If something bad happens to Trackur, we’ll tweet about it, post a status update, and answer help tickets as quickly as possible.

One thing we promise we’ll never do, is this…

The White House Blog put Twitter’s Do Not Track adoption news in context. Danny Weitzner, the Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Internet Policy affirmed that what Twitter has done “is an important step is part of a larger Obama Administration strategy to encourage more consumer privacy protections on the internet.”

Mr. Weitzner also noted “The ‘Do Not Track’ effort shows that collaboration amongst business, privacy advocates, technical experts, academics, standards organizations and government can lead to development of technologies that make the Internet more responsive to privacy needs. However, even with all of the innovative and responsible action by companies, there are others who fail to take adequate steps to protect individual privacy.”

Clearly, there is work still to be done to ensure that Consumer Rights (& Consumer Privacy) in the digital age are relevant, effective, respected and appropriate.

Do Not Track Background

Do Not Track (DNT) is such a new digital privacy option, the best practices and industry standards are still under development. In February President Barack Obama issued a 62 page Bill of (Digital) Rights document which provides a framework for protecting Consumer Privacy as we embrace and encourage innovation in our global, digital economy. In March, The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) followed President Obama’s lead offering a Final 112 page Consumer Privacy Report providing a framework for how to protect Consumers in the 21^st Century. What does Do Not Track mean for those who use Twitter and for your reputation?

For Twitter Users

For current Twitter Users who enable the DNT privacy feature in their browser Twitter will:

1. Stop collecting information they use to craft the Twitter experience as you know it pre-DNT. This change includes recent websites visited, as well as the buttons and widgets that are factored into how you experienced Twitter pre-DNT.
2. Twitter will also remove all unique cookie(s) that link your browser(s) to the Twitter ecosystem. Once this happens, Twitter won’t be able to provide you with “tailored suggestions” as they once did before DNT was enabled in your browser.

According to the DNT document in Twitter’s Help Center, Twitter will provide new users with the following:

1. “For new users signing up for Twitter with DNT already enabled, the checkbox on the signup page that says ‘Tailor Twitter based on my recent website visits’ will be unchecked.”
2. “If you had already joined Twitter and visited Twitter.com with DNT enabled in the days before [the launch] of tailored suggestions, the Personalization checkbox in your account settings will be unchecked at launch.”

For Reputation

There’s a growing industry complete with companies who make money buying and selling your personal information and most of these companies you probably don’t know by name. As creepy and unsettling as this may be, when you add up all the bits of information you leave behind when you go online with the public information that already exists about you online, the potential for digital situations that alter or negatively change your online reputation is as real as real can be.

The good news is the Information Brokers who currently take advantage of outdated Privacy Laws won’t be doing so for much longer; not if President Obama, the Federal Trade Commission and other Digital Privacy Advocates get their way.

For Organizations

Even though DNT standards have yet to be crafted and instilled around the web, as it stands the DNT features available on browsers like Firefox and  Chrome act as an additional level of security for employers who aim to keep their proprietary information private and away from digital profilers.  DNT also benefits employees who opt to BYOD and those employees who use employer issued devices in a number of ways. Some off the main benefits for organizations are:

• DNT stops tracking and collection of online behaviors via browsers.
• DNT introduces employees to their digital rights and also stresses the importance of guarding company information by reminding employees they have the right to have their information, and the information they access online, protected.
• DNT reduces the risks, e.g., malware, associated with browsing without the DNT feature enabled.
• DNT gives employees back the control and privacy that behavioral tracking and information brokers took away.
• Organizations can share what they know about DNT with those they have strategic relationships with, non-profit organizations they volunteer with, the communities they are located in and the families of their employees. This can improve the way their organization is perceived and would reflect positively on their reputation, online & offline.

A few weeks ago, I explored how to preserve digital privacy and how to keep your reputation from being tracked. No matter how you go online, if you’d rather not have your search behaviors and search history collected, shared or sold, this privacy option – Do Not Track- is for you. Whether you use your browser for personal or professional reasons, having the DNT option available will come in handy as you make your way around the web.

