Author: Paul Wallbank

Paul Wallbank is a speaker and writer charting how technology is changing society and business. Paul has four regular technology advice radio programs on ABC, a weekly column on the smartcompany.com.au website and has published seven books.

The company you keep

What you do on the Internet has real ramifications for your reputation. Take care with the people you meet and the groups you join online.

It’s an old but true saying that you’re judged by the company you keep and this applies online as much anywhere else in personal and professional life. Last week I was reminded of this three times.

Early in the week I was asked if connecting with someone on LinkedIn was an endorsement. I thought that was an odd question as LinkedIn has a separate function for recommendations and so I didn’t pay it much attention.

A few days later an industry group leader told me she’d assumed an individual was legitimate because I was a member of their LinkedIn group. While it was a compliment to think my opinion meant that much, it worried me as I didn’t really know the group’s founder and I certainly wasn’t endorsing his business.

Finally, at the Media140 Conference in Perth last Thursday, employment branding specialist Jared Woods gave an interesting overview of how an Engineering firm deals with social media issues in the workplace.

Jared described the company’s  basic rule was if you state that you work for the organisation then you have to act professionally and in a way that doesn’t discredit yourself or the company. Which means no more drunken photos posted on Facebook or joining bad taste causes and online groups. By all means post silly pictures, but forget mentioning who you work for.

The killer line from Jared was social media gaffes can not only damage a business but they can also damage employee’s professional reputations. Just as the employee is part of the brand, staff have their own personal brands.

This isn’t new, there’s dozens of true stories of how people have lost jobs through inappropriate blog or Facebook postings and ten years ago the infamous Claire Swire incident nearly cost a group of young London lawyers their jobs .

All of these examples show just how important it is take care with everything you do online. You are not anonymous and most things you say and do on the Internet will be stored somewhere.

So play nice and remember not to post anything you wouldn’t like to see next to your name on the six o’clock news.

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The beast in the machine: Protecting your online profile

The people you meet online can affect you in the real world. We look at some ways to protect yourself online.

Every village has an idiot and there’s a particular brand of idiot who’s attracted to the perceived anonymity of the Internet.

Being big communities, online networking sites like Facebook and MySpace combine the problem of having a lot of idiots who think they can’t be held responsible for what they do in cyberspace.

Last week we saw this with the shameful behaviour on Facebook where posters defaced memorial pages to a murdered girl. That disgraceful episode shows why it’s important to take precautions against idiots online. Here’s some ideas on protecting your online profile;

Take responsibility

You are responsible for what you post so if you create a Facebook fan page, LinkedIn group or blog then you need to maintain it, particularly the comments. If the posters become unwieldy then you need to moderate them or turn off visitor comments. Remember too that you are responsible for comments you make and the messages left on your site.

Be careful with joining groups

In life you are judged by the company you keep and the same applies online. If you join a group full of idiots you’ll be identified as one of them. Worse, those fools will be attracted to people they consider to be like minded. Think twice before accepting invitations.

Choose friends wisely

It’s tempting with Internet networking sites to try and get as many friends as possible. That misses the point of these tools and it increases the likelihood idiots will become part of your circle. Only allow people you know to connect. Using Facebook for family and friends while referring business colleagues to LinkedIn is a common way of separate work and social life online.

Avoid strangers

We tell our kids not to accept lollies from strangers yet many otherwise sensible adults link up with people they don’t know. Avoid doing this unless you are absolutely sure of who they are. The famous cartoon of “on the Internet nobody knows you’re dog” is true of thieves, stalkers and all manner of knaves.

Hide your details

Don’t go overboard spilling out your personal life to strangers. The more details you give out, the easier it is for troublemakers to find you or steal your identity. Keep the musings about your cats and your children to your close friends.

Used well, Internet networking tools are a fantastic feature of the Internet which can enrich your life and the lives of those around you. however all tools can be misused so be aware of the risks of these tools and act responsibly.

Remember if things get uncomfortable you can hit the delete button and turn the computer off. It’s best to do that at the first sign of trouble.

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ABC Sydney Weekend computers

Paul and Simon discuss protecting your Facebook page and online reputation. Join us from 10am on ABC 702 Sydney this Sunday, February 28 2010

Join Paul Wallbank and Simon Marnie to discuss how to protect your name on Facebook and how misusing online networks can hurt your friendships, reputation and wallet.

Listen in from 10am, February 28 on ABC 702 Sydney or online at www.abc.net.au/sydney.

We love listeners’ comments so call in on 1-800-800-702 if you have a question or would like to add to the discussion.

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The youngster myth

Making guesses about your customers is a risky business. You may well be surprised at what you find when you get to know them.

Last week Smart Company looked at Domino’s successful iPhone application which over 12 weeks has generated more than two million dollars in sales.

Asked about the app, Domino’s chief executive Don Meij said “the company saw it mainly as a marketing tool that would help it to target its demographic of younger consumers”. That comment illustrates how widespread the myth that mobile Internet and social networking are just toys for young people.

Website monitoring company Pingdom, recently looked at the demographics of social network users and found the biggest group were aged 35-44 with those over 35s making up 57% of users.

Similarly, a report last year by the Nielsen research company found over half of US iPhone users were older than 35.

From personal experience I’d suggest one of the biggest demographics for the Dominos iPhone app are time stressed parents either stuck in the office or realising they haven’t organised any food apart from red lollies for a 12 year old’s birthday party an hour before the event.

Along with the youthful user myth there are two other dangerous misconceptions about Internet usage — that older people are “rusted on” to the old way of doing things and that the young will drift across to the more traditional forms of retail, media and marketing as they age.

