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Posted by Patrick

5 recent changes in social media you should be taking advantage of

May 19, 2017Business Tips, Content Marketing, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter 0

The only thing consistent about social media is the fact that it is constantly changing. Facebook, for example, has changed several times since it first launched. Buttons, functions, and the placement of them, are constantly moving and changing. It takes a social media expert just to keep up with these many changes that happen several times per year. Many of these changes are unannounced, and marketers are simply stumbling upon them as they occur. Through our research of the ever-changing social media landscape, we’ve identified 5 important changes that all marketers and operators of small business can appreciate and take advantage of.

Facebook Targeting Options

Facebook advertising is something that is constantly changing at a rapid pace, and in October of 2016 they began offering a targeting option for marketers to target people who had shared links to their content in the past. They call this target audience “link sharing.” This is huge, and will likely create many new opportunities for marketers and entrepreneurs alike. While this option was only available on the site for a week last fall, Facebook is likely still testing it with a limited audience, and we should hope to see this option available for Facebook ads very soon.

Twitter Replies Count

Now, when you’re looking through your Twitter feed, you can see not only the basic data for the tweet, but also a list of those who have retweeted, and also a list of those who have liked the tweet at the bottom. This is accompanied by thumbnail images of the Twitter users who have interacted with the tweet. Twitter has also been experimenting with showing the total replies for each tweet, and have allowed this option for a select group of users in its trial stage. This option would be the equivalent of Facebook showing comments under each post. This could encourage users to interact more with tweets.

Twitter Scratch Reel

GIFs are a social media phenomenon that have taken us by storm, and growing in popularity as of late. Twitter has introduced a “scratch reel” option to indulge users in GIF fun by allowing them to fast forward and reverse a GIF my swiping their finger (or curser) to the left or the right. When this option was first made available, it wasn’t possible for Twitter users to create their own unique scratch reels, but the company has opened this option up so that users can now create their own unique and interactive, custom GIFs. In order to access this option, you either need to compose a scratch reel in your Twitter ads, or have access to Media Studio.

LinkedIn Update Insights

Without even announcing its addition, LinkedIn now provides a new insights option for its mobile app. This is useful in that it allows users to see who is seeing their content, and how. These insights are similar to what you would see with LinkedIn Publisher posts, and they give valuable insights for new connections and opportunities. While these insights are first only available via mobile, LinkedIn is sure to include insights on their newly designed desktop site.

LinkedIn Secret Job Search

LinkedIn is making searching for a new job much easier with a new option that allows users to alert others that they are open to new opportunities discreetly, without their current employer knowing about it. It’s a small tab that users can turn on that says “let recruiters know you’re open.”

Whether you work at a San Diego website design firm, a search engine optimization firm, or simply a marketing firm, these five changes are sure to help the way your market yourself and your firm. For more information on social media marketing, or a detailed quote, call (619) 291-8181 or fill out our contact form. We look forward to hearing from you.

Posted by Patrick

Keeping Your Fingers on the Pulse: Ways to Stay Ahead of the Game and Predict Social Media Trends Like a Psychic

May 19, 2017Business Tips, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Marketing Campaigns, Social Good, Social Media, Social Media for Consumer Products, Social Media for Hospitality, Social Media for Party Planners, Social Media for Restaurants, Social Media For Retail Businesses, Social Media predictions, Socially Connected, Strategic Planning, Strategy, Twitter, Yelp, YouTube 0

Keeping up with social media trends can be confusing, especially when they seem to change every few months. As Entrepreneur contributor Aaron Agius puts it, “the savvy use of social media” is one of the best methods for building your brand’s authority. Being aware of the latest trends on social media platforms is essential to any business hoping to remain competitive in their market.

