I posted a list of quick tricks for IDing SPAM and avoiding internet phishing scams on the Schipul Blog this morning but I think it’s a pretty important topic so I wanted to repost it here.

Especially since (and I’m not admitting anything here) I may have fallen for it… right in front of our IT director.

So yesterday I received an email that looked like this guy below (minus the pink arrows of course)… I clicked the “UPDATE” button and a window like this popped up… and holy moly.

At this point there was a whole lot of cussing and minimizing and I realized a blog post (or two) was definitely in order.

So let’s talk internet scams…

What questions should you ask when receive an email from your favorite site?

1. Who is the email from? If it’s not coming from the actual site that is requesting action from you then it is probably spam. But beware. Email addresses are super easy to spoof. Our example email looks like it’s from Facebook but when we check out the rest of our criteria for IDing spam, it’s clearly not.
2. Who is the email to? If it’s not “to” the email address that is tied to the account that is requesting action then ignore it. The example email was sent to a group address at Schipul but my Facebook account is tied to my gmail address so I know this is fake.
3. Who is the email addressed to? Social Media sites are created to be your buddy, so when they reach out to you via email they will almost ALWAYS use your real name (Dear Maggie McDonald) or your username (Dear MagsMac), if they don’t use a familiar name when they, then they do not know your account. SPAM!
4. Are they asking you to click a link in the email? If an email has failed all of the prior tests then most assuredly DO NOT CLICK ON ANY LINKS in the email. Go directly to the site and check their to see if they need any info from you. If they really need something, you can bet they’ll tell you right when you log in and not just in some random email.
5. Even if the email looks like it’s from the site, beware! See point #1. Emails are easy to spoof. The example email includes the correct address for Facebook headquarters but that doesn’t mean it’s really from Facebook.

Check out ebays guidelines for IDing a legitimate ebay email. They take internet security VERY seriously and are a great company to use as your email benchmark.

So in summary, be careful what you click. If in doubt don’t click anything and head on over to the site requesting action for more information!!

Oh… on a related note. Twitter SPAM is out of control this morning. I have received no less that ten requests that I check out a site to help me “cleanse fat” and I’m either really insulted or assuming your account got hacked.

Tip: If you have entered your Twitter password into any third party software lately, I would suggest you change it lest you inundate your friends with DMs like these:

*** Avatars Starred to protect the innocent.

Let’s put the brakes on this post so I can quickly explain what personal branding is. Personal branding is a concept that says you YOURSELF are just as marketable and brand-able as say… Target. The example I like to use is George Foreman. Ever heard of the George Foreman Grill? I bet you have. The man slapped his name on a grill originally marketed using middle of the night infomercials and now he and his grills are this crazy international brand with like six different “lines” of grills. I didn’t even know you could have more than one line of grills… much less six! I digress…

I am really trying to understand every facet of this personal branding thing. Really, I am! But sometimes the whole thing gets extremely daunting; I get really unsure of what direction to take. I have found a perfect solution to this sensation though… When I start to get overwhelmed I put on my headphones, turn my music WAY up, and turn to the blogosphere. I always find I feel much much better after my trip.

Well the whole point of starting this blog was to help others learn through my stumblings. At work yesterday I was talking to our awesome new hire, Alexis, about some of the things I’ve learned and a few of the places I go on the interwebs for inspiration… and realized I’m past due on a post on this very topic. It defeats the purpose of this blog if I’m not sharing the things I find! And I don’t want to be one of those posters who just posts to have another post.

Below are some AWESOME blogs that have really helped me out in my search for answers; some of them are extremely Social Media related while others are a bit more personal. If you are a newbie like me, I hope they  save you some time in your search… but more importantly, I hope they inspire you as well.

