Steps to Protect Yourself from Online Hackers

Edie Melson

Last week I shared What to do if You’ve been Hacked. This week I want to give you some tips to help prevent it from happening. Unfortunately, nothing is foolproof. 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.

• Be wise. This seems basic, but so many times we just ignore our better judgement. 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!

• Assume it’s a lie. About six months ago 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. 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.

• 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. 

Now, a quick word about passwords. I know you don’t want to hear it, but your password should be different for every account you have. If you’re like me you probably have dozens of accounts, so how can you keep up with all those passwords? Trust me, it’s not with sticky notes or a file on your computer.

Instead, take advantage of some wonderful programs. Some charge a small fee, others are free—all have the highest security rating available. 

LastPass

PassPack 

1Password 

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

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? 

Don’t forget to join the conversation!

Blessings,

Edie
http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/

Help, I've Been Hacked, Now What?

A Guest post by Edie Melson

Many of us have experienced the sinking feeling that comes with the realization that one (or more) of our social media profiles have been hacked. It's nothing to be ashamed of, but it can sure wreck an otherwise blissful day. 

The easiest way to get hacked is to click on a link that contains a virus allowing hackers access to your accounts. When you click on the link, you may see a message telling you the link is broken. That doesn’t mean you’ve dodged the bullet. If your firewall or virus software doesn’t catch it, you’ll still be infected. 

Some of the most common messages that spread viruses and allow hackers access are:

“Did you know your friends are spreading nasty rumors about you?” 

“This is a hilarious video of you.”

So what’s a social media professional to do, cancel all accounts and slink away in shame?

Never.

In this post I'll give you the steps to repair the damage. In the next post I'll give you some tips to keep it from happening again.

First, change your password for the social media profile that’s been compromised. 

Twitter: 

• Go to your home page and click on VIEW MY PROFILE PAGE under your name in the top left of the screen.
• Click on EDIT YOUR PROFILE.
• Then click on PASSWORD and follow the directions to change your password.

Facebook:

• Go to your home page and click on the arrow to the right of your profile name in the solid blue header.
• Click on ACCOUNT SETTINGS.
• You should land on General Account Settings. From here click PASSWORD and change your password.

Next, you need to check and make certain the damage hasn't spread. Changing your password is just the first step. For this, you’ll need to visit the app section for Twitter and Facebook. Here’s how:

Twitter:

• Go to your home page and click on VIEW MY PROFILE PAGE under your name in the top left of the screen.
• Click on EDIT YOUR PROFILE.
• Then click on APPS. Here you’ll see a list of apps that have access to your Twitter account. I recommend you revoke access to any you don’t recognize or haven’t used in a while.

Facebook:

• Go to your home page and click on the arrow to the right of your profile name in the solid blue header.
• Click on ACCOUNT SETTINGS.
• Click on APPS. Here, too, you’ll see a list of apps that have access to your Facebook account. Again, I recommend you revoke access to any you don’t recognize or haven’t used in a while.

The fear of getting hacked shouldn't keep us from exploring social networking, anymore than the fear of identity theft should keep us from using a debit or credit card. But we all need to play smart. 

How about you, have you ever been hacked? 

Don't forget to join the conversation at http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/

Blessings,

Edie

Copyright 101 for Bloggers, Part Two

Edie Melson
Today I want to finish up my series on copyright.

First, I want to state right up front that I am NOT a lawyer and none of what I’ve said or will say constitutes any kind of legal advice. All I’m trying to do is learn how to be responsible online and share that knowledge with you.

That said, at the end of this post I’m going to give you some links to the places where I found my information so you can go check out the specifics for yourself.
Now, onto the remaining answer of the quiz.

More Copyright Information
Number Seven—FALSE—Fair Use. We are all used to being able to quote passages from books and not get into any kind of copyright infringement. I am here to tell you, that is NOT the case with a song. The only part of a song you may quote is the title.

If you’ve seen songs quoted in published books either someone paid a use fee or the author wrote the song himself. I’ve known of two authors who self-published books and had to pull the books because of songs quoted without permission.

Number Eight—FALSE—Copyright Symbol (c). Copyright symbols are visual REMINDERS that what you’re reading belongs to someone. Just because there isn’t one doesn’t affect the status of what you see in print or online. If someone wrote it, it’s copyrighted.

SPECIAL NOTE: You do not have to apply for a copyright for your work...EVER. You can register your copyright, but it’s expensive and cumbersome to do. And it’s rarely necessary.

Number Nine—TRUE—Facebook Use. This is another trick question I snuck in. Because of the user agreement you signed when you registered for a Facebook account you agreed that your photos were able to be used by them for different online purposes. This makes it VERY difficult to prove in a court of law that you don’t mean that permission for everyone else on Facebook. So, if I post my Niagara Falls vacation photos on Facebook, I can’t complain if you borrow them.
Now, it’s always good manners to ask permission, but it’s probably not going to get you in any legal trouble.

ANOTHER SPECIAL NOTE: If the person posting the photo did so illegally, and you repost it, then you are just as guilty and can also be charged with copyright infringement.

