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Business Owners: You Can’t Afford to Ignore Google Plus

August 12, 2013 Beth Devine

Google +Google Plus announced in the fall of 2012 that they had officially surpassed the 400 million registered users mark. About 100 million of those users actively check their Google Plus accounts, Gigaom.com reports. That is a potential pool of 100 million customers, some of whom will be interested in what you are selling. Companies such as H&M, BMW and Mercedes-Benz consistently engage customers through Google Plus, and the effort appears to be paying off. Each of these corporations has more than 2 million followers.

It’s understandable if your company is wrapped up in marketing efforts through Facebook and Twitter. After all, those seem to be the networks everyone is using. While you’re posting and tweeting in those spaces, though, you may be missing a large, well-educated audience that hangs out at Google Plus.

Who’s Using Google Plus

Google reports that, at nearly 70 percent, users of Google Plus are overwhelmingly male. They are well-educated and technologically savvy; they are not on Google Plus to find out what you had for lunch or how your sister-in-law is doing after the birth of her child. This is their tool for keeping up-to-date on the things that matter.

Another lure of the average Google Plus user: According to the search giant, their users have far more money than those who use other social networks. While 16 percent of Facebook and Tumblr users make more than $100,000 a year, a full 30 percent of Google Plus users do.

The Basics

Signing up for a Google Plus account is as easy as signing into your Gmail account. If you don’t have a Gmail account, you know the drill. Simply go to Gmail.com, and register by coming up with a user name and password. That’s it. Once you have a legitimate Gmail account, you can begin to access all those millions of people who also have Gmail accounts. You can reach your Google Plus account directly at plus.google.com.

Practical Viewpoint

A strong presence on Google Plus is directly correlated with stronger search engine results. The only real way to gain traction online is through search engine results, and Google is the gatekeeper. If you are going to market online, you need to see Google as your ally. That friend is handing you a golden ticket to the party through Google Plus. This complex system is one of the greatest assets in social media marketing, www.dsl.com reports, whether we like it or not; business owners who ignore it are missing out.

Google Is Listening

While behemoths such as Facebook and Twitter may take forever to make the kinds of changes their users clamor for, Google is good about keeping an ear to the ground. In fact, the organization of Google Plus has changed dramatically over the past two years to keep up with what users tell them they want. The site allows you to separate people into categories, depending upon whether they are friends, family, acquaintances or people you are following. While that may not sound like much, it enables you to pinpoint the audience you reach. There’s no reason to let your mother know about the new promotion going on at your gym if she’s not going to be interested. You can upload text, photos, links, videos or special events, and target them precisely to the people who are most likely to care.

Circles

While “circles” may sound like a cute way of saying “friends,” it really is more than that. Because your personal circle is broken down by category, the direction you choose to expand your circle is up to you. For example, if you have a particular business acquaintance and would like to have more like him, you are able to reach out to the people in his circle and ask them to join yours. No, you may not be as interested in your brother’s softball buddies, but then, you don’t have to expand your circle in that direction.

Growth

Business Insider made waves in May by reporting that Google Plus was outpacing Twitter and poised to become the second largest social network in the world (behind Facebook). What makes this particularly surprising is that Google Plus got off to a slow start following its 2011 launch. Although millions of people signed up to use it, critics panned it to the point that users lost interest, and many never even accessed the accounts they set up. Business Insider goes on to say the recent rapid rise of active Google Plus users is likely due to a number of factors, including Google’s efforts to link all of their services together—so if a user signs into one, he signs into them all.

Google Plus is already an important marketing tool, and it’s poised to become a force. Business owners need to be on board.

Image by Flickr user Bruce Clay, Inc.

Filed Under: Carolyn's Posts, Google Tips, Social Media, Tools & Tips

Use With Caution: How to Avoid Image Copyright Violation

August 9, 2013 Beth Devine

use with cautionAre you the paranoid type? Someone who looked into signing up for Preparedness 101: Zombie Apocalypse after watching World War Z? Then you’ll understand the concern over image copyright violation.

