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Prevent Your Twitter And Social Media Accounts From Hacking
Today, another major hacking occurred to a trusted news source, the Associated Press. This particular hacking was not light in its messaging. A tweet stating “Breaking: Two Explosions in the White House and Barack Obama is injured” was sent at 12:13pm CST resulting in thousands of RT’s, the stock market briefly crashing 143 points, and a world fearful of another potential terrorist attack.
Quickly, White House and AP staff confirmed the tweet was baseless and a result of a hack.
This is not the first time a major brand has been hacked. Burger King’s twitter account was hacked in February, and numerous Major League Baseball accounts were compromised in 2012.
How does this happen? Often times, hacking results due to weak passwords. This is not the sexy, technical answer expected. Other reasons include giving permission to third party applications to find out various pieces of information about your account: who isn’t following you back, top connections, your Twitter crush, etc.
In the Associated Press case, this could have been a focused initiative by an unknown group who first attempted to steal AP journalist passwords. Mike Baker, AP reporter tweeted “The AP Hack came less than an hour after some of us received an impressively disguised phishing email.”
There is another side to this story: Twitter appears extremely vulnerable to hacking. Earlier in 2013, Twitter reported 250,000 account passwords had been compromised by hackers and issued no further comment. In June 2012, popular professional networking site LinkedIn endured a security breach impacting 6.4 million users and their passwords.
Quick tips for users to prevent hacking
- Change your passwords every 90 days
- Avoid using the same password for all of your accounts
- Avoid using a family members name that someone close to you could easily guess
- Use numbers, upper and lower case letters, and symbols (when allowed)
All social networking sites must be serious about preventing what feels like constant hacking. Two-factor authentication is one solution. This would enable the social channel to send a text verification code to your phone or email after you log in to ensure you are the owner of the account. Adding an extra layer of security may prevent numerous hacking attempts, until the hackers find another way.
Have you been hacked or compromised before? Share your story in the comment area below.
Jason
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Kenneth Cole, Meet Celeb Boutique!
Early February 2011, popular fashionista Kenneth Cole tried to be witty by comparing the uprising in Cairo, Egypt to the release of his 2011 spring collection. 
Lessons were to be learned, right?
Fast forward to July 20, 2012. A day that will be remembered for the horrific events in Aurora, Colorado where at least twelve have died in attendance of The Dark Knight Rises after a gunman went on a frenzy. Celeb Boutique appears to have done something similar to Kenneth Cole’s tweet fail. See below (image from Joel Feder).
Clearly, nothing was learned here.
Minutes ago, @celebboutique came out with a response and apology (below).
This response took almost two hours. And the tweet was blamed for not checking why Aurora was trending? Unacceptable.
This is a perfect example of why people who run social accounts for brands, whether it is internal or through an agency, training is necessary. People need to listen first before posting. LISTEN! Had that been done, there would not be the uproar against Celeb Boutique.
Have we finally learned our lesson, social media folk?
My thoughts are with the people impacted by the tragedy that unfolded earlier this morning.
Jason
London Olympics Ban Volunteers From Social Media? My Thoughts on 96.3 KTWN.
An announcement today by the London Olympics Organising Committee (LOCOG) stated that the 70,000 unpaid volunteers will not be able to use social media to mention details of their location, their role or any backstage information about athletes, celebrities or “dignitaries” on social media. However, the volunteers are welcome to disseminate any official London 2012-sanctioned information to their followers.
As a social media strategist, I have some educated opinions on this topic. This is where 96.3 KTWN comes into play. I have been invited to give my professional opinion on this during Tuesday’s morning show with Eric Perkins and Tony Fly at 6:30am.
I would love to get your thoughts on the Olympic volunteer ban. Share a comment that is worthy and I will mention it on the air. Hope you listen in and share your feedback!
Update: I have a link to the audio for my radio debut. Listen in and enjoy. Maybe you will hear me on the radio again in the very near future! Thank you all for your support!
Jason
How To Get the New Facebook Timeline
On September 22, Facebook announced their latest revisions which include integration with Spotify, Netflix and an overhaul on the user timeline. Access for all will be rolled out on September 30th. I am not patient enough to wait nine days for the latest and greatest version of Facebook. I thought “how would someone get access to the new Facebook?”
