The investigation has shown, however, that the individual(s) responsible were able to gain access to Evernote user information, which includes usernames, email addresses associated with Evernote accounts and encrypted passwords. Even though this information was accessed, the passwords stored by Evernote are protected by one-way encryption. (In technical terms, they are hashed and salted.)

As a security precaution, Evernote is requiring all users to reset their passwords.  If you’ve tried to access Evernote on your smartphone or computer, you may have noticed you are being prompted to enter your password.  If you haven’t reset your Evernote password yet, you will be required to before you can access your account again.  Log into the Evernote website to reset your password.  You will also want to update all of your Evernote apps on all devices.

While our password encryption measures are robust, we are taking additional steps to ensure that your personal data remains secure. This means that, in an abundance of caution, we are requiring all users to reset their Evernote account passwords. Please create a new password by signing into your account on evernote.com.

Keep the tips in the Manage Your Passwords post Sam wrote in mind when you create your new password.  Find something that is easy for you to remember but is something only you would know.  Try not to use words in the dictionary or the names of your kids or pets as someone might easily guess them.  Using a combination of upper and lower case letters and add special characters when possible.

This is an unfortunate situation but I think Evernote made the right decision to have everyone reset their passwords.  I feel comfortable leaving my information with Evernote.  Having your information stored in the cloud makes it very easy to access your information wherever you are and on multiple devices.  But situations like this are a risk that you take when you use the cloud and its why its so important to always use strong passwords.

 

That’s why this article on Mashable, Why Being Young Doesn’t Make You a Social Media Expert, really resonated with me.  The author makes the case that you wouldn’t let your teenager drive a car without any training so why would she let them on the Internet without instructions.  She also has some great tips on how to setup social media rules for your kids.

So please, talk to your kids and help them navigate the online world.  It might look like they know what they are doing, but they are figuring it out as they go just like you are.

Related Articles

My Son Grounded Me From Facebook

Internet Safety for Kids: Teach. Rinse. Repeat.

Talking Tech With Your Kids – The Grandmother Rule

WSJ: Web Profiles Haunt Students

8 Words from my 5 year old that changed social media forever

 

And yes, it’s free.

The timing couldn’t be better, in light of the recent report that Apple Maps almost killed a few people in Australia.

While Apple’s maps are pretty, the app’s accuracy has been a big question mark since its release. Google has been doing maps for a long time, and they’re really good at it. So if you’ve been holding off on upgrading your iPhone to iOS6, now you can feel comfortable doing it without the fear of losing a good mapping solution.

Go get the Google Maps app, because you can’t beat the price.

 

The first check is your Privacy Settings.  In the upper-right corner, click on the arrow next to Home and select Privacy Settings.

When I first opened the Privacy Settings page, I saw that my setting was on Public.  I never post publicly on Facebook (that’s what I use Twitter for), so I changed the setting back to Friends.  This option hides my posts from anyone I’m not friends with on Facebook.

The second step is to see how your profile looks to others.  To do that, go to your profile and and click on the cog icon next to Activity Log and select View As.

I use this option to see how my Facebook profile looks to people I’m not Facebook friends with.  This option showed me that I had been publicly posting on Facebook for the past month or two.  It is not my intention to publicly share posts and photos on Facebook, I want to keep my Facebook information secured to friends only.

Make sure you scroll all the way down the page when using this option so you can see everything.  You can also type in a name at the top if you want to see how your profile looks to someone else.

The third step was to change the public posts back to being visible by friends only.  There are two ways to do this.  The first is you could go through each post and change the option.  This option is time consuming (depending on the number of posts) and you could potentially miss something.  The second option is to use the “Limit the Audience for Past Posts” in Privacy Settings.  I prefer the second option as its easier and takes care of everything with one click.

Click the “Manage Past Post Visibility” link and you will be prompted to confirm the action.  This action will go through all of your past posts and set the visibility to whatever your default is.  In step 1, I changed my default to Friends so using this action will change the visibility of all posts to Friends.  If my default was Public, then this action would change anything I had previously hidden to Friends to Public.