For both zombie apocalypse and image copyright violation, however, it’s hardly overreacting to know the facts and stay safe.

As far as a zombie apocalypse goes, the CDC is your best bet for information. When it comes to avoiding a lawsuit over image use, it’s best to be very, very careful and use only images you are certain won’t come back to haunt you.

Like a zombie infection, it takes only one misuse to get caught. If you think it won’t happen to you, that it’s just paranoia, then go ahead. Post those photos from Google images. Share those pictures of celebrities. Misappropriate AP pictures for fun.

Good luck, my brazen friends of the Web, because you’re gonna need it.

Googling search terms on the subject proves it’s a topic with many warning labels applied. So, yes, use all images with caution.

Here are a few tips to use with your own impeccable common sense:

1. Know the Rules

Just like with safe sex, the only 100% way to avoid contamination is abstinence. But who wants to do that? I’m referring to using images here, by the way.

We already know that using images on your website and blog posts will improve search engine results, so abstinence is not recommended.

Start by familiarizing yourself with the rules of use for any website you use for images. They are all different. Some free photos require attribution, some require a link back, some aren’t for commercial use. Use your own photos where possible.

You know the drill by now. Use it properly. Know the risks. Stay safe.

I’m still talking about images.

2. Stay Safe with Creative Commons

When it comes to knowing your options, the Creative Commons license is a starting point, and their Creative Commons search page provides an all-access starting point for your image subject.

Remember to check each image for its CC license by following the link. This is only a search engine that directs you to content. You are responsible for determining that the images are actually registered under a CC license.

My favorite go-to site is Flickr’s Creative Commons, with six different license categories to choose from.

3. Use Free Image Sites

For every free photo site there are certain terms and conditions. Again, be sure to check each image for its “free” status. Another resource is Wikipedia’s list of public domain image resources. Read each site’s terms carefully.

The second largest resource, Pixabay, includes the warning, “Pixabay cannot be held responsible for any copyright violations, and cannot guarantee the legality of the Images stored in its system. If you want to make sure, always contact the photographers. You use the site and the photos at your own risk!”

These are the fears that compel us to abstinence.

Wikimedia Commons terms of use advises, among other things, “To determine the license that applies to the content that you seek to re-use or re-distribute, you should review the page footer, page history, and discussion page.”

When using images from Wikigallery.org, there are additional requirements, such as no alteration of the image or removal of the Wikigallery watermark.

A favorite of mine is Morguefile.com, whose license reads as liberally as it gets for creative use.

4. Delete All Images You’re Unsure Of

If you have any images that remain questionable, remove them! Going back through your site and reassessing each image for its appropriate use may aggravate you now, but a copyright lawsuit later will annoy you more.

As a Blogher who was sued writes, “If you’ve been using images without approval from the Internet on your blogs, know that you are probably violating copyright and could be sued for it.”

Don’t forget to also delete them from your server. In WordPress, this is simple. Just go to your media library, and under each photo you removed from your pages and posts, hit the delete permanently option.

5. What About Pinterest?

If you’ve pinned images to Pinterest that you deleted from your posts or web pages, delete these from your boards as well.

Pinterest is its own hotbed of potential liability. As the terms read, “You … are solely responsible for … Content you post to Pinterest.” The Legal Genealogist advises prudence in pinning which is similar to what you use for posting images to your own site.

6. Do a Reverse Image Check

Use TinEye.com to search for the origins of any images you wish to investigate. You can do up to 50 searches a day, or 150 searches per week, for free.

Proceed with caution, observe the fine print, and stay vigilant. The zombies are the least of your worries.

Flickr photo courtesy of csc1950.

Filed Under: Kacee's Posts, Tips for a good website, Tools & Tips

Social Media Gaffes That Scream No.

