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Friday, December 7, 2012

SCAM ALERT…SCAM ALERT…

 

BEWARE: SCAMMING your bank account

j0439605_01


 

This came in my email “JUNK” box…

If you get this email DO NOT RESPOND…

NOTE: This graphic is not part of the email…only used to designate
ambiguity, puzzlement, questions…
I will use this symbol as my SCAM ALERT icon… –
GuruDan

 

HERE IS THE EMAIL…taken from my JUNK box…links have been disabled for your protection…

“ SUBJECT: RBC needs your help resolving an issue with your account.
FROM: RBC Royal Bank of Canada [royalbank@host135-161-149-62.serverdedicati.aruba.it]
Sent: Fri 07/12/2012 6:01 AM
To: GuruDan

Dear Customer,

We need your help resolving an issue with your account. To give us time to work together on this, we've temporarily limited what you can do with your account until the issue is resolved.

We understand it may be frustrating not to have full access to your RBC bank account. We want to work with you to get your account back to normal as quickly as possible.

What's the problem?

We want to check with you to make sure that no one has logged in to your account without your permission.

Please take a moment to change your password and create new security questions. You should also take a look at your account information and recent transactions. Make sure that your account information (address, phone number, etc.) hasn't changed and that you recognize all of your recent transactions.

Client e-mail:

gurudan@…………

How you can help?

It's usually pretty easy to take care of things like this. Most of the time, we just need a little more information about your account or latest transactions.

To help us with this and to find out what you can and can't do with your account until the issue is resolved, log in to your account.

Click on the link below to proceed

https://www1.royalbank.com/cgi-bin/rbaccess/rbunxcgi%3FF6=1%26F7=IB%26F21=IB%26F22=IB%26REQUEST=ClientSignin%26LANGUAGE=ENGLISH

Yours sincerely,

John Hudey - Accounts Manager.

Copyright © 2012 Royal Bank of Canada. All rights reserved. “

PLEASE DO NOT RESPOND OR CLICK ON THE LINK…It will upload malicious spyware into your computer system.

 


Wednesday, December 5, 2012

A Social Media Strategy for Influence, Authority and Time Management…

 

7 Must Have Social Media Business Tools for Influence, Authority and Time Management

Written by Erin Nelson
Categories: Social Media, Social Media Marketing, social media tools

You’re in social business. Among the many things on your busy agenda, you need to research relevant influencers in social media.7 Social Media Business Tools for Influence, Authority and Time Management

From them, you can learn, connect, utilize their communities, and engage in conversation. You are also expected to advocate your brand, through storytelling and the publication of your professional/niche knowledge. To make your efforts in influencer research and content creation worthwhile, you then have to distribute your ideas and content.

Unless you want to spend all day, every day consumed in social networks – here are seven tools to help you efficiently engage in the processes of social business.

 

1. Topsy

In every network that can be used for social business, identifying relevant influencers and their topics of discussion is essential to assert your own industry authority and be “in the know.” Topsy is an app that helps you locate influencers by keyword, company name, person or category.

Social Media Tool Topsy

You can see the degree to which people are influential within a keyword and have access to what they have written on Twitter, Google+ and other portals online. You can also view what others have published about these influencers and what is being said about them in independent, online conversations. All of this information is coded in a user-friendly, efficient and sophisticated way – making it highly effective for the speedy researcher.

 

2. exploreB2B

Finding a network where you standout as an expert is difficult in today’s world of social 2.0. exploreB2B is a publishing platform for professionals in which you can assert thought leadership by writing articles about your industry knowledge and connecting to relevant influencers.

Social Media Tool Explore B2B

Besides establishing authority by writing about industry findings, producing case studies, and how-to articles that reflect the message of your company – you produce the effect of branding your knowledge. If enough people find your content useful and offer their endorsement, you can even earn an, ‘expert’ badge.

Articles themselves receive traffic on the platform and serve as good material for other social media networks (Twitter, LinkedIn, Quora).

 

3. ScoopIt

Being a leader in your industry doesn’t just mean creating and distributing your own content. It also means finding a way to curate content in a way that shows the breadth of your interest and knowledge.

Social Media Tool Scoopit

Are you a valuable resource for industry information if you only promote your own ideas? Maybe. But if you also make available the insight of others who have influenced you (alongside your own), your content suddenly promises more credibility.

ScoopIt allows you to curate articles from all online sources and categorize them based on topic or theme. (Think Pinterest for written content.) As content creation becomes more widespread, the ability to curate excellent material also matters for proving your expertise and enhancing your industry reputation.

