Interview by Christopher Burgess

Source: http://huffingtonpost.com

It’s that time of the year again. Summer vacations wind to a close and a return to school moves once again to the forefront. For many families, schools are identified; students enrolled; and supplies purchased. In 2010, those preparations no doubt will include a technology component, often times more than one technology. So here are a few safety tips to help your student stay safe as they prepare and use their electronic media devices back at school.

Social Media

One of the first steps a student takes in any academic setting involves determining who they are going to be interacting with for the next nine months and the attendant peer interaction. As much as one wants to be social, let’s keep some social media do’s and don’ts in mind. Educate your student in being prudent in adding new “friends” to their social networks. They wouldn’t invite their whole class, be it kindergarten, middle school, secondary school or university to their homes and pull out the family photo albums, the last year’s online-exchanges, etc, so why be in a hurry to allow those same folks to see into one’s social network pages, online photo albums, notes and stream of thoughts by the act of “friending.”

As your student signs up for the various online networks associated with their educational level, please make sure all the privacy settings begin at “opt-out” then selectively “opt-in” for those which you need or desire to access. In addition, be cautious about over sharing of activities and locations. With respect to the use of location based services (Foursquare, GoWalla, and Facebook Places) be circumspect in posting about where one is or might be. This also applies to parents using carpools and the pick-up and drop-off of younger students.

Device Security and Configuration

Will your student be taking a device to school, be it laptop, smart phone, iPad, or other device to access the Internet? Make sure your student is able to physically lock down those devices which won’t fit into their pocket should it have to be left unattended. These devices can be locked down to a non-movable object (desk, commode, sink, etc.). One might also wish to invest in a “screen filter” which will cut down on the opportunity and capabilities of any “shoulder surfers.”

Data backup is also crucial for the student, especially the student whose entire life is contained in the hard drive of a laptop. Daily data backup will ensure schoolwork is not irretrievably lost. Available options include portable hard drives (lock and store separate from your primary device) or online backup services or virtual disks. Any of these options will help keep the stress level down should a hard drive fail or a device go missing.

Malware Contagion

With respect to your device security, always ensure your antivirus/antispyware software is installed and up-to-date. You will want to set your privacy filters within your browser with respect to your web-history and “auto-fill” capabilities to a level that you are comfortable. Configure your device to never “auto-run” anything — be it a USB, Smartcard or CD. This allows you to run your security software against the file(s) prior to their executing for the presence of malicious software. This inspection should occur on all media that is new to your device or has been out of your direct control (even if from the school or a friend, you just don’t know if their device is corrupt and contains malware. Data hand carried between devices is one of the leading methodologies of having an otherwise clean machine become infected — the truth is, your machine may be very secure, but your neighbor’s, school’s or friend’s machines might not be kept as secure as your own.

The above tips should serve you well to ensure your students heading back to school do so safely.

Source: http://huffingtonpost.com

Interview by Max Chafkin

Source: INC Magazine

Three years ago, Twitter was barely known outside the geeky confines of San Francisco. Today, it’s a marketer’s dream: a free service with an audience of nearly 125 million people, who use it to keep tabs on friends, celebrities — and their favorite companies. Co-founder Biz Stone explains what’s happening, where it’s headed, and how entrepreneurs can take advantage.

Which approaches to social media work especially well?

There are straightforward uses. A New York City bakery uses Twitter to tell customers when the cookies are coming out of the oven and Dell uses it to tell people about deals on refurbished computers. And then there are companies that are blending together marketing and customer support and using it to build their brands. I once sent a tweet that said, “I’m getting on a JetBlue flight,” and I got a reply from JetBlue’s Twitter account that said, “You should try the smoked almonds.” That’s customer service, but, because our conversation happened in public, it’s also branding.

You have 1.6 million Twitter followers. How can a normal business develop that kind of following?

You just have to start slowly and react to what people are already saying about your company. You might try to offer a coupon or post pictures of your offices or give a sneak peek of a new product. You don’t need a million followers to be successful. If you have 3,000 people who really care about your company and are interested in what you have to say, they’ll share it with their followers, and you’ll gain a much bigger audience.

Don’t businesses with a presence on Twitter run a risk of appearing overly opportunistic or unseemly?

You have to walk a line between making announcements, as you would in a press release, and talking directly with your Twitter followers, the way JetBlue did with me. If you mix it up and keep it authentic, you’ll build a personality around your company and your brand.

Lots of businesses now use Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites to market themselves and even to sell products. Should companies making money on Tiwtter be worried that you eventually will try a piece of that revenue?

We’ve tried to be clear that our advertising platform, Promoted Tweets, is the main way we’re going to make money. If a business wants advertise in the Twitter timeline, it has to split the revenue with us 50-50. That’s our business model. But there are lots of other ways to make money that we are never going into. For instance, a company called Co-Tweet built a system for businesses to use Twitter to improve their customer service. They went from having the idea to being acquired in 16 months.

How pervasive will social media be five years from now?

I hope it’s less pervasive. I hope we can get sophisticated enough so that people aren’t hunched over computers, spending hours looking at their friends’ photos. Instead of doing that, the information you want will come to you, allowing you to save money, save time, or serendipitously meet up with a friend. Companies like Netflix and Amazon are already doing this by giving people recommendations for products.

