Tag: social media

Steven Toporoff, who is one of The Federal Trade Commission’s attorneys, stated in a New York Times article that in 2012 more than 22,000 identity theft complaints to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) concerned minors. Toporoff also added that child identity theft is a persistent problem. However, it is difficult to assess the magnitude of this problem because parents are usually unaware that anything is wrong until their child becomes a young adult.

A report conducted by Hart Research Associates shows that 51 percent of the teens surveyed are extremely concerned about someone stealing their identity using information they have posted online. Parents can learn how to protect their children from identity theft and what to do if their child’s identity is stolen at the FTC’s website.

Create Rules for Internet Use

1. Your family’s attitude about Internet safety must be clear and concise. It should never waiver.
2. Inform your teen which sites she can visit and which she cannot. She also needs to know what apps and social media sites are OK to use.
3. Be sure to set privacy settings on her social media sites to monitor whom she is communicating with in her digital world.
4. Regulate the amount of time she spends online by setting log off times.
5. Protect her identity by locking her credit report.
6. Use monitoring software like Spytech SpyAgent ($70), AVG Family Safety ($50/year) or Spectorsoft Spector Pro ($100) to deter negative behavior.
7. Remind her to think before she posts because once she posts it, she cannot take it back.
8. Have her set her social media privacy settings to “friends only.”
9. Do not use location-based services online.
10. Avoid providing optional information.

Technology is continually changing so you must be able to recognize the current trends and possible dangers. Identity theft prevention is possible but you need to know the warning signs for other online and mobile dangers, such as cyber-bullying, sexting and sexual solicitation. Your teen might be at risk if she:

• obsesses over the Internet
• gets angry when she is unable to get online
• is secretive about her online activities
• receives phone calls or gifts from strangers
• engages in unhealthy relationships
• withdraws from friends and loved ones
• injures herself
• seems depressed
• starts abusing substances
• shows signs of an eating disorder (binging and purging)

3 Extremely Popular but Dangerous Apps

1. Vine by Twitter: Popular with teens, this video sharing app allows users to make and share looping videos. The problem is that once your teen obtains this app she will be able to access videos that may contain sexually explicit content. Viewing videos is only a portion of the problem as your teen may decide to create and then share mature content of her own. Because Vine allows for finding users nearby, it is essentially a predator’s playground.

2. Tinder: This is a dating app that functions like a game. This app is about hooking up, and the age restriction is a mere 12 years old. Once the app is installed, it invites your teen to post a photo of herself. The app requests access to her location. Once completed, she can browse the profiles of people in her area to see if she likes anyone. If she does, she taps the green heart. If he likes her back, she will receive a notification and a chat feature opens up so they can communicate with one another.

This app has several red flags:

• It accesses your teen’s location to help her find someone to meet up with in real life.
• Anyone can like her, which can lead to temptation.
• This app is the perfect tool for pedophiles and predators to find their victims.

3. Snapchat: This messaging service allows users to send photos with text to other Snapchat members. These photos and messages vanish within 10 seconds of receipt. However, if the recipient has downloaded Snap Hack, he can save any photo he receives through Snapchat to his camera roll. With Snap Hack, he can view and edit the photo any way he wishes.

If you feel like the Internet shopping represents the best thing since sliced bread with its increased convenience and lowered costs, you are not alone. Millions of people have turned to the Internet to buy everything from Cyber Monday holiday gifts to groceries, and for good reason. An MIT study suggests that online price tags can be up to 16% lower than their real-world equivalent, while online price adjustments over time can be a fraction of those found at brick-and-mortar stores. This does not mean, however, that a physical store should close up shop for digital outlets or vice-versa. How can a company capitalize on both digital and real-world purchases?

Mobile Point Of Sale

A digital business does not necessarily mean that all purchases exist on an Internet network, but wireless access to sales gives a company store’s greater flexibility to receive payments. Mobile point-of-sale solutions have been a major trend in small- and medium-sized businesses in order to connect a customer with a sale without needing to go through a cash register. eMarketer reports that half of all Internet customers use e-coupons in order to get the best value in physical stores, so stores without a mobile point of sale lose out on customers interested in finding a great deal. This does not mean that a mobile point of sale solution represents a one-way street, however, since a business that can use mobiles for card processing gets a leg up on a company that can only take credit cards at a fixed position. An Intuit mobile point of sale unit turns a cell phone or tablet into the only cash register a company may require.

PayPal Economics

Can a person go onto your e-checkout aisle and be able to pay for their purchases without ever putting in a credit card number? If this sounds like a scam to you, you should understand the selling power of a PayPal linked checkout. PayPal reports that some $20 billion in payments are processed through their servers each year. By adding a PayPal checkout to your e-checkout lane, users can skip through pages of tedious payment info, each one of which holds the fatal potential to cause them to lose interest in the purchase.

Social Selling

Nearly every business, digital or physical, understands the value of an active social media presence. By promoting social media, companies turn customers into their own (entirely free) marketing force. Nielsen’s research reports that one in five online purchases involve the user posting their purchase on a social media platform, a windfall for any company looking to expand its contact base. Social shopping may be the next big thing in e-retail as social networks like Facebook attempt to create search engines based on friends, followers, and preferences. Social purchases direct from your profile page may soon follow. Actively encourage any customer, in the real world or the digital world, to post about their purchase and buying experience on as many social media platforms as possible to get valuable word-of-mouth advertising, as well as comprehensive feedback.

Kyle Iverson

Kyle is a business marketing grad from the East coast who spends his time writing about social demographics and going to trade shows.