Facebook Common Sense

#1 Use great passwords

A good password uses a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers, symbols. A password should have at least eight characters. An example of a great password: Ke4%rdSs

#2 Nobody’s home…

Never mention that you will be away from home. Always be very vague about the date of any trip, or better yet – wait until you get back to tell everyone all about it.

#3 Don’t post your full birthday

The exact year month and day of your birthday could be a target for identity thieves. It is possible they could use it to obtain more information about you and potentially gain access to your bank or credit card account. If you must post your birthday – Use only the month and day.

#4 Privacy controls

Use privacy controls to limit access to only your friends, friends of friends, or yourself. Restrict access to photos, birth date, religious views, and family information. Of course it’s always a good idea to leave political and religious views off your Facebook page anyway – especially if your employer or potential clients may see it.

Be careful what contact info you post – and never use your address. If you have small children – never use their names in photo tags or captions!

#5 Everything you do and say, is on the internet to stay!

It is always best to not put anything on Facebook (or the internet for that matter) that you wouldn’t want your mother, employer, or a client see. In our “reality T.V.” world too many people feel the need to tell everybody all about themselves. Just remember – anything you put on the web is there forever! No matter how careful you are – sooner or later someone is going to see those embarrassing photos of you, and it’s always the last person you would ever want to see them!

A little bit of common sense goes a long way.

Social media – or social mediocre?

Social media is about connecting us to other people, and allowing us to access topics, information, and entertainment. It can also be just another distraction that decreases what little productivity there is to begin with. Never before in the history of man (or woman) have so many people had so much access to so much technology – but no idea how to utilize even the smallest fraction of it.

Word of advice: Like my grandfather always said “Don’t ever get a tattoo where the judge can see it” If you do end up diving into social media – just remember that everything you say and do will be on the internet forever!

Never before in the history of man has so much technology been available to so many people who have absolutely no idea what to do with it.

“Outside a dog – a book is man’s best friend. Inside a dog – it’s too dark to read” – Groucho Marx

Antisocial Media: In our anything goes reality TV world are too many people sharing too much information? The old saying was that “any exposure is good exposure” – but I don’t think that is true anymore. People lose jobs because employers see their drunken party photos on MySpace. Houses get robbed when people post that they are not home on face book. And you never know for sure who you are really talking to. Maybe it’s time for AntiSocial Media? Maybe we all should start being more mysterious?

GSCC Premier Volunteer

SARASOTA, Fla. (June 17, 2009) –The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce recognized Syd Krawczyk with the Premier Volunteer Award at Sarasota Prime Time – exhibit • meet • greet Wednesday, June 17 in recognition of his outstanding volunteer service.

Syd Krawczyk was presented the Premier Volunteer Award for his significant volunteer contribution, leadership positions held, commitment to The Chamber and special achievements.

Syd Krawczyk is president of Concept Digital Media, Inc., which offers Web site design, photography and graphic art to Sarasota, Bradenton and the surrounding areas. A Chamber member since 2005, Krawczyk is active in various Chamber activities and committees. His committee involvement includes Chamber Partners serving on the PNL Steering Committee, chairing the new First Monday events and serving on the B.A.N.G (Business and Networking Groups) steering committee.

In addition to Syd's committee involvement, he also volunteers his professional photography services at various Chamber events.

The award honors a Chamber member for exemplary volunteer service within The Chamber and is based upon the level of volunteer contributions that the member has made and the degree to which the general membership has benefited. Many factors are examined in the review process such as number of hours volunteered, leadership positions held, special achievements and overall impact of the volunteer’s involvement and service.

Prime Time was hosted by the Sahib Shrine Center and featured 50 exhibitors as well as complimentary hors d'oeuvres provided by five Chamber member restaurants. The next Prime Time will be held at the Polo Grill & Bar September 16.

Need a website?

Would you try to run a business without having a phone number where potential clients could reach you?

What about trying to offer a service and not having transportation to get to your jobs?

If you do not have a company website, you may be severely limiting your exposure to potential clients. You may work 60 hours a week – but your website will be up 24/7/365 as your company’s representative. You need a website that is informative, interactive, easy to navigate, and reflects your professional image.

Many people do not take a business seriously if they do not have a website – it’s just that simple. Unfortunately, if you have a bad website – it reflects poorly on you as well. It seems like everyone is claiming they do website design lately, so if you do need a website, please do a little homework before you hire someone to insure you get the best site possible for your budget.

Concept Digital Media, Inc. offers CAI members professional web design that grows with you and your company. We tailor our services to your specific needs because we understand all businesses are not alike. We can get you started with a basic website package and first year of hosting for as low as $500.00. Our flexible, and easily expandable web design platform, will change with your growing needs. We offer SEO, Social Media Optimization, Photography, and Graphic Art.

Please give me a call if you have any questions. As a small business owner myself – I like to see other businesses succeed, and it would be my pleasure to help you in any way I can,

- Syd