When Twitter came out, a lot of people said, “I already have Facebook, LinkedIn, and a blog. Why on earth do I need another social media site?” Is there still room for start-up in this space?

There’s always room for something that delivers value in a new way. Someone once asked me, “What new technology will allow entrepreneurs to create the next big thing?” But the Next Big Thing already exists. It’s just a matter of thinking like an artist — of trying to take something that already exists and repurposing it for something it wasn’t intended for.

Source: INC Magazine

I’m sure everyone reading this blog are on some sort of social networking site whether it be the ever-so-popular Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.  However, the real question is whether your business is on social media platforms?  Both large and small businesses should have a presence on social media.  Even if you are not an expert on social networking there are a lot of tools out there (like this blog!) that can help you!  Here is a great article from Mashable that gives you 8 essential tips on how to relate and communicate via social networking.

“Since the evolution of communicating online and the formations of social networks, many businesses have shut down the access from their locations. Some might say it is due to the prevention of wasting time and improving time management. Others might be weary of hackers or phishing scams that could possibly be associated with the social networks. Regardless of the reason, blocking access to social sites is hurting your business.

Why It is Important to Establish your Business Online

You need to begin branding your name. Branding is a way to reach various audiences and demographics that may be interested in what you have to sell. Firstly, you must remember that they are people, not customers. Establishing your name on social networks will already alert your fans of who you are and since the various social sites provide places such as info tabs, bios, hours of operation and more, there is no urgency to then turn your social networks into a constant feed of what it is you do. Just make sure that you have filled out all the information areas that each social network provides and those keywords will help people find you online. More importantly, in order for them to find you, you must exist and you must be active.

Why it is Important to Maintain your Social Networks

Many businesses think that if they have the links out there then people will come. This is not only wrong but can hurt your business. Yes, having Social links with your business’s name on them will have your name stretched across the internet and of course people will be able to find you. However, once they do and all they see are empty shells of what they thought would be a community, they will be disappointed and move on. People aren’t impressed with ghost accounts; they want interaction, knowledgeable information, and life breathing from these sites.”

To read the rest of this article click here.

I have a Nikon SLR digital camera with 10 megapixels of power to capture the finest detail digitally and reproduce analog printed masterpieces that I hang in my home and office. Instead I opted for the camera my Blackberry Curve to capture a rare, low-the-sky double rainbow in the Adirondacks, leaving me only the opportunity to share it’s miniature likeness here or on Facebook, or use it as the home screen on a display that’s smaller than a business card.

We have no less than 4 working computers in our home, each with brilliant wide screen displays, yet I sit outside typing away on the small keyboard screen of my iPad, battling the harsh glare of the summer sun.

Why? Convenience. As technology “miniaturizes” it becomes more convenient. It enables us to jump online even though we are a couple hundred feet from our homes. It enables us to capture a moment in time - at our convenience - and share it with our friends, and the rest of the world, just as it happens.

This convenience comes with a cost, of course. The quality of my photos isn’t always what it should be, although I am able to capture memories I might have otherwise missed.

While I type away now on my iPad I might be able to get this done much more quickly on my larger laptop or desktop computer - and with far less eye strain - however the compact nature and ease of use makes the tradeoff worthwhile. I can site comfortably and catch a few rays, while at the same time, write this post.

The same goes for our messaging. Twitter has enabled the world to share information in 140 character sprites - quickly and easily from anywhere you can get online.

Our conversations are miniaturizing, yet we are communicating with one another like never before. The question remains, is the tradeoff quality? The answer: not necessarily.

The access to information and the speed of which we are able to share it allows us a far greater platform for communication. Combining a better understanding of the principles and techniques of Internet marketing, with the same for social marketing, you are now wildly enabled to provide relevant messages of extremely high quality. The tools are transparent yet the thoughts remain complete. I can ensure you hear the latest news about our company with a quick tweet and elaborate later in a longer blog post. I can do either of these tasks while on the road, in my backyard, or in my office - from my laptop, my cellphone, or any device I choose - and you’d never know the difference.

The portability and choice provided by technology has empowered us in ways most of us have never imagined. The challenge remains to ensure that these choices do not interfere with a quality outcome. Enjoy the freedom that “small” provides but strive to keep the ideas and messages BIG.

Source: nydailynews.com

Now on Facebook: Once you’re done skimming your college roommate’s baby photos, you can purchase airline tickets to Aruba.

The social media “Ticket Window” on the airline’s Facebook page will allow customers to book their flights on the popular networking website.

“We’re now delivering technology where our customers are – from our own website to our Facebook page to Internet news sites and beyond,”  Bob Kupbens, Delta’s vice president of eCommerce said in a statement.

Facebook is the most used website by in-flight Wi-Fi users on more than 2,000 Delta flights every day, said Kupbens.

In the near future, Delta plans to launch a new iPhone app that will allow customers to check into flights, check flight statuses, and use eBoarding passes. Eventually, the app will allow customers to select seats, practically bypassing the ticket counter all together.

For full article click here.