Social Media Security: Protecting Yourself Against Animal Rescue Scams & More

On February 1, 2013, social media site Twitter announced it had been hacked and roughly “250,000 accounts were potentially compromised, with attackers gaining access to information including user names and email addresses” (Kelly, 2013)
 
Recently there have been other companies that have been in the news with reports of their social media sites being hacked. Since we are living in the digital age, it’s extremely important to be aware of what we post on the internet and on all social media sites. Awareness is key in protecting yourself and your business from identity theft.
 
Companies and organizations need to be prepared in case they are hacked but they should also take extra precautions and follow 15 Social Media Security Tips from McAfee consultant and identity theft expert, Robert Siciliano. Siciliano gives tips on how not to be the next victim. These tips can apply to companies and people who want to prevent identity theft. Some of the tips seemed quite obvious like, choosing unique logins and passwords for each website you sign on to. Then there were other tips that did not seem so obvious. Recently I have seen surveys going around on Facebook. These surveys ask questions that seem fun to answer, but can cost you your privacy in the end. Siciliano notes “Nothing good comes from filling out a “25 Most Amazing Things About You” survey. Avoid publicly answering questionnaires with details like your middle name, as this is the type of information financial institutions may use to verify your identity.” (Siciliano, 2011)
 
Individuals need to be cautious when clicking on links. There are many links on social media sites that are scams and can lead people to entering personally information about themselves. It’s sad but even in society today you have to be cautious about links even on the pages of friends and families. Identity thieves use the people close to you, thinking that you would trust a link posted on their page.

Photo courtesy of http://petadvocatesnetwork.org/wordpress/2012/11/04/great-animal-rescue-or-great-scam-a-complete-guide-by-alison-hector/

 

To steal your identity there are people out there who create false organizations to get your attention. These organizations claim to be taking your donations and putting the money towards saving animals; in reality they are stealing your money and identity for themselves. In an article by Alison Hector, titled Great Animal Rescue or Great Scam?, Hector offers a guide on what to look out for when donating to nonprofit organizations on social media sites. People who donate to animal rescue sites are a huge target for scammers as Hector puts it “the public loves companion animals and are willing to dig deep to see them saved, especially if they are not in a position to foster or adopt more themselves.” (Hector, 2012)
 

References

 

Hector, A. (2012, November 4). Great animal rescue or great scam? a complete guide by alison hector. Retrieved from http://petadvocatesnetwork.org/wordpress/2012/11/04/great-animal-rescue-or-great-scam-a-complete-guide-by-alison-hector/

 

Kelly, H. (2013, February 1). Twitter hacked; 250,000 accounts affected. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/01/tech/social-media/twitter-hacked/

 

Siciliano, R. (2011, July 13). 15 social media security tips. Retrieved from http://blogs.mcafee.com/consumer/15-social-media-security-tips

 

 

Be Flexible in Your Path

I read Chapter Thirteen in Erik Qualman’s, Digital Leader: 5 Simple Keys to Success and Influence, titled ‘Firm in Destination—Flexible in Path.’ The chapter talks about learning from mistakes, “History repeats itself because nobody listens the first time” (Qualman, 2012). Although a situation may seem negative at the time, it can lead to path where a person finds just what they want to do in life. Be open, flexible and ready to adapt because even though there is a plan in play, it doesn’t always work out like it should. The only time a person should not be flexible is when it comes to anything that compromises being true to one's self.

Many people believe they have a purpose in life; some strive to achieve that purpose while others never start or accomplish anything. Then there are some people like Marie Moody, who never expected to change her path in life until an opportunity presented itself that she could not refuse.

