What the heck are Instant Personalization and Social Plugins?   Last week, Facebook released two new features and they have decided that everyone is automatically “opted in”, meaning you have to turn them off.   Consequently, you could be sharing some of your Facebook data without knowing it.   Interestingly enough, even Congress might be getting in the act.

So what are instant personalization and social plugins?    Instant personalization is the sharing of your public Facebook data with other websites.  At the current time, there are 3 partners who are linked with Facebook…..Pandora, Yelp and Docs.com.   If you are logged in to Facebook, and visit these sites, you will see a blue bar across the top that will say…”Hi Larry (or your name).  XYZ company is using Facebook to personalize your experience. “ At this point, you can click “No thanks”.  If you don’t then the site will use your public Facebook data to tailor the site’s functionality to you.   This information includes you name, profile picture, gender and connections.    If you want to stop instant personalization, then login to Facebook, go to Privacy Settings, then Applications and then uncheck the Allow box for Instant Personalization.   At this point you will get an “Are you sure” box with a message……the important sentence in this notification is…..”Please keep in mind that if you opt out, your friends may still share public Facebook information about you to personalize their experience on these partner sites unless you block the application.”  Now that is fascinating.  To stop this, you then need to block the Docs, Yelp and Pandora applications.

The second feature, called Social plugins, add Facebook functions to websites, such as the “Like” button.   If you click the “Like” button, then all of your friends will see that you liked the story when they see the posting on your wall.  To avoid this feature, simply don’t click on the button or log out of Facebook first.

As I said before, the social media concept is fantastic and I believe has yet to come close to maturity.   There are however, many related issues.  While I don’t agree on the default of “opt in”, I really like the concept of using data to create a better online experience.  This is clearly the future.  Marketers have been using this concept for years with cookies and IP traces.   So the concept isn’t new, but this degree of sophistication is. 

Another potential issue for any company is the gathering and sharing of personal information and this issue just got a little more complex.  The rules and regulations on data privacy are still evolving and data breaches still occur, so you need to be careful.

Data on Facebook is personal and most people that I speak with are not aware of the various security settings within their Facebook page…..or what to do if something embarrassing to them happens on their site with all of their friends watching……right Beth?  LOL!

Facebook is great, and I love it.   The bottom line…..go to Facebook right now and log on.  Go to the privacy settings and make sure they are setup to fit your views on sharing information.  For all you parents, the next step is to make sure your kid’s pages are secure as well.

I’ve been saying this for a long time… It’s been on our blog before, and I’ve even been on the news to discuss it…

When you’re in the job market, you need to make sure that you’re managing your online image.  Including your social media profiles!

As one of the region’s leading technology staffing and recruiting firms, we work with some of the area’s most talented IT professionals.  It still surprises me when someone who’s been in the workforce for a while and has a career in technology keeps less than flattering information on their Facebook profiles!

Businesses are increasingly using Facebook & other social networks for marketing – and recruiting.  In fact, we just launched a full-on social media recruiting campaign for a large, national financial firm.  So, it’s no shock that 70% of recruiters have denied someone based on information they found online.

Take a look at this article from the Consumer Reports blog, consumerist.com:  http://consumerist.com/2010/04/if-youre-looking-for-a-job-that-facebook-profile-can-only-hurt-you.html

I’m happy to see that we’re not the only ones signaling the alarm anymore!

Ever wondered what it would be like to actually see and talk with folks all around the world?  Want to join a really, really big chat room (a.k.a. the planet Earth) that combines video chatting and texting?  Here is the catch, you won’t know anyone that you are seeing/talking with and they can be doing anything they want.

Well, www.chatroulette.com is all the rage.   Chat Roulette has only been around for approximately 3 months, and reportedly already has 85,000 users.  I jumped on the site on Tuesday with about 20,000 of my closest friends…. just to try it out and got some real surprises!

The site is remarkably simple, one page.   All you need to do it enable your webcam and click “play” and you are all set.  You are now in the queue and Chat Roulette’s servers start to randomly assign you people that are available to video chat and/or text with.   If you don’t like who you have been matched with, then just click “next” or hit F9 and you are randomly assigned to someone else.   Truth be told, you don’t even need a web cam.

