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Social Media Can Prevent You From Being Hired

June 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently passed a ruling that your social media posts–text, photographs, comments, etc.–can be stored by businesses and reported to your prospective employers for up to seven full years after the fact. This means that the late-night Tweet, the weekend Facebook album and anything else you might have tossed out onto the Internet for all to see could potentially come back to haunt you in your future job hunting endeavors.

A firm called Social Intelligence is in the business of storing up all such incidents of ill-advised communications, even if they have since been deleted from the original source, and providing them to companies requesting this type of a pre-employment background check. Of course, those who believe that they are victims of mistaken identity or identity theft are able to file appeals, but most individuals affected by this company won’t even know until after they’ve been denied the job, if at all.

The only real way to stay safe from this type of disaster is to keep your communications clean and anti-defamatory. If you must bare your soul on Twitter, Facebook or your personal blog, take steps to keep your identity hidden. Don’t post under your real name, and save those genuine Facebook and Twitter accounts for a more professional online identity. If you’re going to be called upon to defend what you put out on social media websites, your only hope is to make all of your online contributions clean, upbeat and otherwise defensible.

 

Filed Under: Communications, Internet Tagged With: , ,

Mulitple IM Accounts, One Program

January 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

If you find yourself switching between instant messaging (IM) programs, the time has come to reassess your situation. Regardless of whether you use one, two, or five IM accounts, you should not need to have more than one program for communicating via IM. The great thing about technology in this situation is that one piece of software can bring all accounts together, saving you stress and confusion.

Instant messaging is the online equivalent of texting on cell phones, where users who are logged into an IM account (AIM, Yahoo, MSN, etc.) can type to each other in real time. One of the biggest problems is the wide variety of IM accounts, which can cause some headaches if you have to switch programs. However, there is a solution for programs that can handle several accounts at once.

If you have several IM accounts you should seriously consider a program that can manage all of them. It will allow you to log-in to all of your IM accounts. Plus, a number of these programs have additional benefits. For instance, some allow you to monitor your e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, and other accounts from social media to niche websites where you log-in.

When you look at potential downloads for IM managers, you will want to first make sure that the client is compatible with the various IM accounts that you want to control, along with e-mail and other aspects (such as social media). One of the biggest negatives with this type of software is that it can use a lot of memory, so you should be careful here. Of course, privacy options and other features should be investigated and compared as well.

This piece of software can make your Internet IM life much easier. Take a look at downloads that are available for you to try; surely you’ll find something worthwhile.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , ,

The Dangers of Instant Messaging

December 31, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Technology is advancing so quickly that parents can find it difficult to stay abreast of the newest and latest gadgets that their children are using. Protection of children is paramount, but with so many new technologies it can be difficult. Instant messaging has been around for almost as long as the Internet, but it is posing new dangers to children who may not be aware of the potential harm.

Instant messaging on computers is a medium through which children can safely socialize, but it can quickly spiral out of control if not properly monitored by the parents. The dangers of chat rooms have long been understood, but with social media platforms such as FaceBook displaying to the world your child’s instant chat contact information, it may not be long before you child is chatting with strangers.

It is human nature to believe in the best of everybody but the reality is that many predators lurk behind seemingly innocuous instant messaging situations. Before long your child may be inadvertently giving out personal details such as their name, age, address and more. They may even be sexually solicited or exposed to inappropriate material.

The best way to protect children is to educate them. Tell them to beware of instant messages from unfamiliar names, and teach them how to block unwanted names. Teach them how to create log-ins and screen names that do not reveal any personal information and stress that such information should not ever be revealed to anybody via an instant message. Under no circumstances should children ever fill in a public profile as this is public information.

Instant messaging can be fun and a way to keep in touch with distant friends and relatives, but it can also be dangerous to children who are unschooled in the dangers or how to safely partake in instant messaging. A few minutes of discussion is all it will take to make your child’s instant messaging a safer environment.

Filed Under: General, Internet Tagged With: , ,

The New Face of Communication

December 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Communication at the business and personal levels has changed dramatically in the last few years, with various avenues for users to pick from. These options can be through instant messaging, email, or video chat, depending on the user’s preference and needs.

One of the popular programs that is used for video chatting is Skype, which is available for free. It allows users to communicate through the video features on webcams. With both voice and video capability, this program is excellent for business conferencing and personal chatting. It has become a popular method for buyers and sellers to communicate directly through eBay. Business professionals can even hold a conference and conduct a presentation at the same time, which saves money on travel.

Sites, such as Facebook, have also given another face to how people communicate. Users can sign in and easily communicate what they are doing with hundreds in a few seconds. It also has provided a vehicle for finding lost friends and to communicate through messaging with family members hundreds of miles away.

Businesses have even jumped on the bandwagon, making it possible for people to become a “fan” of their products or services. This has created a new way for retailers to market to the public, especially through advertising that appears on each user’s homepage. They can also instant message with each other, as the screen shows who is currently online, and chat in real time.

With this kind of instant access to each other, the world, in some sense, has gotten smaller. Video chat is now starting to appear on phones, which will take communication that is “face-to-face” into the palm of the hand. This means that no matter where you are or what you are doing, you can communicate just like you do on your computer at home.

Filed Under: Digital Media, General Tagged With: , ,