Edie Melson: Don’t Get Hacked. 8 Tips to Stay Safe Online.

Oct 17, 2016 | 2 comments

Edie Melson, Social Media Steampunk, and Molly Jo Realy, Woman of Mystery, at BRMCWC

Edie Melson, Social Media Steampunk, and Molly Jo Realy, Woman of Mystery, at BRMCWC

I met Edie within minutes of arriving at my first Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference in 2015. By the end of Tuesday night, she had not only mentored me in her classes, but we became friends. I still remember as the conference came to a close, she told me, “You better stay in touch, girl. We’re cut from the same cloth.” I couldn’t have a better compliment from someone I respect so much.

 

While you can find me at her blog, The Write Conversation, every third Monday of the month, I wanted my own readers to experience her knowledge. This month, she shares 8 tips to stay safe online.

Don’t Get Hacked!

Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that you’ll never be hacked. Especially since, as writers today, this is where we spend so much of our time. But there are a LOT of things we can do to lower the odds of it happening.

This week I want to give you some tips on how to keep from being hacked online. This advice will continue to change because inevitably, the more wise we become at protecting ourselves, the more cunning those wishing us harm become.

The majority of times we get hacked it’s because we clicked a link that uploaded a virus which opened us up to hackers.

This is the bad news, but there’s also good news. This kind of hacking is preventable, and here are some steps to take to stay safe online.

  1. Be wise. This seems basic, but so many times we just ignore our better judgment. How many of us have been sucked in by direct messages like these? “Have you heard the rumors your friend is spreading about you?” or “This is a hilarious video just uploaded about you.” Stop. Think. Then DON’T click that link!
  1. Assume it’s a lie. Awhile back, I got an email from an online company confirming a large purchase with my credit card. I knew I hadn’t made any purchases, but still had to fight the urge to panic. My gut response was to reply to the email. Thankfully, I took a step back and looked more closely at the email. I noticed several things that made me suspicious. I immediately did an online search for scams involving that company and came up with pages of recent victims. I contacted the company directly (not through the info in their email) and confirmed the email was a ruse to steal my information.
  1. Never give out sensitive information. Let me repeat, NEVER GIVE OUT SENSITIVE INFORMATION! Companies don’t ask for bank account info, passwords or other information over the internet. First, if you’re a customer, they already have all of your information they need. Keeping up with personal passwords is a liability for companies.
  1. Stop accepting friend requests on Facebook from people you don’t know. If you’ve read my blog for long, you know that I run my personal FB profile as a public forum. BUT I still don’t allow “FRIEND” access to strangers. There was a time when we could look at common friends as a sort of endorsement for accepting a connect. That time is GONE. The only time I might consider looking further at a possible friendship would be if we had HUNDREDS of friends in common.
  1. Never share personal data while you’re on a public Wi-Fi. This includes logging into sites when you must type in a password. It’s okay to bring up a site you’re already logged into, but NEVER type a password in a public place. Not only is it a risk, but it’s so easy to counterfeit a public Wi-Fi and make it look legitimate.
  1. Use two-level authentication whenever possible. For instance, when I log into my Google account from a new device or new location, I receive a text message with an additional code I must type in. This has saved me so many times. A lot of networks offer this option and I always sign up for it. It may seem frustrating when you’re in a hurry. The truth is, when we’re rushed is when we’re not paying attention and we’re often more vulnerable.
  1. For PC users, invest in a good security program. And good programs don’t necessarily mean expensive programs. AVG is excellent and has free options.
  1. Have a different password for EVERY site you’re on. And change your passwords every six months. I know you don’t want to hear it, but I cannot emphasize this strong enough. Your password must be different for every account you have. That can seem overwhelming. If you’re like me you probably have dozens of accounts, so how can we keep up with all those passwords? Trust me, it’s not with sticky notes or a file on your computer. Every single time I share this information, someone confesses that they have a file on their computer and no one will know it’s there because it’s labeled INFO or something similar.

Instead, take advantage of some wonderful programs. Some charge a small fee, others are free—all have the highest security rating available. And they all have apps so you can access your accounts from your mobile devices.

LastPass

1Password 

Keepass X (for Mac) and Keepass (for PC)

I’ve heard people suggest that these programs are a security risk. The experts disagree and so do I. Look for ones that have AES-256 encryption (and ideally two-factor authentication) to make certain your information stays safe.

There are also blank booklets available for those of you who are old school and want something you can hold in your hand. I’ve seen them at local discount stores, as well as high-end specialty stores.

Now it’s your turn, what are some tricks you use to stay safe online? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Frankly, My Dear . . . Edie Melson: Don't Get Hacked. Share on X

Edie Melson

Edie Melson—author, blogger, and speaker is a prolific writer with years of experience in the publishing industry. Her best-selling ebook has been expanded and re-released as Connections: Social Media and Networking Techniques for Writers. Her popular industry blog, The Write Conversation, reaches thousands of writers each month.

In addition, she’s the Director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, the Social Media director for Southern Writers Magazine, Social Media Mentor for My Book Therapy and the Senior Editor at Novel Rocket. You can also connect with Edie through Twitter and Facebook.

