Warning to Facebook users for over personal data

Computer security experts are warning that Facebook users divulge too much personal information which can potentially be accessed by criminals.

Cyber criminals can use this information to steal people's identities and commit fraud in their name.

IT security consultant Rob Vaughan, who spoke about cyber crime at the University of Glamorgan in Pontypridd on Tuesday, said people should think twice before adding details like their address and date of birth to their Facebook page.

"You can change your privacy settings but people put far, far too much personal information into Facebook and other social networking sites," he said.

"If you just stop and think about what you are doing... ask yourself if you really need to put that level of information in there.

"Also, you don't necessarily know all your [Facebook] friends on there that well."
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

You are looking at things like identity theft, harassment, bullying, sexual harassment - all sorts of things”

Det Sgt Andrea Barnard e-Crime Wales police manager

Mr Vaughan, who has just helped set up Electric Cat Cymru which helps businesses and domestic users with IT security, said criminals may use various websites to gather information on an individual, a process known as aggregation.

"I would say if you were looking at trying to pinch somebody's ID or glean as much information about someone, or if you are profiling somebody, you will find a lot of information out there in the public domain," he said.

"Organised crime is using the internet as an easy target."

Facebook, which has more than 750m active users with 50% logging on in any given day, said users were in "complete control" of what they shared, who they shared it with and how much they shared.

Its privacy settings "allow users to easily restrict access to any content that they post, as they post, according to their own comfort level", said a spokesperson.
Continue reading the main story
Facebook safety tips

Block and report anyone who sends you unwanted messages
Beware of suspicious links
Keep your computer's software up to date to beat cyber criminals
Visit the Facebook safety page
Use different passwords for your different online accounts - and keep them secret
Spend a little time reviewing your privacy settings
Be careful when accepting or sending friend requests
Before you post, stop and think about who might see it
Be careful when accessing or sending information over an unsecured public wireless network
Learn how to use tools that allow you to report things that make you feel uncomfortable

"We've made that process even simpler over the last week by introducing smart friend lists.

"Lists have existed for several years but we've made them even easier to use by rolling out smart lists which create themselves and stay up-to-date based on profile info your friends have in common with you - like your work, school, family and city."

Recent figures from a Freedom of Information request to South Wales Police showed that the number of crimes involving Facebook were on the increase.

Det Sgt Andrea Barnard, e-Crime Wales police manager, said: "I collate statistics every month on a pan-Wales basis and I can certainly say crimes on Facebook are always top of the list every month.

"You are looking at things like identity theft, harassment, bullying, sexual harassment - all sorts of things.

"It's all because people are putting up too much information about themselves."

She said businesses also needed to be careful about social networking sites as, for example, viruses and malware (malicious software) could be accidentally downloaded by employees using them during a break.

"If that's happening in the workplace it's very expensive to sort the problem out and you are potentially exposing very important company data," she said.

She said she would always advise businesses to implement an 'acceptable use policy' for social networking sites.
Extract data

Jaime Hindle, business liaison officer at the University of Glamorgan, said more and more businesses were now using social networking sites for commercial purposes, which presented potential pitfalls.

"If you don't take a savvy attitude to your page, you could be compromised," he said.

"It could be personal protection or commercial sabotage from viruses to phishing to spam to hacking into data."

He said cyber crime as a whole was becoming more prevalent as criminals turned away from more high-risk illegal activities.

"The old crimes of mugging and ram raiding, we don't hear of them any more because criminals are looking at less risky and more profitable enterprises like cyber crime," he said.

The University of Glamorgan hosted Tuesday's seminar on cyber crime as part of the Software Alliance Wales project, which promotes Wales' ICT and software sector.

Read more »

Posted in: Facebook,Google,Home business,Hot Hits,Internet Business,Latest Technolgoy,Market,Microsoft,Online Job,Web,Windows 8

Warning to Facebook users for over personal data

Computer security experts are warning that Facebook users divulge too much personal information which can potentially be accessed by criminals.

Cyber criminals can use this information to steal people's identities and commit fraud in their name.

IT security consultant Rob Vaughan, who spoke about cyber crime at the University of Glamorgan in Pontypridd on Tuesday, said people should think twice before adding details like their address and date of birth to their Facebook page.

"You can change your privacy settings but people put far, far too much personal information into Facebook and other social networking sites," he said.

"If you just stop and think about what you are doing... ask yourself if you really need to put that level of information in there.

"Also, you don't necessarily know all your [Facebook] friends on there that well."
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote

You are looking at things like identity theft, harassment, bullying, sexual harassment - all sorts of things”

Det Sgt Andrea Barnard e-Crime Wales police manager

Mr Vaughan, who has just helped set up Electric Cat Cymru which helps businesses and domestic users with IT security, said criminals may use various websites to gather information on an individual, a process known as aggregation.

"I would say if you were looking at trying to pinch somebody's ID or glean as much information about someone, or if you are profiling somebody, you will find a lot of information out there in the public domain," he said.

"Organised crime is using the internet as an easy target."

Facebook, which has more than 750m active users with 50% logging on in any given day, said users were in "complete control" of what they shared, who they shared it with and how much they shared.

Its privacy settings "allow users to easily restrict access to any content that they post, as they post, according to their own comfort level", said a spokesperson.
Continue reading the main story
Facebook safety tips

Block and report anyone who sends you unwanted messages
Beware of suspicious links
Keep your computer's software up to date to beat cyber criminals
Visit the Facebook safety page
Use different passwords for your different online accounts - and keep them secret
Spend a little time reviewing your privacy settings
Be careful when accepting or sending friend requests
Before you post, stop and think about who might see it
Be careful when accessing or sending information over an unsecured public wireless network
Learn how to use tools that allow you to report things that make you feel uncomfortable

"We've made that process even simpler over the last week by introducing smart friend lists.

