Cruise Geek

Facebook is making changes to it's navigation again.....and changes to the way that you upload photos (a plugin is now required).  Experts speculate that this plugin adds a layer of security that automatically checks for viruses and vunerabilities that are present in the current version of Facebook.

For more info on the changes, see this article :
http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/100208-133907

With the rapid growth of Facebook, it's no wonder that hackers and scam artists have found ways to take advantage of the public using Facebook.  To counter this, agents using facebook to grow their business should read up and follow some simple tips offered by Facebook Security :

If a link or message seems weird, don't click on it. This is true of all spam—whether a chain letter, an ad, or a phishing scam. If it seems weird for an old friend to write on your Wall and post a link, that friend may have gotten phished. Let the person know, and don't click on links you don't trust.

Be aware of where you enter your password. Just because a page on the Internet looks like Facebook, it doesn't mean it is. Learn to tell the difference between a good link and a bad one.

Report any spam or abuse you see on discussion boards and Walls. Those report links are there for a reason. The sooner we find spam, the sooner we can remove it and eliminate spammers from the site.

Don't use the same password on Facebook that you use in other places on the web. If you do this, phishers or hackers who gain access to one of your accounts will easily be able to access your others as well. You might find yourself locked out of your email and even your bank account.

Never share your password with anyone. Don't do it. Facebook will never ask for your password through any form of communication. If someone pretending to be a Facebook employee asks you for it, don't give it out, and report the person immediately.

Don't click on links or open attachments in suspicious emails. Fake emails can be very convincing, and hackers can spoof the "From:" address so the email looks like it's from Facebook. If the email looks weird, don't trust it, and delete it from your inbox.

Add a security question. If your login information ever does get stolen, you might need this to prove your identity to Facebook. If you haven't already done so, you can add a security question from the "Account Settings" page.

Be wary of unusual stories. If a friend or someone else contacts you claiming to be stranded somewhere and in need of money, verify this through other means, such as by talking to the person over the phone.

Evidently iPhone is feeling the heat.... After Google's recent release of the Droid operating system for mobile phones and it's recent announcement that it was getting into the mobile phone business with it's new Nexus One phone. These moves have Apple investigating a new search relationship with Microsoft in order to use Bing as the default search partner on the iPhone (Apple currently defaults to Google).

Apple has stated that they feel somewhat uncomfortable with the type of competitive info Google has from iPhone users who are using Google search, and I can understand their concern, but I never imagined that concern would lead to Apple and Microsoft co-operating. Kind of makes you wonder if the Mac vs PC commercials will continue.

Seeing two major giants like Apple and Google slug it out in the mobile search market should help any marketer realize the growing role of both mobile and local search marketing in the future of online marketing. Mobile is where it's at....and getting listed in local search has never been more important.

Here are a few important links for those engaged is getting their business listed locally :

Google Local Business Center
Bing Local Search Center
Yahoo Local Listings

CruiseOne and Cruises Inc Franchisees can get a a complete list of important local links on the Business Center - just use the BC Search Term "Free Listings"

Everyone knows email has been around for a quite a while but is very limiting from a technology standpoint. Here's Google's new take on communicating electronically via a new product called Google Wave. Google Wave is a combination between email, discussion forum, a wiki, social networking and a real-time translation service. It's simply an amazing tool that's capable of helping businesses cross borders and work more efficiently. The full scope of the product is almost impossible to describe. Here's a short video that starts to explain the capabilities of this amazing product :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6pgxLaDdQw

Check out wave at http://wave.google.com

The following article talks about some affordable approaches to link building. Link building is is one of 3 key elements (relevant content, on-site optimization and link building) of search optimization and probably the single most important element of natural search engine optimization.

http://searchenginewatch.com/3635630

Mike Monahan

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

I found an interesting article on social networking, and thought it was worth sharing :

http://blogs.imediaconnection.com/2009/10/25/8-Idiot-Mistakes-in-Social-Media_962.aspx

Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Ok conducted a few tests and found that the Share This widget doesn't correctly convey links to Blooger when the links contain a "+" sign in them. Documented the error and reported it to ShareThis. Hopefully it will get fixed shortly. We're looking into ways to eliminate plus symbols in URL's in the interim.