Becoming a Social Media Marketing Psychic

Unless you’re a social media marketing consultant, psychic (or both), you probably aren’t keeping up with the hottest trends across the various platforms. If you’re a business owner or marketer, your top priority is likely your own business and industry daily logistics – so how do you stay ahead of the game and still have time to focus on the many other aspects of running your business? One way is to learn how to predict the social media trends before they happen (or predict which ones will continue to be hot). While this may seem like an impossible task, it really can be as simple as paying attention to what has worked recently and developing your marketing strategy from there.

One of the predictions mentioned at Inc.com – regarding which social media platforms would prove to be viable for marketers in 2015 – was based on the success of certain platforms in the prior year. No one could deny that Facebook continued to be a leading choice for both users and marketers in 2015. LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube were the next obvious contenders, based on the percentage of marketers who used them in 2014. Instagram has already surpassed Twitter in terms of growth and popularity since the marketing research from 2014, as it grew to over 400 million users in 2015. The next big social media platform gaining momentum in 2016 in Snapchat, which is currently rivaling Facebook with 4 billion video views on any given day from 200 million active users.

Looking at Social Media Trends for 2015

Clearly, one of the best indications of the social media trends that will be hot in 2016 is the direction in which marketing practices developed in 2015 across popular platforms. Just as SEO practices experienced significant change in 2015, Facebook also implemented changes that affected marketers. The rules for posting marketing content changed considerably, and this will continue to change the way marketers do business on Facebook in 2016.

Social Media Week contributor Nicole Brown agrees that looking at the past is the secret to success in the future. Social marketing trends in lead generation that worked well in the latter part of 2015 are likely to be just as effective throughout 2016.

Keeping Track of Trending Topics

Another way to remain ahead of the game is to follow the trending topics on social media sites. This is not only a wise practice for journalists; it’s also a great way for marketers to learn what subject matter is of most interest to current platform users. Once you know which topics are trending, you can integrate that information with your marketing campaigns – from your social media posts to your email marketing ads.

As it happens, you don’t really need to be a psychic to remain competitive in your marketing efforts. However, you may need to take a look at the most recent social media trends to predict which ones will be viable in the future. If you don’t feel equipped to do this, or simply don’t have the time, you may want to consult a professional whose job is navigating social media platforms for marketers and small business owners.

Posted by Patrick

Why Social Media Marketing is Essential for Small Businesses in 2016

May 19, 2017Advertising, Business Tips, Facebook, Social Media, Socially Connected, Strategy, Twitter 0

Cafe Coffee Shop Restaurant Small Business Media Concept

Most small business owners recognize that, in order to be competitive in their chosen industries, they must have an online presence. This includes participation in social media, which continues to evolve with regards to strategies and platforms that are effective at any given time. What was once just Twitter and Facebook has now been expanded to include Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and YouTube, among others. Regardless of where you market your business online, there are several reasons why social media marketing is essential for your small business in the new year.

Mobile

Mobile devices are now everywhere. According to Google, mobile internet traffic in 2015 surpassed desktop traffic and the way that people use their mobile devices is very telling. More mobile device users than ever are browsing social media sites, viewing content and videos, and posting comments or reviews on businesses. If you are not participating in these social sites that more than half of the population is visiting, you are leaving money on the table.

Video

Speaking of video, the average adult in the U.S. spent 1 hour and 16 minutes daily watching online videos in 2015. Last year was the first in history that Facebook video views surpassed YouTube, with over 8 billion views. Social sites now have their own native video apps that small business owners are using to market their businesses very effectively. Whether it be Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, or Snapchat, video is exploding online and should be an essential part of any social media marketing strategy going forward.

Search

While Google is still the world’s most powerful search engine, the social media sites that small business customers spend so much time on have also introduced search functions. This is a recent development and platforms like Facebook, with its Facebook FYI, now make it easier for 1.5 billion searches per day to return relevant results about local businesses and services. Results may include public posts from friends about a business, public conversations, or prior business reviews.