Changing your privacy settings isn’t hard to do.  Remembering to periodically check your privacy settings is the hard part.  For me, I don’t check them on a regular basis unless I read an article that Facebook changed the settings again.

If my child was older and on Facebook, I would check his settings on a regular basis.  Like us, he will be figuring out how to navigate Facebook as he goes and he will probably make some mistakes.  By keeping his Privacy Settings secured, hopefully that will minimize the damage and help him get a job or scholarship.  Remember, your child’s online presence could come back to haunt him one day if not properly managed.

Did you check your Facebook Privacy Settings?  Did you have to change anything?  Are your kids online?  If yes, how do you help them manage their Facebook Privacy Settings?  Let us know in the comments!

For more information on the new Privacy changes, I recommend you check out this article Facebook’s Privacy Evolution Crawls Another Step Out of the Ooze.  It has an image of what the new Privacy option looks like and information about the Activity Log, a feature I haven’t checked out yet.

Other Related Links:

• After vote, Facebook moves to update privacy settings (Computerworld) (updated 12/13/2012)

 

While texting someone is quite often convenient and effective, it really is degrading many people’s communications skills. Trying to fit a complete thought into 160 characters (140 for Twitter) is challenging. That’s a big reason I like iMessage (and BlackBerry Messenger before it) so much, as there are no per-message limits. It allows me to complete a thought correctly.

For others, though, text messaging is their primary mode of communication and shortcut phrases are a way of life. The problem is, it’s hard to read. In some cases, I’ve asked people to call me, rather than look for my “decoder ring” to decipher their messages.

I try to use proper grammar/punctuation in my text messages, at least when auto correct doesn’t try to “help” me. If I can’t make it work, it’s time for e-mail or a phone call. Following that plan ensures that I’m presenting myself and my thoughts in the best way possible.

So, do you pay attention to grammar/spelling, or are you a “decoder-ring” type of texter? Let us know here – looking forward to the conversation.

Image Credit Link

 

It’s a built-in feature of GMail – check out this article from Gizmodo that outlines the ridiculously easy steps to use it.

The Best Secret Gmail Feature Is Hiding In Plain Sight

 

I’ve been making photo gifts for over 5 years now and here are my tips for making holiday photo gifts.  I’ve used Snapfish for years so my photo history is there and its the same service my friends use, so I can use their pictures as well.  Shutterfly is another great service and like Snapfish, is free to use.  There are many more sites you can use but I’m not going to list them all here.  Ask around and see what your friends use or try Snapfish or Shutterfly to get started.

1. Start uploading pictures early – Ideally, after you take the pictures you would move them from the camera and then upload them to your photo service.  That never happens for me so when I finally get around to downloading the 500+ photos I took on a recent trip to Charleston, SC I made sure to upload them to Snapfish once they were on my computer.  Being diligent about uploading your pictures to your preferred service makes it much easier to create your photo gifts later.
2. Get pictures from family & friends – I have a habit of taking pictures but never being in pictures.  I also don’t remember to bring my camera with me everywhere I go, so I rely on others to help me fill in the gaps.  I can pull pictures from my friends’ Facebook and Snapfish account and hopefully, fingers crossed, they will have a picture of my family and me I can use for the calendar I make for my mother-in-law.
3. Sign up for emails from your photo service – This time of year, you should never pay full price for photos or photo gifts.  I receive a new coupon code every couple of days from Snapfish and I bought 3 photo books for the price of 1 just last week.  I’m a girl on a budget and I will take all the deals I can get my hands on.  If you aren’t interested in receiving emails, just do a quick search for coupon codes for your photo service before you check out to get a coupon code.
4. Buy in bulk and start a tradition – Last year I made 1 book of all the pictures from the 3 sports my stepson played and ordered 3 copies, one for each in-law and one for my stepson.   Everyone loved it and I’m told my mother-in-law carried it around for weeks showing it off to her friends.  And my stepson loved seeing his pictures in a book that was made just for him.  I also give my mother-in-law a photo calendar every year.  She looks forward to receiving it, they use it throughout the year, and its an easy gift to make for her.
5. Start early – The hardest lesson for me to learn has been to start early.  I’ve always waited until the last minute and it adds more stress to an already stressful holiday season and then I cross my fingers and hope the gifts arrive on time.  There is no reason to stress myself out this way.  Its much easier to create a photo gift when you aren’t staying up late trying to get it ready in order to use a coupon or meet a shipping deadline.  I also use the Pomodoro Technique to break up the work into smaller time blocks.