 

4. TweetDeck

Once you have chosen to invest in consistent Twitter engagement, you need to find a way to monitor your interaction. Responding to people who have engaged with you in conversation, re-tweeting influencers who post useful information for your followers, and answering direct is made easier by TweetDeck.

Social Media Tool Tweetdeck

While Tweet Deck could be misconstrued as “Twitter in a different layout” – it’s clean usability saves precious time throughout your workday. There’s no need to spend four hours/day on Twitter, when TweetDeck can help you manage important messages and updates within a medium that makes all forms of interaction more efficient.

 

5. Tweepi

Tweepi is the Twitter tool that helps turn accounts from a cute attempt of being influential to toting a powerful amount of followers who are both relevant and willing to promote what you have to say.

Social Media Tool Tweepi

Tweepi works by entering the Twitter handle of any influencer that is relevant to your profession. A list of their followers appears (ie people who have already chosen to follow tweets about your same or similar industry topics). You can choose whom to follow by ticking the box next to their name. While this system is not fail-proof and there are no guarantees the person will follow you back, there is no doubt the number of followers you acquire and activity your account sees, will sky rocket by exposing yourself and engaging with a high-volume of relevant Twitter users.

It’s up to you to decide whether or not you consider the followers gained from Tweepi as “organic.” If that’s important to you, mull it over. Just ask yourself if at the end of the day you can really tell who would or wouldn’t have followed you if you were engaging in relevant Twitter conversations. To many, Tweepi is just a faster way to get where you want to be.

 

6. Buffer

Buffer is a healthy social business automation tool that can take time spent ensuring that you have enough content spreading throughout Twitter, to a minimal time investment. Fill in the buffer queue with links, quotes, pictures, comments and set the times are which you want your content to go out to Twitter, Facebook or both. (You can use SocialBro, another useful Twitter tool to find when are your optimal times to share by regional demographic and time zone.)

Social Media Tool Bufferapp

Should you find something you wish to share throughout the day, it is simple to add to the queue. Buffer provides automatic shortened links, which critical for those 140 character tweets.

Besides freeing yourself from time-consuming manual habits, Buffer gives you a clear sense of what your “social language” sounds like. When you look at the entirety of your buffer queue for the day, you can tell if you sound like someone to whom you would want to listen.

 

7. Social Oomph

SocialOomph is the broadsword for Twitter and social automation. Timed status updates are available on almost any social platform, queues of status updates, automatic follow back, scheduled blog posts, and statistics on clicks and downloads. It seems like, if social automation is possible, the app has the feature.

Social Media Tool Socialoomph

Probably the most useful feature of SocialOomph is automated direct messages for new followers on Twitter. While this tactic isn’t for everyone, sending out a direct message to new followers is a good way to introduce yourself and what you are doing. As soon as your account has reached a certain amount of influence, you will not be able to send everyone a direct message. (SocialOomph comes to the rescue.)

As a word of warning: it is easy to get “lost in automation” using this tool. The sheer amount of features can be more time consuming than tweeting on your own. Also, keep in mind that a lot of these features can be used for spamming innocent people – it is up to the user to refrain from doing so.

 

Get Started!

Social media tools are evolving at a blinding pace. Choose them, and choose them wisely, but be sure you do in fact commit to these networks and their automation/organizational tools, to maximize your social business influence, interaction and speed at which you distribute content and connect. Think in terms of both time – and money – management.

Guest Author: Erin is the CMO for the international, professional-publishing platform, exploreB2B. Moving between San Francisco and Berlin, she relies heavily on global communication. You can follow her @erincnelson.

 

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

SPAM for SCAM

BEWARE: SCAMMING your bank account

j0439605_01
This came in my email “JUNK” box…
If you get this email DO NOT RESPOND…

NOTE: This graphic is not part of the email…only used to designate
ambiguity, puzzlement, questions…
I will use this symbol as my SCAM ALERT icon… –
GuruDan







HERE IS THE EMAIL…taken from my JUNK box…links have been disabled for your protection…

SUBJECT: Please review the Electronic Access Agreement (2012)
FROM: CIBC Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce [reviews@cibconline.cibc.com]
Sent: Tue 02/10/2012 4:13 AM
To: GuruDan


Dear Customer,
You've entered GuruDan’s email as the contact email address for your CIBC online banking account. As we previously announced on the CIBC Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce website, the Electronic Access Agreement has changed. To complete the process and continue using your online account, we need to verify that this email address belongs to you. Simply click the link below, sign in using your CIBC online ID (45xx xxxx xxxx xxxx) and complete the form. https://www.cibconline.cibc.com/olbtxn/authentication/SignOn.cibc <http://dogbite.de/export/redirect>

Thanks,
CIBC Customer Support.
Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce - 2012 CIBC ®


----------------------------------------------------------------








LiveJournal Tags: ,,,,

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

98% of Americans Distrust the Internet [STUDY]

July 19, 2012 by Kate Freeman

networking02

We know it’s smart to check multiple sources when you read something on the Internet, but exactly how leery is the public when it comes to information on the web? A study conducted by Harris Interactive highlights just how widespread this lack of trust in information on the Internet is for most Americans.