Personalization

Social media is about both creating brand awareness and establishing relationships with customers. Some social media sites are rolling out tools to make it easier to establish and maintain that personal connection with current or potential customers. Facebook offers Businesses on Messenger, currently only in the U.S., that allows businesses to have these real-time conversations.

Social Commerce

Social media marketing can include such things as paid ads, which continue to evolve on the various platforms. These ads will allow you to bring customers straight to your website once clicked. A new development that takes things even further for business owners is the ability to use the social media platforms themselves to display and sell products or services, essentially turning them into e-commerce platforms. Facebook has Canvas, Twitter has a Buy Button for In-Tweet purchases, and Pinterest has Buyable Pins.

With over 2 billion active social media users worldwide, there is no doubt that the exposure companies get by being involved in social media marketing has a positive impact on a company’s bottom line. Simply having an online presence isn’t enough, however. Being effective and successful in social media requires a purposeful online strategy. If your small business is ready to start the new year off on the right foot with a strong social media program, give us a call or email us. We’d love to answer your questions and help you move forward.

Posted by Patrick

Dozens of Ways to Use Social Media for Lead Generation: What Works?

May 19, 2017Advertising, Blogging, Business Tips, Facebook, Social Media, Socially Connected, Strategic Planning, Strategy, Twitter 0

There is so much that can be done today in the world of social media when it comes to generating leads, it can be disheartening to realize that social media lead generation is like nothing you might have been used to before. Unlike any other lead generation type in history, social allows companies and customers to meet each other in the middle and find common ground. Because of this, many social managers don’t take advantage of what social can do to make their lead generation and customer retention efforts easier and more efficient.

Establishing Thought Leadership and Creating Engagement

No matter which networks you’re working with, all basic social media lead generation can be simplified to this basic form: become a thought leader and create engagement. Every method used on social media to create interest will be based around this basic concept. Establishing yourself as a thought leader means that whoever represents your brand on social media must become known (through blog posts and communications) as a knowledgeable expert in your field. Creating quality content is one way to do this. But creating quality content will create more engagement, for which you should be adequately prepared.

The beauty of social media is that it allows you to treat clients both one-on-one when needed and as a group. Have certain social media followers who are rabid fans or your product or service? You want to treat them with more intel than usual. You can not only direct personal interactions with followers to create leads, but you can only market directly to specific niches within your customer base for better reselling and retention efforts. Leveraging your own power as a thought leader and knowing how to engage your base is essential.

Dozens of Ways to Create Direct Lead Generation Through Social Media

Of course, all of this sounds nice, but you want to know how to leverage social media today to make leads. If that’s the case, here are three solid ways to begin lead generation and tracking right now on certain platforms. While they may appear to be platform-specific, some of the same information can be used on different platforms (Twitter can lead to a form for lead generation, but done correctly, so can other platforms with even more detail.) It’s important to note that to avoid sounding spammy, it’s important to make sure that, as mentioned above, you establish thought leadership or work in areas where you have already done so.

If you’re looking for even more ways to use social media to create leads, here is a page which links to a few dozen different ways to do so, which also includes how to tie social into your blog for even more engagement. If, however, this is starting to look overly complex, fear not: just reach out to our social media experts, who are here to help you. We can analyze your current social engagement and help you make the right decisions on how to approach social media lead generation for your business. Once your social media lead generation is on track, you’ll be surprised at how much social media really is the customer acquisition tool of the future, and eventually wonder how you got along without it.

Posted by Patrick

5 Social Media Musts for San Diego Businesses in 2015

May 19, 2017Business Tips, Facebook, Social Media, Socially Connected, Strategic Planning, Strategy, Twitter 0

Being in charge of management of social media for a company is a big responsibility, and whoever holds that post is expected to increase the company’s branding visibility within a desired market, as well as to raise overall internet presence. The results of this greater presence in the marketplace should then translate into increased sales and more profitable business. With so much at stake, the social media manager must take advantage of every opportunity provided by the social media. Here are five of the best ways to do that.

