Facebook - so good and yet so bad

I read today in an Information Security e-newsletter (http://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/) that Interpol's chief has been the victim of identity theft through his Facebook account and that the criminals involved have used the fake account to get information about a global Interpol-led operation...

This is yet another proof of the huge holes in Facebook security - it seems that not a day goes past without a report about hackers, viruses and phishing campaigns connected to the social networking site.  If the head of Interpol can't protect himself, what hope do we have?

Don't get me wrong; I love Facebook.  It's a brilliant way of keeping in touch and of sharing news and views.  However, I never forget that I'm surfing in a non-regulated and insecure web environment.  It's like walking down a dark street at night - it's a vulnerable place to be. 

Keeping completely safe in Facebook may not be possible - but there are a number of basic sensible things you can do to protect yourself from most of the threats.  My top four are:

1. Make sure you've set up the right privacy levels in your Facebook profile.  Only my friends can see my details, and I don't reveal much even to them! 
2. Never accept someone as a friend if you don't know them.  Sounds obvious, but it's all too easy to accept an invitation thinking that you must know the person, surely?  Also, be selective in your friends.  My rule of thumb is that I only accept those with whom I would hold a conversation if I met them in the street, rather than just say "hello"!
3. Never click on anything unless you're absolutely confident it's the genuine article.  This includes games and quizzes - the Infosecurity site also tells of a phishing campaign aimed at users of the popular FarmVille Facebook game.
4. Make sure your Facebook password is different from all the other passwords you use, and that none of your passwords are related to names or places that appear within your Facebook page.  It would seem that cracking a Facebook account is relatively easy, and if you use the same password for your bank, you could be in trouble.

There are apparently 26 million of us in the UK now on Facebook and it's become as integral part of our lives as email and mobile phones.  A very small minority of those users will be criminals, but they could be after you!

Who and where still matter

These days we buy many of our goods and services online – so why do we feel the need to know more about the business supplying our needs?

Most websites provide an About Us page – and with good reason.  I’m sure I’m not alone in needing to feel the existence of a real person at a real location before embarking on an online relationship.  If I come across a website that doesn’t provide me with a physical address, I click away at once.  Crazy, isn’t it?  I’m never going to visit their premises and, unless it’s a local one, the address is likely to mean nothing to me.  But it has to be there.

The same is true of the people, particularly if I’m looking for a service.  I really want to see names and, ideally, pictures of the people I’m dealing with.  Maybe not on big household name sites (except on the corporate pages so I can see who’s in charge) where the brand already has significance to me but if I’m looking for an adviser, for example an IFA, an accountant or a solicitor, the faces will make all the difference.

So, make sure your website gives me your who and where, and I’ll start to build trust in your business. 

Flag Waving in the Dark?

Launching a brand new website can be a bit like waving a flag in the dark.  It's all very well, but at the point of launch no-one can actually see it!

Today is the day I'm doing just that.  My new website, lovingly written and painstakingly developed, tweaked and tested, is now ready for the world to see.  You can find it at http://www.brendagostling.co.uk/ - but if you're reading this blog, you may well have already visited it.

So, how do I make sure everyone can see me waving my flag?  I need to put my website into the spotlight.  To do that, I'll be taking every opportunity to tell all my clients and contacts about the site - I'll use emails, networking sites (are you on LinkedIn yet?) and (something we tend to underestimate in these days of electronic communication) I'll be talking about it! 

Talking is still one of the most effective ways of communicating ideas.  The human voice has the power to deliver your message with just the right emotion that's needed to get it across.  It's hard to be persuasive and enthusastic in any other medium, so when you get the chance to use your voice and put your message into the spotlight, sieze the moment.