August 5, 2013 Beth Devine

don't do it

Everywhere you turn people and brands are making glaring gaffes that lead to social media scorn and disrepute. Sometimes the best way to avoid making mistakes is to learn from those with the egg on their face.

Posting with intent to titillate.

Anthony Weiner takes the cake with yet another sexting scandal as he embarks on his mayoral bid.

This has to be a favorite among the plain and simple don’t do it social media gaffes. If you’re thinking that anyone with common sense would know better than to repeat such a morally questionable maneuver, then you can join me in the dumbstruck category.

Say no and feel good about it. Anne Lamott compares saying yes when you mean no to a “martyred mentally ill position” akin to the tainted area a mile north of Chernobyl.

In this case, however, I think Weiner’s yes’s mean yes, and that adds up to the same mentally deranged outcome as Lamott’s metaphor.

Don’t over think this. (I’ve done that for you.) There’s no room for behavior that might jeopardize your reputation and integrity. Even texting will return to haunt you.

Sharing (fake) lies.

Staging fake posts to garner attention can be misconstrued as telling lies, and you will risk losing followers’ trust as a result.

When Chipotle’s Twitter account recently appeared hacked, it gained 4,000 new followers in one day, compared to its average of 250, and the hacked tweets earned 12,000 retweets, when it normally sees 75 retweets a day.

Such a sweet outcome is unpredictable, and its success has to do with Chipotle’s treasure hunt, its clues hiding in the Tweets.

The lesson learned here is be very clever in your social media sharing, and your followers won’t suspect outright lies. Anything veering from transparency and authenticity could quickly bring on the reproach brigade.

Just do what feels right.

While this sounds a lot like Weiner’s behavior again, let’s pretend this is about real decisions that are meant to be effective money makers and relationship builders.

The phenomenon of people or organizations who do what they feel is right in the short run and don’t bother considering alternatives or how it will pan out in the long run have what Seth Godin calls impulse control issues.

He compares this to Stoogecraft, the Three Stooges’ method of madness in all decision making. Moe, Larry, and Curly perfected a comedy of errors in their impulse management. Social media and content marketing require a consideration of alternatives and implications, not a fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants brouhaha.

Sappy quotes are passé.

It appears the era of the inspirational quote has come to an end. For social media marketing purposes, you are better off with short and funny quotes.

social mediaWhen you Google while in incognito mode “inspirational quotes are,” the recent search results indicate they are considered annoying, stupid, for the uninspired, and bullsh*t.

Clearly Pinterest, with its inspiration quote stronghold, is comprised of less Google search users than one might think.

Googling “inspirational quotes that are,” brings up funny, short, aren’t cheesy, and uplifting.

It makes me wonder if cohorts of the truly uninspired are conspiring to warp Google search results by punching in these queries over and over, day and night, from sheer inanity.

However you choose to inspire your audience, try to encourage them by walking the fine line of uplifting but not cheesy, funny but not stupid, and short on the bullsh*t.

Let me know how that works out for you.

Filed Under: Kacee's Posts, Marketing, Social Media

Follow the 4 E’s of Social Media and Be Loved

July 31, 2013 Beth Devine

4 E's of social mediaIf you want to win people’s affection, appreciation, and approval – the three A’s – there’s another set of vowels to adhere to. The 4 E’s of Social Media.

Apply them to your online persona, and your followers will learn to value your input and trust you as a conscientious and reliable source.

The Four E’s of Social Media to win friends’ and followers’ loyalty start with having some fun.

1. Entertainment

We love to be amused. Entertain and divert us from our daily regimen of tasks and more tasks, and we will gladly accept the distraction.

Give your audience something to smile about. Make them giddy. At the very least, show them your fun side.

Sharing visuals is an easy way to entertain. Create your own Pinterest pin or meme to express your whimsy, or share a video with giggle potential. Check out Buzzfeed’s collection for inspiration.

2. Education

Whenever possible, take the opportunity to enlighten your audience with information they didn’t know they wanted.

