Computer and Library Learning

How Safe Are Your Passwords?

Having a secure password for online accounts is a basic requirement for online security.   While the components of a secure password are straightforward, creating a secure password that is easy to remember, can be difficult.  It's the remembering that is the hardest part.

Generally, secure passwords contain most, if not all, of the following features:

• A minimum of 8 characters
• At least one uppercase letter
• At least one number
• At least one symbol (although some online accounts do not allow for this)

If you want to check your passwords for their strength, have a look at the Password Strength Checker on the Password Meter Website.   Just type in your password and see how it scores.

One easy way to make your passwords more secure is to change one letter to an uppercase and substitute numbers or symbols for other letters in your current password.  For example, you could use a zero for an o, a 1 for an l or i, a 5 for an s, or the @ symbol for an a. For example, password could be changed to P@55w0rd (which changes the score from 8% - Very Weak to 86% - Very Strong).

To be the most secure, we should have different passwords for each online account - but who could remember all those different passwords?   It is possible to have your computer remember your password for you, through software management software or your browser.  However, this will not be of help when using someone else's computer or a public access computer, such as a library computer.  

The security experts at Mozilla (the company that created the Firefox web browser) have created an elegant way to create a secure password, have it be unique on each online website, but still be easily memorized.  The method is to chose a  phrase that you will remember.  If applicable, change words to numbers.  Reduce the phrase to just the first letters in each of the words and then add some symbols.  To make each password unique, add the first letter and the next two consonants of the website to the end of the password. 

For more details on this method, have a look at this video:

 

Related posts:

The Password is Dead...Long Live the Password...

Who can kill the password?

Shoring up the Password

Google's Take(Away) on the Password

 

 

Recommended Websites at Toronto Public Library and the Hidden Web

Recommended Websites 

(URL: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/books-video-music/recommended-websites/ )

Many Toronto Public Library customers with limited or no knowledge of computers before have gone through the spectrum of free computing training workshops offered at Toronto Public Library
branches, including the series of Web Basics 1, Web Basics 2, and Web Basics 3 workshops that emphasize three different ways of accessing information on the Internet:

1) When you know where you are going (i.e. the URL or the website’s address);

2) When you want to explore (and don’t have a specific website in mind) (i.e. use a search engine such as Bing, Google, or Yahoo! etc.); and.

3) When you want the exploring done for you (i.e. go to a special website or subject directory that links to other websites on the basis of category or topic – e.g. Internet Public Library and yes, Toronto Public Library’s Recommended Websites ).

It is method #3 that will be the focus here as we look at the “Recommended Websites” section of the Toronto Public Library website. “Recommended” means that Toronto Public Library librarians
have selected said websites for inclusion in a designated website category, evaluating the quality of the information presented, and monitoring those websites for potential changes. Customers using “Recommended Websites” have the option of searching by keyword(s) or can browse by subject categories to move from the general subjects to the more specific ones. Here are the general
subject categories as listed on Toronto Public Library’s Recommended Websites (with the number of listed websites in parentheses as of May 18, 2013):

Arts and Crafts (1,395)

Book Information, Literature and Electronic Books (337)

Business, Finance and Economics (1,719)

Canadian Theatre Record (139)

Computers, Internet and Search Engines (313)

Education, Libraries and Literacy (393)

Engineering and Technology (196)

Environment and Ecology (312)

Genealogy (1,015)

Geography, Travel and Tourism (622)

Government and Politics (685)

Health Topics from A to Z (1,393)

History (836)

Homes, Do-it-yourself and Consumer Information (541)

Homework Help (494)

Immigration, Citizenship and Newcomers (161)

Job Search and Careers (1,469)

Languages and Language Learning (179)

Law (100)

News, Media and Newspapers (2,155)

People and Communities (530)

Philosophy, Religion and Beliefs (431)

Quick Information (275)

Science and Mathematics (1,323)

Social Sciences (353)

Sports, Recreation and Hobbies (507)

Toronto and its Neighbourhoods (1,411)

 

As an example, let us focus on the Computers, Internet and Search Engines category. When entering this category, one now finds more specific subject categories (with the number of selected websites listed in parentheses as of May 18, 2013):

Artificial Intelligence  (4)

