by D.B. Grady
Have a technology-related question, or advice for other users? Email me at tech@timessw.com
The first tweet is the hardest. Twitter might be the social network du jour, attracting everyone from Karl Rove to Shaquille O'Neal, but it can be intimidating to a new user. What does one make of the three million messages posted daily, and where does a new user fit in the global conversation?
For the uninitiated, Twitter is the web service founded in 2006 that asks a simple question: "What are you doing?" Users have 140 characters – the upper limit of a mobile phone text message – to answer. And answer it they have. Sports fans comment on the action as it happens. American Idol viewers offer snap judgments of performances. Political junkies disseminate information and offer opinion before the headlines are even written. Discussions once confined to living rooms and cocktail parties now have global reach and global influence.
Twitter bridges the gap between Facebook and blogging. Where Facebook brings together friends through personal connections, Twitter works to connect strangers through ideas. Other users follow you based on your tweets, as Twitter updates are called. You, in turn, have the option of following those users whose tweets interest you.
Blogging is the ideal medium for expansive discourse, but slightly lumbering a beast to share a single thought or interesting link. Twitter, however, thrives on the brief, the hot news item or cool website.
Businesses ignore Twitter at their peril. Because Twitter operates at the speed of thought, it doesn't take long for a botched car rental in Des Moines or a rude airline representative in Memphis to blossom into a national complaint-fest.
In response, many large businesses have established a Twitter presence, and respond on the spot to irate customers. This presence also gives lumbering corporations a human face, and demonstrates a public, proactive customer service that might otherwise be cost-prohibitive or ineffective.
Similarly, Twitter is a powerful weapon for directing traffic to websites and special deals. Everyone from the New York Times to the Times of Southwest Louisiana post breaking news and highlight recent editorials. Jazzy Bird Coffee, a gourmet espresso company out of Baton Rouge recently joined Twitter as part of a marketing strategy to build brand recognition as it expands into other states. "I've been amazed at the number of unsolicited tweets," says Shari LeBlanc, the company's co-founder.
Because it is an open network, a cottage industry of software has arisen around Twitter. Twitter Job Search (http://www.twitterjobsearch.com) does just what one might expect. Based upon search criteria, it lists newly available jobs tweeted by companies. TwitterFon (http://www.twitterfon.net/) is a free program that integrates Twitter into the iPhone. And if you'd like to add pictures to your tweets, TwitPic (http://www.twitpic.com) can help.
Like any other online community, there is a social etiquette that should be respected. Excessive self-promotion is considered offensive, and a good way to lose audience. Because Twitter is, at its best, a freewheeling discussion, using your account as a megaphone is poor form. The best way to build friendships is to reply to others, and to acknowledge those who reply to you. Similarly, when followed, take time to check out the other user's profile. If they seem interesting, follow them in return.
A visit to Shaquille O'Neal's house is likely to result in a restraining order. Phone calls will, at best, be unreturned. But he's on Twitter and is fond of talking with fans. Send him a message, and you might be surprised by what you get back.
Yes, that first tweet is the hardest. But the best way to learn is to log in and have fun; you've already got two friends waiting. The Times of Southwest Louisiana can be found at www.twitter.com/TimesSWLA. I can be reached at www.twitter.com/dbgrady. We're looking forward to meeting you.
Have a technology-related question, or advice for other users? Email me at tech@timessw.com
by D.B. GradyHave a technology-related question, or advice for other users? Email me at tech@timessw.com
When they come for your money, they won't break into the bank. Online identity thieves are too smart for that. They're gambling that you use the same password for every website. Why attempt a break-in on a guarded, highly encrypted financial site when they can steal your password from the fly-fishing forum you frequent?Passwords are the great annoyance of the Internet. (Well, one of the great annoyances. I still can't get the "peanut butter jelly time" song out of my head.) Major players in the web industry have attempted to unify logins through such initiatives as OpenID and Passport, but have fallen short in the kind of ubiquity required for such programs to succeed. In the meantime, users are forced to remember countless credentials for a never-ending array of sites. As a result, they have fallen into dangerous practices.
A few simple security guidelines can go a long way toward a safer Internet experience. The first, most important rule is: never repeat a password. Your bank and email and Amazon accounts should have unique and varied passwords that cannot be guessed by personal knowledge. (That is to say, if you are a dog breeder, "puppy1" is a bad idea.) Passwords should be changed regularly, and should always increase in complexity, with greater creativity than adding the trailing digit plus 1. A strong password utilizes case, numerals and punctuation. There are 101 keys on a standard keyboard. Use them. "Madden-09" is an improvement on "football," but "09(mAddeN" is even better).Never give your password to anyone for any reason, ever. A common online scam involves third parties claiming to be with technical support, emailing users and asking for their log-in information. Assorted reasons are given. Sometimes it is to "verify accounts." Sometimes it is to "renew subscriptions." But the reasons are always a lie, and the results are always the same. Once they've got your password, they've got your identity.
There are several programs and websites designed to help you track multiple passwords. Passpack is a free online credential manager that utilizes a government-approved encryption algorithm for maximum security. Because it is web-based, it can be accessed anywhere (Passpack: http://www.passpack.com).
Roboform is an automated tracker that installs to a computer or thumb drive, and remembers passwords as you type them. In addition, it will generate a strong password if you're stumped, and fill in password fields automatically when a site is revisited. Stored information is protected with encryption up to 256-bits, which would take a hacker the better part of two centuries to crack by brute force. Because it can be installed to a USB thumb drive, it can be taken with you and used on any Windows-based computer. Roboform costs $29.95, with a 30-day free trial (Roboform: http://www.roboform.com).
Mobile phones are an excellent place for password storage and management, provided the data is encrypted. iPhone users can take advantage of mSecure, a native application that stores not only passwords but also credit card, banking information and even clothing sizes. Data can be traversed with the iPhone's trademark "swipes," or sorted and searched by site and type. MSecure is available on the iTunes App Store, and runs $2.99 (mSecure: http://www.msevensoftware.com/msecure.html). SplashID offers Blackberry, Palm, and Windows Mobile users an application that provides all of the features of mSecure, as well as password generation. A companion desktop client allows for easy data entry and synchronization. SplashID costs $29.95, with a 30-day free trial (SplashID: http://www.splashdata.com/splashid).Identity thieves want your money, and they know how to get it. Until unified credentialing services like OpenID proliferate across the web, it's up to you to stay one step ahead of the game. Strong, varied passwords of mixed case and special characters go a long way, so long as you keep the passwords secret. And because nobody should suffer alone, it's peanut butter jelly time! (http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/banana)
Have a technology-related question, or advice for other users? Email me at tech@timessw.com
by D.B. Grady