"Lists have existed for several years but we've made them even easier to use by rolling out smart lists which create themselves and stay up-to-date based on profile info your friends have in common with you - like your work, school, family and city."

Recent figures from a Freedom of Information request to South Wales Police showed that the number of crimes involving Facebook were on the increase.

Det Sgt Andrea Barnard, e-Crime Wales police manager, said: "I collate statistics every month on a pan-Wales basis and I can certainly say crimes on Facebook are always top of the list every month.

"You are looking at things like identity theft, harassment, bullying, sexual harassment - all sorts of things.

"It's all because people are putting up too much information about themselves."

She said businesses also needed to be careful about social networking sites as, for example, viruses and malware (malicious software) could be accidentally downloaded by employees using them during a break.

"If that's happening in the workplace it's very expensive to sort the problem out and you are potentially exposing very important company data," she said.

She said she would always advise businesses to implement an 'acceptable use policy' for social networking sites.
Extract data

Jaime Hindle, business liaison officer at the University of Glamorgan, said more and more businesses were now using social networking sites for commercial purposes, which presented potential pitfalls.

"If you don't take a savvy attitude to your page, you could be compromised," he said.

"It could be personal protection or commercial sabotage from viruses to phishing to spam to hacking into data."

He said cyber crime as a whole was becoming more prevalent as criminals turned away from more high-risk illegal activities.

"The old crimes of mugging and ram raiding, we don't hear of them any more because criminals are looking at less risky and more profitable enterprises like cyber crime," he said.

The University of Glamorgan hosted Tuesday's seminar on cyber crime as part of the Software Alliance Wales project, which promotes Wales' ICT and software sector.

Read more »

Posted in: Facebook,Google,Home business,Hot Hits,Internet Business,Latest Technolgoy,Market,Microsoft,Online Job,Web,Windows 8

Facebook will check every links for viruses

Facebook will check every web link its users click on for computer viruses & other dangers as part of efforts to improve the security of the world's largest social network.

From today, hundreds of millions of outbound links every day will be passed through a system provided by the web security firm Websense.

It will effectively visit pages on users' behalf, & apply a series of tests for Trojans, phishing attempts, botnets & other threats.

If the system does not detect a problem with a link, the user will be allowed to visit the page as normal, without any sign that it has been checked. When a threat is detected, however, Facebook will present a warning with links to more information. If the user wants to proceed anyway, they will be allowed.

"Facebook is a big target for criminals online," said Spencer Parker of Websense.

"We'll be protecting all 750 million of its users."

Read more »

Posted in: Computer,Facebook,Google,Home business,Internet,Internet Business,Latest Technolgoy,Online Job,Web,Windows 8

Facebook will check every links for viruses

Facebook will check every web link its users click on for computer viruses & other dangers as part of efforts to improve the security of the world's largest social network.

From today, hundreds of millions of outbound links every day will be passed through a system provided by the web security firm Websense.

It will effectively visit pages on users' behalf, & apply a series of tests for Trojans, phishing attempts, botnets & other threats.

If the system does not detect a problem with a link, the user will be allowed to visit the page as normal, without any sign that it has been checked. When a threat is detected, however, Facebook will present a warning with links to more information. If the user wants to proceed anyway, they will be allowed.

"Facebook is a big target for criminals online," said Spencer Parker of Websense.

"We'll be protecting all 750 million of its users."

Read more »

Posted in: Computer,Facebook,Google,Home business,Internet,Internet Business,Latest Technolgoy,Online Job,Web,Windows 8

Netflix to Split DVD & Streaming Businesses

The company is betting heavily on the growth of online video delivery.
Netflix will spin off its foundational DVD-by-mail service, the company announced this morning, ceding its iconic red envelopes to a new site that will go by the name of Qwikster. Netflix says it intends to focus on the increasingly popular streaming-video model. Customers, already upset by an earlier decision to split DVD & streaming services & change the rates, are bemoaning this further split, which will increase costs & hassle for those who want the same service as before. All the same, the change could lead to some concrete technological improvements.

Netflix forever changed the movie rental market in 1999, when it began offering subscribers DVDs by mail for set rates. The company's wide selection & distribution technology laid waste to competitors that operated physical retail stores. In 2007, Netflix scored another coup with the launch of "Watch Instantly," a feature that allows customers to stream certain movies on demand over the Internet. In the years since, the service has grown in scope & popularity, owing in part to integration with televisions & game consoles.

But despite these successes, the company is still running scared. In an e-mail sent to customers early this morning, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings wrote, "Most companies that are great at something—like AOL dialup or Borders bookstores—do not become great at new things people want (streaming for us)." So Netflix has decided to take drastic action in the name of technological progress, moving the foundation of its business to a different brand name.

"Over time, we realized DVD & streaming were becoming more & more different & that we could do a better job for both services if we separated them," Hastings said in a video about the split posted to YouTube. In a related blog post, he added, "We feel we need to focus on rapid improvement as streaming technology & the market evolve, without having to maintain compatibility with our DVD-by-mail service."

Experts see strong technical justification for the move. "I really believe [DVD & streaming] are different businesses," says Jay Cofield, an associate professor in the mass communication department at the University of Montevallo, in Alabama, who has studied streaming video. The DVD, he says, is a proven technology that is most appealing when delivered with special features & beautiful physical packaging. But streaming is a work in progress, & Cofield believes improvements are likely to come in forms that are incompatible with DVDs.

For example, Cofield believes Netflix could potentially implement powerful social features. Some companies that stream live events already allow viewers to chat while watching. Cofield suggests that Netflix could move toward streaming events such as moderated chats with actors & directors. "If Netflix added this as a pay-per-view feature, or went ad-supported, I would imagine that for certain movies, you could announce a showing starting at [a certain time], with tweet-like commentary by the director or whoever," Cofield says. "Aspiring filmmakers would love it. & I reckon that Hollywood would lose track of the cash generated if the Twilight stars did something like this when the movie hit Netflix."