Take the Transportation Security Administration’s latest educational ploy. Despite the annnoyance we may have over security check hassles, their Instagram photos of confiscated contraband ranging from loaded guns to inert grenades gives us reason to check our own discontent.

It’s also a chance to answer your customer’s questions. Be a teacher and give them the information they need to make informed choices. Even if it means sharing your family jewels.

3. Engagement

A new study by the Internet Advertising Bureau found that 90% of customers would recommend a brand to others after interacting with them on social media.

Surprise, surprise. Social media paves the road to two-way conversation, allowing both parties to share their point of view.

This is a good time to remember the premier Social Media Engagement rule. As any good social media cocktail mix will warn you – it’s not about you.

For other ideas on engaging with your audience, check out Socially Stacked’s infographic on 10 Quick Tips and Examples for Better Status Updates.

4. Etiquette

The list of propriety no-no’s will continue to grow despite the efforts of the Condescending Corporate Brand Page to put a stopper on it.

Like stop asking people to “Like” your page. The new etiquette for Facebook is to be less shallow and more content-driven. Rather than settling for a cheap click of approval, focus on the previous three E’s and share valuable content.

This doesn’t mean you never include a call to action. Just give them in small doses.

One of the most obvious codes of etiquette is keep it friendly and positive. Somehow this isn’t as straightforward as one would think.

Okay, so no one’s thinking it’s at all straightforward. If you have a Facebook account, I don’t doubt you’ve experienced the depths people will lower themselves in order to mock, insult, and generally flaunt their bad manners, all in the name of sharing.

Don’t go there. Share your good side and leave your scorn at home, no matter how hilarious you think it may be. For those unwilling to behave, going completely invisible on Facebook is a solid option .

The loyalty you hope to achieve with the 4 E’s of Social Media can only bring you better business and better relationships.

“By making people love, not just like your brand, you’re more likely to drive future purchases and increase sales,” said Ian Ralph, Director of Marketing Sciences.

Who doesn’t want to be loved?

 

Filed Under: Facebook, Kacee's Posts, Marketing, Social Media

Sign-In With Google+. Or Else.

July 25, 2013 Beth Devine

Google+ Sign-InAdmit it. You despise having to sign in to sites, remember your password, your username, and authenticate you’re human.

So show some empathy. Make it simple for your site visitors by installing Google+ Sign-In. Next to Facebook, Google+ has the largest percentage of social logins, more than Twitter and LinkedIn.

For users, Google+ Sign-In lowers the barriers to logging in. For website owners, when you offer login and registration with an existing social identity like Google+, drop-off during registration disappears, you increase referral traffic, and you learn more detailed information about your users.

Link Up With the Network

While the old version of Google sign-in is still working,  Google+ Sign-In links directly to Google’s social network and profiles, adding another layer of social sharing potential. With their permission, users give access to the basic information from their Google+ public profile, including the list of people in their circles.

If you have a mobile app for your site, Google+ will prompt anyone who logs in to your site through the Google+ Sign-In to download it. Results show that 40% of users are accepting the offer to install a website’s mobile app when offered in the Google+ sign-in process.

People trust Google as a secure provider of their online identity. Using Google+ as your sign-in service also gives site owners the benefits of any improvements and bug fixes that roll out.

It’s a win-win scenario for Google, who clearly is encouraging Google+ participation. If you haven’t created a Google+ profile, it’s not too late to jump on the Google bandwagon and reap its benefits. Authorship markup and author rank are two significant benefits for a website owner.

Google+ Isn’t Just Another Social Site

If you own a website and are interested in content marketing, then you should jump on quickly.Your family jewels may be at stake. In fact, your entire future may be at stake, for Google+ is not merely some silly social network where you make snarky comments and share inane drivel.

Google+, my fellow friends of the Net, is being compared to The Matrix.

