Does my Boss Want my Facebook password?

          I found this article really interesting as I know employers during an interview will have already looked up your're Facebook etc, to see what kind of a person you are.  That's why you need to have your settings set properly, so not just anyone can poke around at your profile.  I can't believe the correction officer gave up his information.  I told myself I wouldn't as I read this article that I would never give my Facebook information to a potential employer, but then again if I needed the job for the money/benefits I probably would.  I also thought about I have nothing on my Facebook that I believe would put me in jeopardy for getting a job or not getting the job.

          This article is about Bosses of companies are more commonly asking for potential employees' passwords for Facebook.  Where they then log in and poke around looking for "if they are part of a gang or have an affiliation with a gang".  This clearly not only violates the persons personal space but violates  Facebook's Terms of Service by giving out your're password.  In addition to Maryland, Lawmakers in Illinois are considering legislation that would ban the practice by employers.  I am all for banning this practice because it would eliminate the awkward moment during an interview when you're boss asks about your Facebook.

I found this article which may be a good read for anyone applying for a job in a state where they haven't banned employers asking for your Facebook information!
http://mashable.com/2012/04/08/employer-facebook-password/

 

Blog # 4

I chose the article about Twitter. It talks about the 10 uses for Twitter. The first use is to listen what others are saying about you. This is very true because people can tweet about performing an activity with you, for example going to the movie with you or could also be writing some mean things about you without using your name. The second use is generating referrals. You can see what others are recommending as a store, but it's also a way to network with work, school or maybe even your job. The third use is developing a strong media relationship. This means having a connection with the media and knowing what is going on in the world with the news, politics, fashion and weather. The fourth use is modernizing customer service. People can get customer service by tweeting back and forth. Also, others than need customer service can see that's it's a problem for others and not just themselves. The fifth use is recruiting top talents. People can be hired or jobs can be looked at on Twitter. If the company sees someone on twitter, they can recruit them right on Twitter. Twitter also allows you to promote your business and yourself, which is the sixth use. You can give your business more attraction by giving your Twitter followers special deals for your business. You can also promote yourself to be ready for a job interview or just to look like a great candidate to be picked as the class President. The seventh use is communicating with employees. You as the employer can communicate with your employees better and faster on Twitter. The eighth use is improving your social media IQ. It's interesting to see how many conversations use a hash-tag and that hash-tag is used all over the world. The ninth use is networking with industry executives and influencers. This allows you to keep in contact with the higher boss of you and make sure you are on the right track. Last, but not least, keep tabs on your competitors, as the tenth use. It's nice to see what the competitors are doing for their next idea or product. Also, people tweet about their good and bad so you will most likely have a chance to see your competitors have a bad streak. It's good to be able to see the changes. I love Twitter and I feel all these uses are very helpful.

Blog #4

The article that I chose is called “FacebookPassword isn’t your boss’ business”. It was written by CNN Reporter Doug Gross on March 22^nd 2012. In the article it talks about how bosses are now asking for potential employees’ passwords to social media networking sites to get a more throughout insight into their potential employee. In the article it talks about huge controversies such as giving your password up to be “considered for employment, or be-friend on Facebook people from that company so they can keep an eye on you. This controversy has gotten attention from an ACLU attorney, who said it is a “violation of privacy” and “people are entitled to their own private lives”.  In the article it discussed a particular case where a man who was looking to get re-instated as a corrections officer in Baltimore got asked to give up his password. This particular case when I read about it in this article very much aggravated me for many reasons. The man was looking to get re-instated which meant he already was, so I felt this level of difficulty was ridiculous. Secondly, because after he gave him his private information, reluctantly of course, he proceeded to login right in front of him. This was extremely unprofessional, first for even asking, second for actually logging in. When the man asked him why, his response was “I’m looking through your messages, on your wall, and your photos to see if you are in a gang or have any gang affiliation.” This extremely outraged me, because of the fact that employers have no stooped this low, and secondly because of this particular case. This man has been a corrections officer before; he was just going to get re-instated. He got instated in the first place for a reason; they obviously did a very extensive background check before they even allowed him to be a corrections officer in the first place. I feel that this new “policy” is ridiculous, but in these tough times, with how the economy is going people can’t afford to not accommodate what the employers want because they need the jobs and that is unfortunate, because they have to give up their own personal privacy in the process.  