Know this… different browsers have their own unique way of delivering privacy options, handling tracking & browser safety issues. For instance, the DNT option on Firefox 12 looks like this on a PC:

Firefox Beta 14.0 for Android looks like this:

Many people, at home or at work don’t realize just how much time they spend online because it’s super easy to access the internet in many ways and on different devices. For instance, with a browser you can go directly online and search for information without much effort or thought on your part. And if you use a mobile app like Twitter , Google +  or Facebook you can go online indirectly by accessing the internet through the mobile app.

Maybe now that you are aware of some of the reasons why Do Not Track is considered to be so very vital to those who value their privacy, you might spend time considering if you prefer to have your every click and your every touch tracked online or if you prefer to cling to privacy and allow some form of Do Not Track to help you safeguard your digital data.

What do you prefer?

The Merriam – Webster dictionary nails the essence of privacy in three words – “freedom from intrusion”.

When it comes to reputation, it’s always good to manage professional & personal information with care and remember that a digital intrusion can come from anywhere at any time.

All of the top browsers  for PC (e.g., Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Internet Explorer) on BrowseHappy –a WordPress site dedicated to help you learn about the latest versions of the top five  browsers–offer their own privacy, private browsing feature or privacy guide. Smartphone browsers, like Dolphin & Firefox or iOs also have private browsing options and they may look & function differently depending on the type of smartphone or mobile device you have.

If browsing privately or private browsing isn’t on your digital radar, it really should be. 

For Business, For Professionals

From a user’s perspective, private browsing means you won’t leave evidence of your search or browsing history when you go to different sites on the web  because your browsing is… private–unless your employer decides otherwise.  Privacy features differ from browser to browser, organization to organization, but the goal is the same: to give the browser user, more control over what information is captured, stored, shared or sold for a profit.

Every digital step you take – whether it’s a click of the mouse or a touch on a screen – reveals information about who you are. The more time you spend searching online for information, participating in online conversations, and downloading or uploading information, the more digital crumbs you leave behind; but, when private browsing is enabled; no digital bread crumbs and no digital trail is left behind.

For Parents

Enabling a privacy option on a browser may not be received well by some parents. Most parents, who understand how vast the internet is, want to be able to easily track what their children are doing and saying online. Concerned parents who want to keep their children safe online may not want to use the privacy feature or tell their children about it because they believe it:

1. Sends the wrong message to children – gives children the impression they can sidestep their digital responsibilities
2. Interferes with their digital parenting style
3. It hides and goes against their desire to know where their children are and what their children do online.
4. Causes confusion and more parental challenges
5. May make children feel like they can hide or cover up what they have done or said online

Parenting in digital times means parents need to be digitally aware or digitally savvy if they are going to prepare their children for the future. Either parents shepherd their children through the web or someone questionable will.

Parenting a digital savvy child is not easy. The ease of access and ease of use can cause an impressionable mind to do and say things out of their character. Another thing to consider before using a privacy option is whether or not enabling the privacy feature may interfere with other digital safeguards such as the parental controls you already have in place to help make the internet a safer place for your children.

As far as I know, there is no way to completely disable or completely remove the privacy feature on a browser and even if you could, browsers can be uninstalled and reinstalled in a blink of an eye. That’s, if you have more than one type of browser on your computer.

Another great option for parents is McAfee’s Family Internet Safety Gameplan, which provides an overview of the basic rules your family can use when they go online or have conversations about the internet with others outside of the home. You may also want to review, sign, keep visible and update this plan as digital technologies advance.