I love having photos of my loved one out and I think photo gifts are more personal than a scarf or tie.  And since I’m terrible at printing and distributing photos the rest of the year, this makes up for it.  (I didn’t pass out the kindergarten pictures until halfway through 1st grade.)

Do you make photo gifts?  What service do you use?  What are your favorite photo gifts?  I really like picture books and stationary but I’m thinking about getting a few photo canvases.

Are you looking to get me a Christmas present? Like Beyond The Defaults on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.  You can also sign up to receive new posts delivered directly to your Inbox.  Help spread the word about Beyond The Defaults!

 

Considering a laptop purchase this year for the holidays? Here’s a resource that may help.

All Things Digital has published their Laptop Buyers Guide for this year, offering some basic information on all the flavors that are now available. Technology advancements are both a blessing and a curse – all the new stuff is great, but the sheer volume of new things on the market this year (more than I can ever remember) is making purchasing decisions really difficult for a lot of people. Here’s hoping some of this info will be helpful.

I’ll also throw in a Black Friday shopping tip: if you’re considering purchasing something “fruity”, Black Friday is the one and only day of the year that Apple offers price breaks on their wares. Not everything is discounted, but a number of things will be available at 10-15% discount (if past history holds true). Check it out online at the Apple Store, beginning at midnight PST (3AM Eastern Time).

If you’re struggling with the Laptop-versus-Tablet dilemma, or perhaps you’ve decided a tablet is the right choice but need t know which one to buy, I’d recommend taking a look at these past posts:

• Laptop vs. Tablet (from November 2011)
• Tablets Abound (from November 2012)

If you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask them here in the comments – chances are, you’re not the only one with the question. We want to help.

Happy Turkey Day, and Happy Shopping!

Editor’s Note: We’re working on what we are calling our annual Christmas List – so if you’re looking for the perfect geek/nerd gift  (by the way, there is a difference between the two), maybe our wish lists will spark some ideas. Coming soon!

 

Facebook uses an algorithm to decide what to show in the Top Stories feed.  I have no idea how the algorithm works but I see a trend that people who post frequently tend to bubble up to the top of the Top Stories feed.

I prefer my Facebook News Feed sorted by Most Recent so I can quickly glance at it and see only the newest posts.  With the Top Stories sort, I feel like I have to scroll past more posts I’ve already seen just to get to the new stuff.  Sometimes Facebook remembers how I like my News Feed sorted, sometimes it doesn’t so be prepared to have to change the sort depending on your preference.

Have you noticed a change in your Facebook News Feed?  Which Sort option do you like, Top Stories or Most Recent?  Let me know in the comments!

Other Facebook Posts On Beyond The Defaults:

• Check Your Facebook Email Address
• How to View Your Photos In Your News Feed
• My Son Grounded Me From Facebook
• Multiple Personalities: Facebook Pages
• Facebook Timeline
• Hiding the Facebook Ticker
• Enter the Ticker (And Review Your Privacy Settings)
• Managing Your Facebook News Feed

Did you know Beyond The Defaults is now on Facebook and Twitter?  Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and feel free to ask us any tech questions you have! You can also sign up to receive new posts delivered directly to your Inbox!

 

Not to worry, we here at Beyond The Defaults are here to give you our thoughts on these things (and to answer your questions as well).  I’m going to start with what I think are the three best tablet options going right now: the iPad, the iPad mini and Google’s Nexus 7. The short version is that they’re all great solutions, but I think for different reasons. I’m not going to regurgitate the specs (you can view them on your own in the links provided), but rather tell you what I think of each device and why it’s an attractive option.