Here is an idea: Google “how to get access to new Facebook.” Or, keep reading below.
I found an article from the Huffington Post which includes a video and a list of what to do. Below are the steps I followed to get access:
- On Facebook’s search bar, type in “Developer.” Click on the first result. Then click “Allow” to give the Facebook app access. In the next few steps, you will become a developer for a minute. Check that off the bucket list!
- When in the Facebook Developer App, click on “+ Create New App” button. Fill out the App display name and description. While nothing will be made public, be safe and name the app after yourself.
- Agree to the Developer privacy agreement. Don’t take the time to read it. You are only delaying and depriving yourself out of new Facebook.
- On the left side, click on “Open Graph” and type in a test verb and noun for your new app.
- Run through a few pages of new app information. There is no need to enter anything here. Keep on saving changes and continuing. The quicker you do this, the quicker you have new Facebook!
- Once completed, go back to your profile. It may take up to ten minutes, but you should have a prompt at the top of your old timeline to view the new Facebook! Hooray!
The above process is what worked for me. For those who do not want to play developer for a few minutes, there is another, yet slower way to get access: sign up for beta access where there is no guarantee on how long it will take to gain access.
Note: when you publish your timeline, only others who have followed the above steps to launch the new timeline for themselves will be able to see your new timeline. Everyone else will see the old profile.
Thanks to the Huffington Post for clearly documenting the process.
After you gain access, take the quick tour, play around and share your thoughts on Facebook’s latest and greatest version of itself.
Jason
Testing From the Minnesota Blogger Conference
Sitting in the Mobile Blogging session at the Minnesota Blogger Conference with @ojezap.
This post was created from the WordPress android app. Hope it looks good!
NBC News Twitter Hacked @NBCNews by The Script Kiddies
Another Twitter hoax occured Friday afternoon at 4:49pm CDT with The Script Kiddies taking credit for hacking into the NBC News Twitter account, spreading erroneous reports of a plane attacking Ground Zero in New York, NY.
This comes on the weekend of the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 tragedies. Image of the hacked NBC News Twitter feed below.
The tweets are false and no plane has been hijacked or crashed at Ground Zero.
The Script Kiddies are listed as based out of the UK. The group was behind a Fox News Twitter hoax claiming the death of President Barack Obama during the July 4th weekend earlier this year.
Update: 5:10pm CDT: The Script Kiddies twitter account has been suspended by Twitter.
Jason Douglas
Welcome Back, Hellos and Goodbyes from Jason Douglas
Welcome back, hello and goodbye, all in the same sentence? Yes. Everything in that sentence and title applies to everything that’s been happening in my life. Let me explain:
Welcome back refers to my tenth return to the blogosphere. It has come to my attention that when I posted new content on here, people actually read it. Add that knowledge to my passion for writing, and that equals me promising to make more time for writing. It makes sense to spend more time doing things you love and are passionate about. If you read it, I will write it. I thank you all who have, will and continue to read my content.
Hello refers to a few new additions and changes in my life. First: I have a new phone. I switched from the iPhone 3gs to the HTC Inspire. With the relationship I and many others have with their phone, this was a big move to make. I am enjoying the android network and have already sold my iPhone on Craigslist for a significant profit.
Hello, new apartment! I am very happy to report a move that is long overdue. At the end of this month, I will be moving to Golden Valley to a newly renovated apartment. Highlights include new laminate wood flooring, new stainless steel appliances, an incredible amount of closet space, a third floor view of the pool, and no roommates 🙂 With my new place located under a mile away from the West End area, I expect to become a regular at Crave, Cooper and Pei Wei. An apartment warming party is already in the works.
Goodbye is something you say when you are leaving. With that said, I am very proud to report a move that came out of the blue. Today marks an end of an era, as I am leaving my role as the Online Marketing Manager at Spyder Trap Online Marketing.
Hello is what you say when you start something new. I will be joining the team at Nina Hale as their Search Marketing Manager starting April 25.
I am extremely proud of my time at Spyder Trap, spanning over the last two years. I have been able to work with great clients, including Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, Shock Doctor, UnitedHealth Group, among others. I am very lucky to have led the search marketing and social media marketing groups to where it stands today.
