We all know how annoying and frustrating it can be having to come up with a unique password for each of the many online website accounts we have. It’s quite convenient to use the same password, but recent website hacks have shown that this practice could compromise all that personal data and digital information we’re trying to keep locked away. A recent article revealed that the average web user has something like 25 online accounts but only 6.5 passwords. That may be handy when it comes to logging in (or reducing the time it takes to get into an account when you happen to forget the password) but if one of your accounts is hacked it means it’s very easy for the hackers to then access all your other online accounts. With the power of even an average CPU to play with, a hacker can run a script to test billions of password combinations in just seconds. If a hacker gets into one account then it’s really not difficult to try other accounts using the same password, or to run a script to guess at them. It may be a pain in the hyppocampus to have a different password for every website account, but if you want to secure your personal data, I recommend starting on the cod liver oil to help improve your memory.
Monthly Archives: August 2012
License Production Music logo design
License Production Music, Duns
Scottish Borders Website Design is very excited about this new venture. LPM is the music side of the business – a source of unique and highly original rights cleared music that will shortly be available for licensing in film, TV, radio, advertising and the games industry. LPM needed it’s own identity, but the shades of pink used within the icon connect it to Scottish Borders Website Design. The icon itself adds an element of symmetry, balance and movement, and is based on a spinning CD (or record, if you’re old school). We’re moving onto the website design and online music catalogue next.
The faceless world of Facebook
Social media is an essential element of marketing and website promotion for businesses large and small. The Panda update that Google rolled out last year means that website developers, marketers and business owners can’t rely on old fashioned SEO and link building techniques to help keep their sites near the top of the rankings in organic search. Facebook might be thought of as online Marmite by some (I know more people who would rather repeatedly hit themselves in the face with a bouquet of thistles than use Facebook), but a significant company presence on Facebook, combined with a decent number of “likes” and links does aid website marketing and boost site traffic.
However, I think we need to question the true value social media has with regards website marketing and SEO. Facebook recently announced that 83 million of its accounts are fake. A quick search online will allow you to find websites that offer to sell “likes” and “followers” by the tens of thousands for Facebook and Twitter – these fake users appear to make a company or product considerably more popular than it actually is (all for $10 or under, thanks to assistance from outsourcing services in India and China).
In an article last July a BBC reporter set up a fake account, purchased “like adverts” and discovered “Within minutes people were starting to “like” my meaningless site, and within 24 hours I had 1,600 likes – and had spent my $10. Where were they from?”. 1,600 likes for a completely fake account and $10 profit for Facebook; not a bad business model. With fake users, fake likes and fake followers what’s next? Well just today, the BBC reported that a fake Facebook advert for £75 worth of free Tesco vouchers has fooled many users, and is nothing but a scam.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not anti-Facebook, it is a very effective social media marketing tool, however I do still need to be convinced of Google’s consideration of social media when it comes to gauging site popularity and ranking of results in organic search. With companies profiting from creating fake Facebook accounts, and Facebook users and Facebook itself unable to accurately gauge which accounts, “likes” and followers are fake, should social media currently have a strong bearing on SEO and search engine results?