Audit your current social media presence

Before planning any changes to your social media presence, determine exactly what your current social media presence consists of now. In order to do this, you should create a spreadsheet which contains entries for each link on a social network that connects to your company profile. From this spreadsheet listing, you should then evaluate each social media profile, assessing whether that profile accurately reflects your company’s goals and objectives, and stays on brand.

Create a social media marketing plan

This plan should be include all goals and objectives you hope to achieve through the use of social media, and they should be as specific and achievable as possible. Using the spreadsheet you developed from your social media audit, determine which social media profiles should be kept, which should be altered, and which should be deleted altogether.

Use all available information from clients, marketplace leaders, and even competitors to enhance your social media presence and online content, while at the same time looking for ways to distinguish yourself from rivals.

Establish a presence on LinkedIn

Your company probably already has a profile on LinkedIn, but if not, this is an absolute must. Your LinkedIn presence announces to everyone your huge network of respected professionals, and adds credibility and stature to your business. It also provides a marketing platform from which you can bring your business to the world, which in turn is an excellent way to generate sales.

Schedule your tweets

Tweeting can be a valuable method of increasing company presence through the social media, but if done manually it often takes too much time to be truly cost-effective, especially if your company has multiple Twitter accounts. The solution to this is to have your tweets scheduled automatically by some software product like HootSuite to make the job much easier.

Avoid social media blunders

There are some traps that are easy to fall into with social media use, and these should be avoided like the plague. For instance, buying likes and followers is a much-used practice among businesses, but in truth those increased numbers mean very little. Purchased followers tend not to care about the company, its branding, or its products. This may also dilute the quality of your true base of followers, and lessen the impact of your posts. Speaking of posts, avoid posting too frequently – this waters down your message and tends to turn off followers. Do keep posts regular, but not so regular as to foster disinterest or disgust.

Do, however, boost posts on Facebook, and generate ads geared toward your current followers and their friends, or those who already express interest in your industry or services/goods your company provides. This will help to tip the algorithms in your favor, as not everyone who likes your page actually sees its content.

No time? No problem!

There are many ‘must-dos’ for your social media presence and strategy, which should be addressed by a social media manager. If you don’t have the time to do it yourself, try contacting a marketing expert.

Posted by Patrick

Which of the 15 Most Popular Social Media Platforms are Best for My Business?

May 19, 2017Business Tips, Facebook, Social Media, Socially Connected, Strategic Planning, Strategy, Twitter 0

Since maintaining a presence in social media is time consuming, it is important to choose a network popular among your audience. To help, here is a list of the most popular social networks, determined by the number of unique monthly visitors to each site. In addition to a platform description is the demographic of each network’s most common users.

Facebook– 900,000,000

Facebook connects users personal profiles with several networking components that allow personalized interactions within the social network. Users can share messages, multimedia, photos, and organize group events. More than half of the American adult population is a Facebook user.

Twitter– 310,000,000

The micro blogging format allows users to publicly publish messages 140 characters or less, called “tweets”. Twitter topics range from news and sports to lifestyle and entertainment. Twitter has the youngest user base.

LinkedIn– 255,000,000

A professional networking community, LinkedIn allows users to list jobs, seek jobs and post resumes. Although globally used, LinkedIn is predominantly used in the U.S. with college graduates and older user.

Pinterest– 250,000,000

A visual platform, Pintrest uses photo sharing to create individualized media boards where users can group images by theme or topic. Females continue to be the predominate users with increasing users over the age of fifty.

Google Plus+– 120,000,000

A social media network that intertwines Google services such as Hangouts, YouTube and Gmail. Over half of users are male between 25 years and 34 years.

Tumblr– 110,000,000

A microblogging format, Tumblr allows users to post written content along with multimedia in a short blog post. The network is most popular with teen, collegiate and young adults.

Instagram– 100,000,000

A visual platform, Instagram is a mobile photo and video-sharing app. More than half of the users are female, and under the age of 35 years.

