Web Awareness: How To Protect Yourself Against The Web

We've all seen them, some of us have been unfortunate to have them.  Finding yourself with a virus or malware application that will run rampant on your computer is only a click away.  There are a few things you can do to give yourself the power to interact with the web and not worry about malicious attacks on your personal stash of family photos or media libraries.  I have been the victim once or twice and know there is no real advice that is full proof.  I will do my best to help!

These tips are provided for users who may have never thought about these type of issues and can be boring for the advanced web surfer but I will keep try and stay short and entertain as well.

First, lets set a few things straight.  You are to blame.  Your lack of knowledge about computers is what I want to try and drill into your mind.  Nothing, short of a blatant hacker who has isolated you for some type of gain or as revenge, is done to your computer without you either acknowledging the action by clicking the mouse or hitting the enter key.  Your actions are directly related to being safe on the web.  Understanding this, I will give you a few things to think about next time you see a pop-up window or a 'legit' site.  Giving you the knowledge to identify 'careless' tendencies and cure these bad habits on the web will keep your computer healthy.  It's in your hands.

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Being an adventurous soul, as most of us are, we want to see, do and read everything available on the web and there are 'other' people who want prevent this or worse, steal from us.  Virus writers tend to be bored, intelligent beings that hold the idea of creating the most unstoppable bug and unleashing it on the world!  In other cases, malware coders want your stats.  They want your histories of web pages, your tendencies, your intimate details; all to be polled for Ad campaigns.  In some cases, these bugs can cause pop-ups or other website navigation issues.  In the worst case scenario failure of the computer altogether is possible.

Here is a checklist to better prepare you when using the Web.

1. Know Your Sites -  Your ability to observe is key.  The easiest way to lead yourself astray is to not clearly identify where you are.  Sure, everything looks the same and I remember this button and that button.  Your familiarity with your daily sites is the most common duplicated feature for attackers to take advantage of.
   
   My policy is to always have the URL (website address) clearly in view.  If I am on eBay, I expect to see http://www.ebay.com and not http://iwanttostealyourmoney.net/ebay.  Even a less obvious detail would be to find yourself looking over a URL that says http://www.ebaysite.com. You are indeed on the wrong site and need to leave this page immediately.
   
   
2. Clicking Your Mouse - Your mouse and keyboard are really to blame.  Some time ago, many browsers began supporting security features that prevented any action to take place on your computer without you first giving permission.  This is a tricky subject.  For example, how do you know when you give something permission to carry out an action on your computer?  Most attackers choose this ambiguous notion to misguide users to do things they normally wouldn't do.  If you have been presented with a pop-up that says, "My Site would like to do something.  Please click OK or Cancel." You may find yourself unsure what is about to happen and rightly so.
   
   As a web developer I know I can tie malicious actions to either the OK or CANCEL buttons so this is a no-brainer;  close the window altogether.  If you "know this site" and all is well, then go forward with your action.  Otherwise, leave the browser immediately and mentally high-five yourself; you may have just saved your computer!
   
   
3. Protect Yourself - It's a little late in the game to say you can't afford virus/malware protection because there are several leading edge applications that are FREE and very useful.  AVG, Microsoft Security Essentials  and Spyware Doctor are just a few that can help prevent the little nasties from your computer.  However, anti-virus software does not protect against YOU installing something you are not 100% sure is safe.  Frequently, attackers hide bugs in files that look like valid files.  What to do?  When it doubt, delete it out!
   
   I am always asked by friends and family who have 'unknowingly' obtained a nasty bug and my first question is always, "What did you last install?"  Ha!  Don't shrug your shoulders.  If you can't remember what you are installing on your computer, then you shouldn't be installing anything on your computer.  Screensaver packages, background wallpaper generators and unmonitored free software (in general) are breeding grounds for new malicious software creators.  This leads me to my next point!
   
   
4. Researching Software - Be smart, computers are awesome tools and can do great things.  Read about your software first and look for peer reviews.  If you find no information, then this is usually a bad sign.  No information is bad information.  Good, healthy software applications have robust descriptions and reviews mainly because their writers have paraded their new vision or new tool to many people.  The reviews can be numerous and whether positive or negative immediately may show signs of malicious actions and consumer complaints.
   