Communications and Networking  (7)

Dictionaries (6)

Education and Training  (21)

Email (6)

Free-Nets (3)

Hardware (14)

History and Biography  (14)

Newsletters, Magazines and Journals  (11)

Operating Systems  (11)

Organizations and Associations  (14)

Programming (9)

Search Engines and Directories  (72)

Security (13)

Software (28)

Word Processing Tutorials  (10)

World Wide Web (94)

 

Now let us focus on the Search Engines and Directories category which breaks down further as follows (with the number of websites per category in parentheses as of May 18, 2013):

French Language Search Engines and Directories  (9)

Meta Search Engines  (8)

Regional Search Engines and Directories  (7)

Search Engines (8)

Software Search Helpers  (4)

Subject Directories  (14)

Subject Directories - Canadian Focus  (5)

 

Subject directories (or recommended websites by category) websites are not always fully searchable or visible on the Internet through the use of a search engine that indexes the “Surface Web” or the “Visible Web”. Along with subscription databases and websites requiring membership to access
additional content, such sources constitute part of what is referred to alternatively as the “Deep Web”, the “Hidden Web”, or the “Invisible Web”. For those interested in learning more about the “Hidden Web”, consider the following titles available from Toronto Public Library collections:

 

  

The hidden web: a sourcebook / William O. Scheeren, 2012.

The author contended that many researchers, students, and even some librarians possess superficial searching skills of the Internet. Scheeren argued that the ability to use the Hidden Web in school and public libraries is essential as the most current and qualitative information is often found there. This book evaluated and subdivided various sources based on subject category, accompanied by resource
descriptions.

 

The hidden web: finding quality information on the net / Maureen Henninger, 2003.

Henninger took the reader beyond surfing the Internet to seek information. In addition to discussing search syntax and Boolean language strategies, the author addressed the presence of the “Invisible
Web” comprised of databases and some search engines that could be used by web users for free or for cost, depending on the source in question. Henninger provided search examples.

Snapshots in History: April 30: Remembering the World’s First Website on the WWW

 







(Source Credit: CERN – URL: http://info.cern.ch/hypertext/WWW/TheProject.html )

 

Those of us who use the World Wide Web to view webpages might want to take a brief moment to celebrate the twentieth (20^th) anniversary of the world’s first website. On April 30, 1993, in a desire for an “open web”, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (known by its French acronym CERN) released royalty-free the software and technology needed to run a web server to put websites on the Internet, accessible through a basic web browser. In celebration of the 20^th anniversary, CERN launched a working version of the world’s first original webpage.

Many people are aware of the role of British computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee in creating the World Wide Web (or W3) while he was working at CERN in 1989. Following the launch of the CERN webpage which was hosted on Berners-Lee’s NeXt computer at the time, there were over 500 web servers by the end of 1993 with the World Wide Web making up only 1% of Internet traffic while other activities involved remote access to computer networks, email activity, and file transfers from one computer to another workstation. In 2013, there are approximately 630 million websites.

In the early days of the World Wide Web, there were no search engines to help find information. However, on the first website, there were 17 subject areas from which to look for information:

Aeronautics; Astronomy and Astrophysics; Bio Sciences; Computing; Geography; Law; Libraries; Literature; Humanities; Mathematics; Meteorology; Music; Physics; Politics and Economics; Reference; Religion; and, Social Sciences.

What about the “open web”? Stephen Shankland, writing on cnet.com, noted that proprietary technology has found a place on the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web Consortium (or W3C) has developed recommendations with the goal of royalty-free implementation and the avoidance of patented technology. For example, when Unisys wanted patent royalties for developing GIF (Graphics Interchange Format) files, W3C helped to develop an alternative called Portable Network Graphics (PNG). Patents also exist in video compression codec with an industry standard called H.264 (or AVC - advanced video coding) for which individuals using the standard in hardware, software, streaming etc. must pay royalties to patent holders through Motion Picture Experts Group LA (licensing authority). Shankland also discussed digital rights management (DRM) which can place limitations on the copying of television programs, music sharing, or watching a rented movie after the expiration of 24 hours. The Free Software Foundation, Creative Commons, Electronic Frontier Foundation and other bodies have urged W3C to keep its standards free of DRM. However, controversy is swirling around Tim Berners-Lee’s support of a proposal being debated within W3C to add digital rights management to the new version of hypertext markup language (HTML) called HTML 5.

