Tag Archives: bad behavior

Great Video Brand Examples on Instagram

21 Sep

Instagram now has 500 million active users, and it is rapid pulling away from Twitter (whose user base has been rather stagnant). Instagram’s popularity has not gone unnoticed by brand marketers who have been posting pictures and videos in great numbers.

Recently, HubSpot wrote about some of the best video examples of brands using Instagram. According to  Lindsay Kolowich:

“Remember when Instagram first started allowing users to post videos back in 2013? The first Instagram videos had to be recorded on your phone and could only be up to 15 seconds long. Those were the days that people compared Instagram video to its Twitter-owned counterpart, Vine. Instagram’s come a long way since then, and it’s blown Vine out of the water. Like most of the other popular social networks, the folks at Instagram have made changes to its platform that make it easier for people to post and share videos.”

“In late March 2016, Instagram announced it would start rolling out the ability for Instagram users to upload 60-second videos. For iOS users, it added that users would soon be able to make videos out of multiple clips from their camera rolls. Thanks to these changes, marketers can use the Instagram app to relate with their fans and customers, to communicate their business’ personalities and brand stories, and to express artistic creativity.”

 
Here are a few of the 17 brands cited by HubSpot. Click on their names to access their Instagram pages. The posts with video have a video camera in the upper right corner:

 

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Ransomware: Even Worse Than the Name Implies

30 Aug

The term “ransom” has been around for hundreds of years and is best described as a way to redeem someone from captivity, bondage, detention, etc., by paying a demanded price.

Today, we have another destructive variation of the word ransom — that is “ransomware.” What is it and what can we do about it?

TechRepublic recently produced Ransomware: The Smart Person’s Guide, written by James Sanders. This is an executive summary quoted from the guide:

  • What is it? Ransomware is malware. The hackers demand payment, often via Bitcoin or prepaid credit card, from victims in order to regain access to an infected device and the data stored on it.
  • Why does it matter? Because of the ease of deploying ransomware, criminal organizations are increasingly relying on such attacks to generate profits.
  • Who does this affect? While home users have traditionally been the targets, healthcare and the public sector have been targeted with increasing frequency. Enterprises are more likely to have deep pockets from which to extract a ransom.
  • When is this happening? Ransomware has been an active and ongoing threat since September 2013.
  • How do I protect myself from a ransomware attack? A variety of tools developed in collaboration with law enforcement and security firms are available to decrypt your computer.

Sanders adds: “For those who have been infected, the No More Ransom project — a collaboration between Europol, the Dutch National Police, Kaspersky Lab, and Intel Security — provides decryption tools for many widespread ransomware types.


 
Here are a couple of informative infographics by LogRhythm:



 

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Are YOU Doing Enough to Build Your Network?

9 Aug

If you are not heavily involved in professional networking, you are probably doing yourself — and your career — a disservice.

Consider these observations from Lindsay Kolowich, writing for HubSpot:

“When done right, networking is an incredibly valuable investment of every professional’s time and effort. It helps us make meaningful business connections, get feedback, and advance our careers. And best of all, it pays significant dividends over time. So why does it seem so unpleasant sometimes? It can feel fake, it’s exhausting, and frankly, standing alone in a sea of unknown faces with nametags and cheese plates can be utterly painful.”

According to Kolowich, here are common networking mistakes that people make:

  • “You’re waiting to build your network until you need it most.”
  • “You aren’t keeping up your personal brand.”
  • “You’re afraid to attend networking events by yourself.”
  • “You don’t follow up with personal messages.”
  • “You ask the same questions everyone else is asking.”
  • “You dominate networking conversations.”
  • “You’re overeager.”
  • “You don’t venture outside your existing network.”
  • “You don’t ask for anything, or you ask for too much.”

Click the image to read a lot more.


 

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More Bad News on Our Privacy

9 Jun

As we have noted several times (see, for example, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), the hacking and theft of people’s vital information remains quite rampant around the globe, despite some technological advances.

To show how bad the situation is, consider this recent Russian example reported by Eric Auchaud for Reuters:

“Hundreds of millions of hacked user names and passwords for E-mail accounts and other Web sites are being traded in Russia’s criminal underworld, a security expert told Reuters. The discovery of 272.3 million stolen accounts included a majority of users of Mail.ru, Russia’s most popular E-mail service, and smaller fractions of Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft E-mail users, said Alex Holden, founder and chief information security officer of Hold Security. It is one of the biggest stashes of stolen credentials to be uncovered since cyber attacks hit major U.S. banks and retailers two years ago.”

“The latest discovery came after Hold Security researchers found a young Russian hacker bragging in an online forum that he had collected and was ready to give away a far larger number of stolen credentials that ended up totaling 1.17 billion records. After eliminating duplicates, Holden said, the cache contained nearly 57 million Mail.ru accounts — a big chunk of the 64 million monthly active E-mail users Mail.ru said it had at the end of last year. It also included tens of millions of credentials for the world’s three big E-mail providers, Gmail, Microsoft, and Yahoo, plus hundreds of thousands of accounts at German and Chinese E-mail providers.”

 
Click the image to access a video clip featuring Auchard.
 
Reuters TV
 

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Part Two. Being Happier at Work: An Infographic

7 Jun

As we posted yesterday (“Part One. Being Happier in Life: An Infographic”), one of our key life goals should be happiness, a state of well-being and contentment. This applies to our work lives — not just our personal lives. So again, a good starting point is to ask ourselves how happy are we in our career path and in our current job? Do we understand our level of work-related happiness? What can we do to be happier at work?

According to Happify: “What do the people who are most satisfied with their jobs have in common? Learn these insider tips for being happier and more fulfilled during your 9 to 5.”

Check out the Happify infographic on happiness at work.
 

 

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Part One. Being Happier in Life: An Infographic

6 Jun

One of our key life goals should be happiness. As defined by Merriam-Webster: Happiness is “a state of well-being and contentment.” So, a good starting point is to ask ourselves how happy are we? Do we understand our level of happiness? What can we do to be happier?

According to Happify:

“If there’s one takeaway from the science of happiness, it’s this: You have the ability to control how you feel — and with consistent practice, you can form life-long habits for a more satisfying and fulfilling life.”

Happify has some interesting free activities and games to help you live a happier, more fulfilling life.

Click the Happify infographic for a larger view.

 

 

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All Are Welcome Here

2 May

The American Express OPEN Forum has produced a valuable video, All Are Welcome Here,  based on the acceptance of diversity:

“More than 10,000 small business owners around the country are sending a message. They want their communities to know that all customers are welcome to walk through their doors regardless of religion, country of origin, or immigration status. Amanda Ballantyne of the Main Street Alliance and Elana and Danny Schwartzman, the owners of the Common Roots Café in Minneapolis, tell us about the ‘All Are Welcome Here’ campaign.”

 


 
 
Here is the headline of a poster prepared by the Main Street Alliance.


 

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