VK-80,000,000

A social network much like facebook, VK is most popular in Eastern Europe.

Flickr– 65,000,000

An image and video hosting site, Flickr allows users a free account with limited data storage. The service has become a popular way for bloggers to embed images to blogs and other social media.

Vine– 42,000,000

Vine allows users to share six-second looping videos with other users and is most popular amongst teenagers, young adults and ad campaigns.

Meetup– 40,000,000

A social network formatted for groups, where users create and join group events based on lifestyles and interests. The network is most popular with transplants into large cities looking to build new relationships

Tagged– 38,000,000

Tagged encourages users to meet new people with their many networking or entertainment outlets. Tagged has become popular with a variety of age groups.

Ask.fm– 37,000,000

Set up in a question and answer format, users are able to send, receive, and answer questions. The site is popular among teen users who integrate the ask.fm with other social media.

MeetMe– 15,500,000

The format is used as a dating site. The site has largely attracted male users 20-30 years old seeking new friendships and romantic relationships.

ClassMates– 15,000,000

A social networking targeting older users seeking classmates from grade school, college and the U.S. military. The content focuses on the nostalgia of yearbooks and past popular culture.

Popular social media networks are a great way to communicate with your target audience. To maximize your social media audience, My Social Marketing Network assists in choosing the correct social media platforms for you and takes over the time consuming task of managing social media accounts.

Posted by Patrick

10 Benefits Small Businesses Gain Through Digital Marketing

May 19, 2017Advertising, Blogging, Business Tips, Facebook, Social Media, Socially Connected, Strategic Planning, Twitter 0

Some small business owners have ignored the use of digital marketing simply because they feel their business is already doing well, while others might lack the knowledge or expertise to mount a marketing campaign. Whatever the reason for ignoring digital marketing, it’s safe to say that virtually any kind of business would benefit greatly from it, even if the company is already doing well financially.

Digital marketing can relieve the burden on the sales department by increasing sales and shortening sales cycle time. It can also generate leads and help with customer acquisition, then marketing can also boost upselling and provide incentives that foster customer retention. For those who have never been convinced of the advantages that can accrue to a business, here are a few of the more significant benefits of digital marketing; to gain more valuable insights like these, check out MySMN regularly.

Digital marketing benefits

Levels the playing field. Achieving success on the internet makes your company an equal with all the larger companies, regardless of their resources and investment capital. Your website can be just as big as theirs, in every respect.
Better conversion rate. Through your inbound marketing channel, it will be possible to increase your conversion rates by as much as 24%, according to a digital marketing report issued by Turn.
Improved customer service. Because digital marketing can provide responses in real-time to customer demand and trending, your company’s ability to provide more flexible service is greatly enhanced. In a recent eMarketer report, this development is discussed in terms of its positive impact on your business.
Greater revenues. Because digital marketing provides several channels that can all influence a consumer to act, these touch points are much more powerful collectively in driving home your business message, and can actually influence buyers to spend four times as much when they decide to purchase.
Greater ROI from marketing campaigns. Because the impact of digital marketing can be easily measured in terms of investment and ROI, the connection between consumers’ locations and which actions they take on your website is very easy to measure. The return on your investment is not only much greater, but much more traceable.
Connection to internet consumers. It is well known that the vast majority of consumers use the Internet to search for information much faster than they could otherwise find it. While these users are online, you should be reaching them via your digital marketing strategy.
Connection to mobile users. Mobile search ads will account for nearly $13 billion in 2015, according to the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council market spend report, which comprises roughly half the entire search market. Clearly, mobile users are becoming major purchasers that must be targeted by businesses.
Helps you compete with rivals. With the availability of social media and other outlets, your online presence will allow you to keep pace with your competitors. Cross-channel marketing campaigns are a great equalizer, and can keep you abreast of rival strategies.
Cost savings. The CMO report on marketing spend mentioned above indicates that more and more businesses will be spending less on traditional advertising, even on television and radio, in favor of more internet spending, because online sales are rapidly eclipsing storefront sales.
Prepares you for the future of commerce. If there’s anything that can be predicted with certainty about eCommerce, it is that it will continue to evolve into something greater than it is today. We can expect homes, vehicles, appliances, and other devices to be connected to the Internet in the near future – your digital marketing presence will prepare you for all those changes.