Canadian-British science fiction author and blogger Cory Doctorow, writing about HTML 5 on The Guardian’s Technology blog, argued that the addition of digital rights management to the HTML 5 standard will have major impacts “that are incompatible with the W3C's most important policies, and with Berners-Lee's deeply held principles”. Doctorow is well-acquainted with W3C’s patent-free approach and argued that when W3C members hold title to a patent that becomes part of a W3C standard, licensing should be offered without stringent conditions. However, this desire is in direct conflict with the intent of digital rights management to impose strict conditions on browsers, such as “robustness” against end-user changes, thereby preventing the use of free, open source software. Consequently, popular browser technologies such as WebKit (used in Chrome and Safari web browsers) and Gecko (used in Firefox browsers) would be legally restricted from implementing the emerging W3C standard. Doctorow also questioned the effectiveness of DRM in preventing copying. The desire of an “open and neutral Internet” which Berners-Lee developed without permission is in direct conflict with digital rights management which necessitates permission for the right to create and innovate.

Undoubtedly, the World Wide Web and its place on the Internet will continue to evolve, influenced by participants with differing viewpoints on the patent debate and digital rights management. What do you think? Have your say here on the Computer and Library Learning Blog.

Protecting Yourself from Online Scams

While the Internet is a great way to find information and keep in touch with friends and family, it has also has the potential to be used for criminal purposes.  Luckily, there are ways to protect yourself while online.   The website Mashable recently posted a great list of things to watch out for in your email in 10 Red Flag You're About to Get Scammed. 

For more information on the different scams that are out there - including phone scams - have a look at the Canadian Anti-Fraud Website and click on Scam Types. 

The Identify Theft section of this website also has excellent information, including the steps that someone should take if they suspect that their identity is being used by someone else and a downloadable Identity Theft Statement that can be used to notify banks, credit card and other companies that identity theft has occurred.

One type of scam is called Phishing.   According to Wikipedia, phishing is defined as " the act of attempting to acquire information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money) by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication".   This video is a somewhat humorous look at the danger of Phishing (and internet dating):

 

 

Keeping your information secure while online shopping is also very important in preventing having your information compromised.  The Ministry of Consumer Services, Ontario has a list of Consumer Protection Brochures for you to use.  Have a look at the Home, phone and online shopping online and the Protecting Your Identity brochures.

 

For more information on keeping safe while online, have a look at one of these books:

Using the Internet Safely for Seniors for Dummies by Linda Criddle and Nancy Muir. 
This guide will help readers steer safely through onlines hazards so they can shop, visit, invest, explore, pay bills, and do dozens of other things online - more securely. Learn to protect yourself from online predators, create strong passwords, find reliable information, spot e-mail and phishing scams, and much more. Also available in Large Print.

Social Media for Seniors : Personal and Business Communication through Social Networking by Rilana Groot
This is a guide for older Internet users on such topics as creating an account on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn; adding personal information and photographs to a profile; configuring privacy settings; and creating a blog using WordPress.

Elements of Computer Security by D. Salomon.
Elements of Computer Security examines the physical security of computer hardware, networks, and digital data. Introduces the different forms of rogue software, discusses methods for preventing and defending against them, and describes a selection of viruses, worms, and Trojans in detail. It also investigates threats to network security and explores the subjects of authentication, spyware, and identity theft and discusses key issues about privacy and trust in the online world.

How to be Invisible: Protect Your Home, Your Children, Your Assets and Your Life by J. J. Luna. 3rd Edition.
This book covers methods for protecting yourself from information predators and how to secure your bank accounts, business dealings, computer files, and even your home address. This new edition covers new dangers from using smart phones, e-book readers and other electronic devices as well as protecting your Facebook, Twitter and online banking accounts.

Security Awareness: Applying Practical Security in Your World by Mark D. Ciampa. 3rd Edition.
This book presents a basic introduction to practical computer security for all users, from students to home users to business professionals. Security topics are introduced through a series of real-life user experiences, showing why computer security is necessary and providing the essential elements for making and keeping computers secure. Going beyond just the concepts of computer security, students will gain practical skills on how to protect computers and networks from increasingly sophisticated attacks.