Chat Roulette has come under fire for the lack of controls to keep minors from participating.  Additionally, there are reports that some of the video cam shots you will see are of men that are doing inappropriate things. If you aren’t’ sure what I mean, then use your imagination.   So, I tried it to see if these reports are true.   I started using Chat Roulette and purposefully kept track and my experience was that about 10% of the people that I “met”  were female and of the remaining 90% percent, the majority of the men were either holding the camera at a weird angle (not sure what they were planning and I didn’t wait to find out!) or they weren’t wearing any clothing, so the reports appear to be true.

So as a parent, I don’t want my kids anywhere near this site, and as an adult, you have to wonder if anyone will go there more than once.

Video chatting is finally coming in to prime time, even my kid’s video chat with their cousins all over the USA…..and while random chatting could be interesting, not with a bunch of nude middle aged guys that are doing some weird stuff.

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.

Do you want an easier way to tweet everything you purchase, how much it cost and where you bought it? Enter Blippy, a new social media site that micro-blogs your finances. Blippy allows you to hook your credit and debit cards into the service, then track and share spending on sites like Amazon.

If you setup your Visa card with Blippy and then purchase some books on Amazon, your Blippy page (think Twitter) would show “Tim spent $25.93 at Amazon” and the name of what you bought. Your friends can then comment on the purchase telling you what a great book you bought or how you need to cut back on the self help books. You can also see what your friends are buying which could lead to some interesting conversation starters.

Blippy might sound ridiculous at first, but after thinking about it I began to see the merit in the idea. Blippy could simplify collecting information from friends on what they are buying. If I was in the market for a new camera, I could just pull up my photographer friend’s Blippy pages to see what they are buying. I can also see Black Friday being awesome with Blippy, allowing consumers to discover the best deals around them.

As an Information Security professional, I cringe when I hear about services like this. Take a moment and think about what information you can collect from people using a service like this. You can discover what day is grocery day, socio-economic class, and a ton of other info. I guess this is a service for the Facebook generation that frequently over shares and not paranoid people like me. I know this information is available elsewhere, but putting it all in one place and hooking it to other Social Networking applications is a little frightening. On the plus side, Blippy does have privacy controls similar to Twitter so you can block out the world from seeing what you are doing and allow only friends.

Right now the service is only available in private beta, so the public can’t post their finances yet. If you are interested in signing up for a Beta Tester slot, head over to http://blippy.com/beta and leave your email address. If you are a Blippy tester, leave a comment and let us know your thoughts on the service.

For some more information checkout the Cnet.com posting where I learned about Blippy!

Is your date a stud or a dud? You can find out while you’re on the date and all with the help of a new cell phone app or the website by the same name… www.studordud.com. It lets you do a quick background check to find out in real time if you should stick around or maybe, just maybe sneak out the bathroom window.

Unfortunately, this type of research is becoming more and more necessary as people are connecting online prior to meeting in person. Social media is great, but as we have seen, can have a darker side, so you need to be able to do your homework before getting too involved.

So, what exactly can you find out? You would be surprised how much data is out there…bankruptcies, sex offender databases, criminal records, property ownership, evictions, address history, possible relationships, professional licenses and business licenses.  There are actually several smart phone apps and/or sites out there that do this type of checking…some even check birth date and will cross reference to horoscope, check social media and educational background data.

How well does it work? Well, I did some testing and found that most searches could find my wife, her age and even her maiden name. It could not find me, but did find people with the same name living in other parts of the USA – even though I told it to look in Baltimore. I found this interesting since I appear weekly on Fox News, in addition to writing every week for The Daily Record. The site did get my home phone right with 2 of 4 hits, but returned someone in Atlanta when I searched on my cell phone number. So overall….I would say 50/50 on accuracy.

People have been using Google for these types of searches for years now…however using Google to search for information on a prospective romantic partner can require quite a bit of scrolling when using a Smartphone. The new Smartphone specific apps, combined with the growth wireless networks, now allow for quick background checks on the go, potentially before a date is even over.

Just when you were learning how to send Tweets on Twitter…there’s a new social media network that wants to link you to your friends. It is called FourSquare and is part connection tool and part game…depending on just how social you are, you could end up being named the Mayor of your favorite social gathering spot!

So, what is the deal?  Well, more and more technology is dedicated to connecting people. Just look at the way that Social Media is taking the world by storm…Twitter and Facebook ask users to answer one simple question…what is on your mind?  Foursquare answers the question where are you and what are you doing?