   How do I research software?  Google it.  Again, no search results means pass by this software.  Special cases include you knowing the person, or team who developed the site.
   
   
5. Spam - Your email inbox is an open invitation for anyone to contact you about sex medication, narcotics, russian brides, western union scams and just about everything you don't want.  It's amazing the amount of Spam that is blocked before it hits your inbox.  Millions upon millions an hour get cut off before it gets to you.  So, what do you do?  You don't open anything unless you are expecting it or you know the sender.  Everything else is white noise and should be 'Marked' as Spam for future filtering purposes.
   
   You can also help in building trust with your friends and family by not forwarding Spam.  For example,  other people's ideas on "How to prevent a heart attack by coughing" or "Skyway to Heaven"(untrue explanation of Disney ride) are considered Spam.  Do you ever wonder why some people never reply to these?  Because they don't read them.  Help all your friends, including me, by sending only pertinent messages that you expect replies to.  If you are the one forwarding me emails with "FW:FW>>>FW:FW:" in the subject line I will not open.  Matter of fact, the priority in which I open and respond in has now sent you to the bottom.  I understand you are trying to help. I understand you want to help others but by forwarding false information you are lowering your value as an email contact and this could cause issues in the future.
   
   
6. Simulated Actions - Twice today, I have already been in contacted by two people who have been duped into downloading Software to help "clean" the bugs supposedly reported.  I have seen this so let me explain.  Out of no where, a window pops up and the status, address and navigation toolbars are hidden and it looks like a valid Windows application.  Some cogs spin and a progress bar about half way down the window shows progress.  Alongside the progress bar a counter is increasing and the number is alarming.  Add to the fact that beside this rising number is the term "Security Risks." Immediately, everyone is alarmed.  Even me.  BUT, I quickly see this is a web page designed to simulate something real so I think I am in imminent danger.  How tricky is that?  There are some smart people out there trying to spread their bugs.
   
   Be careful to take your time to make decisions that could penetrate your computer.  This simulated action is going around fast because it states you must make a decision or your computer will be no good anymore.  That is simply not true.
   
   
7. Backups, Backups, Backups - Do this today.  You will eventually download and install a virus.  The ideas of trickery and misleading designs are getting stronger and smarter.  You will use your back up several times PER computer.  Yes, you will own more than one computer and you data collection will grow as you move to each new system.  It is imperative your data is transferable and backed up regularly.  It's just smart.  Don't let those 11 years of digital photo albums get erased by a bug that you, yourself, downloaded.

Some of these are basic ideas that can help even a novice computer user.  You need to be the responsible one in the relationship.  The computer will not install a virus or download a malware program by itself.  Understanding that you are the gatekeeper can be a powerful tool in helping you navigate web.

Good luck out there!

@HootSuite and the Social Media captive

You might wonder why I am taking the time to profile @HootSuite as I have only used it for one day.  Well, that's the reason.  I have only used this for one day and I already feel like I have a better hold on my reputable status in my social circle.  I have been held captive up to this moment by the abundance of information I would like to share and seem to have found the application that will help alleviate the need to find value to add to my social space and break some of my bad habits.

Do you have a bad habit online?  Ever worry about posting too much?  Ever thought about a possibility to auto-post a tweet before the biggest magnate media moguls such as @mashable or @guykawasaki post a whisper of the latest news?  Want to see how 'click-able' your links are to your followers or whether your links are even seen?  You may be surprised what links are clicked the most and which links fall short.

It is the nature of any user to try and understand your followers needs and creating value content for them besides showing them you are a human.  Balancing the two are really what separates the true good-will ambassadors who bring value to your network and those who spread any news in an effort to grab followers.  Finding a stable and useful plan to solidify your online presence is an important area of your online life and patience is the key.

With all this being said, my time with social media as a user has been limited but I feel comfortable with what I provide for my followers and friends after many 'spam' moments where I hit the feed hard for 10 minutes after a long absence.  Can I stack these to future posts/statuses/tweets or do I really have to punch them through in sequence?  You really do a disservice with the latter and your social circle cringes a bit.