Cofield adds that the importance of mobile devices can't be overstated. Though it's not clear whether people would watch feature-length films on small screens, he believes Netflix may want to focus on mobile support for streaming shorter content such as television shows.

Besides adding new features, Netflix may also have to solve some existing technical problems. "As people pay more money for premium content, consumers will expect more quality," says Hui Zhang, cofounder & chief scientist of Conviva, a company that optimizes & personalizes live video streams. Today's consumers are accustomed to smooth delivery of HD television content through cable networks, & Zhang says it's difficult to provide the same level of service over the Internet. Though customers may forgive occasional hiccups, the coming increase in Netflix's prices may make them less forgiving. Netflix & other streaming-video companies will have to deal with growing loads on the network & unpredictable network conditions, he says, adding, "Online video will be a very software-intensive business."

Though consumers might well enjoy such improvements to streaming service, today they are criticizing Netflix for breaking something that was working well. In the online comments on Hastings's post, customers complain particularly about being forced to maintain accounts on two different sites & about having to pay attention to how they want to watch a movie rather than simply deciding which movie they want to watch.

Read more »

Posted in: Business,Home business,Hot Hits,Internet,Internet Business,Microsoft,Web

Netflix to Split DVD & Streaming Businesses

The company is betting heavily on the growth of online video delivery.
Netflix will spin off its foundational DVD-by-mail service, the company announced this morning, ceding its iconic red envelopes to a new site that will go by the name of Qwikster. Netflix says it intends to focus on the increasingly popular streaming-video model. Customers, already upset by an earlier decision to split DVD & streaming services & change the rates, are bemoaning this further split, which will increase costs & hassle for those who want the same service as before. All the same, the change could lead to some concrete technological improvements.

Netflix forever changed the movie rental market in 1999, when it began offering subscribers DVDs by mail for set rates. The company's wide selection & distribution technology laid waste to competitors that operated physical retail stores. In 2007, Netflix scored another coup with the launch of "Watch Instantly," a feature that allows customers to stream certain movies on demand over the Internet. In the years since, the service has grown in scope & popularity, owing in part to integration with televisions & game consoles.

But despite these successes, the company is still running scared. In an e-mail sent to customers early this morning, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings wrote, "Most companies that are great at something—like AOL dialup or Borders bookstores—do not become great at new things people want (streaming for us)." So Netflix has decided to take drastic action in the name of technological progress, moving the foundation of its business to a different brand name.

"Over time, we realized DVD & streaming were becoming more & more different & that we could do a better job for both services if we separated them," Hastings said in a video about the split posted to YouTube. In a related blog post, he added, "We feel we need to focus on rapid improvement as streaming technology & the market evolve, without having to maintain compatibility with our DVD-by-mail service."

Experts see strong technical justification for the move. "I really believe [DVD & streaming] are different businesses," says Jay Cofield, an associate professor in the mass communication department at the University of Montevallo, in Alabama, who has studied streaming video. The DVD, he says, is a proven technology that is most appealing when delivered with special features & beautiful physical packaging. But streaming is a work in progress, & Cofield believes improvements are likely to come in forms that are incompatible with DVDs.

For example, Cofield believes Netflix could potentially implement powerful social features. Some companies that stream live events already allow viewers to chat while watching. Cofield suggests that Netflix could move toward streaming events such as moderated chats with actors & directors. "If Netflix added this as a pay-per-view feature, or went ad-supported, I would imagine that for certain movies, you could announce a showing starting at [a certain time], with tweet-like commentary by the director or whoever," Cofield says. "Aspiring filmmakers would love it. & I reckon that Hollywood would lose track of the cash generated if the Twilight stars did something like this when the movie hit Netflix."

Cofield adds that the importance of mobile devices can't be overstated. Though it's not clear whether people would watch feature-length films on small screens, he believes Netflix may want to focus on mobile support for streaming shorter content such as television shows.

Besides adding new features, Netflix may also have to solve some existing technical problems. "As people pay more money for premium content, consumers will expect more quality," says Hui Zhang, cofounder & chief scientist of Conviva, a company that optimizes & personalizes live video streams. Today's consumers are accustomed to smooth delivery of HD television content through cable networks, & Zhang says it's difficult to provide the same level of service over the Internet. Though customers may forgive occasional hiccups, the coming increase in Netflix's prices may make them less forgiving. Netflix & other streaming-video companies will have to deal with growing loads on the network & unpredictable network conditions, he says, adding, "Online video will be a very software-intensive business."

Though consumers might well enjoy such improvements to streaming service, today they are criticizing Netflix for breaking something that was working well. In the online comments on Hastings's post, customers complain particularly about being forced to maintain accounts on two different sites & about having to pay attention to how they want to watch a movie rather than simply deciding which movie they want to watch.

Read more »

Posted in: Business,Home business,Hot Hits,Internet,Internet Business,Microsoft,Web

The Quantified::Self Business

Healthrageous offers tools to track progress toward health goals, but its most valuable asset may be data about you.Heal thyself: Healthrageous CEO Rick Lee thinks people will upload health data to social networks.

The genius of Facebook & one of the reasons it is worth more than $50 billion is that it effortlessly collects huge volumes of information by offering people a place to socialize. Healthrageous, a startup in Cambridge, Massachusetts, thinks it may be possible to perform a similar feat in health care.

The company, launched in 2010 by physicians associated with Harvard Medical School, offers its users digital health tracking devices including wireless pedometers, blood pressure monitors, & bathroom scales. Clients use the tools to gather data about themselves & upload it to a website where they can track progress toward goals, get wellness tips, & receive encouragement from friends, coworkers, & family members.