Drumroll please

1. CosmoPolitician: Monica has somehow managed to become this crazy force in Houston and it seems that everything she blogs about turns to gold. A must read for info on Houston events, travel and random stories about ghastley surgeries appendicitis. (And come on. You knew she was going to be number one on my list.)
2. Gwen Bell dot Com: Gwen’s blog is an inspiration to anyone getting started in Social Media. She touts balance in every aspect of your life and warns against getting so caught up in the interwebs that you merely count the number of friends or followers you have instead of focusing on the gifts you have to share. Gwen was voted one of the 50 most powerful +influential Woman in Social Media but even so, she is lesson in humility.
3. GoingStagg: David writes fearlessly about whatever topic he happens to find interesting on a given day; be it design, sports or energy drinks. His blog has shown me that there is no such thing as being timid online. Why not say what you want and write what you know?
4. Oat.org: Matthew Inman is an awesome graphic designer who has built an amazing personal brand on the foundation of his pretty pictures and even prettier code. He has kicked off several successful projects, including the free dating site Mingle2… and let’s be honest; the boys blog looks GOOD!
5. crowdSPRING: The company was created to help creatives from around the world mash up with people seeking those creatives. Their blog houses tons of amazing Social Media posts but my favorite is a weekly post where Angeline does a recap of all the cool links she tweeted the prior week. This wrap up post is where I have found some of my other favorite blogs!
6. Chris Brogan: This guy posts A LOT. I don’t like all of his articles, but the majority of his posts contain nuggets of Social Media gold.
7. The Personal Branding Blog: Dan Schawbel has dubbed himself “the leading personal branding expert for Gen-Y” and while I’m not sure if he is the “leading expert” I do really like his blog. He understands that jobs and job searches are changing and that a personal brand can be a a job applicant’s most important asset!
8. Web Strategy by Jeremiah: Jeremiah is a Senior Analyst for Forrestor research, a company devoted to providing their clients with insight into what THEIR clients want to know. Forrester research is also the company that my favorite Social Media books, Groundswell, sprang from.
9. Web Ink Now: This is one of my favs. Don’t really know why, maybe because it’s one of the first quote un-quote Social Media blogs to populate my Google reader? Anyway, David Meerman Scott is the author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR and his blog is a great resource for both personal branding AND Social Media ideas. He also provides great insight into what practices you should be avoiding.
10. and of course, Fayza. I’m not really going to go into a lot of description here. Fayza makes fun of Britney. People love her. People know her. And she’s not just sitting at home behind her computer plotting how she will take over the internet.

So those are my top 10 blogs! There are many other great GREAT blogs out there, but these are the ones I personally favor. I hope you find yourself inspired by at least one of them!

<whispering> I also love Perez but I already blogged about him once and you all know how I feel his Social Media/Personal Branding prowess. </whispering>

Then from 5:30-7:30 pm it will be time to consume said donations at a very worthwhile event: the kick off party for the Art-the heART of Houston viral video campaign. Come play with us at the HAA Space125Gallery for more details on this totally crazy and creative three month ride we are about to take with Houston’s best artists. There will be wine and artists and merriment to be had by all. And you will be home in time to watch the presidential debates!  Which I always find a bit easier to stomach after copious amounts of wine… but that is just me.

After HAA, I will be meeting up with David to enjoy a night at the theatre! Like the HAA party, the opening of Cyrano de Bergerac was delayed because of Ike, but in an amazing twist of fate that delay will make the night even better! David’s brother, Barry, is now a backstage hand at the Alley Theatre and got our tickets moved to the night of the 15th. What is so much cooler about these tickets as opposed to our original tickets? There is an after party with the cast and crew! I don’t tell many people this, but in the 8th grade I was historian of my junior high’s Thespian society and secretly wanted to be a Broadway star. So this is all very exciting to me… Which means my non-cheesy boyfriend and his brother managed to get me the most perfectly-cheesy-anniversary present ever I only hope I don’t faint at the feet of a cast member…

I really just cannot wait for Wednesday.

My “big sister” CosmoPolitician has been the biggest force behind me getting involved in the internet.  I was her intern at Mikel Marketing and admitedly a little terrified of computers.  Monica made me helped me create my first myspace page, and I ended up having a blast with it.  Myspace was also instrumental when I broke up with an ex because he didn’t want to believe we were really broken up until my status said “single” but I suppose that is another story.  Myspace may not be as big as it once was, but I am still in debt beacuse it ignited my love of the interwebs.

Next came Facebook.  I spent some time attending the University of Salamanca in Spain and met some truly amazing girls from Canada, Caitlyn and Christina.  Apparently Canadian’s were already too cool for Myspace so they taught me all about Facebook.  In order to stay in touch with them (and other countless people I met while overseas) I created a profile and was immediately addicted.  It has been three years since I drank vino blanco in the plaza mayor and stayed out all night dancing, but I am still in touch with two of the most kick ass chicks I have ever met.

My Flickr and twitter accounts were born more recently and Monica also arbitrarily signed me up for those.  I still remember the random confirmation emails appearing in my inbox… and cracking up over the completely inappropriate random passwords Monica came up with.  I am not so adept at Flickr, but twitter is my constant companion.  Through the twitterberry application on my phone and twhirl on my desktop, I am constantly aware of what the people I love (and the people I want to avoid) are up to.