3D printing

A 3-D Printer Created This Shoe (March 31, 2012)

http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/tech/2012/03/31/nr-kaye-3d-printer.cnn#/video/tech/2012/03/31/nr-kaye-3d-printer.cnn

3D printing is not a brand new technology. It has been around for a few years now. A 3D printer will actually create an object that a person can physically pick up and maybe even use. The printer uses a type of plastic and creates layers to build an object from the ground up. On CNN, they had 3 of these #D printers printing different objects. The person who owned the printers had made a small head that resembled that of the CNN anchor. The printers can print in color, so virtually any object is within reach in a few minutes. This printer is not only very cool, but it can be extremely useful to a company that wants to create prototypes or models inexpensively. We had an old 3D printer in my high school, but it was not nearly as good as the ones seen on this news clip. The one in my high school created a rough object in only one color. It was interesting to see how technology has improved since the 3D printing was first invented, and it made me think of all the things I could make with one of the printers. I think that the most common use would be for companies that make small objects and need to make models to work with and improve on. I can only think of one idea to improve on this technology. I have no idea how this would work, but a 3D printer would be able to create virtually anything if it could switch materials. As of now, it can only print with a single material, which is a sort of plastic. It makes strong objects and being able to print in as many colors as a regular printer can is an improvement on the old technology. But being able to print with different materials would allow a company such as apple to create prototypes with the materials they are fond of using, such as glass, brushed aluminum, and chrome. This may have a place in the future, but for now, the 3D printer is a very useful tool.

Is Facebook Really Private?

Shannon Porter Over 3 years later, "deleted" Facebook photos are still online February 2012 CNN.com Facebook: Is It Really Private? In today almost all people use Facebook, or definitely know someone who has a Facebook. Facebook is a means for making staying in touch with people much simpler. It allows all of us to simply type it someone’s name, hometown, school, job, etc. and everyone who has these will show up in a list on your page. When I was younger and growing up the popular site of choice was MySpace.com I was never allowed to have MySpace because my parents worried about the stories they heard on the news. But when you think about it Facebook is almost just as bad; Facebook is almost identical to MySpace except with a few restrictions. Some of the most prominent problems Facebook has faced is the fact that when you delete a picture off of Facebook, it doesn’t actually get deleted. It is removed from the site but if you were to save the URL you would be able to pull up the picture. Scandals due to the inability of Facebook to actually delete pictures have taken place in the media in the past years. An example of this would be the Katie Rees, Miss Nevada scandal which led to Ms. Rees being stripped of her title. She had inappropriate pictures online that she thought were deleted and on a private account but someone found them and showed them to the public. I was always told when I was younger that if I didn’t want someone seeing a picture of me I shouldn’t be agreeing for it to be up on Facebook. I feel that because everyone has such easy access to the Facebook and getting in contact with one another that you must be prepared for someone seeing the pictures that you wouldn’t want them seeing.

Syrian Computer Hacking

The article I chose to write about is titled “Computer Spyware is newest Weapon in Syrian Conflict”. The article was published by CNN, on February 17, 2012. This article is about how the Syrian government has started to use computer viruses to hack people’s computers in order to find out what they are doing. So far, they have only found that the Syrian government has hacked computers belonging to members of opposition forces. From what I understand, these viruses are just like ones that we may be able to get on our own computers, accept that these viruses send all the information they gather back to the Syrian government. It has been discovered that these viruses keep track of which keys you use, and also take screen shots of your computer, which would allow the Syrian government to see exactly what someone is doing on their computer. Some of the things professionals have discovered were viewed by the Syrian government include banking files, and well as other personal information. These viruses have been sent to the United States and other professionals for analysis, and they have discovered that the viruses hide within the files in your computer, and are many times invisible to the user, which makes them extremely hard to remove from the computer.

                I feel that although in Syria they don’t have to same rights as we do in America, it’s totally wrong of the government to hack computers belonging to their citizens. I know that the rights people have, and the laws they follow are much different. But I just feel that the government should not be invading the privacy of its citizens. I know that if I lived in Syria and my computer was hacked, it would make me hate the Syrian government even more. So it might be helping the Syrian government at the moment, but I feel that it could possibly cause more people to rise up against the government. This could result in another war, which the United States could possibly get involved in. I’m not saying that this will happen, but form the way things have happened in the past, I wouldn’t be surprised if the United States somehow got involved.     

5 ways to secure your Facebook profile in a post-Timeline world by Rick Forget

When I first got my facebook, I did not really know how to use it.  I did not know how to block people or delete them.  Now Facebook has updated and become more advanced and more private.  At one point everyone you were friends with could see your blogs, and pictures. Know you can pick and choose  who looks at your profile and all your stuff. Recently, Facebook has switched to a more timeline.  It organizes all of your statuses and makes it in order so it is slightly easier to read.  Also the timeline gives you a cover picture and have a profile picture.  Facebook allows you to report if someone has been harrasing you or bullying you.  Facebook tries to crack down on if you are friend requesting people you dont know, it will say "Do you know this person personally?" I think what Facebook is doing is the right thing by trying to stop bullying, because social networks are where a majority of bullying happens.