The startup is an offshoot of the small but growing "quantified self" movement, whose members believe that using sensors & recording gadgets to constantly collect data about themselves will lead to better choices about their health & behavior.

Companies such as Healthrageous are now testing whether self tracking for health or other reasons can be sold as a larger scale social experience to employers or the general public. & as with Facebook, says Healthrageous CEO & cofounder Rick Lee, data collected about user behavior may be "the most valuable asset in the company."

"When you start to do large data crunches with different variables & human characteristics, you get some interesting data that would be fascinating in the hands of pharmaceutical researchers looking to develop new drugs," he says.

It's not yet clear how big a business self quantification will turn out to be. Nike tapped into a large market with its wireless pedometers (which relay data from a running shoe to an iPod); many other firms are attempting to build communities through games or free apps to track health problems, although most still have relatively few users.

"Anyone who can code software can write a self quantification app; the question is who can move the world & change business with it," says Paul Wicks, head of research & development for PatientsLikeMe, a site where 115,000 patients with serious illnesses now track their symptoms & medications.

Healthrageous grew out of a 2008 study by researchers at the Center for Connected Health, a division of Partners HealthCare, that focused on people with hypertension who worked for the computing company EMC. These employees were asked to keep track of their blood pressure at home, & participants got feedback on their progress. The program proved so successful at lowering blood pressure that an independent reviewer estimated a three to one financial return, predicting that some EMC staffers would avoid heart attacks & strokes as a result of feedback they received.

On the basis of that success, the center's director, Joseph Kvedar, decided to commercialize the technology. It consists of an interactive software platform that collects data from wireless health tracking sensors such as pedometers & glucose monitors. The information is uploaded to Healthrageous's website, where it is then analyzed & returned to the user via smart phone within a few seconds.

Those data streams allow Healthrageous to give customized advice. For example, the program might ask whether a user wants to lower blood pressure through diet & exercise or with the help of medication. "We could then respond to those who say they want to do it naturally & say research has found that people who exceed 10,000 steps per day have a greater likelihood of bringing systolic blood pressure down to 120," says Lee. Users would then try to increase the amount they walk & wear pedometers to assess whether they were succeeding, with the software providing encouragement in a variety of ways.

Healthrageous is currently marketing its service to large employers & health plans & charging them per user fees. So far, Lee says, the company has seven clients including the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary & about 1,600 users who will generate approximately $500,000 in revenue this year. But Lee says that Healthrageous, which has raised $8.5 million from investors, has plans to open the service to the general public next year.

Lee believes Healthrageous's value will increase dramatically if more people begin using the service. That's already happened with companies like Google & Netflix, whose algorithms build on users' previous behavior to customize ads or movie suggestions. "We need large volumes of people moving through the system so we can hone pattern recognition technology we have been developing," he says. "If we can match up who you are with changes you focus on, then we can start to map key personal characteristics that lead to successful behavioral change."

The real life data collected by such services is already proving enticing to marketers. PatientsLikeMe makes money by selling users' health data to pharmaceutical companies. Jacqueline Thong, founder of Ubiqi, a startup that developed a free phone app migraine sufferers can use to track what sets off their headaches, says she's also been approached by organizations interested in tapping the company's database.

Other self tracking companies are making their databases available to developers for free, with the hope that they will create new apps that bring in more users. For instance, Zeo, a startup located in Newtonville, Massachusetts, currently makes its money by selling a popular sleep tracking device. But Zeo also claims to have amassed the largest at home sleep database in the world. It has opened up that database to developers & scientists so they can conduct their own research or integrate Zeo's device with other self tracking systems.

As it has with Facebook, selling personal data is certain to raise privacy concerns. Healthrageous's Lee says his company plans to market the insights it gleans from its data, rather than the raw data itself. PatientsLikeMe, however, explicitly tells users that any information they share except identifying details, such as name & e mail address may be shared with pharmaceutical companies or other partners. Given that PatientsLikeMe has more than 100,000 members, users seem confident that the tools it offers, & the hope of medical advances generated from their data, are worth the loss of privacy.

Read more »

Posted in: Home business,Internet Business,Market,Women

The Quantified::Self Business

Healthrageous offers tools to track progress toward health goals, but its most valuable asset may be data about you.Heal thyself: Healthrageous CEO Rick Lee thinks people will upload health data to social networks.

The genius of Facebook & one of the reasons it is worth more than $50 billion is that it effortlessly collects huge volumes of information by offering people a place to socialize. Healthrageous, a startup in Cambridge, Massachusetts, thinks it may be possible to perform a similar feat in health care.

The company, launched in 2010 by physicians associated with Harvard Medical School, offers its users digital health tracking devices including wireless pedometers, blood pressure monitors, & bathroom scales. Clients use the tools to gather data about themselves & upload it to a website where they can track progress toward goals, get wellness tips, & receive encouragement from friends, coworkers, & family members.

The startup is an offshoot of the small but growing "quantified self" movement, whose members believe that using sensors & recording gadgets to constantly collect data about themselves will lead to better choices about their health & behavior.

Companies such as Healthrageous are now testing whether self tracking for health or other reasons can be sold as a larger scale social experience to employers or the general public. & as with Facebook, says Healthrageous CEO & cofounder Rick Lee, data collected about user behavior may be "the most valuable asset in the company."

"When you start to do large data crunches with different variables & human characteristics, you get some interesting data that would be fascinating in the hands of pharmaceutical researchers looking to develop new drugs," he says.

It's not yet clear how big a business self quantification will turn out to be. Nike tapped into a large market with its wireless pedometers (which relay data from a running shoe to an iPod); many other firms are attempting to build communities through games or free apps to track health problems, although most still have relatively few users.

"Anyone who can code software can write a self quantification app; the question is who can move the world & change business with it," says Paul Wicks, head of research & development for PatientsLikeMe, a site where 115,000 patients with serious illnesses now track their symptoms & medications.