The following game plan establishes the online ground rules for our home. We will display this game plan and update it periodically as our children grow older. (Source: InternetSafety.com)

1. We will never give out personal information such as our last name, address or phone number. We should also not give out the name of our school, our city, our siblings, our sports team or our parent’s workplace.
2. We all agree to not give our passwords to anyone outside of our family. We have all agreed upon user names to use while we are on the Internet. I will not change the settings for my computer or my password without my parent’s permission.
3. We all agree to limit our online time so that it doesn’t interfere with other activities. We agree to follow the time limits that our family sets and not let the Internet take time away from homework, sports, face- to-face interactions or family time.
4. I will never meet an online friend in person. Just as I stay away from strangers on the street, I will be careful about strangers on the Internet. If anyone ever asks to meet with me offline, I will notify my parents immediately.
5. I will tell my mom or dad right away if I come across something that makes me feel uncomfortable. If anyone uses bad language or mentions things that make me uncomfortable, I will immediately log off and tell my parents.
6. I will not remain on or click on a page that says, “For Over 18 Years Only.” If this happens, I will log off and I will let my parents know. I understand that I’m only a click away from bad sites and that these pages are definitely not for kids.
7. I will only download pictures and files with my parent’s permission. Some of these files may contain inappropriate pictures or dangerous viruses that could mess up our computer.
8. I will not send pictures of my family or myself to anyone online. The only way that I am allowed to do this is if my parents say it is all right.
9. I will be safe everywhere. I will follow the same Internet safety rules at my friends’ houses, at school and at the library that I do while I’m at home.
10. I understand that nothing is private on the Internet. I agree that my mom or dad can read my mail or check the sites that I have been visiting — not because they don’t trust me but because they just want to make sure that I am safe.

We agree to the above InternetSafety.com Gameplan:

Here are a few steps you can take to manage your digital footprint :

1. Respect technology and use it wisely.
2. Accept your digital responsibilities as technology continues to advance.
3. Keep your passwords safe and do not allow your browser to save your password, especially if you share the computer with others.
4. Learn how to change the browser settings for the browsers on your computer, smartphone, or mobile device.
5. Check your browser settings regularly to make sure they haven’t reset due to cookie deletion or some other reason.
6. Erase your search history from your browser before you allow someone else to get on the computer, mobile device or smartphone. Your history provides an outline of the sites you have visited and may reveal information that may negatively impact your reputation or make sensitive and expose private information.
7. Install a privacy add-on to your browser or use the private browsing feature located in your browser settings.

Think of privacy as a way to secure and retain confidential information instead of thinking of privacy as a means to evade or conceal. There’s a massive social web out there for you to explore and there’s so many things to learn about the web and privacy along the way.

We’re in the final stages of upgrading the Trackur user interface to one that will knock your socks off.

It’s fast, efficient, sexy…and it knows it.

As we prepare for the full launch on June 4th, we wanted to give you a heads-up on two things:

1. If you are a paying Trackur customer, we welcome you to request access to the beta–your chance to test the new UI before we go live.
2. If you’re not using the latest browser, now is the time to upgrade.

Just like our peers over at 37Signals, Trackur is moving to HTML5 and CSS3 standards for our new dashboard. That means 90% of you have nothing to worry about. If you have the latest Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Internet Explorer browser, Trackur will work perfectly and look pretty. However, if you’re lagging behind in your browser upgrades–I’m looking at you IE7 and IE8 users–then you may find that Trackur doesn’t work too well.

So, go ahead and get the latest browser installed now (we recommend Chrome) and then send us a ticket requesting access to the beta test. That way, you’ll have the very best internet experience, and Trackur will have you searching the surrounding area for your lost socks!

PS. We know that some of you are unable to upgrade your browser. We’re working on a plan to provide access to the current UI for a limited time until you can upgrade.

You may be aware of Social Media Monitoring (SMM) and Online Reputation Management (ORM) but you should also keep an eye on Mobile Device Management (MDM) and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) because they will have a presence in your professional life, if they don’t already.

Managing Data, Devices & Access

A growing number of professionals own some type of mobile device: a smartphone, tablet or laptop. Mobile Device Management (MDM) aims to leverage mobile devices for business purposes by encouraging IT teams to better manage data accessed via employee owned devices. MDM also aims to remove or diminish many of the problems that arise (e.g., compromised data, high IT costs) when IT teams don’t have access to or don’t use a MDM approach which increases their risks.