“I’ve Taken Move That Mouse – Now, What Can I Do to Practice?”

Over the years, many Toronto Public Library customers with little or no computer experience have enrolled in the library’s introductory workshop Move That Mouse at different library branches across the City of Toronto. Staff instructors continue to deliver this workshop to interested library patrons but also try to emphasize the need for these patrons to practice the computer skills that they have learned in the workshop after the workshop and before any other subsequent workshops offered by the library such as Web Basics.

Those who have their own personal computer might have little trouble finding time to practice computer skills at their convenience. For those customers who do not own their own computer, Toronto Public Library branch locations offer computer and internet access which customers can access with a valid Toronto Public Library card.

Once you are on a computer with internet access, then what? Go on the Internet and try the BBC Absolute Beginners’ Guide to using your computer.

 

 

(Source Credit: http://www.bbc.co.uk/webwise/abbeg/abbeg.shtml )

Follow the guide’s steps in using the computer mouse, learning about computer components, correct posture to follow when sitting at the keyboard and monitor, learning about the computer keyboard, scrolling practice, and a guide to using browser windows.

 

Here are some titles listed in the Toronto Public Library catalogue:

Absolute beginner's guide to computer basics [4th ed.] / Michael Miller, 2007. Book.

 

 

 

Buying a computer for seniors: for the over 50s / Karen Holland, 2010. Book.

 

 

 

The complete idiot's guide to using your computer-- for seniors / Paul McFedries, 2012. Book.

 

 

Computer basics absolute beginner's guide updated for Windows 8 [6th ed.] / Michael Miller, 2013. eBook.

 

 

 

Computers for seniors for dummies [3rd ed.] / Nancy Muir, 2013. Book.

 

 

 

Computers for seniors for dummies [2nd ed.] / Nancy Muir, 2010. Book. Also available in Large Print.

 

 

 

Computing for Seniors / Martin S. Matthews et al., 2011. Large Print Book.

 

 

 

Computing with Windows 7® for the older and wiser: get up and running on your home PC / Adrian Arnold, 2010. Book.

 

 

Is this thing on?: a computer handbook for late bloomers, technophobes, and the kicking & screaming / Abigail Stokes, 2011. Book.

 

 

Laptops for seniors for dummies / Nancy Muir, 2010. Book.

 

Laptops for the older and wiser: get up and running on your laptop computer / Bud E. Smith, 2010. Book.

 

 

Macs for seniors for dummies [2^nd. ed.] / Mark L. Chambers, 2012.

 

 

Windows 8 for seniors for dummies / Mark Justice Hinton, 2012. Book.

YouTube Reaches One Billion Monthly Users

On March 20, 2013, the world’s most popular video-sharing service YouTube announced on its blog that “YouTube now has more than a billion unique users every single month.” The Google-owned service noted that “(n)early one out of every two people on the Internet visits YouTube.” This puts YouTube in a similar position to Facebook which recently reached one billion active monthly users in October 2012 and increased to 1.06 billion active monthly users in January 2013.

 

(Source URL: https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://ssl.gstatic.com/think/docs/gen-c-connects-on-youtube_infographics.pdf&embedded=true ; Also available as a PDF at http://ssl.gstatic.com/think/docs/gen-c-connects-on-youtube_infographics.pdf  )

 

The Google Agency Blog published a blog post entitled “How does Gen C watch Youtube? On all screens, all the time” on March 20, 2013 that addressed increased YouTube usage on account of “Generation C”, aptly named by Nielsen for the 18 to 34 year old demographic that places an importance on being connected. According to the Google Agency Blog, Generation C places importance on connection (with a variety of devices to watch YouTube), creation (including creating, watching, and uploading videos on YouTube), community (driven by what is popular on YouTube to share video content with family and friends), and curation (finding content on YouTube and elsewhere that is important to them).

 

 

The Google Agency Blog reported that Gen C watch YouTube on their smartphones in conjunction with other activities. For example, 41% access YouTube while waiting for someone or something, 18% during commuting from school or work, and 15% while ignoring commercials that are running on television.