Posted by Patrick

Top Social Media Platforms for Small Business Entrepreneurs

May 19, 2017Advertising, Business Tips, Facebook, Social Media, Socially Connected, Strategic Planning, Strategy, Twitter 0

Why is social media so important? Here’s why: in 2014, 92% of business owners identified social media as important to them. This number is 7 points higher than the 86% of business owners who thought the same in 2013. It’s important to know, as a small business entrepreneur, the importance of social media and the different platforms available. Social media is one of the engines that drives businesses, giving them visibility and access to a wide audience of potential customers.

Here are 5 of the top social media platforms available to your small business below. If you are not already familiar with how these tools aid you, it’s important to become familiar by learning what these platforms have to offer and how they are useful to businesses.

Facebook

By now nearly everyone on the planet is familiar with Facebook. Since its inception in 2004, this social media giant has grown to over 900 million unique monthly visitors. According to the Pew Research Center Facebook was popular among 71% of adults who use social media in 2014.

The popular social media platform provides various tools to launch and maintain a digital marketing effort for your small business. These tools include hashtagging (a function similar to that found with Twitter), which allows you to join your posts to that of larger, related conversations.

Google+

Not to be outdone, internet giant Google has gained traction on Facebook’s appeal and functionality through the launch of its own social media outlet, Google+. Google+ has 13% of the monthly unique users of Facebook but also has behind it the data tools that only Google can provide. You can use Google+ as a small business entrepreneur to boost your visibility online, especially in Google searches.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn was launched in 2003 as a business oriented social media outlet. The tools provided through LinkedIn help your small business reach potential partners and create strategic alliances necessary for you to grow and prosper.

Twitter

Twitter is the 140 character short message service that allows users to send “tweets.” These tweets may be directed to other users or broadcast widely throughout the Twitter-verse. Businesses can harness Twitter’s design as a micro-blog utility to raise awareness and attention as well as tap into the interests of your consumers.

Yelp

Yelp is a popular and useful peer-to-peer tool that allows users to rate the products and services that they receive from local businesses. Because of its crowd source format, the more positive reviews you can encourage and generate for your small business the better the image you create.

Your use of the various social media platforms can only help you grow your business by growing your prospects. Let My Social Marketing Network provide you with the tips, tools and information you need to grow your business and better utilize social media platforms with its unique digital marketing program.

Posted by Patrick

What is the Twitter Verified and the Meaning of the Blue Check Marks?

May 19, 2017Social Media, Twitter 0

What is the Twitter Verified and the Meaning of the Blue Check Marks?

As an avid Twitter user you may have encountered sites where a blue check mark appears next to the user’s name. You may have asked yourself, “What is the blue check mark for and why don’t I have one on my Twitter account?”

A reasonable question and one that warrants the following answer: the blue check mark indicates that the account has been Twitter verified. This allows your account to stand out among the crowd as a user of distinction and notice. If you have ever wondered about the process for becoming Twitter verified and what it means to you, particularly if you use Twitter as a means for attracting attention or increasing sales through your online presence, here is some additional information about the Twitter verified process.

What is Twitter Verified?

An account that has been Twitter verified is one that has been authenticated as to the actual identity of the person using the account. This helps ward off fake profiles and those that may mimic you or your company in an attempt to fool other users, defame or otherwise bring harm to you. The Twitter verified blue check mark is an inventive way Twitter that helps users distinguish between your real Twitter presence and some imposters attempt to steal your social media identity.