As Mike Elgan writes on his Google+ page,  The Matrix analogy assumes the “synthetic world around us that exists not for our benefit but for the benefit of the machines, a.k.a. Google,” who “uses Google+ and the Google+ Sign-In to harvest signals from users, and that’s the whole point of the ubiquitous Google social layer.”

Elgan disagrees with this analogy. He says The Matrix is the opposite of what Google+ offers. With The Matrix, humans are stuck in the past as their energy is harvested for exploitation by the machines. Instead, Google helps us to move forward, offering us all of its services for free, a far cry from deceiving us into a virtual reality existence.

Adding Google+ Sign-In begins to sound entirely reasonable, rather like making a simple choice.

Blue pill or red pill? Sign in or sign out?

Filed Under: Google Tips, Kacee's Posts, Marketing, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Social Media, Tools & Tips

Change Your Website, Change the World

July 18, 2013 Beth Devine

3 laws to change the worldYou don’t have to be Buddhist to appreciate the Dalai Lama’s Change Your Mind, Change the World conference. In fact, his basic premise to global well-being is to put aside such labels and focus on our common humanity.

How can we encourage this common good for humanity in our websites, our businesses, and our daily efforts to interact with others?

Michael Holmes, author of I Shall Raise Thee Up: Ancient Principles for Lasting Greatness, supplied three universal laws for achieving change.

Anyone who wishes to avoid repeated and lasting failure knows these laws. As Cecil B. DeMille said, “It is impossible for us to break the law. We can only break ourselves against the law.”

3 Laws to Change the World

1. Purpose

“The Law that states no person can achieve maximum effectiveness without knowing who and why they are.”

To know your purpose is to know how your unique gifts and position will affect change.

When determining your purpose, always consider your audience. When considering your audience, always ask what’s in it for them.

If you’re stuck in finding your purpose, think about what’s holding you back. Max Simon of Big Business Vision suggests that rather than focusing on how much it will cost to update your website or create a marketing plan, ask “what’s the cost of doing nothing?”

Focus on your purpose and how it will benefit your audience. How will your leadership bring them something worthwhile?

In “Modern Laws of Global Life, the Law of Purpose,” “the end result of an action is already contained in the original thought.” If we want to change the world, we must first change the purpose behind the action.

So make it a good one.

2. Persistence

“The law that states only through consistent and continuous effort can any plan, vision, or achievement be realized.”

As Paul Jun explains for any craftmanship: it’s a journey, not a destination. You’re in it for the long haul.

So what do you do for this long haul? Apply the Rule of Five.

Jack Canfield of Chicken Soup for the Soul tells how he used this persistence principle to get his book onto the bestseller list for over a year. He uses the analogy of chopping down a tree.

“If you would go every day to a very large tree and take five swings at it with a very sharp ax, eventually, no matter how large the tree, it would have to come down.”

The Rule of Five for you might include

  • emailing 5 potential customers
  • writing 5 blog posts
  • scheduling 5 interviews
  • calling 5 current customers

Like climbing a mountain, keep your eye on the summit or your purpose, but begin with taking measured steps and doing five specific things to get there.

Because you will get there.

3. Service

“The Law that states in order to be greatest of all one must be servant of all.”

  • A business owner wanting to make his company great.
  • An artist looking for recognition.
  • A speaker trying to make a difference.
  • A musician bending the rules.
  • A service provider going the extra mile.
  • A writer writing to impact for a common good.

What do the success of these people have in common? They make awesome!

(Seriously, check that link out. You do want to make awesome, don’t you?)

How you choose to interact with your audience becomes a way for you to engage in service for others. Changing the world, as Margaret Mead said, requires thoughtful and committed citizens.

Communicate something useful and true and don’t stop. For them. That’s the beginning of service, and making awesome.

The Dalai Lama believes “if we make consistent effort, based on proper education, we can change the world. We are selfish, that’s natural, but we need to be wisely selfish, not foolishly selfish. We have to concern ourselves more with others’ well-being, that’s the way to be wisely selfish.”

