Is your profile a turnoff?

Posted on July 26, 2019January 25, 2023 by Judy L Mohr

Publishing has always been a business, and writers are expected to build brands, which consists not only of the books they write, but also of their social media and online presence. Our non-writing activities have always been a part of this whole marketing thing, and how we handle that message is just part of the game. However, the internet has added a "now" component to the marketing equation that wasn't there before, and disaster is waiting to happen.

Anyone who is a regular reader of this blog (and my personal blog) will know that I'm a big fan of protecting oneself on the internet, protecting one's physical and cyber security, as well as one's reputation. But there could be aspects with what you are doing that could be a massive turnoff... and you don't even know it.

I'm talking about the overall message behind what it is that you're posting. I'm talking about your profile as a whole: the bio, the photos, and the individual messages. I'm talking about the public face that you present to the world.

And it all boils down to two things: politics and religion. They are both incredibly sensitive topics, but they also have their fingers wrapped around almost everything that we do.

Let me explain further.

Facebook: Is it time to panic about security?

Posted on September 30, 2018December 19, 2022 by Judy L Mohr

Facebook has hit the news once again with yet another security breach. This time, the breach was a flaw in the View as... feature built into the platform to give users the ability to see their profiles and pages as another user would see them. It had to do with some combination of settings between this feature and the uploading of videos that gave some hacker access to over 50 million people's data.

News of the breach is EVERYWHERE! There is even a public statement about it on the Facebook site.

To be honest, I'm not surprised this has happened. As much as people like to pretend otherwise, the internet and social media are still new technology. Yes, sites like Facebook have been around for a while, going public in 2004. However, what Facebook looked like in 2004 is NOTHING compared to what it looks like today. Social media as a whole is dramatically different. Same too with the internet.

More and more people are joining the world of the internet. For much of the Western Society, it has become a massive part of our lives. My children are now required to sit certain school exams or submit assignments online. This is the world we now live in.

With the changes in the world, we were bound to face issues surrounding privacy and security. The question is: is it time to panic?

In a one-word answer: No. In a longer answer: No, but it is time to examine our practices and take steps to protect ourselves.

Here is a list of steps you should take to protect yourself on the internet, not just Facebook.

Don’t blame Facebook for sharing data that you already share.

Posted on June 22, 2018January 23, 2023 by Judy L Mohr

Facebook and Zuckerberg have found the news again, but this time it's about sharing data with the Chinese. This is not exactly a surprise, especially after what was revealed earlier this year. Lawmakers and government officials have the right to be up in arms about this, because sharing of data was independent of any privacy settings that you might have had on your accounts. However, do we really have the right to complain about Facebook sharing data that we already share publicly?

Don't get me wrong, I think this breach of privacy and security is a serious issue. Earlier this year, I posted about how to access some of the hidden Facebook features that were associated with synced contact details from smartphones. However, there is another whole range of security and privacy settings that most people either can't be bothered with or don't know about. Yet, many are complaining about data being shared when they themselves are the ones publicly sharing the data.

Privacy is World-Wide: The Impact of GDPR

Posted on May 18, 2018September 16, 2023 by Judy L Mohr

If I was say “GDPR is here,” would you know what I was talking about? Be honest. There’s nothing to be ashamed of if you don’t.

Now for the next question: if you have heard of the GDPR, have you bothered to take the steps necessary to protect yourself? Or are you one of those who believes that because you don’t live in the EU that it doesn’t concern you? Again, be honest. It’s perfectly okay to think that.

However, believe it or not, if you are a public figure of any kind (e.g., writer, podcaster, musician, artist), then the GDPR could have huge consequences if you don’t take the steps now to protect yourself. Because of the way the internet works, there is a whole level of complexity added to the privacy of information issue that most people don’t realize or understand.

It’s time to get the picture straight.

The Dangers of Photos and GPS on Social Media

Posted on July 14, 2017September 7, 2022 by Judy L Mohr

Put your hand up if you have found yourself becoming a shutter-bug. Be honest.

With the latest phones, many of us now have a high-resolution camera sitting in our back pockets (or in my case, the outside pocket of my purse). So, it’s not surprising that people have become trigger happy with their phone cameras. Add in the fact that smartphones have easy access to the internet, and those photos are now being showcased for the world to see.

Before you hit the share button, you might want to take a good look at that photo.Read More→