Similarly, Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) focuses on creating a dependable and secure way for professionals to use personal mobile devices for business resources and business communications in a more secure and organized way. The application of BYOD and MDM depend on how the organizational leaders decide how to best implement them within their organization. Gartner also highlighted some of the internal pressures organizational leaders face with respect to BYOD as more employees own a variety of personal mobile devices, Airwatch,  and Good Technology’s BYODIndividualLiableUserPolicyConsiderationpaper are other resources that can help to clarify the pros and cons of BYOD and MDM.

Pros & Cons

Organizations should be aware that if they embrace BYOD they must never lose sight of the pros and cons of implementing these mobility and data management approach for employees.

Pros

• No financial resources used to purchase smartphones or mobile device(s)
• No financial resources used to pay for data plans (or mobile apps)
• Employees are able to select any mobile device (or select a mobile device from an approved mobile device list)
• Employees select their cell phone carrier
• Implementing a BYOD program/policy leaves room for future mobile devices and the adoption of emerging mobile technologies
• Work data  can be access as needed (or within specified times)

  Cons

• It will take time to establish flexible MDM & BYOD programs
• It may be challenging to separate work and business contacts without an app or mobile access to  a customer relationship management  (CRM) system
• IT teams must know about and keep track of all of the different smartphones owned by employees
• IT teams must keep track of security & compliance issues for different mobile devices
• IT teams must know about and keep track of all of the different mobile operating systems (e.g., android, iOs, blackberry, window 7) used on employees smartphones.
• IT teams must also keep up with mobile operating systems and app updates so they are aware of inconsistencies or compliance issues
• It will be challenging to establishing a clear separation between work and personal usage  without structure
• Employees who participate in BYOD must actively safeguard their mobile devices to ward off digital intrusions, theft or loss

Mobile Responsibilities

Digital innovations continue to make it easier for professionals to work remotely which causes more organizations to lean toward either equipping workers with the mobile office essentials (e.g., laptop, tablet, smartphone & mobile apps) or allowing employees to use their own mobile devices. Whether mobile professionals want the added responsibility or not, mobile professionals are responsible for how they conduct themselves even more so when working remotely.

Well-designed MDM and BYOD programs will allow you to access organizational data while preserving your privacy.

On Reputation

Protecting your professional and personal reputation will require even more attention as more organizations move to support mobile workers. Mobile professionals will want to have a good understanding of how BYOD and MDM programs function at work.  When it comes to reputation, privacy and mobility, lingering questions still persist – these are just a few:

• What responsibility do employees have to inform their employers when a mobile device is lost, stolen or otherwise compromised?
• What best practices should employees follow immediately after an incident should occur? Who do employees inform, how and when?
• Are employees required to use a mobility security app like lookout to protect against malware, loss or theft?
• Who is liable for business data accessed by non-employees, due to some digital intrusion, like phishing?
• Would stipend and expense back programs help increase the number of employees that are willing to participate in BYOD programs offered by employers? 

Different organizations may answers the above questions differently due to their industry, compliance needs or organizational culture. It doesn’t pay to rush into any arrangement – so do take the time to consider how BYOD and MDM may shift your personal and professional mobility needs.

What are your thoughts on managing data, devices and mobility?

I know this first hand because some of my loved ones have learned to live with annoying seasonal, environmental and food allergies. I’m constantly on the lookout for information and products that can help me prepare and respond better when an allergy decides to show up. The good news is there are allergy communities devoted to make allergies less irritating and more manageable – but sifting through mounds of allergy information can be overwhelming and can cause a headache all by itself.

When I caught the tail end of a commercial introducing Oreck’s newest air purifier, the AirInstinct, I wondered if this new product could bring an end to some of the indoor allergies I knew so well. Once I was able to put the AirInstinct to the test at home, I was very pleased with how the air quality improved. The customer service and AirInstinct were so good that I want to get another AirInstinct! I went to Oreck’s website to check out their new line of products; paying attention to how they differed from past products I purchased, like the Steam-It, an all-purpose steamer from Oreck.