I Pinterest, do you?
Number Ten—FALSE—Pinterest. I don’t know about you, but I LOVE Pinterest! I guess I’m just a visual kind of girl. But there are a lot of folks getting into trouble on Pinterest right now. We have to follow ALL the copyright rules when we’re pinning, just like when we’re posting on our blogs. And, if you violate a copyright with one of your Pinterest boards you, and you ONLY, are liable for any fines or charges. You agreed to this when you opened your Pinterest account and accepted their terms of use. If you want to read them again, here is the direct link: http://pinterest.com/about/terms/

But there is one slight loophole. If someone or some business has a Pinterest button on their website, you can assume they want their stuff to be pinned and you should be okay.

Number Eleven—TRUE—Book Reviews/Recommendations. This is an instance of Fair Use. As long as you’re not saying the book in question is written by you (if it’s not) you can legally post a review and use the cover.

Number Twelve—FALSE—Copyright Expiration. A lot of folks have heard that copyrights expire after 70 years. In some cases that’s true...but not all. There are some instances when copyright expires 70 years after the author/creators death. There are also times when copyrights are renewed. Beyond that, there are other exceptions, so while the 70 year rule is a good place to start—it’s not the place to end.

No need to Fear
This series of posts was NOT generated to scare you, but to give you confidence in what you’re doing and doing well. Being a writer would give me a reason to be passionate about this, but I also come from a creative family. My mother is Monita Mahoney, an internationally known artist and my dad is a classical musician, as well as a landscape photographer. Believe me when I say, I cut my teeth on this stuff. Back in the day, I’ve known my mother to correct complete strangers standing in front of copying machines with art books.

Now it’s your turn, feel free to use the comments section to let me clarify any thing that wasn’t clear or anything I didn’t cover.
Don’t forget to join the Conversation!
Blessings,
Edie

You can check out Edie's blog at http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/

Resources (thought I’d forgotten, didn’t you!)
Good explanations of copyright
http://www.copyright.gov/laws/
http://www.rbs2.com/copyr.htm
http://www.bitlaw.com/copyright/index.html
http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Jan/1/241476.html
Public Domain Info
http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm
YouTube Info:
http://www.thesitewizard.com/general/embed-youtube-video-copyright-matters.shtml
http://www.youtube.com/t/copyright_education

Copyright 101 for Bloggers-the Basics About What You Can and Can't LEGALLY Post Online

Edie Melson
There is so much information I want to share with you I’m going to divide this up into two posts. The first today, and the second next Monday.

So I’m reprinting the quiz here—with the answers—to get us started. Then I’ll go through the issues question by question, giving you the pertinent information.

COPYRIGHT QUIZ—HOW FAMILIAR ARE YOU WITH THE LAW?
True or False:
1.I can legally post any picture on my blog if I link back to the place I got it. FALSE
2.I can legally use a song’s title in a post, article or book. TRUE
3.I can legally use someone’s blog post as long as I give them credit and don’t change anything. FALSE
4.I can legally use music or a song as background for an original video as long as I credit the source. FALSE
5.I can legally post YouTube videos on my blog or website. TRUE
6.If I don’t make money off of it, it’s legal for me to use. FALSE
7.I can legally quote a small percentage of the words to a song in a post, article or book. FALSE
8.If I don’t have a copyright symbol on my work it’s not covered by copyright law. FALSE
9.I can legally download photos from Facebook to use on my own site. TRUE (fooled you!)
10.I can legally pin anything to one of my Pinterest Boards. FALSE
11.I can legally post a picture of a book cover I recommend or am reviewing. TRUE
12.Copyright on written works expires 70 years after it was first published. FALSE

Art, ALL art, is copyrighted

Number One: Pictures—photos, sketches, graphics, any kind—are covered by the same copyright law as our written words.

Unfortunately, there is lots of sharing going on over the Internet and it’s not legal. When we borrow photos without permission, even when we acknowledge where we got it, we are stealing. I truly believe that’s not the intent, but we need to educate ourselves on what’s right and what’s not and then lead by example.

Number Two: Song Titles. Song titles are the ONLY part of a song we may use legally. There is something in the copyright law called fair use. Without boring you by quoting the law, it means that you can refer to part of a work without being sued. Contrary to what some think, there is no set number of words or percentage that makes up fair use. Instead, there are four factors used to define it.

 the purpose and character of your use.
 the nature of the copyrighted work.
 what amount and proportion of the whole work was taken.
 the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

Because of the small size of a song, say compared to a book, the courts have decided that quoting ANY portion of a song, except the title is a copyright infringement. The reason you can quote a title? Titles cannot be copyrighted.

Number Three—Blog Posts. You cannot legally borrow someone’s blog post without their permission, even if you give them credit or link back to it. Now, there are some sites that post guidelines for you to follow to be able to use their posts. But this doesn’t mean it’s legal to do so for another site.

Number Four—Music or Songs. I imagine many of you got this one correct. There has been so much written and so many fines leveed in regard to stolen music, it’s almost common knowledge that you cannot borrow a song or music for your own purposes.

