Good news and bad news…the good news is that new ideas on how to connect and communicate are still coming…enhancements to Facebook, Google Buzz…lots of good ideas.  The bad news is that folks seem to have forgotten that there are a lot of bad guys out there and you need to protect your social networks just as much as you need virus protection software for your pc and a firewall for your network.

Keep in mind that hacking has taken on a new strategy whereby the hacker gets in and keeps their presence quiet so that they can pick my opportunity to take advantage…no longer are they just attacking…hackers are in stealth mode and your social network is a great target.  Also note that hackers post successes for others to read…so that when one gets in, the rest can follow.

Social networks are the new big “Greenfield” opportunity for hackers.  People are forgetting that your network has a ton of info about you and a ton of info about your friends.   I have been seeing reports of Facebook hacking scams where a hacker gets in to your page, changes the password so that you cannot get in and then scams your friends by telling them you are trapped in some foreign country and need money.   Your friends respond by sending you money…only problem is that you don’t get the money…the hacker does.    Facebook has a form that must be filled out if your account has been compromised.   Make sure that you know where to find it on their site as it might come in handy some day.

Other tips include limiting the info that is on your page…don’t have your complete birthday (just the month and date are good enough) and don’t put your full name or address or cell number on the page.  Also watch out for information that you unwittingly include…such as your schools name on a sweatshirt or a license plate on a car.  Hackers are smart people…don’t forget that…and your friends already know how to get in touch with you.  Also make sure that you review the privacy settings…don’t just go with the default.

Google Buzz…you have to love the notion of using your email list to automatically create your social network.  I think that this is a great idea because the people that I email all the time are great candidates for my social network.  Only problem is that my contacts could become publically available.  Don’t worry as Google is fixing the issue, but this is a great example of a well meaning company making a mistake.  Google is getting real serious about social networking and Buzz won’t be the last we hear from them.

So what is the bottom line…for me it is that you have to pay attention to the details and make sure you information is protected no matter where it is stored.

I’m a huge proponent of a well thought out social media marketing strategy.  I’ve seen organizations from small, local businesses to large, international brands do really creative things with social networks to drive excitement, awareness and sales.  I’ve also seen companies establish Facebook pages and flounder to find fans let alone do any real business good.

So, I was excited to see a local Italian restaurant hawking their Facebook page on table-tops:

Seems like a solid, low cost way to stay in touch with customers, and hopefully find new ones.  Instead of following “Field of Dreams” marketing and hoping that if they build it, people will come, they’re offering a pretty good specific promotion, and $5 seems like a good enough incentive to simply fan the page.

Makes sense for them, too!  It only takes one person that loves the garlic bread to start talking, refer one new customer and deliver an ROI on this cheap campaign.  And if the place is having a slow day, they can quickly get a message out with a special daily offer to customers that already know them.

The strategy is simple and I don’t think that their Facebook promotion is going to double their revenue anytime soon.  But I definitely think that this is a great example of a local business taking a great step towards social media marketing.

I also think that I’d like to get my hands on one of those $5 gift certificates!  But there’s only one problem…

Mamma!  Where are you?

I’ll still head over for lunch from time to time, but they’re missing out on the money I would have absolutely spent to subsidize my free $5… It’s a loss for the restaurant, no doubt.  And it’s a lesson that even a good strategy falls flat without execution.

Advertising Age published an article earlier today detailing how Facebook has limited application developers from using user information in ads, and it’s a good read: http://adage.com/digitalnext/post.php?article_id=138256

The bottom line? Publishers still have an open platform to create apps that include “virtual goods, subscriptions, advertising, or whatever you choose.” But Facebook has drawn limits around excessive use of personal user information that can be used, shared, etc.

Both as a Facebook user and an online marketer, I think this is great. For the most part, I don’t use 3rd party apps on facebook. Most of the functionality that I need and want comes baked into facebook and its proprietary applications. While other apps might be interesting or fun, they’re always so annoyingly bent on world domination that they’re so bogged down with ads and sharing requirements that they’re ultimately not worth whatever small benefit they would have provided.