And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!

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My First Photography Lesson

Jul 29, 2012 | 4 comments

“When all else fails, read the directions.”
~Everyone’s Mother.
Often.

Just two days ago, I wrote how I want to learn better photography skills. In the last few days, I’ve worked toward that end: reading the manual that came with my Kodak camera. Trying my hand at photographing anything and everything. Pointing and shooting my Kodak as much as possible.

Okay, not really. Not all of that. But I have been reading the manual, and I must admit I realize I’ve fooled myself. Because while a Point-and-Shoot camera is just that easy, there’s so much more to it. For instance, Smart Capture mode is great for beginners and non-thinkers. Of which I not-so-proudly admit I was one. That little dial on the top of my camera? I’ve been too afraid to turn it, too afraid to see what it has to offer.

On Page 7 of my manual, it describes for me how different tools are available in different modes. So I turned the dial, one click at a time, and saw for myself that it’s true! I didn’t spend time learning each tool, as I know that will come later in the manual. But it certainly whet my whistle.

I’m looking forward to understanding the conversations between my brothers about F-stops and apertures and compensation. I’m really looking forward to the day I can not only understand, but contribute to such discussions!

Today, I discovered that a picture can be taken while filming a video. Imagine that! Two separate actions, at the same time! Just to prove to myself that it could happen (and that I could be the one to cause it to happen!), I gave this theory a test drive. I took the following two photos while recording a short video. The quality is dark and grainy, as it’s late and the lighting isn’t the best. I wasn’t interested in setting a scene; rather, I just needed to test the settings.

These are tonight’s photo results:


I tried uploading the short video, but I haven’t quite figured that out yet. It appears the easiest route will be to set up a YouTube account, but it’s late (after midnight, in fact!), and I’ll work on that later. If anyone has suggestions on sharing my videos, I welcome your advice!

For now, I’m pleased to know that my camera is capable of multi-tasking.

And Frankly, My Dear…

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Picture This!

Jul 27, 2012 | 8 comments

It’s no secret that I’ve been wanting to learn better photography tips. My brothers and my daughter are all naturals when it comes to cameras. Me? Notsomuch. But I definitely want to learn.

I have a great camera. You’ve seen it, right? My Kodak Z990 EasyShare Max camera. It is, I’m told, classified as a point-and-click camera. Honestly… I don’t even really know what that means other than “easy to use”. I know (I believe) it’s not an SLR, which stands for Single Lens Reflex. I’m not really sure what that means. But I think it’s more complicated than Point-and-Click.

The first photo I took with my camera was of Lizzie. I’m so in love with this photo, this cat, that I’ve featured it often on my media sites.

Lizzie Cat

I couldn’t believe the clarity and fine detail available… and this was straight out of the box! I hadn’t even read the manual yet! Look at the individual whiskers, the authentic tones of the blanket, and yes, even the reflection of my desert yard in her eye! Simply amazing!

Of course, I started playing with the camera. Learned a few tricks. It helped that I’d bought the exact same model for Dot last summer (which is how I knew I wanted one of my own). As time went on, I found myself asking her for advice. But mostly, just trusting the Point-and-Click mentality. No muss. No fuss.

But something’s missing. I look at photography blogs and I’m amazed at the way they capture what they photograph. The lighting is different. The backgrounds are softer. There’s so much more than just Point-and-Click-and-Be-Done.

My food photos need to be brighter. Better. More appealing. Let’s face it, if my food photos were the ones in The Unemployment Cookbook, there’s a good chance my sales might not be as great as they are. I made a passing comment when talking to one of my brothers last week. His work involves an immense amount of professional photography. I said, “Why do my photos come out orange-y?” He asked what my filter settings were. That’s when I paused. He suggested I review the Manual. That’s when I gulped.

Did I even have a Manual? I mean, yeah. A little start-up booklet came with the camera. But a Manual? Like, something to read and explain and help me get better use out of my easy-to-use Point-and-Click-and-Fuggetaboutit Camera?

A Manual?

It dawned on me, then, that perhaps there’s more to my camera, pardon the pun, than meets the eye. And perhaps, I can be a better Photo Blogger once I learn how to better use my camera.

Let’s face it. I love both of these photos of Fred the Tomato. They were taken about 20 seconds apart, and I made no filter changes. I can’t tell you why one is true color and the other is tinted. But I know I love them both.

A Table Scene

A Sunlit Scene

So tonight I downloaded the PDF Manual for my camera. The first eight pages were the get-to-know-your-camera stuff. You know. The If-You-Didn’t-Know-This-Is-A-Camera-You’re-An-Idiot stuff. But then I turned the page. And something happened. I read something I didn’t quite understand. Not that I’m an idiot. I’m just not a great photographer. Yet.

And I realized that reading the Manual might actually be beneficial. To me. To my Blog. To my future publications.

And that made me happy. The potential to be better. To provide better services to my readers. And to fully know what I’m doing.

Can you picture that?

And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!

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