Number Five—YouTube Videos. This one was a little tricky. You can legally post YouTube videos on your site, because what you’re doing is linking, not reposting. Even when you embed videos, they are still linked to YouTube.

Number Six—Profit. Whether you profit from borrowing someone else’s work has no bearing on the legality.

Bloggers are Generous...to a Fault
I have an opinion about all the borrowing that is happening around the Internet. I may be an optimist, but this is my personal opinion.

I think a lot of bloggers are generous folks...to a fault. They frequently offer their own work to others for free. With this mindset as a foundation, it doesn’t always occur to them to think of what they’re doing as stealing—they don’t see other’s borrowing as stealing, after all.

That said, I applaud the generosity with our own work. But, we should also be willing to guard the uniqueness and value of the work of others.

Now it’s your turn to weigh in. Do you have any thoughts—or questions—about copyright issues?

Don’t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Edie

You can check out Edie's blog at http://thewriteconversation.blogspot.com/

The Nautical Course - How to Navigate the Children's Writing Seas

Becky Hillman
Children’s stories may be simple to read, but can be complicated to write. Here are a few tips we learned in Terri Kelly’s class to help navigate the children’s writing seas.

Flotation Devices: How to Write
In order to write a good children’s story, you must learn to read
like a writer. Count your words. Use strong verbs. What’s true about other writing remains true in children’s stories: show don’t tell, and write tight.

There are a number of techniques that can be used when writing for children. For instance, structure your story around the days of the week, months of the year, the alphabet or numbers. Children like seeing something familiar and parents and teachers like strengthening particular skills. Another technique that is both effective and popular is using repetitive phrases. This one can be tricky, so be careful not to overdo it. One technique that gets children thinking is question and answer. This gets them engaged in the story and makes them excited to turn the page.

Deciding which style best suits you can be overwhelming. One way to figure this out is to pick up your favorite children’s book. Study it and ask yourself the following questions:

Why am I drawn to this book?
What kind of text is used?
Is this the style of writing I want to use?

Knots and Life Jackets: Essential Tips
First of all, write, write, write! Ann Whitford Paul said, “Don’t be a nervous swimmer; test your story waters with your toe. Dive right in.” Here are some things to remember as you take the plunge. You don’t have much time to keep a reader’s attention, so start with a strong opening. Use strong verbs and have an active voice. Check your characters. Kids relate to kids, so for the most part you have to lose the adults.

Once you’ve gotten something on paper, read it out loud. Read it to yourself, read it to your family, and any kids that will let you. Also let other adults read it, those who either have children or work with children. They can offer treasured feedback. Another valuable resource is a critique group. Individuals in these groups can provide not only feedback but advice as well. In a good group, they will allow you to learn from their mistakes. Sharing tips is a good way to help each other navigate these sometimes treacherous waters.

The Crew: Who to Write for in the Children’s Market
There are many publications to choose from. A must have in any writer’s world is the 2012 Christian Writer’s Market Guide, formerly written by Sally Stuart, now owned by Jerry Jenkins. Once you’ve chosen a publication, study them before you write for them. Knowing what they want will save you time later. Then go back to picking up your favorite children’s book and study the style the author used. If it’s a style you might want to use, study the market guides, target a publisher and write a manuscript for them.

Have a plan. Decide how long it will take you to finish your manuscript and set a target date. Then tell someone your target date. Ideally you could tell those in your critique group. If you are not a part of one yet, find one and join it. If you can’t find one, start one. There must be plenty of people you know who write. This is where social networking comes in handy. But be careful to include only those you know well and trust. Starting your own group can be risky in many ways.

Captain’s Advice: What the experts say
“Use verbs. Let the kids fill in the adjectives...” Our expert here is Dr. Seuss.
“The difference between the right word and the almost-right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” Our expert here is Mark Twain.

Tips From Our Shipmates
1. Familiarize yourself with good children’s literature.

2. Hang out with children. Know your audience.

3. Love child’s play.

4. Teach without them knowing they’re being taught.

5. Become again who you want to entertain and teach. You can be child-like without being childish. Enjoy being young.

6. See with child’s point of view.

7. Write with words children understand, but do not talk down to them.

8. Get on your knees or sit on the ground and view life from the child’s world.

9. See it. Hear it. Say it...from your own childhood!

10. Get ideas from your kids and let them help you.

11. Keep a journal of things your kids say and do, then use it for your stories.


Bon Voyage!
As you consider all of the wonderful information Terri provided us with, decide what your next voyage will be. Find something or somewhere you can land to educate yourself as a writer. Perhaps it will be a book like Writing Picture Books by Ann Whitford Paul, or a CD recommended by a writing buddy. Conferences can be invaluable to writers of all stages. A trustworthy conference such as the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference has a number of classes and individuals that can set the scene for your next landing place. Thanks, Terri Kelly for a lighthouse of a class!

Don't forget to send devotions for our kids. Sorry, I had the wrong submission address! Please send them to terri@devokids.com.