Oreck had my attention.

When I purchased the Steam-It, I wanted a dependable steamer to clean the floors and carpet without adding chemicals to our home environment. I used the Steam-It to sanitize the kitchen and bathroom tiles and our carpet until the heating element stopped working properly.  At the time, my mother was terribly ill – in and out of the hospital over the course of seven months – leaving me little, if any time, to worry about a broken steamer. When I did call customer service, I did not receive confirmation a replacement would be sent out… so I held on to the Steam-It and moved on…thinking I might contact Oreck about it again at a later time when I had time to discuss the details.

Oreck Up Close

The positive experience with the AirInstinct led me to contact Oreck about the Steam-It. I sent a tweet to Oreck saying the Steam-It was broken, and I asked for help with resolving this issue. Oreck responded to my tweet and provided alternate ways (e.g., email address: twitter@oreck.com) to contact them to continue our conversations about the broken Steam-It. I sent an email with the requested information and waited for a response from Oreck. I received an email informing me I would receive a phone call shortly to resolve the Steam-It issue.

Then, Devin B., a Customer Service Representative from Oreck followed up my email with a phone call to work on resolving the broken Steam-It. She explained that I needed to return the broken Steam-It, and once it had been received, they would ship out a new replacement Steam-It. Devin B. mailed me a UPS return label, and when I could not find a box to fit the Steam-It I spoke with Devin B. and she had UPS to deliver a box to put the broken Steam-It in. I packed up the Steam- It and I dropped off the box at UPS.

I was so thankful the broken Steam-It situation was almost over! All I have to do now… is wait for the new Steam-It to arrive.

Making It Right

Oreck decided to “make it right” for me which showed me they stick by their products and they care about their customers. It was really nice to know that my hard earned money was appreciated and so was I as a loyal customer. It is wonderful to witness a company you have bought products from value your time; listen to their customers and work to make a bad product experience go away.

Oreck’s positive response has led to some favorable outcomes. By listening and working to understand my concerns Oreck:

• improved customer loyalty
• increased their positive social media shares
• increased the likely hood I will speak favorably about them
• showed they are listening and they care.

I am more than pleased with Oreck! They stand by their products; they value their customers and their reputation. Oreck sure knows how to make it right!

No, not Google.

No, not Facebook!

Sheesh!

Let me rephrase the question: want to work at Trackur?

We’re looking to hire a full time entry level Front End Web Developer to help us with our continued development and improvement of Trackur’s dashboard design. You should have the following skilz:

• HTML5
• CSS3
• JQuery
• PHP & MySQL a plus.
• Experience working with application/software UIs also a plus.
• Be able to play the ukulele

Ideally you’ll be in Raleigh, but then again we have a virtual office environment, so we’ll consider you even if you live elsewhere.

You are not: a design firm fishing for clients, a scammer phishing for shmucks, a UNC grad….OK, we’re kidding about that last one.

Interested?

Send a note, resume, and examples of previous work to: andyDOTbealATgmailDOTcom

“If you have social media profiles set up online, you should create a statement of how you would like your online identity to be handled. Just like a traditional will helps your survivors handle your physical belongings, a social media will spells out how you want your online identity to be handled.”

Estimates show that nearly half a million people with Facebook accounts passed away last year.  What happens to those accounts?  As of now, it’s up to friends and family to decide what to do with your profile.  Some leave them open so loved ones can post memories, some opt to convert the profiles to memorial pages, and some delete them completely.  This is a big project for grieving loved ones to take on, especially if they find information they aren’t expecting to see.

What about a personal blog – do you let it sit idle, allow someone else to take it over, or take it offline?  While it may be nice for loved ones to go back and read posts, some may be offended by new content being added by someone who’s taken it upon themselves to speak for you.