Becoming Twitter verified is not as easy as applying for such designation. Twitter has a criteria in place that determines which accounts receive the blue check mark badge. This criteria includes, but is not limited to certain users in the following key interest areas: music, acting, fashion, government, politics, religion, journalism, media, sports, and business. The number of followers that you have for your account or tweet count are not factored in the Twitter verification process.

Is Having a Blue Check Mark on Twitter Important?

If contacted by Twitter to apply to become Twitter verified, you should consider how it may help you or your business. Having the Twitter verified blue check mark will help in eliminating identity fraud, which may be of particular importance if you rely on social media for some of your marketing and promotional efforts. Although the process for becoming verified on Twitter is by no way foolproof, it can cut down on the potential harm and damage that may be done to your reputation if your presence is misused by another Twitter user mimicking your identity.

It should be noted that until Twitter changes their process, becoming Twitter verified is dependent upon you meeting their criteria and being contacted for inclusion. Do not simply add the words “verified account,” to your Twitter account; this could result in permanent suspension from the social media site.

Posted by Patrick

Protecting Your Identity Online

May 19, 2017Facebook, Security, Twitter, Uncategorized

Are you aware there are security risks involved in surfing the web? From date miners to hackers, your browser history, online profiles, bank information, and passwords may be visible to the eyes of others. This calls for measures to be taken when protecting your identity online.

Is Your Internet Identity Secure?

According to NSA contractor Edward Snowden, there isn’t enough computer privacy. Author Julia Angwin even said that keeping your internet secure is a bit like being a vegan. She writes about the struggles entailed in deterring the nonstop surveillance that occurs today from the government to hackers, and even businesses who mine for data. This makes keeping your internet identity secure a daily challenge.

Heartbleed Bug

Most recently, an encryption breach called the Heartbleed bug has been categorized among the largest threats to internet security in its history. Its presence has appeared on several major websites and online services such as Facebook and Gmail over the past two years. This bug may have exposed your account information, and anything private such as bank account numbers, credit card numbers, passwords, etc.

There are several tools you can download which promote internet security. While they may not keep the NSA out, they will create a barrier which hackers and data mining companies cannot penetrate.

Internet Security Tools

Elizabeth Weise, of USA today, writes about some of the tools which can be downloaded onto your computer to keep your internet identity secure. One of these is a browser add-on entitled Ghostery. This will show you a list of the different corporations who are tracking your browsing sessions. You are then provided with an option to allow them to track you, or to block them.

Another program, Disconnect, will take it upon themselves to filter any trackers. It also allows for encrypted communications while you are conducting business online so that your data will be scrambled should a tracker or hacker be watching.

One may even download an anonymous web browser like DuckDuckGo. It doesn’t track your activities like major web browsers that record your history, then present advertisements based upon said history the next time you log on. Tor is another program which is free, and prevents anyone from viewing which websites you visit, and pinpointing your location, according to Edward Snowden.

One security measure which costs money is a Virtual Private Network. It ensures all data will be encrypted and kept out of the eyes of internet peeping Toms.

Something which Google, Chase Bank, and other companies are offering to keep your internet identity secure is two-factor authentication. According to Simson Garfinkel, professor of digital forensics and computer security at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA, this occurs when an attempt has been made to log into an account from an IP address not typically used. A security message will pop up, and a code will then be sent to one’s cell phone or email account which must be relayed in order to gain access.

What Else Can I Do?

Still don’t feel like this is enough? Companies who have been affected by security breaches such as the Heartbleed bug have installed security patches, and request users change their passwords. It is always a good idea to change your passwords, and to refrain from using the same password across multiple sites.

Other security measures include encrypting your hard drive through programs like BitLocker or FileValult, and encrypting your email via programs like PGP. Encrypting email does call for the exchange of encryption keys, however it is a good line of defense in protecting your internet identity.

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Establishing Thought Leadership and Creating Engagement

Dozens of Ways to Create Direct Lead Generation Through Social Media

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