 

 

47% of Gen C smartphone users actively access YouTube as a destination for finding videos, while 9% have accessed videos for social reasons as it was shared by friends in an email, and 18%  have watched a video because it was shared on a social networking site. For those of you who are new to the Internet and to using a computer, Google and YouTube are trying to entice brand marketers to reach Gen C consumers (who have made YouTube an important website destination) with options such as TrueView video ads and One Channel design (that provides access to advertisements regardless of the device used).

To view a PDF copy of the research document “Introducing Gen C: The YouTube Generation”, click here.

Please share your thoughts with the Computer and Library Learning blog on how you spend time on YouTube.

You are here, so why not take a tour?

Since you already are at the Toronto Public Library's home page, why not take a tour? There is so much more there than meets the eye. Here is a video to help you get started:

 

The library web site is organized in sections. At the top you will see access to your account, and, importantly a SEARCH box, which you should use to find library materials and other information. Unlike Google and other search engines, this search box will pull up content from the library web site ONLY.

Immediately below, on the banner, are ways of specifying the kind of search you need to make: "Books, Video, Research & More," "Programs, Classes & Exhibits," and more.

Just under the banner is a suite of portals. Use these to "Find your way to Downloads & eBooks," or "Find your way to History & Genealogy." There are several more.

The centre of the page is dominated by featured content and services, such as "Blogs by Librarians," "What's New," and so forth.

If you keep scrolling you'll come to a blue section detailing services of the library, including access to the library's social networks, policies, and much more.

 

 

Google Reader to Shut Down: Why? What are the Alternatives?

On March 13, 2013, Urs Hölzle, Google’s Senior Vice-President of Technical Infrastructure and Google Fellow, announced on the Official Google Blog that more Google products were being  dropped over the course of the year 2013, including Google Reader. Mr. Hölzle acknowledged that Google Reader has had “a loyal following” but usage of the service has dropped. Consequently, the decision was made to retire Google Reader on July 1, 2013. Google Reader users interested in pursuing RSS (Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication) alternatives (to continue receiving regularly updated content from one’s favourite websites) are able to export their Google Reader data, including their RSS website subscriptions, using Google Takeover (Google’s data liberation service) over the next several months to Google Reader’s expiration on July 1, 2013.

 

(Source Credit: Sydney Morning Herald, March 15, 2013 –URL:  http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/outrage-at-googles-decision-to-axe-reader-20130315-2g4ci.html )

 

 

 

 

The downside of the Google Reader shutdown is that dedicated users must now find an alternative before the July 1, 2013 deadline. The good news is that the migration of Google Reader users to other RSS reader services has already begun. Further good news is that many writers in the technology field have written many articles recommending viable alternatives to Google Reader. Let’s take a quick look at some of them:

 Feedly reported on March 15, 2013 that over 500,000 Google Reader users had joined Feedly since Google’s announcement on March 13, 2013. “Seamless migration” is available for iOS, Android, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari users. Ellis Hamburger, writing on The Verge, argued that Feedly is the “only real Google Reader alternative” because it is the only RSS application that comes with free companion mobile apps of excellent quality, ensuring the ability to continue without difficulty. Feedly also gives the user the option of dividing one’s RSS feeds into folders and choosing a preferred view (i.e. headlines, timeline etc.). Similarly, Mellisa Tolentino, writing on Silicon Angle, reported that Feedly developed a clone application programming interface (API) to Google Reader’s API (operating on Google App Engine) called Normandy; Normandy will be in place for the transition when Google Reader shuts down. Paul Chaney, writing on Practical Ecommerce, noted that one could log into Feedly by using one’s Google account with the result that one’s feeds will be automatically synchronized. Chaney further praised Feedly’s “more visual interface” but users should be aware of a condensed version of subscribed feeds that shows up when one has selected the “ALL” link. 

Newsblur is arguably the best RSS service for news junkies with a refreshed screen of one’s news feeds every minute and offers the ability to organize news feeds with folders inside other folders. Tejas Morey noted that Newsblur has better add-ons than Google Reader with the free service supporting 64 feeds showing 10 stories. Unfortunately, access to the free service has been temporarily frozen but interested users can sign up for the paid service with additional flexibility. Newsblur has apps for iOS and Android users that synchronize “saved stories”.

