New Blog Series: Hacking vs. Spamming

When I started this post, I was thinking about the talent pool of hackers and the classic ideology that if they could just use their powers for good instead of wreaking havoc, technology would be so much more advanced. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that spammers are actually more of a nuisance on a daily basis for most people. And the more I read about the issue, the more I discover that companies are actually gaining ground in converting hackers to the good side.

Hackers have long had notorious reputations, but do they all deserve it? In my opinion, spammers have become the real problem. Sure, hearing stories about hackers compromising secure information and personal accounts is enough to strike fear into the Internet devouring masses. The prospect of identity theft is a pretty terrifying concept. But unlike an isolated hacker occurrence that we may or may not ever experience, most of us already deal with spam and Internet scams on a daily basis. Millions of articles are floating around out there with advice on how to protect against identity theft and preventing falling victim to a hacker, but anyone with an email address, social media profile, website or blog can be the object of spam.

Some of this stems from the fact that hackers could be spammers, but spammers don’t require hacking skills in most cases. Anyone with an Internet access can be a spammer. Hacking requires both skill and motive. It’s the typical situation of having talent and ability but not necessarily motivation to use it for the benefit of others. As technology gets more sophisticated and widespread, new concerns about both hacking and spamming also arise. The key is to stay ahead of the game and protect your accounts accordingly.

In this blog series, I’ll be breaking down why not all hackers are bad, new industries potentially affected by hacking, new places spam is popping up and solutions for reducing and eliminating spam from your accounts. 

Have you had any experiences with a hacker? Spam out of control? Let us know your thoughts and connect with us on Twitter and Facebook!

About the Author: Jandee Ferland is the Social Network Engineer at IC. She is an avid fan of any technology that makes life a little easier and can often be found checking out new apps, posting on Twitter (@ICtweet), or learning how to podcast.

What the Japan Earthquake and Michael Jackson Have In Common: Twitter and the New Flow of Information

I started writing a blog post yesterday about hackers, but then I woke up this morning to the news about the earthquake in Japan and subsequent effects to Hawaii and possibly the West Coast. I learned of this through a channel I never would have imagined a few years ago: Twitter. Thinking back, I also first found out about the Iran elections, Michael Jackson’s death, the trapped Chilean miners, the hostage situation at the Discovery building in Maryland, and the chemical laced packages around the corner at the MDOT and Annapolis in January - all through Twitter. And I know I’m probably forgetting a few other major news events in that list.

I’m still amazed by how the flow of information has changed so drastically in such a short time. Curious to find out how many people are now getting their news and information from Twitter versus television coverage, phone calls, email or other online news sources, I have started doing a little research. Although I haven’t yet found hard statistics about how sources of information have changed over the years, I did find a study about Internet usage put out last year by the Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg School. According to the highlights of the report, about half of those who go online are using micro-blogs like Twitter and Facebook, so it’s a good bet that those users are also getting a percentage of their news and information through these sites as well. The study also reveals that nobody is willing to pay for social networking services that are already free but 18 percent of Internet users report that they have canceled a printed newspaper subscription because they can get the same information online. Oddly, this percentage has actually decreased from 22 percent in 2008. Another surprising decrease is the amount of trust Internet users have for information available online. Although the percentages vary among sources (search engines, online news sites, and social media sites) trust in accuracy is decreasing for all of them. A blog post put out by Social Citizens digs into the issue of trusting Twitter as an information source. However, according to the statistics, just because people are seeing it there first doesn’t necessarily mean they trust it first.

The highlights of the USC study are available in a PDF document that is definitely worth the read or skim. The report offers quick reading statistics broken down by topic. You can get it by clicking the highlights link at the bottom of this page:  http://www.digitalcenter.org/pages/current_report.asp?intGlobalId=19

Are any of you getting your information first through Twitter? If not, how are you hearing about breaking news?

Let us know your thoughts and come connect to us on Twitter and Facebook.

About the Author: Jandee Ferland is the Social Network Engineer at IC. She is an avid fan of any technology that makes life a little easier and can often be found checking out new apps, posting on Twitter (@ICtweet), or learning how to podcast.

5 Lessons from the Rogue Red Cross Tweet

Earlier this month, an amazing phenomenon occurred. A representative of a well-known and respected organization mistakenly sent out a personal tweet promoting a craft brewery from the organization’s Twitter account…and it turned out to benefit all parties! Hard to believe in a time when companies are implementing strict web policies for employees and stories of personal postings resulting in termination are cropping up each week. But a positive outcome is exactly what happened when Gloria Huang, a social media representative for the Red Cross, accidentally made a post to the organization’s Twitter account about finding a pack of Dogfish Head beer and including the hashtag “#gettngslizzerd.” 

The tweet was intended for Huang’s personal twitter account, but tech accidents happen…more frequently when managing multiple Twitter accounts on a mobile device. Another Red Cross rep caught the tweet and replaced it with a humorous update. The next day, social media savvy Dogfish Head tweeted about the mix-up and encouraged Red Cross donations on behalf of the incident. Word spread and the Red Cross saw an increase in donations from Dogfish Head fans. Both parties got a lot of positive attention and even ended up with a post on Mashable. In a quest to discover why this scenario turned out so well, I came up with 5 lessons businesses and organizations can garner from this whole story:


1. A little humor goes a long way. Sure, lots of credit is due to Dogfish Head for jumping in with their support. But even if they hadn’t, the quick and humorous response from the Red Cross was the perfect recipe for a successful recovery. The subsequent support was just icing on the cake.

2. Collaborations are powerful. Especially collaborations between two brands with loyal followings. And the more strange the pairing, the better. People like to see unexpected connections between things they like, particularly if they seem to have nothing to do with each other.

3. Employees really are the face of a company. Even if they are not in the office or on duty, every employee has the potential to be a walking billboard for a business. This can provide excellent promotion, especially when social media is involved. So keep your employees happy…you need them on your side!

4. Leave room for happy accidents. Don’t be so cautions and afraid of your online presence and posts that there is no room for opportunities outside the plan to happen. Being completely professional, always carrying a corporate tone, and scrutinizing every possible piece of information before it posts might be safe, but it holds you back too.

5. People love the human aspect of business. The public likes to know they are interacting with real people, not just a corporate robot. Aside from providing personalized attention, nothing earns trust and loyal customers more than being personal, authentic, and sometimes even vulnerable.

What do you guys think about how this mistake turned out? Do you have any other lessons we can get out of it?

Let us know what you think and come connect to us on Twitter and Facebook.

About the Author: Jandee Ferland is the Social Network Engineer at IC. She is an avid fan of any technology that makes life a little easier and can often be found checking out new apps, posting on Twitter (@ICtweet), or learning how to podcast.