Even murkier than the Facebook page or a blog, what does one do with a personal email account?  Ideally, email accounts would have a self destruct option that would forward necessary documents out to whomever needs copies, and any personal information that you don’t want shared would just implode.  Unfortunately, unless you’re James Bond, this is not likely an option.  Having something in your will would allow you to select a trusted friend or family member wade through your info, pass on what is pertinent, and delete whatever is not.  Chances are, in addition to random jokes and communication with friends, there is some sensitive information in nearly any email account that the owner of the account may not want shared.  While they may no longer be affected by the contents of their inbox, the sender/recipient or subject of sensitive messages may be.  Obviously, whomever you choose to take care of sifting through years of electronic communications would have to be someone you trust to not share (or not even read) things that you ask them not to.  The temptation may be too great for many.

As this dynamic intellectual property continues to become more ingrained in everyday life, trial and error will help us learn how to better handle tricky situations such as these.  But for right now, with common usage of such sites being fairly new, there are likely to be many growing pains throughout the learning process.  Have you thought about how you’d like your information to be handled if something were to happen to you?

If specific things people say or do royally tick you off - before you pounce, pay close attention to how you feel and why you feel inclined to respond.

Whoopi Goldberg once famously said:

“I don’t have pet peeves; I have whole kennels of irritation”.

Irritating or not, allowing pet peeves to knock you off course creates serious problems for your professional and personal life, especially if you lose control of your emotions over and over again.

Problematic personalities, annoying experiences and unexpected troubles are all around us, all the time.

In the end, professionals should be aware of what irks them so they can be better prepared to respond, if they respond at all. Otherwise, if you allow the things that bother you to suck you in to an emotional whirlwind, you may become overly defensive and completely miss an opportunity to handle the issues before you with tact and professionalism.

Facing Digital Pet Peeves

The best way to manage a digital pet peeve is to know it, understand it and prepare to face it without drama. Once you know which digital pet peeves are real for you, you can begin working on ways to effectively deal with them, as you keep your reputation intact. Check out the twenty items below to see if any of these digital pet peeves ring a bell for you.

1. Free eBook downloads that ask for more than an email address or too much background info
2. Social web and social network bullies
3. “Isms” on fire online (e.g., sexism, racism)
4.  Text messages received in the wee morning hours
5. Cursing when other descriptive words would do
6. Sharing too much information on social networks
7. “Free” apps, goods and online tools that have hidden costs
8. Mobile apps that have multiple mobile ads
9. Mobile push ads that pop up in your smartphone’s notification bar
10. Mobile apps that are not upgraded or abandoned  by their developer
11. Receiving numerous emails (daily/weekly) from a website or organization
12. Random text messages sent to your smartphone or mobile device
13. Social media rants that go on and on and on…
14. Unattractive photos tagged on Facebook or shared on other social networks
15. Confused, egotistical or arrogant webinars, hosts & speakers
16. Forwarded chain emails with massive cc attached
17. People talking way too loud on their mobile phone
18. Mobile apps that can’t be moved once downloaded or updated
19. Mobile apps that can’t be moved to an SD card
20. Digital content curated to cause a negative, counterproductive stir /response (e.g., videos, blog posts)

For Goodness & For Business

Organizations benefit from actively working to equip employees with life skills and skills sets which enable employees to be less distracted at work and therefore, more productive. When an organization provides employees with new opportunities to reach their personal best, it shows employees they’re cared for above and beyond the roles they play at work.

It is better for organizational leaders to be aware of everything that could potentially cause employees to lose their focus and become less effective while at work. While a digital issue such as this, can be overlooked, it remains a powerful opportunity to provide ongoing training that teaches employees how to handle different digital perspectives as they learn to navigate emerging challenges in digital times.

Once you’re aware of the things that bother you, you can be properly prepared to deal with them when they occur. Personal and professional hang ups don’t have to get in the way of your professional progress. Find a way to make digital pet peeves work for you!

What are your digital pet peeves?