Pulse is an alternative best suited to those who are visually oriented, and is available for web, iOS, and Android users. Pulse posted a notice on its blog for Google Reader users to instruct them on how to add their Google Reader feeds to Pulse on a mobile device after which one can log into Pulse on a desktop or laptop computer and see their feeds back in their web browser.

Netvibes is a dashboard service intended for business but there is a free version available for individuals to use. Alan Henry, writing on Lifehacker.com, described Netvibes as “a free and functional replacement for Google Reader” with an attractive dashboard from which users have access to widgets for topics such as news and weather information.

 

 

 

For those seeking a Canadian-based alternative, Terry Brodie of The Globe and Mail highlighted the content-curation start-up firm Spundge based in Montreal in a March 19, 2013 article. Spundge announced in a March 15, 2013 blog post that Google Reader users had imported over 10,000 RSS feeds since Google announced its intention to terminate Google Reader. Users with a free Spundge account can consult the quick start guide “5 keys for getting started on Spundge” as well as “Importing RSS Feeds from Google Reader” for help.

Not forgetting Mac users, one should consider NetNewsWire (which has been in business since 2002, somewhat dated and slow as it relies on one’s computer but a Google Reader account is not needed to use it. Combined with reliable refreshing of feeds and keyword searching, Ellis Hamburger contended that NetNewsWire is the “most well-rounded local RSS client for Mac.”), Reeder, Vienna (an open-source alternative), and Leaf (which presents RSS feeds in a Twitter-like format.).    

My colleague Blog Prince, in addition to writing about Feedly, also listed Bloglines (with both desktop and mobile apps) and The Old Reader (based on an older version of the Google Reader but web-based only at this time) as alternatives to Google Reader in his recent blog post “Will you miss Google Reader?”.

Google Reader users are welcome to share their migration experiences from Google Reader to other RSS alternatives with us here on the Computer and Library Learning blog by making a comment.

Does the Facebook “Likes’” Study Add Up?

Facebook users have had an ample opportunity to acknowledge their preferences on their Facebook pages since the inception of its “Like “ button on February 9, 2009. A report was published in the March 12, 2013 (Vol. 110 No.11) issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences entitled “Private traits and attributes are predictable from digital records of human behavior”. The research and ensuing article was conducted by two academics at the Psychometrics Centre of the University of Cambridge and one researcher from Microsoft Research based in Cambridge, England. John C. Dvorak, writing on pcmag.com, reminded readers that Microsoft Corporation is a part-owner of Facebook, thereby calling the study’s results into question. The study involved more than 58,000 Facebook users in the United States participating through a Facebook app called myPersonality, owned by David Stillwell, one of the study’s authors from the University of Cambridge’s Psychometrics Centre.  The 58,000-plus users in the test population volunteered information on their “likes”, personalities, and demographic profiles. Researchers used an algorithm for data analysis which was said to accurately predict American males’ sexual orientation 88% of the time, Americans’ political affiliations between Democrats and Republicans 85% of the time, and differentiate the backgrounds of African-Americans and Caucasian-Americans 95% of the time.

John C. Dvorak also noted that the 58,000-plus Facebook users were not randomly selected but volunteered for the study. Dvorak felt that the study’s intent was to reinforce the idea to marketers that Facebook advertising can be targeted in an exact fashion and recommended to users not to click on anything to divulge personal information, preferences and the like. On the positive side, the study’s authors contended that the results could be used to ameliorate products and services such as online stores that could adjust themselves to fit users’ profiles.

Marina Ziegler, writing on the Secure.me blog, expressed being startled by the fact that the predictions from the University of Cambridge study could be generated without Facebook users giving away too much obvious information. Ziegler also expressed concern at how many users share their data without wondering how the data could be used. Many Facebook users make their “Likes” lists open to their friends and often to the public. In addition, Facebook users often share their “Likes” with the apps that they use with their Facebook accounts.  Secure.me provided a list of the top 10 apps in the United States that seek permission to access one’s “Likes” if one wishes to connect these apps with a Facebook account:

“

1. Yahoo* more than 10 Mio. users/month
2. Pinterest more than 10 Mio. users/month
3. TripAdvisor* more than 10 Mio. users/month
4. Causes* more than 5 Mio. users/month
5. Zoosk more than 5 Mio. users/month
6. Pandora more than 5 Mio. users/month
7. Etsy* more than 1 Mio. users/month
8. Groupon* more than 1 Mio. users/month
9. Hulu more than 1 Mio. users/month
10. Amazon* more than 1 Mio. users/month

*These apps don’t only access your own, but also your friend’s “Likes”.”