Photo courtesy of http://www.forbes.com/sites/sashagalbraith/2013/01/14/marie-moody-innovative-entrepreneur-fetches-profits-chasing-dog-food/

Moody was a busy New Yorker who marketed high-end labels such as Three Dots. One day Moody adopted Chewy, an Airedale-Shar-Pei mix, from a local rescue. Since he was sick and his immune system was so compromised Marie couldn't feed him regular dog food. A veterinarian suggested switching to a raw food diet and Marie started creating meals for Chewy. (Hurt, 2010)

 
A year later, Moody adopted Stella, a terrier blend, who was also on the raw food diet. The diet proved to be beneficial to both Chewy and Stella. Soon Marie was thinking about other animals like hers. In 2003, with a loan of $50,000 from her father, Stella & Chewy’s was created in the kitchen of her Manhattan apartment. (Hurt, 2010)
 
In 2007 she outgrew having her business in her apartment and as of 2010 she maxed out her existing factory space of 20,000 square feet and is looking to expand further. (Hurt, 2010) The paths may change but the destination should remain the same. Moody is a great example of how being open and flexible can come with rewards.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you.” (Qualman, 2012) Moody never set out to turn an idea to make her dogs healthier into a multimillion dollar company. However, Moody loves what she does and turned her passion into a successful business. She also donates a portion of her profits and products each year to animal rescue and welfare organizations. (Hurt, 2010)

You never know what path life is going to take you down, but be open and flexible. The only time a person should not be flexible is when it comes to anything that compromises being true to yourself.
The path this may lead you down just might be the path that leads you to where you were meant to be.

 

References

Hurt, J. (2010, June 25). From fashionista to pet food mogul. Retrieved from http://www.nbcnews.com/id/37694300/

 
Qualman, E. (2012). Digital leader: 5 simple keys to success and influence. McGraw-Hill.

 

 

 

 

 

The BC SPCA Strategic Plan for 2009-2013

The BC SPCA (The British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to protecting and enhancing the quality of life for domestic, farm and wild animals in British Columbia.

This organization set out a strategic plan for 2009-2013, where one of their goals was to increase adoptions and save lives. This goal was to be achieved through increased marketing of adoptable animals with the goal of making the BC SPCA the public’s ”first adoption option.” Strategies were to include the annual adoption drive to increase the number of quality adoptions. They also wanted to make use of the internet to promote the adoption of animals. BC SPCA utilizes their social media platforms to help in the savings of animals lives literally minutes before animals are euthanized. So their communication strategy is not “not merely a vehicle for spreading messages about an product, service, or client” it’s about establishing relationships with society and obtaining win-win solutions, which in this case are saving the lives of animals.

Video courtesy of YouTube.com

I agree with Steyn's characterization of communication as part of an organization's strategic fabric. In reading Argenti, Howell, and Beck (2005) this week I feel the quote from Dell chairman Michael Dell hits the nail on the head when he says, “I communicate with customers, groups of employees and others, while working in a strategy. A key part of strategy is communicating it. Communications is key to operations and execution and an integral part of the process.”(pg 84)

Communication, in any form is key, to the success of a company and not in just externally with stakeholders and society but also internally. Poor internal communication leads to poor external communication. BC SPCA, said in their strategic plan for 2009-2013 that “Recognizing the enormity of our mission, we will make special efforts to enlist, motivate, support and engage as many stakeholders as possible to join us in fulfilling our mission. We will earn their trust and support through open dialogue and the highest levels of transparency and accountability. Accordingly, we will ensure that our guiding principles and beliefs drive our strategic communications. A comprehensive internal communications plan will be developed and implemented to address information gaps within the society and to enhance the level of understanding, participation and engagement of staff and volunteers.” (BC SPCA 2008) Earning the trust and support of stakeholders through open dialogue is important, but how they will do it is just as important. Communications is not just words but actions. BC SPCA takes action to accomplish their set goal through forms of campaigns, events and social media sites which requires clarity and consistency, adjectives that should describe communications.

 

References

 

Argenti, P., Howell, R.,& Beck, K. (2005, Spring). “The strategic communication imperative.” MIT Sloan Management Review,46(3).

BC SPCA. (2008). “A strategic plan for the british columbia society for the prevention of cruelty to animals 2009-2013.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Animal Rescuing is More than Just Cats & Dogs

The feeling of giving and receiving love is like nothing else. Loving is not something just humans do; it’s something animals do as well. Every animal deserves a chance to be loved and given a wonderful life. Many people think of animal rescue as cats and dogs but it’s more than that, so much more.

Social media has provided many ways for people to stay up to date and in contact with organizations that help animals in dire need. Social media has made it possible for people all around the world to connect and donate in ways that were never thought possible.

I look forward to bringing forth information that may forever change your mind and your heart on the topic of animal rescue.