Let’s start with the latest iPad, the new 4th generation variety. It’s by far the nicest of the three devices, but also by far the most expensive (it starts at $499).

So what makes it so great?

• A new processor makes it blindingly fast. The people who would most notice this would be the “gamers”, or those trying to do a lot of heavy lifting with images.
• Screen resolution and clarity is exceptional. To me, it’s easily the nicest screen available on any mobile device.
• Very good cameras, both front and back.
• The full compliment of apps from the Apple App Store are available.

If you’re looking for exceptional screen image quality, an exceptional camera and something that starts to get really close to what a laptop computer will do, this is the device you want.

The iPad mini (starts at $329) is just what it sounds like – a smaller version of the its larger iPad predecessors. You still get:

• The full compliment of apps from the App Store,
• Two cameras (but not quite as nice as the ones in the larger iPad), and
• All the features of the 9.7″ iPad in a 7.9″ screen.

There are differences though, the biggest being (at least to me) the fact that the screen is not the high-resolution retina display in the full sized iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch. Having used retina devices for some time, the absence of it in the iPad mini is noticeable. Not crippling, but noticeable. The smaller size tends to pack the keyboard into a much smaller space (particularly when it’s in portrait orientation); using it in landscape mode is much more comfortable.

I really like the mini – a lot. I like the size and weight. For reading, it’s far more comfortable to hold than its larger cousin (and the Kindle Reader app works well on it). It’s also a lot more portable. The battery life is exceptional. I used it with Skype and FaceTime, both worked well. I already owned an iPad, so the ability to install previous purchases from the App Store made my “out of the box to being 100% useful” time about 20-25 minutes. So in less than thirty minutes, I’m using Evernote to make my notes for this posting. It’s this investment in the Apple ecosystem that makes choosing an Apple device a very easy decision for me.

Which brings us to the non-iShiny-thing in the mix – Google’s Nexus 7 tablet. Actually, it’s an Asus device with a Google name (if that matters to you).

The Nexus 7 runs on Android (versus iOS for Apple), so for Android phone users, the experience will be very similar to that of the phone. The latest version of Android (named Jellybean – I just report them, I don’t name them) is by far the best version that Google has released. It’s both stable and responsive (particularly to touch gestures), something that’s been a problem in the past in Android-based devices.

The Nexus 7 is slightly smaller and slightly heavier than the iPad mini, but the display is definitely sharper than the mini. Because of the size and screen clarity, using this device (say, using the Kindle Reader app) for e-books and other electronic publications is easily done. Similar to the mini, it’s something that can be held in one hand – but that also means the keyboard is a little cramped as well. I see that as the price for portability.

The most interesting part of the Nexus 7 to me is the price – they start at $199. Now before you start reaching for your wallets because this is such a great deal, there are some trade-offs when you compare this device to an iPad:

• There’s only one camera (the one facing the user), and that camera is not of high quality. So if the plan is to use this device for video conferences in a professional setting, this may not be the ideal device.
• The app store, known as the Android Marketplace, is not a moderated store – meaning anyone can post an app to the marketplace, without anyone from Google verifying or vetting apps for “bad things”. As a result, the Android Marketplace is not quite as secure as the Apple App Store. Only a very, very small percentage of apps are malicious, but it only takes one or two to ruin it for everyone.
• The vast majority of Android apps are not “tablet friendly”. There are literally hundreds of flavors of Android running on hundreds of devices, so it’s harder to optimize applications to best use the available screen real estate on the Nexus (and other tablets). The end result is an app that’s simply “stretched” to fit the screen, something that’s not ideal and in many cases makes applications a little clunky to use.

My take: I like the Nexus 7, it’s a great little device. In fact, it’s the only Android device I’ve used that I like. For the price, it’s an exceptional value – particularly if the goal is to have a tablet that better fits “little hands”.

Now go out there and tabletize yourself.

Image Credits: Apple.com, Google.com