Healthrageous grew out of a 2008 study by researchers at the Center for Connected Health, a division of Partners HealthCare, that focused on people with hypertension who worked for the computing company EMC. These employees were asked to keep track of their blood pressure at home, & participants got feedback on their progress. The program proved so successful at lowering blood pressure that an independent reviewer estimated a three to one financial return, predicting that some EMC staffers would avoid heart attacks & strokes as a result of feedback they received.

On the basis of that success, the center's director, Joseph Kvedar, decided to commercialize the technology. It consists of an interactive software platform that collects data from wireless health tracking sensors such as pedometers & glucose monitors. The information is uploaded to Healthrageous's website, where it is then analyzed & returned to the user via smart phone within a few seconds.

Those data streams allow Healthrageous to give customized advice. For example, the program might ask whether a user wants to lower blood pressure through diet & exercise or with the help of medication. "We could then respond to those who say they want to do it naturally & say research has found that people who exceed 10,000 steps per day have a greater likelihood of bringing systolic blood pressure down to 120," says Lee. Users would then try to increase the amount they walk & wear pedometers to assess whether they were succeeding, with the software providing encouragement in a variety of ways.

Healthrageous is currently marketing its service to large employers & health plans & charging them per user fees. So far, Lee says, the company has seven clients including the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary & about 1,600 users who will generate approximately $500,000 in revenue this year. But Lee says that Healthrageous, which has raised $8.5 million from investors, has plans to open the service to the general public next year.

Lee believes Healthrageous's value will increase dramatically if more people begin using the service. That's already happened with companies like Google & Netflix, whose algorithms build on users' previous behavior to customize ads or movie suggestions. "We need large volumes of people moving through the system so we can hone pattern recognition technology we have been developing," he says. "If we can match up who you are with changes you focus on, then we can start to map key personal characteristics that lead to successful behavioral change."

The real life data collected by such services is already proving enticing to marketers. PatientsLikeMe makes money by selling users' health data to pharmaceutical companies. Jacqueline Thong, founder of Ubiqi, a startup that developed a free phone app migraine sufferers can use to track what sets off their headaches, says she's also been approached by organizations interested in tapping the company's database.

Other self tracking companies are making their databases available to developers for free, with the hope that they will create new apps that bring in more users. For instance, Zeo, a startup located in Newtonville, Massachusetts, currently makes its money by selling a popular sleep tracking device. But Zeo also claims to have amassed the largest at home sleep database in the world. It has opened up that database to developers & scientists so they can conduct their own research or integrate Zeo's device with other self tracking systems.

As it has with Facebook, selling personal data is certain to raise privacy concerns. Healthrageous's Lee says his company plans to market the insights it gleans from its data, rather than the raw data itself. PatientsLikeMe, however, explicitly tells users that any information they share except identifying details, such as name & e mail address may be shared with pharmaceutical companies or other partners. Given that PatientsLikeMe has more than 100,000 members, users seem confident that the tools it offers, & the hope of medical advances generated from their data, are worth the loss of privacy.

Read more »

Posted in: Home business,Internet Business,Market,Women

Before you even set up your Google Adwords PPC account, here's what you must do.

Don't pay to bring them to your site if it isn't ready:
Why do real estate professionals decide to do PPC, Pay Per Click marketing? Also called SEM, Search Engine Marketing, this is paying for clicks to your site, primarily through the major player, Google Adwords.

Obviously, they believe that paying to get a visitor interested in "theirtown real estate" gives them a chance to convert them to a customer & a commission at some point. The problem is that most sites are far from ready to convert the visitor, so they shouldn't be wasting their money in paying to get them to come to a dysfunctional site.
Have relevant information valuable to the visitor:
This is NOT "I am the greatest!" statements. This is NOT "I'm a top producer" page. The visitor doesn't care. They don't care about you, they care about their needs & the information search that brought them to your PPC ad & site.

They primarily want to search for listings, so an IDX search page is critical. They also want to find information about "yourtown real estate," so you need all types of articles & information that explains your market & keeps the visitor current on trends & statistics. If you don't have stuff like this, don't waste your money on PPC.
Create landing pages for ads - not your home page:
When you create a PPC ad, something I'll show you later in this series of articles, you are luring the prospect to click on your ad & come to your site. These ads should each have a unique & specific purpose, & the visitor that clicks should find exactly what they expect when they arrive at your site.

When you run a Google Adwords ad headlined with "Search Yourtown Listings," & you take them on the click to your home page, you'll be wasting your money more than half the time. They aren't going to click again to find the IDX search. Whether a search or other information, the "landing" page is critical.
Have lead capture strategies in place:
Once you've paid for that click & the visitor is at your site, you still have a major task-capturing their contact information. Capture is a poor word choice, as you want them to willingly give it to you, as well as permission to continue to stay in touch via email.

Whether you use special reports, statistical reports, white papers, or some other value-add material they must request, you must have various offerings that they will be willing to give up their contact information to receive. While they may be happy with the information on the landing page, they will leave & forget you if you don't follow up.
Execute well-planned follow-up lead nurturing:
If you've done everything right to this point, you have converted a "suspect" who came to your site on a PPC search to a "prospect" who gave you their name & email address in exchange for a report or other offering. Now comes the more extended task; staying top-of-mind with the prospect until they're ready for a more personal contact or to buy & sell real estate.

This is done with drip email campaigns that send the prospect pre-scheduled emails in a series. They can't be a sales pitch, instead providing more valuable information about your real estate market.
You don't have to be the highest bidder:
A very big mistaken impression about Google Adwords is that your position in the paid ads is solely dependent on how much you're willing to pay, or bid, for a click. While this is the main criteria, Google rewards score points to your ad based on multiple factors.