So I don’t understand why people, or even companies, balk at signing up.

Social Media is not about sitting behind a computer.  It is about creating and maintaining relationships with people you may not otherwise get a chance to know so deeply otherwise… and in turn giving them a chance to get to know you.  If you don’t ever step out from behind your computer and take part in the “social” aspect of new media, then this concept is probably lost on you and it is no wonder you think Social Networking sites have heralded the demise of life as we know it.

If it was not for Social Media, I would not have met the lovely @gwenbell at the grand opening of the Caroline Collective party nor would I still be in touch with her.  I would not be able to write on the wall of the fun Australian chick I met at @kapachino’s wedding and I would not have gotten to know Fayza well enough to have constant sleepovers…  Or, for that matter, been victim to the “cupcake shots” that will go down in infamy.

I would never have been the contributing editor of Barstool magazine or interned with the Houston Dynamo.  I would not have my current job and would not get to drag MommyMac to Stag’s Head once a month in the name of knowledge sharing.  So it is to the people I have met (and the people I have YET to meet) that I say.. I love you… and you have been a blessing in my life.  And I thank Social Media for you.

Social Media has given me a voice.  And I don’t understand why anyone would not want to be heard.

On Friday I was back and forth.  Do I stay?  Do I go?  Do I have another slumber party with Fayza or HappyKatie?  The straw that broke the camels back was pure exhaustian.  I just wanted to arrive somewhere and NOT MOVE and not think about the next step.

When I decided I absolutely had to get out of town I immediately decided on my sister’s place in college station.  Alice is in Vet School (dork) and studies ALL the time so I knew it would be a quiet weekend.  The topper?  Ali and my mother are my best friends; Ali and I don’t get that much time alone together, so I was really excited about my decision… At the time I had no idea the weekend would involve a wild Vet School “Rager” and a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon!

Let me tell you about Vet Students.  They know how to party.  Ali and I attended a barbecue fundraiser on Friday night and it was a blast!  Beer for 3 bucks, free food, a cheesy band… and (drumroll please) a raffle where you could win cool things like stethoscopes!  A word of advice:  if you are a guy, you should go to Vet School.  The chances that you will meet a girl are pretty strong considering there will be maybe two other males in your class.  I’m exaggerating, but the ratio is in your favor.  But I digress.

After the party, Ali and I hit up HEB and snack-fest 2k8 officially began.  Nothing of note happened for the rest of the weekend except a whole lot of pomegranate eating, stir fry making, queso consuming, “Killer Juice” box wine drinking, popcorn popping and Pirate watching.  I think Ali may have studied, but I was probably sleeping on the couch when that was going on.

All in all?  The BEST weekend ever.  I am lucky to have an Alice in my life.

So thank you for an amazing weekend little sister.  Because like I said, I have slept in many places.  But your couch was better than them all.

Two facebook related events have fueled my fire this week.

First.  I bought a book called Facebook: The Missing Manual on Amazon a while back and it finally came in the mail a couple of days ago.  I spent $19.99 on a truly awesome book with lots of cool tips and tricks and knowledge that I wanted to pass on to our clients.  The book is now totally defunct because of the new facebook layout.  A layout that had already been redone once, and pretty recently too.

I think I’m most bitter about this incident because when I excitedly waved the book around in the air like a crazy person, my boss is the one who pointed out that it would probably be worthless.

Second.  I installed the twitter application on my old facebook.  On the new facebook layout, you see NOTHING but my tweets… my wall is totally comprised of my random shout outs to the interwebs.  I could not figure out how to turn off the automattic pull of my tweets from twitter into facebook.  I enlisted a coworker.  We ended up having to uninstall the whole app.  Annoying.

In all, I think I spent about a half hour trying to figure out this new application weirdness.  If I, a facebook vet and complete addict, cannot figure simple things out, what are people who are new to facebook to do?

My point to this rant?  Thank you facebook for making it that much harder to convert people who are nervous around computers to social media superstars.  I imagine a good many people who just started figuring things out on the old facebook are more lost than me.

Also.  WHAT IS UP WITH ALL THE TABS????  You are not a web browser dear facebook.  No one is going to tab over to people’s “info” or “boxes,” it’s too much work and people are lazy when it comes to looking for info on the interwebs.

I miss you already old facebook!

<end vent>