Now Foursquare notifies your friends of your location every time you “check in”.  You can use your cell phone to check in from almost anywhere…at a coffee shop, bar, restaurant, art gallery or even The Daily Records offices, and when you check in, Foursquare alerts your friends to your current location so they can drop by and say hello.

What is so special about Foursquare? Foursquare has several competitors, but has attracted more attention because it incorporates elements of gaming and social competition. Most people are very competitive (whether they know it or not) and Foursquare awards points and virtual badges to players depending on how often they go out and which places they visit. The top designation is when you become the Mayor of your favorite location. How can you become the Mayor? Simple…just check in from your fav hangout more than anyone else.

Anyone can join Foursquare, all you need is a phone with text capability or preferably access to the web so that you can check in and also receive updates of where your friends are. You can even check in from your PC if need be. For the best experience, you will need to load an app on your phone. The Foursquare iPhone or Android apps use the phone’s GPS to determine your location and suggest nearby establishments to check in from.  An app for Blackberry is on its way.

What about privacy concerns?  Of course there are some privacy concerns with Foursquare, as you may not want everyone knowing exactly where you are. But, like other social networking sites, you can tweak the settings so only certain people know of your whereabouts.

Have a great time and I’ll see you around Baltimore!

G.1440 interns have begun roaming the office, video equipment in hand, in order to film their upcoming series “Intern1440″.

The series will kick off with Fall 2009 Marketing Interns, Yanni Giannaros and Katie Mackiewicz, as they take viewers behind the scenes on employee interviews, important staff meetings, and the daily grind of the G.1440 team.

The interns decided to embark on a social media project that would add something fun to G.1440’s Facebook page. Seeking to reveal how multi-media can integrate and engage social networks, the interns are on a mission.

G.1440 Marketing Manager, Tim Kassouf, states “This project is really a learning experience for everyone, and it’s great to see the interns pushing their creativity and continuing to have a genuine impact here.”

While creating the series, interns will learn film and editing techniques along with both social media and viral marketing strategies and implementation.

Keep a lookout for Yanni & Katie’s videos right here on the Tech Blender, as well as YouTube and Facebook!!

Finally, don’t be shy! Let us know who you want to meet and what you want to know about anything and everything G.1440. Consider the interns your messengers…

If you like following the gossip on your favorite celebrities, and part of your routine is looking them up on the web, then you better pay attention…you might get more that you bargained for. In fact, it could be downright dangerous! One quick search could land you and your computer in hot water!

The internet bad guys are creating websites or infecting other sites with viruses and malware and then luring unsuspecting internet surfers to these sites using the most popular stars as bait. Click on a link for a Jessica Biel wallpaper and you could be infected on the spot. The good news is that the McAfee Company has researched Hollywood’s stars and found out which are the riskiest for you to click on.

Unfortunately for her fans, Jessica Biel heads the list…so if you search for her on the internet, you have a 20% chance of being infected with malware or a virus. According to the report, over 50% of the sites advertising “Jessica Biel screensavers” were infected.  Brad Pitt was the most dangerous last year, but Jessica has surpassed him…I wonder how happy she is about that! Beyonce was number 2 both last year and this year making her the most searched and dangerous over that period.

The stars on this list read like a who’s who…from Jessica and Beyonce…to Jennifer Aniston, Tom Brady, Jessica Simpson and Megan Fox. Interestingly enough, the Obama’s are ranked in the 30’s and are considered a relatively safe search.

So, how do you get infected? Simply search on one of these names, or their name with videos, screensavers, wallpaper and you have a good chance on getting more than you bargained for.

What does this mean to you? The bottom line is that searching for the latest celebrity news and downloads can cause serious damage to one’s personal computer.

How do you stay safe? Be sure to have virus protection, malware and spyware filters running on your computer and stay away from sites you don’t trust.   Downloading from some site you have never heard of is probably not a good idea.  Use the common sense rule. People often forget how complex and important their computer is to them…so be careful when downloading anything.

A good friend asked me if the companies that have had their websites infected are doing anything about it. The answer is probably not!   However, most of them don’t know that they are vulnerable…according to the Verizon Data Breach report, a whopping 63% of websites that are compromised; find out MONTHS later about the attack.

Businesses must start scanning and protecting their websites. I believe that this will become a federal mandate in the near future. Talk to you soon and happy surfing!

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.