Sounds to me a lot like the 3 Laws to Change the World. Now let’s go out there and begin.

 

Filed Under: Kacee's Posts, motivational, Tips for a good website, Tools & Tips

Be The Next Big Thing: Four Affordable Tips You Need To Succeed

July 9, 2013 Beth Devine

Adult business man sitting at his office and planning his busineFor every dollar spent on email marketing, a well-executed plan can earn you $40 back, according to Local Vox. That kind of return is just for email— meaning that a fully realized marketing plan could net much more.

The reality for most small businesses, however, is that marketing is often put on the back burner. Many small business owners worry that effective marketing is simply too expensive for them to pull off, or they make the mistake of thinking that newer is always better. Your business marketing budget, no matter how small, can show a return with careful planning, attention to useful collateral and consistent use of the free tools you have at your disposal.

Start Planning Early

Your marketing budget is limited, but with long-term planning you can use what you have effectively. Think of marketing plans as an investment, not a cost, and approach them as big-picture changes. Plan your approach based on ROI, not idealism. Instead of casting a reel that you hope will bite, take the time you need to get to know your precise target markets. Tim Donnelly from INC surmises that it might be alluring to “think big,” but in reality it’s better to target what you know on a deeper level. This is why your big-picture marketing plan should start with the basics.

Getting the Basics Right

Basic marketing is powerful, but it has to be done right. Spamming potential customers with endless, loosely targeted emails will not yield those returns. A well-crafted, targeted email is more likely to succeed.

Basics extend to all marketing collateral, down to the business cards. In the electronic age, it is easy to discount the humble business card. This is a mistake. Just like a handshake, the right business card can make a lasting impression. High-quality plastic business cards are sure to stand out from the average stack of white card stock. Your business card should be as much an artifact as it is a source of information. If it makes an impression, it won’t be thrown away as soon as you hand it out. Just like your mission statement, it should resonate.

Giving it Away

In the beginning of the 20th century, Jell-O made its way into the hearts and minds of customers by giving away recipes in the hundreds, according to CBS Money Watch. Within a few years, the company was worth $1 million. Information or knowledge is easy enough to package, and you can give it away for free to make an impact. If it is good, you become an authority in the minds of your customers and they will come back for more. This can be applied to your company’s recipe for success, or the fruits of your mission statement. If you know a lot about something, or simply want the world to get to know your product, there is a creative, affordable way to do so.

Leverage Social Media/ Use What You Have

Most companies don’t have millions to spend on social media campaigns. Even a basic social media presence is a great way to gain increased exposure, and to give your customers access to your company. Start by examining various social media platforms, from blogs to Facebook to Twitter, and see what works for you and your company. Johna Revescencio, a freelance online community manager, won the #PlanWBoost Twitter contest by simply having each member of her team consistently reach out to key Twitter influencers, and it worked. More successful case studies like Johna’s champion social media tactics can be found at Accuracast.com.

Find the outlet that will help your business the most and use it, according to StartingUpTips.com. If you already have an effective ad campaign, it often pays to keep using it and promoting it on social media. Business owners can get bored with their current promotions and pay to change them. This leads to unnecessary marketing expenses, warns Entrepreneur.com. You can reuse pieces of previous images and text for other purposes, like in-house brochures, business cards and buzz-worthy social media tactics.

Filed Under: Carolyn's Posts, Marketing

If You Hate Reverse Psychology Marketing, Then Don’t Read This

July 8, 2013 Beth Devine

don't pet the catReverse psychology marketing won’t work for you, so you can just fuhgeddaboudit.

Do you get the feeling that you’re being bombarded with messages that are telling you to do one thing, but suggesting you do another?

Like a cat, who flounces her tail in typical cat-mode as she slinks away, as if to say, Don’t even bother trying to pet me, when you know she’s dying for a tummy rub.

