Posts Tagged ‘safe’

Shop Smart with Apps – Why Retail Stores Should be Scared

Thursday, June 3rd, 2010

Saving money by shopping online has been a passion of mine for at least 10 years and I have tried (repeatedly) to share my shopping tips and tricks with anyone who would listen.  While I have convinced a few of you to use coupon codes, comparison shoppers and auction sites to save big money, there are still many of you who think online shopping is just…. silly.  I am not sure why so many people think shopping should be confined to the walls of a big-box retail store, but I have heard a few arguments that I think carry at least a little weight.

  • I like to see an item in person before purchasing
  • I want to be able to return the item easily, in case it’s not what the site showed/described
  • I need it now and can’t afford to wait a week
  • I would only save a few dollars by buying online – it’s not worth the hassle
  • I don’t have the time to sit at the computer and comparison shop

While there are times when you absolutely must have an item in hand immediately, I think most purchases are a little rushed and impulsive.  Time is an important factor in shopping, but it doesn’t have to be a barrier.  Thanks to the makers of some very smart applications for smart-phones, online shopping doesn’t have to be scary, time-consuming or unrewarding.

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Posted in Free Programs, Online Shopping | 1 Comment »

Norton Helps Protect Facebook Users with a FREE App

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

A recent survey by Norton revealed that 44% of people have been “victim of a cybercrime perpetrated via a social network – viruses, online credit fraud, unsolicited pornography, receiving excessive spam and ‘phishing’ e-mails (bogus messages sent by fraudsters posing as banks and other retail companies).”   This number is increasing and the users of Facebook are growing more and more vulnerable to attacks from cyber-terrorists.  So, as a user of the largest social networking site on the planet, how do you protect yourself?  Norton is here to help answer that question with a FREE application called Norton Safe Web (BETA).

“The truth is that the security team at Facebook works hard to counter threats on their site — it’s just that policing 350 million users can’t be an easy job for anyone…” said Graham Cluley (Sophos) in a recent CNET article.  That is where Norton Safe Web steps in.  The new tool works much like Web of Trust (WOT) and has already been available as an online service for some time.  The folks over at Norton have just integrated it into Facebook for the specific purpose of testing your feed for links to unsafe/malicious content.  There are some limitations to this new application, but it is a step in the right direction for Facebook users and their computers.

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Posted in Free Programs, Social Networking, Tips and Tricks | 2 Comments »

My Web of Trust – You Cannot Afford to Surf Without It

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

WOT Logo“Malware Peddlers Look to Exploit Olympic Luge Tragedy“  That is the title of an article posted on mashable.com yesterday.  Yes, the sad truth is that cyber-criminals are using a man’s death to find a way into your computer and your wallet.  Many were interested in the details of the Winter Olympic tragedy and, in their search to find the video of the accident in question, were tricked into installing malicious software on their computer.

Scams like these are becoming more and more common.  As PC and internet users we have just a few choices.  We can avoid using the internet completely (not likely) or arm ourselves with the right tools to prevent malware attacks, spyware trickery, phishing scams, etc.  Anti-virus and anti-malware programs can detect and prevent most malicious software when it gets to your computer, but what about preventing this malware from ever getting to you.   This is where My Web of Trust (WOT) comes in.

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Posted in Firefox, Free Programs, Security, Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »

Safer Internet Day 2010 – Think B4 U Post!

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Today is a big day, although you might not hear much about it at all.  In my research to bring you information on the Social Media Credit Score series, I stumbled across a movement from the European Schoolnet called Safer Internet Day 2010.   This event, which has been held for several years now, was organized to “promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people across the world.”  The topic for 2010 is Think B4 U post!

Although this movement was originated in Europe, and now encompasses 500 events in 60 countries all over the world, it doesn’t seem to have caught on in the US. I’m not sure why, but I know that this is something we definitely need to start teaching our children, teens and well…. everyone.  New technologies, like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, cell phone cameras, Flip video cameras, etc. have turned us all into publishers of information.  Thanks to these technologies, a photo or video can be taken, posted and shared to hundreds, even thousands of people, in minutes.  More recent technologies, like “tagging,” make it even easier to find and share photos of friends and family.

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Posted in Social Media Credit Score, Social Networking, Tips and Tricks | 1 Comment »