Making applications less annoying and safer for users has the potential to increase adoption of apps in general, which would benefit marketers using apps effectively.

But I’m still a huge fan of the “Block this application” button, and have no plans to install “Little Green Patch” anytime soon…

Since its inception, web 2.0 has been all about giving users control and opening a two-way dialogue online. We’ve seen the popularity of sites that allow users to customize their experience, and now Coca-Cola is taking some of the same concepts that have made social networking popular and bringing them offline.

Starting this summer, in selected diners and fast-food chains, Coca-Cola will release its first software-driven drink dispenser. The Freestyle will be the first dispenser that allows customers to mix around with 30 different flavors and over 100 different drink combinations! In addition to all the loads of fun that customers can have with this dispenser, Coca-Cola has added some action packed high-tech features that will blow current business practices out of the market.

Each flavor cartridge is attached to a radio frequency ID chip which gathers data on how much and what kinds of drinks customers are consuming. At the end of each day, this data gets transmitted through a private network (provided by Verizon) to Coca-Cola’s headquarters in Atlanta.

In the past, Coca-Cola’s fast-food customers have struggled to keep their inventories stocked and balanced. Now with the Freestyle, Coca-Cola is able to efficiently track inventories and distribute beverage formulas to these customers.

The data also helps Coca-Cola and fast-food outlets decide what to serve and where to promote. Additionally, this data could help Coke recognize popular drink combinations, and in return Coke could opt to bottle those combinations through retail outlets, knowing that their investment will pay off.

In the world today, customization is a great way to appeal to customers and ultimately, Coke is looking to the Freestyle to help increase sales by giving customers more beverage choices. They are spending a pretty penny to track product interest, usage, habits and to give users more options and control. Almost every business can start doing the same sorts of things with a well executed web site and web marketing strategy. It’s cost effective and fast – and you’d get the same benefits.

Coca-Cola is raising the bar. Let’s just hope the lines aren’t too long while you wait to order your Peach Creamsicle Caffeine Free Diet Coke!

The following is from another G.1440 Guest Blogger: Laleh Malek, eBusiness Professor and Director of Professional Experience at Towson University…

As a teacher of e-Business, I talk about Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and other social media applications frequently, but I have been deliberate in my adoption of these tools.

I’ve been a part of Linked in, and consider myself a satisfied customer, but found myself hesitant to jump headfirst into the Facebook phenomenon that’s grown 175 million strong – as noted on April 9 in the NY Times.

As an e-business professor, I actively witness the effect of social media on my students. When I walk into my classes, all the computers are on and a large percentage of the class is viewing their Facebook account. This generation perceives Facebook as a way to post and view photos, make connection to friends and stay in the know as to what is going on, which fits in perfectly with the mission of the company: “to give people the power to share and make the world more open and connected.” Not only do my students love posting messages but also the instant messaging capabilities. So recently I decided to join Facebook and learn of the power it has over so many active users firsthand.

It is truly a great tool to connect. I have been able to connect with my friends in the US and abroad. With not enough time in the day, it has provided me with the opportunity to quickly update my friends on what is happening in my life. And most recently, it allowed me to connect a hardworking student to one of my employer friends.

However, with the positive comes the negative. Each Facebook user also opens the door for employers to access information posted on the page – a subject that I’m keenly familiar with as the liaison between the business community and business college. When posting information, you are providing full visibility to others. Recently, I mentioned to my class the idea of business etiquette in social media. One student responded, “it is my page, I should be able to post anything that I want.” However, with the expansion of technology, when do we draw the line and realize the impact of it on our lives? Is it time for us to realize that as we brand ourselves on social media that we need to follow social media etiquette. Etiquette could simply be what if you mom wanted to be your Facebook friend? Would you still have the same content out there? Ironically, in a recent posting by one of my Facebook friends, he asked the same question. Should he let his mom view his account?

Laleh Malek is the Director of Professional Experience and teaches Principles of eBusiness at Towson University, College of Business and Economics. The facebook page for the College is CBE Towson.