The relevance of your landing page, your ad's CTR, Click-Through-Ratio, & other factors enter into this score. As your ad campaign begins to attract clicks, Google will use this score in positioning your ad. You can be in a higher position than a competitor's ad but be paying less. I know because my clicks cost me a lot less than my competitors.
PPC, Pay-Per-Click Marketing for Real Estate Works - If You Do It Right:
When you read about real estate professionals who say they had no luck with PPC & wasted a lot of money, many times it's simply because they did it horribly wrong.

They didn't properly set up their ads, create good ad headlines & text.
The visitor isn't taken to a relevant landing page, or all are taken to the home page.
Visitors don't find the information they wanted on the landing page.
There are no lead capture systems in place to get their contact information.
Follow-up is poor, & the customer forgets about them.

Just avoiding these mistakes will give you a head start to success. Good content & following up regularly without the "hard sell" will do the rest.

Read more »

Posted in: Business,Home business,Internet Business,Market,Online Job

Before you even set up your Google Adwords PPC account, here's what you must do.

Don't pay to bring them to your site if it isn't ready:
Why do real estate professionals decide to do PPC, Pay Per Click marketing? Also called SEM, Search Engine Marketing, this is paying for clicks to your site, primarily through the major player, Google Adwords.

Obviously, they believe that paying to get a visitor interested in "theirtown real estate" gives them a chance to convert them to a customer & a commission at some point. The problem is that most sites are far from ready to convert the visitor, so they shouldn't be wasting their money in paying to get them to come to a dysfunctional site.
Have relevant information valuable to the visitor:
This is NOT "I am the greatest!" statements. This is NOT "I'm a top producer" page. The visitor doesn't care. They don't care about you, they care about their needs & the information search that brought them to your PPC ad & site.

They primarily want to search for listings, so an IDX search page is critical. They also want to find information about "yourtown real estate," so you need all types of articles & information that explains your market & keeps the visitor current on trends & statistics. If you don't have stuff like this, don't waste your money on PPC.
Create landing pages for ads - not your home page:
When you create a PPC ad, something I'll show you later in this series of articles, you are luring the prospect to click on your ad & come to your site. These ads should each have a unique & specific purpose, & the visitor that clicks should find exactly what they expect when they arrive at your site.

When you run a Google Adwords ad headlined with "Search Yourtown Listings," & you take them on the click to your home page, you'll be wasting your money more than half the time. They aren't going to click again to find the IDX search. Whether a search or other information, the "landing" page is critical.
Have lead capture strategies in place:
Once you've paid for that click & the visitor is at your site, you still have a major task-capturing their contact information. Capture is a poor word choice, as you want them to willingly give it to you, as well as permission to continue to stay in touch via email.

Whether you use special reports, statistical reports, white papers, or some other value-add material they must request, you must have various offerings that they will be willing to give up their contact information to receive. While they may be happy with the information on the landing page, they will leave & forget you if you don't follow up.
Execute well-planned follow-up lead nurturing:
If you've done everything right to this point, you have converted a "suspect" who came to your site on a PPC search to a "prospect" who gave you their name & email address in exchange for a report or other offering. Now comes the more extended task; staying top-of-mind with the prospect until they're ready for a more personal contact or to buy & sell real estate.

This is done with drip email campaigns that send the prospect pre-scheduled emails in a series. They can't be a sales pitch, instead providing more valuable information about your real estate market.
You don't have to be the highest bidder:
A very big mistaken impression about Google Adwords is that your position in the paid ads is solely dependent on how much you're willing to pay, or bid, for a click. While this is the main criteria, Google rewards score points to your ad based on multiple factors.

The relevance of your landing page, your ad's CTR, Click-Through-Ratio, & other factors enter into this score. As your ad campaign begins to attract clicks, Google will use this score in positioning your ad. You can be in a higher position than a competitor's ad but be paying less. I know because my clicks cost me a lot less than my competitors.
PPC, Pay-Per-Click Marketing for Real Estate Works - If You Do It Right:
When you read about real estate professionals who say they had no luck with PPC & wasted a lot of money, many times it's simply because they did it horribly wrong.

They didn't properly set up their ads, create good ad headlines & text.
The visitor isn't taken to a relevant landing page, or all are taken to the home page.
Visitors don't find the information they wanted on the landing page.
There are no lead capture systems in place to get their contact information.
Follow-up is poor, & the customer forgets about them.

Just avoiding these mistakes will give you a head start to success. Good content & following up regularly without the "hard sell" will do the rest.

Read more »

Posted in: Business,Home business,Internet Business,Market,Online Job,Recipe

Michael Bate to lead Colliers International’s retail business

Colliers International today announced the appointment of Michael Bate to lead its national Retail business.

Mr Bate will assume the role of National Director – Retail, joining Australia’s largest retail services team of its kind, comprising 54 specialists in Leasing, Investment Services, Valuation & Advisory & Shopping Centre Management.

Mr Bate holds more than two decades experience in the retail sector, having previously held senior management positions at Stockland, Lend Lease (Retail) & Jones Lang LaSalle’s shopping centre division.

John Kenny, Colliers International Chief Executive – Australia, said an extensive search across the industry was undertaken & he is pleased to be in a position to welcome Mr Bate to the team.

“Michael brings extraordinary expertise & industry contacts & he will be a great cultural fit for our business,” he said.

Mr Bate is the third prominent industry executive to be attracted to the company in as many months.

Recently James Quigley & Doug Henry joined the Colliers International management team, as

National Director of Institutional Clients, CET & National Director of Corporate Solutions respectively. Their appointments highlight the business’ continued focus on relationship & knowledge-based client management as it asserts its dominant presence in the real estate market.

Mr Kenny said the trio of executives to join Colliers International in the past three months underpins its confidence in future growth & belief in appointing premium talent to accelerate its clients’ success.

