UNI TECH BLOG I

AFP

WASHINGTON: Internet security firm Sophos has warned Facebook users to be on the alert for a scam which sends a spam message to all of their friends on the social network.

Sophos, in a pair of blog posts said “hundreds of thousands” of Facebook users have fallen for the scam which it dubbed “likejacking.”

It said some Facebook users had received a message such as “This man takes a picture of himself EVERYDAY for 8 YEARS!!” and were encouraged to click on a link.

Sophos said clicking on the link takes a Facebook user to what appears to be a blank page with a “Click here to continue” message.

Sophos said clicking on the page publishes the original message on their own Facebook page with a “like” notation and recommends it to all of their Facebook friends.

“This of course posts a message to your newsfeed, your friends see it and click on it, and so it spreads,” Sophos said.

Sophos warned last week about a Facebook scam designed to trick users into installing adware, a software package that automatically plays, displays or downloads advertisements to their computer.

That followed a similar scam that spread on Facebook the week before involving a fake posting tagged as the “sexiest video ever,” according to Sophos.

Social networking upstart Twitter has made the jump to academia’s hallowed halls, with “tweets” made compulsory writing for would-be journalists at an Australian university.

“Some students’ tweets are not as in depth as you might like. But I don’t know if getting them to write an essay is any more beneficial,” Jacqui Ewart, senior lecturer at Griffith University said.

Twitter micro blogs have become an online phenomenon with users sending “tweets” of upto 140 characters, or just a few words, to increasing numbers of “followers”.

The service rose to global prominence during unrest in the wake of Iran’s recent presidential election with tweets used to broadcast otherwise restricted information.

The service is being used more frequently by politicians, including Australia’s bookish Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who has asked followers to recommend movie choices and this week “tweeted” about his visit to a rural bakery.

Students were using twitter as an exercise in self-reflection”, Ewart said, citing increasing demand from employers for people to use social networking tools.

But reaction from students has been mixed, she said, raising questions over the utility of using sites like Twitter and Facebook in a formal education curriculum.

“Quite surprisingly a lot of students didn’t know what twitter was. There were a couple of really vocal students who were saying they could not believe we were using it and thought it was a waste of time,” Ewart said.

CREATING A BLOG ISN’T DIFFICULT BUT ENSURING IT HAS A LOT OF VISITORS CAN BE CHALLENGING.

HERE ARE SMPLE TIPS THAT CAN WORK FOR YOUR SPACE ON THE WEB

Blogs, blogs and more blogs! Web space has been invaded by blogs. Be if a professional or a student or a housewife, today everyone feels the need to jot down their thoughts, woes, joys in a blog. For some it’s a medium that helps them stay connected with friends, whereas for others it is a platform for their writing.

Every blogger has a purpose behind creating a blog. So starting a blog isn’t hard, but maintaining one and gaining readership can be quite a task, but all that is required is an understanding of the reader and the effort to keep the blog alive.

Here’s what you need.

1. TOPIC AND URL

Choose the subject and the URL

Very carefully. An interesting topic

Will attract readers whereas a simple

URL will be easy on readers’ memory.

With someone as popular as Amithbabh Bachchan, it’s easy to

Trace his blog. But a blog on technology should have something related to the subject it in the URL itself. e.g. www.techgadgets.in, www.techgazing.com

2.DESIGN

Try and have a design that is soft on eyes. This includes the background theme, colour, fonts and font size but all this should match the subject of the blog.

Designers suggest text in black or gray on a white background is the safest bet. Subtle colours should be used on the sides.

3. CONTENT

Whatever subject you may choose to write about, try and offer something fresh to the reader. It can be an opinion about something or even an instance. Readers look for something new.

4. UPDATES

Update your blog on weekly basis. If possible past twice a week. Those blogs that are not uploaded for a couple of months are considered dead.

5. RSS FEEDS AND NEWSLETTERS

These are some ways to notify your reader about the updates.

RSS feeds will help those readers who wish to keep track of your writing. Also send across newsletters or e-mail to the readers once a week about the updates.

6. INTERACT
comments work as a medium for communication between the blogger and his readers. How whatever the comments may be, try and revert. This will help the reader feeling important and he will recognize with the blog.

7. SEARCH ENGINE

Search engines often pick up blogs that are popular. This might depend upon the various things such as number of hits, quality of content or the popularity of the blogger.

8. COUNTERS

Visit counters show the number of visits. But try and keep it invisible initially. Once you have good

number of visits, make it visible. More visits or numbers are likely to influence the readers into thinking it’s a popular blog as a lot a people keep coming. But it might as well work the other way round if the visits are less.

9. MONEY MAKING

If you are interested in earning money from your blog, try writing on subject such as technology, real estate, online marketing, etc. people are curious to learn about various topics without spending money. Therefore if you have the hits, advertisers are likely to come. Even the visit records generated by counters works as a proof.

SITES THAT HOST YOUR BLOGS www.blogger.com, www.wordpress.org, www.blogspot.com,www.soulcast.com