(Source Credit: https://www.secure.me/en/2013/03/12/show-me-what-you-like-on-facebook/ )

Secure.me also offers users the ability to check out which apps seek permission for accessing one’s “Likes” and personal information by visiting their App Security Network . Facebook users can also take measures to protect their own privacy by improving privacy settings, cleaning up apps’ lists, ensuring that friends’ apps cannot collect one’s personal data, and hiding one’s “Likes”.




Facebook users interested in privacy options should read the article “A Guide to Facebook Privacy Options” in the Wall Street Journal by Lorrie Faith Cranor, a security expert and academic from Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Cranor emphasized that Facebook offers tools that help users control who can view one’s posts, use account settings to prevent account takeover, prevent one’s name and image from appearing in advertisements for products for which one expressed a “Like”, and prevent apps from showing up in one’s timeline. Better yet, Dr. Cranor developed a graphic that illustrates various Facebook privacy settings and how to use them.  Facebook will be rolling out a home page change that will affect the placement of icons denoting privacy and security BUT the settings are not supposed to change.

 

(Source Credit: Wall Street Journal and Lorrie Faith Cranor, Carnegie Mellon University - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324880504578300312528424302.html#project%3DFBPRIVACY0308%26articleTabs%3Dinteractive )

 

What do you think about Facebook privacy settings? Do you use them? Tell us about your experiences on the Computer and Library Learning blog.

 

Canadians Continue to Be Big Users of the Internet

 

On March 4, 2013, comScore, a company specializing in digital measurement and analytics, released its 2013 Canada Digital Future in Focus report. The report, prepared annually and available for free download after filling out a brief, online registration form, provided an analytical snapshot into the emerging trends in the Canadian marketplace (and future implications) based on web usage, online video, digital advertising, mobile, social media, and e-commerce indicators. In the “Online Visitation and Engagement” section (page 6) of the report, the results, based on the fourth quarter of 2012, showed that Canadians placed second in the world in terms of average monthly hours per visitor at 41.3 hours, just behind the United States at 43 hours. The Canadian results are down from 45.3 hours and 43.5 hours in 2011 and 2010 respectively. However, Canadians did place first in the average monthly pages per visitor and average monthly visits per visitor categories at 3,731 web pages and 101 visits, just ahead of the United States at 3,709 web pages and 97 visits.

In the “Online Video Viewership and Engagement” section (page 9), Canada placed second in both the average monthly hours per viewer and average monthly videos per viewer categories at 24.8 hours and 291 videos respectively, while the United Kingdom finished first in both of those categories at 30.4 hours and 300 videos on a monthly average.

Canadians’ participation in social media/networking increased by 3% in the fourth quarter of 2012 over the same period in 2011 with some 23,921,000 unique visitors in 2012 (page 23). The top 5 social networking sites for Canadians (ranked on the basis of total unique visitors) in 2012 were Facebook in first place (with an 8% increase over 2011), Twitter a distant second (but experiencing a 27% growth rate over 2011), LinkedIn a close third (but showing a 38% growth rate over 2011), Tumblr a very close fourth place (given its 96% growth rate over 2011), and Pinterest clearly in fifth place (but demonstrating a phenomenal 792% growth rate over 2011).

 

The value of E-commerce activity increased by 10% from the previous year to over $22.3 billion in 2012 (page 30). Smartphone penetration in the Canadian market increased by 17% to 62% of the market in December 2012 (page 17) with Google Android smartphones capturing the lead market share at 40%, 5% ahead of Apple iPhones and 20% ahead of RIM’s BlackBerry (page 18). Display ad impressions increased by 17% to greater than 724 million (page 45).

Please read the Canadian Press’ graphical summary of the comScore report here.

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