“We also recognise the importance of growing our talent from within, Colliers International offers its people significant career opportunities & the ability to develop their skills & move from being successful contributors to leading teams.

This is evidenced by the recent promotion of Lachlan McGillivray as National Director to manage Retail Investment Services nationally.”

A key member of the Retail team, Mr McGillivray will relocate to Sydney from Melbourne in early 2012. He has sold in excess of $300 million of retail shopping centres around Australia this year alone including Melbourne’s Point Cook Town Centre for $176 million & Stockland Lilydale for $37 million.

In outlining his thoughts about joining Colliers International, Mr Bate said the current retail climate is challenging & the next 12 months will provide the opportunity to guide clients though the property cycle so they emerge in a strong position & ready for any future economic upswing.

“The reporting season for some of Australia’s most prominent REITs has highlighted the market’s uncertain situation & an expected tough second half of 2011,” he said.

“Consumer sentiment & confidence will be the two critical issues facing all retailers in the short term.

Quality property management coupled with lower vacancies will provide essential cash flow for most retail owners as they prepare for continuing volatility in the market.

"Colliers International’s Retail clients are well aware its standards in service excellence & capacity to provide local expertise off a strong national platform."

Mr Bate said it is one of the many reasons that attracted him to Colliers International.

* Colliers International Advertorial

Read more »

Posted in: Business,Entertainment,Home business,Internet Business,Market,Online Job

Michael Bate to lead Colliers International’s retail business

Colliers International today announced the appointment of Michael Bate to lead its national Retail business.

Mr Bate will assume the role of National Director – Retail, joining Australia’s largest retail services team of its kind, comprising 54 specialists in Leasing, Investment Services, Valuation & Advisory & Shopping Centre Management.

Mr Bate holds more than two decades experience in the retail sector, having previously held senior management positions at Stockland, Lend Lease (Retail) & Jones Lang LaSalle’s shopping centre division.

John Kenny, Colliers International Chief Executive – Australia, said an extensive search across the industry was undertaken & he is pleased to be in a position to welcome Mr Bate to the team.

“Michael brings extraordinary expertise & industry contacts & he will be a great cultural fit for our business,” he said.

Mr Bate is the third prominent industry executive to be attracted to the company in as many months.

Recently James Quigley & Doug Henry joined the Colliers International management team, as

National Director of Institutional Clients, CET & National Director of Corporate Solutions respectively. Their appointments highlight the business’ continued focus on relationship & knowledge-based client management as it asserts its dominant presence in the real estate market.

Mr Kenny said the trio of executives to join Colliers International in the past three months underpins its confidence in future growth & belief in appointing premium talent to accelerate its clients’ success.

“We also recognise the importance of growing our talent from within, Colliers International offers its people significant career opportunities & the ability to develop their skills & move from being successful contributors to leading teams.

This is evidenced by the recent promotion of Lachlan McGillivray as National Director to manage Retail Investment Services nationally.”

A key member of the Retail team, Mr McGillivray will relocate to Sydney from Melbourne in early 2012. He has sold in excess of $300 million of retail shopping centres around Australia this year alone including Melbourne’s Point Cook Town Centre for $176 million & Stockland Lilydale for $37 million.

In outlining his thoughts about joining Colliers International, Mr Bate said the current retail climate is challenging & the next 12 months will provide the opportunity to guide clients though the property cycle so they emerge in a strong position & ready for any future economic upswing.

“The reporting season for some of Australia’s most prominent REITs has highlighted the market’s uncertain situation & an expected tough second half of 2011,” he said.

“Consumer sentiment & confidence will be the two critical issues facing all retailers in the short term.

Quality property management coupled with lower vacancies will provide essential cash flow for most retail owners as they prepare for continuing volatility in the market.

"Colliers International’s Retail clients are well aware its standards in service excellence & capacity to provide local expertise off a strong national platform."

Mr Bate said it is one of the many reasons that attracted him to Colliers International.

* Colliers International Advertorial

Read more »

Posted in: Business,Entertainment,Home business,Internet Business,Market,Online Job

Facial at home

There is nothing better than getting a professional facial, but they can be expensive. A basic home facial works on oily, dry & combination skin.

Daily care & facial make us look more charming & beautiful. Facials are very beneficial to the skin, as they give a deep cleansing of your skin & bring a natural glow to your skin. Women around the world want to do facials at least once a month. After the age of 30, you often need to do facials for your skin soft & young. By following some simple tips face, you look younger & more beautiful without spending too much extra time & money.

Start with cleansing your skin. Get a cleanser that suits your skin type.
Steaming hydrates & softens skin. It will help keep the plugs whiteheads & blackheads cause softening.

Scrubs are very useful for removing the top layer of dead skin cells that dull your skin.
Apply the mask, avoiding the areas around the eyes. Keep it on for 10-20 minutes, or as directed on the product. A few slices of cucumber to brighten the eyes are optional, but a great way of energy around the eyes. Rinse completely.
Apply a gentle moisturizer based on your skin type. Apply the lotion over the entire face & neck to avoid the eye area.

Abstract face are very important for the skin & if you do not time to go to a salon to try at home facial.

Read more »

Posted in: Beauty tips,Entertainment,Fashion,Health,Home business,Hot Hits,Hottest,Online Job,Recipes,Spa,Sports Fashion,Ware Fashion

Facial at home

There is nothing better than getting a professional facial, but they can be expensive. A basic home facial works on oily, dry & combination skin.

Daily care & facial make us look more charming & beautiful. Facials are very beneficial to the skin, as they give a deep cleansing of your skin & bring a natural glow to your skin. Women around the world want to do facials at least once a month. After the age of 30, you often need to do facials for your skin soft & young. By following some simple tips face, you look younger & more beautiful without spending too much extra time & money.

Start with cleansing your skin. Get a cleanser that suits your skin type.
Steaming hydrates & softens skin. It will help keep the plugs whiteheads & blackheads cause softening.