This is reverse psychology marketing, when you desire something simply because it’s being touted as unavailable, unwelcome, or undesirable.

In an age where people are tired of having marketing spiels thrown in their faces, taking this back alley approach becomes more effective than traditional methods. The success of this strategy relies on having customers come to you, rather than you chasing after them.

Are You Special Enough?

Take Tom Sawyer, for example. He had his buddies begging to take over his fence painting job. The tedious task of whitewashing his aunt’s fence became appealing by doing two things. He appeared to enjoy it, and he acted as if it was a special privilege.

Cats have this down to a science. They behave as if they enjoy snubbing you, and when you finally chase them down, you’d think they bestowed you with the honor of petting royalty.

As Mark Twain wrote, Tom “had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it —  namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.”

This play into our innate desire to be included, to be in-the-know, leads people to drop their defenses and crave the suddenly indispensable object they never knew they desired. Reverse psychology hits home with the unsuspecting, resistant, and contrary individual – in other words, all of us at some time or another.

It’s All Over for Paper

One of the best reverse psychology marketing strategies is Domtar’s “Paper Because.” Office Guy #1 hands a thick paper report, “The Paperless Office,” to Office Guy #2, telling him it’s all over for paper. They quickly decide to make a copy, and another copy.

“Paper is dead,” after all, yet they remind you that “paper is sustainable, renewable, and recyclable.” Make me a copy too, while you’re at it.

Seth Godin’s Knock Knock book wasn’t free at one time, and the reverse psychology he employed to prompt sales and awareness of it before it became free came with the simple email, “Please don’t buy my new ebook.”

It’s hard not to love a guy who’s so straightforward and honest (and even encouraging you to donate to Red Cross while you’re checking out the free PDF file he’s so generously shared).

Don’t Push the Button!

The trick is not to appear manipulative. If your audience gets a whiff of this, then reverse reverse psychology will come into play, and they will do what you were asking them not to do, like not buy the book, or not push the button.

A cat can get away with this because she knows reverse reverse psychology means you don’t get to pet her highness. This is simply not an option.

Don’t pet the cat. I dare you to not pet the cat.

 

Filed Under: Internet Marketing 101, Kacee's Posts, Marketing

How to Keep Your WordPress Usernames Safe

June 28, 2013 Beth Devine

loophole hackers haveThere’s a simple way for hackers to phish your username and then attempt to log in through your log in page.

First, finding your WordPress log in page is as easy as typing in this:

yourdomain.com/wp-login.php

Second, they can phish for your username by entering what’s called the author archive’s URL into the address bar:

yoursitename.com/?author=1

All hackers have to do is change the author number until the usernames come up. When I tried this on two different sites I have admin access to, not only did the usernames of authors come up, but the usernames of subscribers were also exposed.

As I changed the author number, the subscriber names either popped up on the web page with “Archives for” preceding the name (even though there are no archives/content for the names), or they appeared in a drop down box beneath the address bar, or in the browser tab.

Avoid the Danger of Username Theft

In the meantime, when an author is identified with admin rights, the hacker can attempt to access your site by brute force password attacks. This loophole for finding usernames in WordPress sites confirms the danger of two things.

1. A weak password needs updated.

WordPress offers password strength help here.

Your WordPress password is easily changed in your Users Profile under About Yourself.

2. For your username, don’t choose author name, admin, administrator, or any one of the targeted usernames.

See the list of targeted usernames in the recent brute-force attack here.

Your username can’t be changed in your WordPress profile. Follow my simple steps in How to Change Your WordPress Username through your Cpanel.

For every loophole there is an equally effective loophole filler. In a perfect World Wide Web, that is. Staying abreast of countermeasures against hackers requires constant vigilance and a few WordPress plugins to keep the invasion at bay and your usernames safe.

Keep Hackers Away With a Safe Slug

While the World Wide Web isn’t perfect, there are steps you can take to keep your site secure. The WordPress plugin that works to keep your usernames safe is WP Author Slug.

