and interference.” They are:

1. Influence appropriate work-connected behavior and use by employees with a social media or networking policy.

2. Use your social media policy to set employee boundaries.

3. Echo important employment considerations in your social media policy.

4. Consent for monitoring is crucial, but “sell” it to employees.

5. Always use the least intrusive search available.

6. Seek only necessary work-related information.

7. Be yourself. Never pretend to be someone or something else to access and get information from a site.

8. Know and obey applicable law.

9. Act to protect. Discovery of dangerous or damaging information on a site demands immediate and effective action tailored to the particular facts.

10. Be a bit paranoid. There is a fine line between being sensitive and just a little paranoid. You should cross it often to remain diligent, aware and — it is hoped — safe and secure in protecting your business, your fine reputation, your employees and their morale.

Connors elaborates most about the fourth commandment, noting that obtaining a “signed or implied employee consent regarding the workplace use of social media” is a must. “Monitoring employee use of social media without clear consent is like walking into a New York City bar with an unregistered handgun in the waistband of your sweatpants with the safety off. Things can happen, but nothing good,” he explains.

To sell employees on a company’s social media policy, Connors suggests providing examples of “valuable, acceptable” use of social media; alerting employees to stories of how new Internet “friends” are not always who they say they are; providing specific examples of acceptable and unacceptable social networking; asking employees to reverse roles — “Imagine if an employee said this about you;” and providing easy-to-understand guidelines.

Signed consent is more likely to hold up in court, but implied consent is the norm for large workforces. Under the latter, a new policy is electronically and physically posted, and employees who continue working after the policy’s effective date are considered to have implied their consent by remaining with the company.

What happens if an employee rants against the employer or reveals company secrets on his or her Facebook page while at home? That is apparently covered in the example policy Connors provides, which states, “I understand that monitoring can extend beyond company-provided equipment and my at-work time to off-site social electronic sites such as MySpace, and to any Twitter or other social media account I maintain or visit.”

“Every employer needs a simply worded social media policy to provide employees with practical guidelines to help prevent unthinking, harmful employee actions,” writes Connors. “Having no such policy is like having no curfew for teenagers”

The SSN take: Some well-stated ground rules and straight talk up front can prevent lots of headaches down the line.

John Sniffen, March 25, 2010

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