Scrubs are very useful for removing the top layer of dead skin cells that dull your skin.
Apply the mask, avoiding the areas around the eyes. Keep it on for 10-20 minutes, or as directed on the product. A few slices of cucumber to brighten the eyes are optional, but a great way of energy around the eyes. Rinse completely.
Apply a gentle moisturizer based on your skin type. Apply the lotion over the entire face & neck to avoid the eye area.

Abstract face are very important for the skin & if you do not time to go to a salon to try at home facial.

Read more »

Posted in: Beauty tips,Entertainment,Fashion,Health,Home business,Hot Hits,Hottest,Online Job,Recipe,Spa,Sports Fashion,Ware Fashion

Spa treatment for Soft Skin

Baby soft skin is all anyone wants. But who says you can not get?!

Applying a good body lotion on a daily basis is the key to a healthy glowing skin coverage. This exfoliating treatment is both a scrub & a moisturizing treatment & works well.

Take a half cup brown sugar & just take about one quarter cup honey. Mix them well & then add a number of essential luxury essential oil further add to your home spa treatment. We recommend increased or tangerine oil.
Scrub your body while showering using natural scrubby gloves or loofah. Prefer to scrub more rough areas like heels & elbows & cellulite prone areas.
Careful to rinse with water. You feel a shiny, healthy & really soft skin.

Read more »

Posted in: Beauty tips,Entertainment,Fashion,Health,Home business,Hot Hits,Hottest,Spa,Ware Fashion

Spa treatment for Soft Skin

Baby soft skin is all anyone wants. But who says you can not get?!

Applying a good body lotion on a daily basis is the key to a healthy glowing skin coverage. This exfoliating treatment is both a scrub & a moisturizing treatment & works well.

Take a half cup brown sugar & just take about one quarter cup honey. Mix them well & then add a number of essential luxury essential oil further add to your home spa treatment. We recommend increased or tangerine oil.
Scrub your body while showering using natural scrubby gloves or loofah. Prefer to scrub more rough areas like heels & elbows & cellulite prone areas.
Careful to rinse with water. You feel a shiny, healthy & really soft skin.

Read more »

Posted in: Beauty tips,Entertainment,Fashion,Health,Home business,Hot Hits,Hottest,Spa,Ware Fashion

Home spa in Ramadan

If not daily, but one week pampering home spa routine for you to find all pepped for Eid. Here’s what you do for your home spa:

* Reduce the clutter and bad, so you can relax during your home spa treatment

* There is nothing like a pile of large, luxurious fluffy towels smell great for your home spa experience.

* Invest in a plush bathrobe and nice slippers. This is a treat each time home spa.

* Set the mood with music and aromatherapy candles in your home spa.

* Get your spa treatments to read in your kitchen or the market, what you pay for your home spa.

* Set aside at least 20 or 30 minutes to enjoy your luxurious home spa.

Sink into the experience and pay attention to what you smell, feel and hear. Hydrate yourself and let the pampering routine will prepare you for another day of Ramadan.

Read more »

Posted in: Beauty tips,Entertainment,Fashion,Health,Home business,Hot Hits,Hottest,Spa

Home spa in Ramadan

If not daily, but one week pampering home spa routine for you to find all pepped for Eid. Here’s what you do for your home spa:

* Reduce the clutter and bad, so you can relax during your home spa treatment

* There is nothing like a pile of large, luxurious fluffy towels smell great for your home spa experience.

* Invest in a plush bathrobe and nice slippers. This is a treat each time home spa.

* Set the mood with music and aromatherapy candles in your home spa.

* Get your spa treatments to read in your kitchen or the market, what you pay for your home spa.

* Set aside at least 20 or 30 minutes to enjoy your luxurious home spa.

Sink into the experience and pay attention to what you smell, feel and hear. Hydrate yourself and let the pampering routine will prepare you for another day of Ramadan.

Read more »

Posted in: Beauty tips,Entertainment,Fashion,Health,Home business,Hot Hits,Hottest,Spa

Spa Tubs & Showers

With time spa awareness has increased, but not everyone can afford the luxury spa. A few adjsutment in your bathroom can be a spa there. Today there are so many innovative bathroom designs around. But the easiest adjustment to make spa is mainly about your baths & showers.

There are many types of bathroom baths available, extra-deep pools, long tubs, bathroom with shower jets, showers of bubbles. Bathroom showers with more than one head are avilable. Then there are showers with additional programs for massage, etc.

It is not that necessacry to a spa to your bathroom remodel or spend all very serious. Adjsutment a few, such as bathroom tubs & showers can sometimes be a big change that makes the difference.

Pool, jacuzzi, rain shower spray, steam shower, figuring out what works best for your spa experience & get it for your bathroom.

Create your own spa & give yourself the luxury every time you make a trip to relax your bathroom.

Read more »

Posted in: Health,Home business,Hot Hits,Spa,Ware Fashion

Spa Tubs & Showers

With time spa awareness has increased, but not everyone can afford the luxury spa. A few adjsutment in your bathroom can be a spa there. Today there are so many innovative bathroom designs around. But the easiest adjustment to make spa is mainly about your baths & showers.

There are many types of bathroom baths available, extra-deep pools, long tubs, bathroom with shower jets, showers of bubbles. Bathroom showers with more than one head are avilable. Then there are showers with additional programs for massage, etc.

It is not that necessacry to a spa to your bathroom remodel or spend all very serious. Adjsutment a few, such as bathroom tubs & showers can sometimes be a big change that makes the difference.

Pool, jacuzzi, rain shower spray, steam shower, figuring out what works best for your spa experience & get it for your bathroom.

Create your own spa & give yourself the luxury every time you make a trip to relax your bathroom.

Read more »

Posted in: Health,Home business,Hot Hits,Spa,Ware Fashion