According to the survey of 1,900 Americans, 98% distrust information found on the Internet, with 94% saying “bad things can happen as a result of acting on inaccurate information online.”

Reasons Americans distrust information on the Internet include:

  • Too many ads – 59%
  • Outdated information – 56%
  • Information is self-promotional – 53%
  • Unfamiliar forums – 45%

The 94% who worried that “bad things” could happen were mostly concerned about wasting their time (67%). Other fears included getting a computer virus (63%), losing money (51%), risk of fraud (51%) and damaging their credibility (36%).

The study was sponsored by Mancx, a company offering trusted answers for business questions. Instead of posting a question on a site like Quora or Yahoo Answers, Mancx is a business question-and-answer website that allows individuals to securely buy and sell their knowledge with others.

How much trust do you place in information you read on the Internet?

 

LiveJournal Tags: ,,,

When SPAM becomes SCAM


j0439605_01

This came in my email “INBOX” box today…I was on the alert this time so I did not open it.
This time the scammers used “Visa Credit Card”…

If you get this email DO NOT OPEN the attachment.
NOTE: This graphic is not part of the email…only used to designate ambiguity, puzzlement, questions…
I will use this symbol as my SCAM ALERT icon… –
GuruDan




Here is the email: Active links have been removed…
Subject: GuruDan Ram - your attention requiredMessage Center [cjl1998@hotmail.co.uk]
Sent: Tue 24/07/2012 9:08 AM
To: GuruDan Ram
Dear GuruDan,
On behalf of your employer, you have been issued a $1,000 Visa Gift Card free of charge.
Card type: Visa Gift Card
Issued to: GURUDAN RAM
Issuing branch: Toronto, Ontario
Denomination: $1,000.00
Valid until: 08/2015
Please use the following website to claim your card and have it shipped to the address of your choosing:
Go to: www repay2012 com
Note that claims must be made within 48 hours from this email being sent, or the above link will become invalid.
Sincerely,
Claire Hamberg - Customer Service
Benefits Office, LLC



Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Spam, spam n’ then some more…


j0439605_01
This came in my email “INBOX” box…I must admit that I got caught this time…it looked so real…
This time the scam used “LinkedIn”…
If you get this email DO NOT OPEN the attachment.
NOTE: This graphic is not part of the email…only used to designate
ambiguity, puzzlement, questions…
I will use this symbol as my SCAM ALERT icon… –
GuruDan




Here is the email: Active links have been removed...


LinkedIn


Gwendolen Murray has sent you a message.
Date: 07/18/2012
Subject: Can i place your video on our page?
Hi.
Can i place your video on our page?

View/reply to this message

Don't want to receive e-mail notifications? Adjust your message settings.
© 2012, LinkedIn Corporation

Friday, July 6, 2012

A jobs boom built on sweat in an age of belt-tightening

By CATHERINE RAMPELL | New York Times – Tue, 3 Jul, 2012 1:48 PM EDT

The job of personal trainer is one of the fastest-growing occupations in the United States,despite the challenges of uneven regulation, irregular hours and low pay

Want to know what the job of the future looks like? Go to the gym.

Phillip Hoskins did, but not to work out. He went to find clients, and to join the ranks of personal trainers, one of the fastest-growing American occupations.

“I knew I didn’t want a desk job,” said Mr. Hoskins, of Louisville, Ky., who became a personal trainer after being let go, after 17 years, from a middle-management position at a car repair shop in December. “I’m pretty fit for 51 years old, and I knew I could do something with that.”

Once stereotyped as the domain of bodybuilders and gym devotees, personal training isilikecurves drawing the educated and uneducated; the young and old; men and women; the newly graduated, the recently laid-off and the long retired.

From 2001 to 2011, the number of personal trainers grew by 44 percent, to 231,500, while the overall number of workers fell by 1 percent, according to the Labor Department.

It is no wonder that so many Americans are trying to transform a passion for fitness into a new career.

Personal training requires many of the skills and qualities of the new typical middle-class American job: it is a personal service that cannot be automated or sent offshore, that caters to a wealthier client base and that is increasingly subsidized (in this case, by employers and insurance companies).

