Beware Online Banking

Online banking, a new way for people to access their account information, its faster, more efficient, we keep better track of our spending and it's "greener". But is it safer? Computers are susceptible to viruses and outages. According to the CBS article, criminals drained out almost $10 million dollars in a 24 hour period.

Just as criminals can hack into ATM bank accounts, hackers will be able to find a way into our accounts online. In Florida a man was just convicted for stealing 130 credit card numbers from online accounts according to WBIR.com.

It is also important to know your banks privacy policy and your responsibilities as an online banker. Do not give your PIN number to anyone and watch your accounts for suspicious activity. Nothing is fool-proof and although online banking has been deemed safe, most banks only give you 60 days to report your money missing or you're out of luck.

In small business or commercial online banking, if the money is transferred outside of the United States, figure your money gone for good. In one case Forbes discusses the circumstances of a couple who owned a bookkeeping business. According to the article, hackers in early 2007 directed that $26,500 dollars of their $27,000 in the account be transferred to an Hawaiian account with a false name. 10 days later when the couple realized the money was missing, the money was in an Austrian bank who refused to return it.

Since 2007, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of hackers who are able to infect high-volume website with Trojan viruses. According to the Forbes article, "When visitors arrive to view, say, a news page, the virus hops from the site onto their PC. The hackers then follow their marks as they move to their online bank accounts. Outfitted with a keystroke-capture mechanism, the Trojan horse records the user names and passwords".

Facebook, another entity where although we are not storing our bank account information, we are storing personal information about ourselves and releasing information about others. Recently, I was notified by a 'status update' that hackers have recently gotten hold of Facebook. The status update read:
HACKER WARNING!!! There's a new way to hack your Facebook.

A Notification will be sent to you that one of your friends has commented on your status; it will open a new page and tell you to re-enter your Facebook username and password. The page looks just like the Facebook login page so be on the look out!!!! Please repost this to your status to let your Facebook family and friends know.

So far, I have seen a couple of my friends pages change suddenly unknown to them. I have had several friends who's identity has been stolen, and after months and months, are continuously on the phone with their bank trying to "get their identity back". Having an online identity is risky, and never fool proof, however today it is almost impossible to live without one.

Social Media Era has Changed the way Businesses Interact With Customers

We all wonder about this social media and where it is going. It's not just for college kids anymore as it originally was designed for seven years ago. Its most popular use in the past by the younger generation was to keep in touch and to see what their friends and family were up to. Social media has evolved past its adolescence stage and fully blossomed to its full potential in the Internet world. Social media is forging a new era within the businesses world.

More and more businesses are starting to utilize these social medias such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Blogs to reach out to their customers. The problem most businesses have with creating these outlets is that they fail to see the monetary value in using them. They want to visually see the return on investment (ROI). As our professor says, "money talks." This holds true for all business.

However, with the age of social media, the rules have changed dramatically and businesses are starting to realize that the true monetary value comes out of reaching out to their customers and making them apart of the business personally. Social media is creating engagement and transparency within the business and creating both new challenges and opportunities. Businesses no longer have to rely on press releases and campaigns to communicate with their customers and this is a promising future for the business world.

In this video from YouTube.com, it describes social media as a force, a revolution. It is just this.

Social media is allowing companies to make a choice. To be controlled and hidden, or reveal their human side and show their customers they care directly via social media.

In a current article I came across recently talks about “Four ways Social Media is Changing Busniesses,” it was published on Mashable.com. It discusses four ways that social media and businesses are flourishing together and changing the way the business world is communicating to its customers.

1. From “Trying to Sell” to “Making Connections”

For a company to change this relationship from "trying to Sell" to seeking engagement, they need to utilize Facebook and Twitter, to socially interact. They should post less about the products and services and more about the things that help their customers get to know the people and personality of the company. As a result, people will be more willing to accept the company as a comfort zone.

2. From “Large Campaigns” to “Small Acts”

By utilizing sites like Facebook and Twitter, the company basically has it’s own broadcasting network where they control the content they put out. Businesses are realizing that this is a way to save millions of dollars in advertising and campaign ads. This form of “small acts” is valuable because people inadvertently will share their experiences through the social web. In a matter of minutes, the company can tell their customers all their good and bad news and small issues from customers can quickly become important, which makes them feel connected to the company.

3. From “Controlling Our Image” to “Being Ourselves”

The goal should not be to create a polished and controlled image but to let everyone see that they are a company made up of human beings and not robots. One way is to let the employees be able to write about the company but intact policies to help regulate the type of content put out. This is a way to have a more active and engaged customer. It lets the average person see what is really going on and to not just corporate jargon.

4. From “Hard to Reach” to “Available Everywhere”

Finally, social media allows the company to re-define what it means to engage the customer. It is no longer acceptable to have an e-mail address and customer service number on one’s website. People want to interact with businesses directly and with the staggering amount of people turning to social media to look up companies it would be a death sentence to not have a social media presence.

Social media is changing the way we think about businesses. It is changing the way we interact with people in general. Businesses are seeing this as an opportunity and jumping on board and running with the crowd. For the businesses not going with this… they need to get on the ball. There are ways to evaluate the ROI, but the most important part of this new era of social media is to ENGAGE and make the customer apart of the business.

- Tiffany Langello

Troubling Tweets

If someone asked you what the policies of social media entailed, would you be able to provide him or her with a clear answer? I know I wouldn’t be able to. Social media is quickly evolving and with that evolution, the rules surrounding social media outlets continue to change as well.

One social media outlet that certainly doesn’t have many “black and white” guidelines is Twitter. When I think of Twitter, celebrities instantly pop into my head. Anyone can follow celebrities and stay up to date with what they are tweeting. But are there rules as to what they can tweet? How about guidelines for what I can tweet about? Can Twitter be utilized as a platform where you can tweet about anything and no consequences will follow? How can you differentiate between tweeting a joke, and tweeting a threat?

I can go on with question after question. You too may be thinking what is appropriate to tweet. The reality of it is, the world is continuously trying to figure it out.

A current article that I stumbled upon my Twitter homepage titled “When a Twitter Post Can Land You in Court,” was published on time.com. It discussed a case where a tweet was viewed more than just a joke.

Gareth Compton, a British politician tweeted after Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, a journalist for London’s Independent newspaper made a statement on radio in regards to the moral qualifications of British politicians to comment on human-rights issues such as the stoning of women. Compton’s tweet read, "Can someone please stone Yasmin Alibhai-Brown to death? I shan't tell Amnesty if you don't. It would be a blessing, really."

The police in London viewed this tweet as a violation of the Communications Act of 2003. According to the article, Compton was released on bail, as further investigation continues.

Although I still cannot develop a clear answer to the question of what the policies of social media entail, I can tell you that it’s important to think twice before you tweet something that you may view as harmless. You just don’t know how others will interpret it. That’s simply it…interpretation. It’s important to avoid any future trouble with your tweets by making sure your intent will certainly match interpretation.

-Angela Daidone