The reality is the drift isn’t happening; Marc Fron, the New York Times Digital Chief Technology Office, observed at last week’s Media 2010 conference in Sydney how readers under 30 have almost completely abandoned newspapers and show no signs of changing their habits.

Which leads to the other myth, that older users will continue to stick with the tried and trusted ways. The reality the older age groups are drifting towards online tools as they find the net is cheaper and easier to use.

In short, it’s a dangerous business making assumptions about who your customers are, particularly if those assumptions are based on tired and untrue stereotypes.

So get to know your customers, you might be surprised at what you find.

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ABC Nightlife computers, 18 February 2010

Paul Wallbank joins Tony Delroy for ABC Nightlife computers on February 18 from 10pm to look at file sharing and how some recent court cases may affect you.

Paul Wallbank joins Tony Delroy for ABC Nightlife computers on February 18 from 10pm to look at file sharing and how some recent court courses may affect you.

Computer hackers claim to have attacked Victorian businesses to protest attacks on Indian students while the Australian Parliament House website was attacked. What can you do to protect yourself from online attacks?

We’ll be answering these and many more questions on the show so tune in your local ABC station or listen online at Nightlife’s website. We love listeners comments, questions and opinions so please call in on 1300 800 222.

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safety in the cloud

Cloud computing is changing the way many enterprises work, along with the massive cost savings and productivity gains there are some risks.

Cloud computing, where data and applications are accessed through the Internet and stored on remote computers, is one of the concepts that’s dramatically changing business.  Like all changes that disrupt existing ways of working, it comes with it’s own set of challenges, opportunities and weaknesses.

One of the weakness often cited about the cloud is the security risk; how you can’t be sure your data is secure and safe from prying eyes. Last week’s story of Indian hackers attacking Melbourne businesses shows the opposite is true.

Some Melbourne based businesses were reportedly finding their systems had been breached and data left inaccessible by hackers protesting attacks on Indian students. The story itself is little suspicious given these allegedly l33t hackers can’t secure their own Ning page against multi level marketing spammers, but it is feasible as computer security is poor in many homes and offices.

Computer security is complex and costs a lot to do well. Many systems are run by overworked techs who simply don’t have the time to keep track of the fast evolving world of computer security and most businesses don’t have the resources to properly secure systems.

For the cloud computing service providers, security and data integrity are their core competencies. Keeping their clients’ data safe and their services available are their two main objectives. Any cloud service provider that forgets this is quickly out of business.

The cloud’s real weakness is in the Internet connections — should your ISP have a hiccup, the mobile service drop out or your router stop working then you have a problem.  A well timed Denial of Service attack, where thousands of hijacked computers tie up a victim’s Internet service, can bring even the best run cloud computing service to it’s knees.

Denial of Service attacks are what happened to the Australian Parliament House website last week as a protest against the Federal Government’s Internet filtering proposals. This technique is probably the most effective and quickest way to bring down someone’s web services.

What all of this shows is technology is complex and whether we’re talking about cars, water, electricity, telephones or the Internet, everything is prone to failure in it’s own unique way and we have to manage the risks involved. In this respect, cloud computing has some downsides while running your own systems presents other weaknesses.

We’d all like to legislate or engineer risk out of our lives, indeed the belief this is possible is one of the causes of the Global Financial Crisis. However risk will always be part of life and balancing threats against rewards is a fundamental part of doing business.

When selecting the right tools for your business you need to understand the risks and plan for them. For many businesses, the risks of a losing connection to a cloud server are vastly outweighed by the costs and complexity of maintaining their own computer security. The right choice for your business is up to you, choose wisely.

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The real digital divide

We’re often told that there’s a divide between the “digital natives”, those who grown up with computers, and the “digital immigrants”, those who’ve had to learn about computers. In reality this isn’t true, the real digital divide is about being prepared to learn and explore the possibilities being opened up every day by the Internet and computers.

The real digital divide isn’t between the young and the old; it’s between those who are prepared to explore new technologies and those who hide from change.

We’re often told that there’s a divide between the “digital natives”, those who grown up with computers, and the “digital immigrants”, those who’ve had to learn about computers.

In reality this isn’t true, the real digital divide is about being prepared to learn and explore the possibilities being opened up every day by the Internet and computers.

I was reminded of this shortly before Christmas when talking to a group of forty year old business owners who dismissed Internet tools like Twitter and LinkedIn out of hand – “a waste of time” “just for kids” and “I tried and received Chinese spam” being a few of the objections.

The contrast is the Australian Seniors Computer Clubs Association who prove you’re only as young as the computers you tinker with. These seniors, some of whom were retired well before computers became commonplace, are prepared to explore and discover possibilities that change their lives and the lives those around them.

The forty somethings all had successful businesses and they were the first to admit mobile phones, email and websites had changed the way they work. Yet nearly half of them didn’t have a website for their own business; a statistic consistent with business surveys that find almost 50% of small enterprises don’t have a website.

In many respects these businesses and their owners are reminiscent of the handloom weavers of the early 19th Century. At first technology worked in their favour and pushed wages up but as industrialisation continued they found their skills redundant and incomes falling. Eventually their trades and businesses disappeared; which is what will happen to complacent companies and industries in today’s industrial revolution.

A similar thing is happening to society and individuals. While you won’t disappear if you aren’t using the net, those who won’t will find it harder to do pay bills, communicate and simply get things done. Eventually they’ll find themselves marginalised as not being connected will make it harder for family and friends to keep in touch.

All of this is unnecessary, it’s just a matter of being prepared to try and to give something a go. The real digital divide is between those who choose to give things a go and those who don’t.

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