When I started at Spyder Trap in March 2009, I was the second salaried employee in the history of the company. Two years later, Spyder Trap has 14 employees. 700% growth speaks for itself. I am very proud to have been a major player in the company’s growth. It is something I will be able to look back on and always be proud of.
I am extremely proud of the work I completed at Spyder Trap. Despite some individuals beliefs, the quality of work I completed was goodvery good great. Fortunately for myself and the clients, the numbers support the claim and make that statement indisputable. It is one of the main reasons why I love the online marketing industry: the numbers do not lie.
I will miss the relationships and the clients at Spyder Trap. However, there are opportunities that come around that are too good to pass up. Spyder Trap was that opportunity in March 2009. Nina Hale is that opportunity in April 2011. I am very excited to start at Nina Hale on April 25. There is no limit to the success I will have at Nina Hale.
I want to thank Mike Rynchek and Spyder Trap for giving me the opportunity. Looking back, I consider this to be a rare relationship where both parties won. I wish Spyder Trap nothing but the best in the future.
New phone. New living space. New job. There’s a saying that bad things happen in threes. So do good great things.
We’ll talk soon, friends. I promise.
Jason
iPhone Alarms Not Y2K11 Ready
Sure, this is a late post for such an issue. I would have composed something earlier, but I just woke up a little bit ago.
If you’re an iPhone owner, and rely on it’s very loud alarm to wake you up, you are likely mad right now since your alarm did not work today.
After numerous Twitter complaints and reports, it has been discovered that there is a glitch with the iOS in iPhones, including the 3, 3gs, and 4. According to Macworld, this bug fixes itself on January 3rd, just in time for the 2011 work year to begin.
There is a temporary fix for this issue. iPhone users need to set all alarms as recurring for them to work. I have verified this fix to work for myself.
Think back to eleven years ago, when all the hype in the world was the pending disaster that was to be Y2K. Nothing happened that day. More happened in Y2K11 than in Y2K, and it took an iPhone to make it happen.
Just another reason for me to wait until late June to jump ship to Sprint for the HTC Evo.
Hope the #alarmfail did not screw up your day.
~J
Twitter: @jasondouglas
Facebook: facebook.com/jasondouglas
My Ten Twin Cities Titans of Social Media #tctitans
Tonight is JustJudyJudy’s 2010 Twin Cities Top Ten Titans of Social Media. I am fortunate to be nominated for this, but am up against some very worthy competition. While a few judges will name the official top ten list tonight, I thought it would be interesting who I would name for my top ten using the list of nominees.
In no particular order, here is my top ten titans of social media list, and a brief reason why:
- Jason Douglas @jasondouglas; it’s my job, and I’m good at it. Also, my Klout score is 64, which has to mean something, right? 🙂 If you thought I wasn’t putting myself here, you are silly!
- Erica Mayer @ericamayer; raising over $11K for charity water mostly through using her social media connections gets you here by default. Obvious choice.
- Maikel van de Mortel @maikelvdm; this guy is incredibly intelligent, and is also a co-founder of the Java Meetup Minneapolis #jmu612. Get to know this guy.
- Arik Hanson @arikhanson; another incredibly intelligent guy, and a leader in the PR world. He writes and shares many informative articles, which help keep me up to speed in the online world.
- Joel Carlson @JoelECarlson; one word: twitterviews.
- Keith Privette @keithprivette; here’s a guy who ranks as one of the top conversationalists in the area. Ask him about ‘cross pollenating verticals’ 🙂
- Nathan Eide @nathaneide; another well known conversationalist who will tell you what he thinks. Never shy, and always engaging.
- Lisa Grimm @lulugrimm and Kasey Skala @kmskala; indiviually, they are well known PR Pros, but why are they nominated together? Did I miss something? I’m counting them individually.
- David Ostlund @tcfoodfinds; almost every day, David holds a trivia contest for a gift card to a local restaurant, and he’s been doing it for a long time. People like free stuff, but he gets a large number of people to participate on a daily basis. Also, I have never won a contest, which is garbage 🙂
There’s my top ten list. It will be interesting to see how many of those ten actually make the real top ten list. One thing cool about both lists: despite only listing ten of the over 40 people, it is difficult to say that anyone listed should not be in it, as all the nominees deserve to be in a top ten list. See you there tonight!
~J
Jason Douglas's Life Blog 