Are All Hackers Bad?

Getting down to business in our Hacking vs. Spamming blog series, I pose the question: Are all hackers bad? We are all quite aware of the damage that hackers can cause, from identity theft to security threats…but are there possibly any good hackers out there? Are there hackers that are using their skills for good? Of course there are.

The most well known example of good hackers is demonstrated by those hired by companies, agencies and governments to intentionally hack systems and determine their vulnerability. These experts, in turn, advise how to make the systems stronger and more secure. This widespread practice is nothing new.

What is fairly new is the concept of hackers emerging as watchdogs to bring light to injustices that are intentionally hidden from the public. What may seem an unlikely practice for a population known for keeping to themselves, a growing number seem to be emerging from their comfort zone to expose information that they were possibly even hired to hide. An example of this was recently written about in a New York Times article:

“A hacker organization known as Anonymous released a series of e-mails on Monday provided by a former Bank of America employee who claims they show how a division of the bank sought to hide information on foreclosures.”

But why would hackers do this, and why now? It could be to present a new positive image of the hacker community. It could be the thrill of divulging information that effort was exuded to hide. The only way to know is to get answers straight from the source.

Today, it is commonly accepted that hackers can either fall into the bad camp or the good camp. Hacking is a complex issue that often suffers misconceptions and a lack of complete understanding. Many would argue that the term itself has unjustly received bad reputation. However, the stigma associated with hacking seems to be easing up as more people come to understand what it means to be a hacker. New terms like “Hacking RSS” (which is the practice of making adjustments to reduce unnecessary traffic to your RSS stream) are giving a positive association to the technical meaning of “hacking.”

Each of these developments just scratches the surface of the hacker community as a whole. This doesn’t mean that new threats aren’t still being developed every day. For all the hackers that are using their skills positively, just as many are coming up with new ways to break into our networks, phones and even our cars. In our next post, I’ll explain some of the new ways hackers are posing threats, how they are getting smarter, and how to be one step ahead.


Let us know if you've had an experience with a hacker (good or bad) 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.

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.

Bye Pandora, My iPhone Misses You Already

Thanks to Apple’s new subscription policy, I fear that some of the most beloved aps on my iPhone might be going away in the near future. Since Apple released the details of their updated subscription guidelines a few days ago, announcing that they will be taking 30 percent of what subscribers pay through iOS apps, a steady uneasiness has crept into iPhone and iPad owners that use such apps as Hulu, Amazon, Netflix, and Pandora on their devices.

As the post Apple’s New Subscription Model: Pros and Cons by Ian Paul of PCWorld points out, there are some advantages of this new policy to smaller content publishers that don’t have royalties like the major publishers. Paul explains that if you create your own news or written content, it will be easier to gain new views and subscribers to your products. However, the same post also validly describes how unfair the changes are to music and video content publishers that are already paying large royalties to many parties, just to be able to deliver that content to their customers. And music and video are the types of content that consumers really want, especially on their mobile devices.

Personally, I think 30 percent is just too much. I believe major content providers will either withdraw their services from iOS apps out of protest, or try to stay and find that they just can’t sustain the extra costs in the long run without passing the cost on to the consumer. If the most popular content providers do end up revoking their iOS app subscription options or raise subscription costs 30 percent, I think it would be a real disservice to consumers on Apple’s part.  If Apple wants to keep their mobile products at the top of the heap, potentially pitting customers between their devices and the content they want doesn’t seem to make sense.



Your thoughts? Leave us a comment below. Of course Twitter and Facebook are options too.

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.

The Devices We Love – And Not Just on Valentine’s Day

Over the last few years it has become increasingly apparent that many of us have new additions in our lives that we have grown to not only love, but also find hard to live without. We rush to them as soon as we wake up. We secretly check them during our lunch break and one last time before we go to sleep. We look to them for advice and recommendations. We stop to check in with them when we are out with friends. We rely on them for directions and depend on them for the latest news. The evidence is clear: electronic and mobile devices are the new loves of our lives.

We’ve become a cult of addicts and everyone has a drug of choice. From iPhones and Droids to tablets and Kindles, we just can’t seem to help ourselves.  And the worst part is, there is always something new and better that we just absolutely NEED to have…the minute it is released! This condition, long associated with children in the era of shameless toy commercials aired during Saturday morning cartoons, now has full grown adults drooling at events such as the Consumer Electronics Show each year. 

But all is not lost. More and more, we are coming back to our senses and putting things in perspective. The priorities of family activities and spending quality time unplugged are slowing coming back into vogue. People are getting the message that certain tech products can be used to free up time to get back to more physical endeavors and interpersonal conversations, instead of Facebook updating and Guitar Hero. There is a time and place for everything, including technology and mobile devices, but the wise know that balance and moderation is everything.


What is the tech device that you can't live without?  Let us know 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.

State of the Tech Union for Small Business – The “Should Have” List

As promised, this post finishes up our State of the Tech Union series with a more substantial look at the latest tech concepts that you should be thinking about and implementing for the future growth of your business. In the first post, I outlined that going mobile and accounting for influence are two important concepts to be considering. This is why they deserve attention:


Going Mobile: People want easy. Your customers and potential customers want it too and that translates to being able to contact your business and utilize your services on the go. If the service between you and your competitors is truly comparable, offering a choice that is even a little easier is a factor that can catapult your business and give you an advantage in the options war. Plus, mobile apps are cool and fun and can be made into anything you want or need them to be. Starting down the path to mobile inclusion will take some effort and time, but it’s definitely worth thinking about now.


Considering Influence: “Influence” is one of the latest buzz terms. Everyone seems to be trying to measure it. Although the jury is still out on how all these measurements can be applied to marketing strategies for business purposes, it’s certainly not going away. Influence isn’t new. It has been around for a long time in the form of word of mouth communication. Mouths have now turned into online reviews and social media comments. But, as it’s always been, some people are more talkative than others. These are the influencers and they are demanding more attention and reaching a larger global audience than ever before.


Thanks for following our first post series! We have more exciting posts in the works starting next week, but we’d love to hear your thoughts and comments. 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.