But as people with such jobs have found, the pay is low. Unlike the clock-in-and-clock-out middle-class jobs of the past, personal service occupations have erratic hours, require entrepreneurial acumen and offer little job security.

“The kind of job where you come in and work 9 to 5, and where someone tells you what to do all day is becoming scarcer and scarcer,” said Erik Brynjolfsson, an economics professor at M.I.T. and co-author of “Race Against the Machine,” a book about how automation is changing the job market. “The kind of job where you have to hustle and hustle and where you’re not sure whether you will have enough clients next month, where you have less job security, is becoming much more common.”

For personal trainers, the median hourly wage is less than $15. Because they have to find clients and set up their businesses, trainers must be flexible, adapting to client schedules and physical abilities, as well as the availability of exercise machines and accommodating weather.

They must also be able to engage with all sorts of personalities — precisely the skills that help keep these jobs around while others are replaced by algorithms.

biggie01“Knowing how to keep someone motivated and how to keep a connection are skills humans have learned and evolved over hundreds of thousands of years,” Professor Brynjolfsson said. “A robot can’t figure out whether you can do one more push-up, or how to motivate you to actually do it.”

Donna Martin, 69, of Orlando, Fla., recently became a personal trainer after having been retired for 25 years. She mostly works with clients over age 60. “I think my age actually helps me get clients,” she said.

Another reason for the surge in personal trainers — as well as home health aides and other midskill service occupations — is that the barriers to entry are low.

The industry is mostly unregulated, with private organizations rather than governments issuing certifications. Once upon a time, some certification organizations required bachelor’s degrees and intensive study; now dozens of groups offer ever cheaper and easier certifications to serve the fitness boom.

The fitness industry has been growing steadily in good economies and bad, with American health clubs adding about 10 million members since the recession officially began in 2007, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association.

Facing a sea of options, Mr. Hoskins chose an online test that cost $60 by Action, an organization founded in 2008. Action is not accredited by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies, the group the industry uses to vet such certifications, though, and he could not find a local gym that recognized the credential.

He is now studying for a more in-depth test from an older group, the American Council on Exercise, and trying to train clients on his own until he can qualify to work for a gym. The study materials and test cost about $500.

Some older certifying organizations favor more regulation because they see the industry maturing and fear that increasing numbers of new trainers with less experience will dilute the reputation of trainers in general.

“We are really trying to professionalize this industry, and state-by-state licensure may be what we need,” said Mike Clark, the chief executive of the National Academy of Sports Medicine and a licensed physical therapist. “Right now, the gyms really don’t want that, though, because they’re already having trouble finding enough trainers with just the current system.”

In a country with a 35.7 percent obesity rate, potential customers are plentiful, at least in theory.

But personal training, like other personal services, is increasingly freelance. Most trainers drum up their own business. It does not help that trainers must persuade strangers to pay to do something they probably do not like to do: exercise.

“I’ve got a Web site, a blog, a Twitter account, a Facebook feed, an e-mail blast, basically any kind of social media I can find to get the word out there,” said Mark Spurbeck, 28, of Eagan, Minn., a college graduate with a degree in English and history. He got his certification in May but is still primarily working as a Web site designer.

“I’ve been telling my friends: ‘Let’s work out for free. Don’t worry about paying me. My only fee is telling your other friends to hire me,’ ” he said.

So far he has two paying clients, whom he trains at their homes.

Mr. Spurbeck has considered working at a gym, where possible clients would at least all be in one place. But his local gyms, he said, generally take a 50 percent commission on all sessions, and would require him to be there eight hours a day regardless of whether he had clients booked.

That is because many gyms use trainers as recruiters for their own clients, even though knowing how to do the perfect pull-up does not necessarily translate into good salesmanship.

“A lot of people have the passion for the training and helping people, but then they get in that environment and then they just don’t know how to sell themselves to clients,” Mr. Spurbeck said. “I know a lot of trainers who are doing more sales than actually training.”

The incentive structure at gyms has evolved to further prioritize salesmanship over formal credentials.

“Back 10 years ago, pay was based purely on education,” said David Van Daff, the vice president for membership at the National Academy of Sports Medicine, who said he had hired more than 12,000 trainers as a manager at Bally Total Fitness, a national gym chain. “The structure has changed at a lot of gyms, where now it’s based more on productivity — how many hours you’ve already booked.”

As for Mr. Hoskins, he continues trying to find clients while he studies for certification.

“I’ve been talking to people through my church mostly,” he said. “It’s going to have to be word of mouth at this point. All that’s up to me is I have to perform when I do find them.”