Hackers Are Still Out There, Act Accordingly

By Dave Sniadak

My six year old is pretty amazing. He can work his way around my new smart phone with ease, dial up Angry Birds without blinking and eye, and find a way to snap pictures of his baby sister with just a few swipes of the screen. But one thing I know he can't do is send an e-mail. That's why I was taken aback when I turned on the phone this morning to find that I had -- apparently -- sent more than 400 e-mails to all of my contacts saying that I was capable of helping them become "the lover they've always dreamed of," among other strange propositions.

I'm sure you've all received these e-mails. They're from trusted contacts, but usually have strange subject lines -- if a subject at all. The temptation is to open the e-mail since you know this person. When you open it, there's a short line or two -- almost always with horrific spelling and grammatical errors -- and a URL to some strange website you've never heard of.

The tell for me that I was hacked was that I had more than 100 returned messages. Upon scanning my 'sent' messages, I saw more than 60 mass e-mails . . . unsettling and unnerving, to say the least.

And while in 2011, I would hope that my contacts are all smart enough to know not to click on the link, here are some tips, with the help of Jon Chase of Switched.com, on what to do should you find yourself the unfortunate victim of hackers.

1. Don't panic. There are worse things that could happen to you, like purposefully sending lewd photos of yourself across social media sites (e.g. a certain former US Congressman).
2. Change your password immediately. Obviously, you're old password wasn't strong enough. Find a combination of letters, numbers and symbols that you can remember, and hackers can't figure out. You may need to check for malware, which Chase outlines nicely in his article.
3. Assess the damage. A lot of times your contacts will respond and ask if you're aware you've been spammed. Be sure to send these people a thank you response (and make sure you personalize it so they know it's you!) If it's from someone you haven't heard from in a while, it'll be nice to reconnect.
4. Don't let it happen to you again. "Despite the many ways an e-mail account is hacked, the one common element is that you, the owner, essentially allow it," Chase says in his article. Be vigilant in protecting your online profile. Hackers make a living out of stealing your information. Don't make it easy for them!

This certainly isn't new info, but it's a great reminder that it can happen to anyone at any time. I've taken my lumps and learned my lesson. Life goes on, and so will my e-mail account. I just wish I was better at helping my friends become the lover they've always wanted to be.

Could We Be Saying "Goodbye" to the Resume?

LinkedIn launched a new plug-in for company websites that will make everyone's life in the job search world a little easier. In addition to the +1, Like, and other buttons that every article seems to have now there will be an "Apply With LinkedIn" button as well. Simply view the job listing online, click the button, and voila! you have sent in all your professional info and applied for a job!

As a student going into my senior year of college, I think this will be a huge weight off my peers' shoulders. There are countless job search sites that allow you to submit cover letters and resumes, but for each site you need to first upload the documents. This LinkedIn plug-in will eliminate making dozens of separate resumes for each job. Not to say that it is no longer necessary to tailor each application to each specific position; it will just be much easier now.

Once you click the Apply With LinkedIn button your profile snapshot appears with the option to edit. You can then create your profile for the specific position before clicking the button. And what would LinkedIn be without help of connections -- that is the whole point of the site! Once you have applied for the job a screen pops up listing your connections at the company receiving your profile. This feature makes it simpler to request recommendations, which may make the difference between employment or continued searching.

The plug-in will make profiles easily searchable compared to present methods. Each application will be in the same format so sifting through applications for specific qualifications with a few clicks of a mouse. This is a great feature since there is a large possibility for users to go apply-crazy and submit applications to jobs of which they are not qualified.

Overall, I think this is a great addition to the social media world. It is another example of how our world is changing. The almighty resume could be, in the far future, on its way out.

Facebook Friday: 750 million reasons why Google+ is still in Zuckerberg's rear view mirror

As many social media rush to christen Google+ the heir apparent to the social networking throne, let's pause a moment to examine the site that currently wears that crown.

Just yesterday I posted a video blog mentioning the small user base of Google+. And today, comScore published a report saying that Google+ has hit 20 million unique visitors. Granted, that doesn't mean there are 20 million Google+ users, but it's still a solid enough number to see how it stacks up against Facebook.

For the sake of argument, let's assume that Google+ does boast 20 million users. That's a mere 2.7% of Facebook's 750 million users.

More importantly, Facebook's user base is not limited to early adopters like Google+. This is an important distinction, because early adopter usage is not a good indicator of how the general public will embrace a product or service. And if the public doesn't adopt it, then the site will die off once the early adopters flock to their next big thing online.

I'm not saying Google+ can't one day challenge Facebook's supremacy, but it is way too early to tell and it's something that both social media pundits and brands need to bear in mind.

Coming Full Circle with Google+

Google+ has become the media darling after a string of positive reviews have led many to wonder if Google's social network can indeed challenge Facebook's social supremacy. Now that several of us here at the office have had some time to play around with Google+, Steve offers a quick rundown of its key features.

Build-up to BlogHer '11

BlogHer '11 here we come! Shelly and I are getting ready to take off for San Diego to spend 3 days with more than 3,000 bloggers. That's a lot of iPads, laptops and smartphones in one place.

For the past few weeks Twitter has been fast and furious with #BlogHer11 questions, spreadsheets, invites, events, suggestions and prep work for the conference. It's enough to make a first time BlogHer attendee a bit dizzy, but the tweets are offering a lot of great tips.

This will be my 2nd blog conference, but definitely the largest. I'm lucky in the sense that I was able to ease into the blog conference world by attending the amazing, but smaller Type-A Parent Conference earlier this year.

So, with my Type-A experience and Twitter tips, here is my 'BlogHer '11 To Do List':

• Connect with bloggers I want to meet IRL and set up a meeting place and time. If you don't you may never see them, it's just that big.
  
• Schedule sessions to attend, there are 7 tracks to choose from.
  
• Sign up for the Geek Bar for more of a one-on-one with experts.
  
• RSVP to the parties and events, they fill up quickly.
• Get to know the spreadsheet of the sponsors; where they will be, what they are doing/hosting and their Twitter hashtags.
• Work on my elevator pitch.
• Have more than expected business cards on hand.
• Find comfortable shoes...and a few dressy ones as well.
• Get ready to learn a lot and have some fun doing it.
  

Stay tuned, I'll be filling everyone in on all the excitement and incite from BlogHer '11! I can't wait.