@HootSuite is my new friend.  On the heels of a visit to North Carolina I had the chance to sit down with a social media watchdog.  Nathan Maxwell, better known as @socialshark, is a person who has a passion for social media and it's uses, and I got a glimpse of his passion.  It is apparent that what it takes to provide value is not just a barrage of information but an alliance of planning, tools and knowledge of what to look for to bring value to your feed. Nathan is ahead of many in the realm of managing feeds and his recommendation of @HootSuite is not overlooked...

Ok, enough about the why.  Here is the how.  @HootSuite is easy.  It's online and allows multiple accounts including Twitter, LinkedIn and facebook.  Do you think you have a bad habit of posting too many posts at one time and causing what others may see as 'Spam'?  Do you follow a blog and lean on this person to add value to your content?  Want to see how interesting your links are so you can provide better quality links to your circle?

Check out these features:

1.  So you have 20 posts and you need to run out the door!  You bite the bullet and click, click click....and all 20 posts light up your feed and you probably get a @reply saying, "Hey!  Stop spamming me!" and you apologize and continue.  No more spam!  @HootSuite allows you to "Send Later" or schedule the posts AND offers a "Pending Tweets" area to help manage the scheduled tweets. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Never blind your followers on twitter anymore.  This is also includes facebook updates.  You don't want facebook aggregating your posts into something similar to "Lucas Shaffer has posted 18 similar items."  You would rather have them post 19 items at intervals of 1 hour as to spread the info and make it less evasive.  Your friends will appreciate it.  Trust me!
   
   
   
   
2. RSS/Atom feeds are known for bringing the content to you, as soon as it hits the web!  If you haven't subscribed to a feed yet, it may be time to latch onto the updates of you favorite photographer/designer/developer.  By doing so you are receiving the latest update and this may be of value to your followers.  But how can you take your email updates and change them into relevant tweet/updates to your circle?  @HootSuite allows you to attach RSS and Atom feeds to schedule or immediately send tweets or updates.  This is nice!  This means a little less babysitting your favorite well of information and automatically porting this to you friends and followers.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   You can see here I am attaching @HootSuite to my blog so that my new blog posts will be fed into my feeding accounts.  In the example, my twitter space and facebook account will be updated with my new blog post without any extra work from me allowing me to stay focused on value of other posts. It is scheduled to fire the tweet and status update after a 3 hr interval which means @HootSuite automatically checks this feed every 3 hrs.  If the feed has produced 1 new post then @HootSuite post to my accounts immediately.  If the feed finds more than one I have a setting engaged to wait 1 hr to post each new feed until the new posts are done!  Easy and NO SPAM!  It may even appear to your followers that you are a madman and always on the site.  This is not true and you can get a bit of your life back!  ;)
   
   
   
   
3. If you already have an addiction to sites like twittercounter and twittergrader/facebookgrader then this part will make you feel all warm and fuzzy.  @HootSuite is affiliated with the ow.ly links you have seen everywhere.  It is in YOUR interest to start using the ow.ly URL shortening if you decide to chose @HootSuite.  The reason?  This is because @HootSuite tracks the amount of clicks these URL's you post to other sites or blogs and tracks them with your account.  Very nice!  Now you can see how valuable your links are.  You are now able to see if your followers are interested in the new Tech tweets that link to @engadget and if they respond to other types of links.  Here is what you get!
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   You can see my blog seems to draw a bit more interest than the Lady Cougars win over Georgia!  :)  These type of stats are almost unheard of and if you have any other stats that can help build and nurture value in your feed then PLEASE let me know.
   
   
   
   

As you can see, I have only been using this FREE online app for 1 day and I have already been able to determine my impact with links, stop my bad habit of spamming and automate some of my own search results to give my followers better value, in incremental spoonfuls instead of gushes of 'blah'.

In the end, it has only been 1 day.  Let's see where this goes!


I would like to give credit to @socialshark for the heads up as I find his value to my social circle is a pillar to my reputation and I encourage others to follow him as well.  Find him here: http://twitter.com/socialshark