A box you need to uncheck on LinkedIn

August 10, 2011 – 11:14 PM

Apparently, LinkedIn has recently done us the “favor” of having a default setting whereby our names and photos can be used for third-party advertising. A friend forwarded me this alert (from a friend, from a friend…) this morning.

Devious. And I expect that you, like me, don’t want to participate.

Source:
http://brandimpact.wordpress.com/2011/08/10/a-box-you-want-to-uncheck-on-linkedin/

Just kill me now…

August 1, 2011 – 12:24 AM

http://chzmemebase.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/memes-too-long-didnt-fing-read.jpg

Researchers Expose Cunning Online Tracking Service That Can’t Be Dodged

July 31, 2011 – 6:23 PM

Researchers at U.C. Berkeley have discovered that some of the net’s most popular sites are using a tracking service that can’t be evaded — even when users block cookies, turn off storage in Flash, or use browsers’ “incognito” functions.

The service, called KISSmetrics, is used by sites to track the number of visitors, what the visitors do on the site, and where they come to the site from — and the company says it does a more comprehensive job than its competitors such as Google Analytics. But the researchers say the site is using sneaky techniques to prevent users from opting out of being tracked on popular sites, including the TV streaming site Hulu.com.

The discovery of KISSmetrics tracking techniques comes as federal regulators, browser makers, privacy activists and ad tracking companies are trying to define what tracking actually is. The FTC called on browser makers to add a “Do Not Track” setting that essentially lets users tell websites not to leave them alone — though it doesn’t block tracking on its own. It’s more like a “privacy, please” sign on a hotel door. One of the big questions surrounding Do Not Track is about web analytics software, which sites use to determine what’s popular on their site, how many unique visitors a site has a month, where users are coming from, and what pages they leave from.

Source:
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/07/undeletable-cookie/

How Google+ ends social networking fatigue

July 9, 2011 – 2:16 PM

You’ve got it, and I’ve got it. Everyone’s overwhelmed by the sheer number of social sites the industry keep churning out.

I was already struggling to stay active on Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Google Buzz, Google Reader and several other social sites.

As new media come online, the old ones never go away. I keep up with email, of course, and publish an email newsletter. I use AOL Instant Messenger (AIM), and Google Talk for quick messaging, and also text on my iPhone like a Dachshund on crack.

I used to blog on Google’s Blogger platform, then I switched to Posterous when that was the hot new service, only to leave it for Tumblr when that became Flavor of the Month.

I won’t even try to list all the services I embraced, then quit.

When Google+ came along, I had the same initial reaction as you probably did: “What, another one?”

Then it hit me: Google+ isn’t adding to the problem. Google+ can be the solution to social networking fatigue.

Source:
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9218283/Elgan_How_Google_ends_social_networking_fatigue

Should I Change My Password?

June 21, 2011 – 5:46 AM

LulzSec and other groups have been hacking an assortment of prominent organisations. For good or for bad, they have also been publishing their databases, which typically include emails and passwords. Given that most people re-use their passwords, this site allows the average person to check if their password(s) may have been compromised and need to be changed.

Note that no passwords are stored in this database.

Check now:
https://shouldichangemypassword.com/