Talon Northwest Neighborhoods

Scams, Hacks, and Keylogs ~ Dangers of the Web

Some of this will be old hat, but it's always good to broach the subject once in a while so that we can all be reminded to be careful online.  Here's something that happened recently to a friend of mine on Facebook:

"A 'friend' that I actually know in person popped up in my 'chat' window saying he was mugged in London and asking for my help in the form of money for a plane ticket to return home."

Luckily, my friend called this 'friend' and got them to change their password quickly.  

Facebook is an open source system, meaning that anyone has access to Facebooks source code.  Rogue applications are going to be an on going threat because of that philosophy.  Now, I don't want to alarm anyone with this news but it's good to be careful when we navigate through Facebook, and any other site for that matter.  

One of the new security features in Facebook is adding full HTTPS support to its site.  To enable this feature, click "Account Settings" and go to "Account Security".  According to Whitson Gordon, "whenever you connect to Facebook, it will default to an SSL-encrypted connection, keeping you safe on open Wi-Fi networks from Firesheep-like attacks."  Good stuff.  

There are other things to look out for as well.  Phishing is making a comeback.  Phishing really is someone sending you an email asking for some type of information, like to verify your password or to alert you that you have something going on with your account with a link to put in your username and password.  Many times these emails will have sites that look exactly like your bank site or your Facebook page.  Be careful when you see these come through.  Instead of clicking on these links, I usually go to their main site myself or call in to a customer service rep with that company.

Keylogs are another way to gain access to your information.  The best way to thwart this malware is to prevent it from getting on your computer in the first place.  I've known of some that have downloaded it from advertisements on the side of certain websites (I haven't heard of Facebook ads), or they've exploited loopholes in Adobe.  Make sure your computer's anti-virus program, anti-malware, and anti-spyware (or a combination of a few if you like) are all up to date along with your operating system having it's downloads up to date.  On my personal PC, I've downloaded the free version of malwarebytes that runs in conjunction with my anti virus and anti spyware program.  It's a little surprising seeing each program pick up and block different things.

So next time your friend is asking for money for a plane trip home after being mugged, or your come across a Facebook post reading "This Video Freaked Me Out", or "I can't believe he did this to his daughter, you might might want to think twice about clicking on them.

Thanks everyone

First Photo courtesy of Richzendy

Second Photo courtesy of nyc11211

Social Media a Fad?

I had a conversation yesterday with a client who had the perspective that social media was, well, a fad.  The thinking was that all the new technology out now is "cute", but it won't generate business.  They mentioned that there was an "agenda" behind all of the social marketing discussions going on.

My initial reaction is that this was some emotional hangover from the political season. In honest disclosure though, there is a push to educate and encourage clients to use social media.  I hate the word "agenda", since it's used in political arena's in a negative connotation, but there is a push to get people involved no doubt.

Why?  In my opinion, SM works for a variety of reasons.  It allows you to stay in front of a new generation of clients who have different consumer behavior patterns than those in the past.  It allows you to stay, and be perceived to be, relevant in the current marketplace.  When you build your social marketing platform, you can stay in touch with your sphere in an easy and free way that isn't available without these tools.  So, in a nutshell, there are plenty of benefits.  I have a hard time defending the position of not doing it.

Their response?  

That's all well and good, but their experience in the real world dictates that person to person referrals and recommendations always trumps what they find online.  They don't believe that the consumer will shift to the point where people will get online, find the agent with the best reviews, and go with them. People will trust who their friends refer and trust.

There is validity to what they believe in, but what I told this client is that they're missing the point of what social media really is.  Did they know that they could do all of that using SM tools?  Did they know that they could quickly and easily refer out or get referrals on basically anything by getting their sphere involved?  SM tools are there to enhance their ability to do exactly what they were trying to do.

Social media, in today's market, doesn't replace many things that were done in the past.  Traditional marketing and prospecting still work, which many clients are beginning to abandon unfortunately.  Or forgetting.  

At my house, I've gone from getting 10-12 postcards, schedules or flyers in the mail from agents or lenders down to roughly 1 or 2. And yes, my Mariners magnet schedule is on my fridge.  This still works.

I had a chat with another agent who has a phone call campaign which is very successful.  He mentioned he would do at least 1 personal touch to each member of his sphere quarterly.  He gets the local community involved by sending out local information or special discounts to businesses in his area. This still works.

More traditional types of marketing are successful and won't stop being successful just because of social media tools.  Abandoning these methods would be a mistake in my opinion.  It isn't an either/or proposition, and the two schools of thought are not conflicting.  You can do both successfully.

It's a common conversation really, since many people I run into are struggling with the "idea" of social media.  They're in fear of writing code, or generating content that is of interest to people.  To be fair, it is outside the comfort zone of many.  

What I've found most often is that once people get started, they start to realize how easy it really is. And once they figure that out, they embrace it.  

Speaking of fads, I couldn't resist:

Thanks guys,

The "Why" of Facebook

I've always liked Facebook, in the spirit of honest disclosure.  Why?  Simple answer really,  I was able to easily connect with people that I had no contact with for years. People from elementary school, or middle school, or a prior job, it doesn't matter.  The relationships built over the years, but forgotten for a time, were back just that quickly.  

So when I talk with people about Facebook, many still are trying to figure out the how and why they can integrate their business model into Facebook.  We've all been told that we need to be on Facebook, to have a business, page, and to promote yourself on Facebook.  The how and why are a little trickier to figure out.

The easiest way for me to understand and explain is to realize what Facebook really is.  It's a system that allows you to have interaction with your friends, family, and clients in a very social atmosphere. That's what it was built to do.  

So how does that fit into your business plan?  

Think about how easy it was for me to contact anyone from elementary school that I haven't seen in 20 years?  It's the same way for your past clients that you have in your outlook program or any other program you use to track past clients. Build your Facebook friend list with your past clients first. Once you've done that, use your business page as a way of staying in front of your sphere as well as giving your sphere the ability to recommend your services to their sphere when the moment arises.

Another way to look at it is understanding consumer behavior.  

According to Nielsen: “The explosion in Consumer Generated Media over the last couple of years means consumers’ reliance on word of mouth in the decision-making process, either from people they know or online consumers they don’t, has increased significantly,” says Jonathan Carson, President of Online, International, for the Nielsen Company.”

Peer to peer review and recommendations are why Facebook is important to your business model. Whereas peer to peer was at 90% trust, online ads or banner billboards were only in the 30% range. Without that honest relationship you have with that person in your sphere, whatever postings you do really fall into that 30% category.  

Remember, Facebook is just a tool that can be used to help you succeed just like any other tool.  The trick is knowing how to use it properly.  

Thanks everyone,

 Picture courtesy of Haiko