By automatically creating a different display name from the username, hackers are prevented from figuring out your log in name through the author archive’s URL. Instead, the URL will show a set display name and not the username that’s used to log in.

In case you’re wondering, the author “slug” is also known as your “nicename” and is the URL-friendly version of the website title with the author name. It is automatically generated by WordPress to look like this: example.com/author/authorname.

Just wanted to clear that bit of potential slug-confusion up. Nothing like visions of a slimy slug in your URL to ruin your day.

Good luck keeping your WordPress site secure and the loopholes plugged with safe slugs.

 

Filed Under: Kacee's Posts, Tips for a good website, Tools & Tips, Website Maintenance

3 Rules to Killing Your Monster and Writing Better

June 25, 2013 Beth Devine

Killing Your Monster
Flickr photo courtesy of Rusty Clark

The thought of writing a blog post can send the average self-possessed person into fits of apoplexy.

That monster who hides under your bed? It’s as if he’s crawled out and wants to breathe the air in your shirt collar as soon as you set pen to paper. Or fingers to keyboard.

We’re not all Simon Cowell material, who remains unperturbed even through an ecstatic barrage of egg-bombs. (Just look at the perpetrator’s face in the YouTube video. Have you ever seen an expression of such gleeful retribution?)

However suave and steady you happen to be, sitting down to write, egg-free, can upend your calm state of zen. It’s time to chill and learn the 3 Rules for Writing Better.

Killing your monster is the added perk.

The internet is filled with advice on how to make your writing better, faster, and easier. There’s one thing everyone seems to agree on. It’s probably going to irritate the cowplop right out of you.

Ultimate Rule: Just Write.

3 Rules to Writing BetterIn case  you harbor any doubt, Brian Clark of Copyblogger created the 10 Steps to Becoming a Better Writer. This should really clear things up for you.

Being the generous writer he is, he even gave us a downloadable PDF to hang near our writing space.

Your aversion to writing, your bona fide fear, is about as real as that large red-eyed monster lurking behind you. If you turn around and it snares you in its lethal grip, then I’ll have to admit, you have a real excuse.

Otherwise, you just need to follow the ten steps. And take Stephen King’s advice in On Writing.

“The scariest moment is always just before you start. After that, things can only get better.”

So start. Just write.

The second rule is revolutionary. You will be equally peeved when you realize how straightforward this technique is, and yet, somehow, you’ve managed to remain oblivious.

Revolutionary Rule: Write in longhand.

What? But that’s for grandmas.

Writing in longhand has the remarkable effect of helping you to think better. Now go and tell Grandma that.

Julia Cameron in The Artist’s Way compares writing to driving a car. When you are typing on the computer, it’s like driving 80 miles per hour and missing the exit. Writing by hand is like driving 60 miles per hour and seeing the exit up ahead. You even notice the surrounding sites as you approach your turnoff.

“The act of slowing down brings us to real and surprising clarity, offering insights we would have otherwise missed,” Cameron says at juliacameronlive.com.

Now that you’re determined to travel the scenic route, try using your memory muscle.

Awesome Cheat Rule: Copy the Masters.

When you copy in longhand the writing you admire, you’re exercising your memory muscle. This is the best way to cheat and learn from the masters at the craft.

Find writers who write like you want to write, and spend a half hour to an hour every day copying their work. Your brain will learn the writing style and you’ll be able to mimic it.

Studies of pictures of the brain show “that sequential finger movements activated massive regions involved in thinking, language and working memory—the system for temporarily storing and managing information.”

Repetitive drills, like practicing your golf swing, become part of your memory. Writing better has never been so simple. Practice, use longhand, and learn from the pros.

No one said writing was easy. But it can be simple when you apply methods that work.

How’s your monster? Still breathing?

Filed Under: Kacee's Posts, motivational, Tools & Tips, Website Writing Tips

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