The Twitter Animal Kingdom

Since my conversion in January of this year I am now a big Twitter advocate. Along with the majority of tech-savvy Businesses and individuals I now regularly converse with Tweeps and am more than happy wallowing in hash tags. The increased exposure has yielded an interesting observation however, that much like most collections of Human Behavior, those using Twitter seem to fall into one of a few categories.

When I pick up a follower notification or stumble upon an interesting looking character, I now found myself slotting them neatly into a group. Not an online group, or even a Twitter list, just an amusing demographic yard stick to try and make sense of the 140 character universe. My Attenboroughs guide to Twitter birds is below...

The Kukaburra - Spammers or self promoters. Users who are either spam-bots or the human equivalent. Senseless and shameless hammering of the same tweets, retweets, or links. Noisy and obnoxious, quickly become tiresome. Naming and shaming @DamnTeenQuote, @Florinemuo, and @jamesvimcmorrow

The Woodpecker - The possessed and deranged account of a hacked user, forced to send bizarre messages and replies to everyone attached to that account like "ROFL this pic i found of you had me dying lol http://t.l9pI". Mindless and irritating, and happy to lay its tweet eggs in others nests. Most recent encounter of this was from @LittleTheatreUK, hope they sorted it out.

The Magpie - A lover of all things shiny, our Twitter Magpies spend most of their time scouring the great web outdoors, looking for an assortment of shiny objects and links to interesting topics. Invariably their news feed will largely be filled with just such little gems and not much else of their own creation. Sometimes guilty of this: @peterwillb and @leepaulkennedy

The Peacock - A frustrated male or female Tweeter who has the urge to display themselves. Using Twitter as another forum to show off their plumage their twitter feed and their image links will be tantamount to a models head shot catalogue of variable quality. Nice enough to listen to, but one too many picture of their guns or their cleavage will most likely have you wanting to fly the nest. Some classic examples from @honeystweet7 and @BigRonColeman.

The Robin - Nice to look at and keeps themselves busy. A general all-round "brighten up your day" tweeter, unfortunately rather rare in the natural environment. Some examples of the endangered species: @TextTonic and @Seema_Shariat , let me know if you find any more!

The Seagull - A glutinous sort, tends to eat a lot and then make a lot of noise about how much they are enjoying themselves. Normally found tweeting about how great their cup of coffee was or how much they are going to enjoy a takeaway tonight. A strange breed without much to actually say, but plenty of enthusiasm to say it. Plenty of examples, you know who you are.

So there you have it, a journey through the unpredictable Avery that is www.twitter.com. How would a twitter ornothologist classify you I wonder?

Beware the Mobile Malware

Our home PC's have long since been besieged by a threatening armada of security threats. Ever since I can remember picking up a mouse there has been a looming threat of Viruses and more recently breeds of mal- and spyware which can run amok in an unsuspecting users machine.

I suppose inevitably enough the scourge has spread to our beloved Smartphones. With the discovery of a particularly unnerving breed of Android Malware which can record and export calls, SMS and even phone location the Mobile world is becoming another battleground. Android and iPhone users are now recommended to install and maintain anti-virus software on their handsets in order to protect their pocket device. With huge amounts of data being hauled around in a device which might wrongly be considered immune, it is probably time for us Smartphone users to tighten our belts.

Details in a recent report show Android users are now two and half times more likely to stumble onto Malware in the Android Market than they were in January. Apple iOS users who rely on manual connection to iTunes are also lagging behind on firmware security updates which is unlikely to change until the impending 'over-the-air' update mechanism rolls out in iOS 5. In true Corporal Jones style there really is no need to panic, however the general advice (as with PC users) is to take precautions by installing some protection software.

I have tried a few on the Android platform and heres my low-down...

Lookout Mobile Security - https://www.mylookout.com/

I first tried this one when it was in Beta early last year. A complete security offering which is now offered in a slimmed down free flavour, and a premium full featured package. After installing the app the user is able to remotely locate, lock, or wipe their handset. Anti-virus and on demand scanning come as standard and data backup and restore is also offered through over-the air transmission to lookout servers.

I tested the locate function on Android Gingerbread this morning, whilst it took a little longer than expected (5 mins+) it duly prompted my that it had found my phone with a convenient and accurate email notification. The security scanning seems slick and reliable so far which is the important part.

Available on Android, Blackberry, and Windows Mobile platforms, the majority of smartphone users are protected.

Verdict: 8/10. A reliable solution for security and loss/theft options and has come a long way since beta. Good value at $19.99 a year and will help give you peace of mind that your handset is protected and retrievable above and beyond a standard keylock and insurance policy.

McAfee Mobile Security - http://www.mcafeemobilesecurity.com/

After picking up mobile security pioneers Wavesecure last year McAfee have been quick to put together an offering to keep mobile users secure alongside their desktop and server protection. Building on the original Wavesecure concept which centered on remote locate, lock and wipe functions McAfee Mobile Security provides real-time scanning alongside a comprehensive online portal allowing extensive remote control of the device.

Supporting Blackberry, Symbian, Android and iPhones, this is a solid offering for mobile users across the board. The feature of remotely shutting down a phone but extracting your personal data covertly over the network before ordering a "nuke" of the phone is certainly a feature which will put some more troubled minds at ease.

Unfortunately however, my experience with this software on Android certainly takes the shine off. Remote requests are issued via text messages. For some reason which is not abundantly clear McAfee have retained Wavesecure's Singapore messaging servers. A request from your online account will therefore prompt a costly text message from an international number in order to kick your phone into action. Simply testing the locate and lock I managed to add £3 to my bill. On top of a $29.99 yearly subscription you might start to wonder if its worth it.

Verdict: 5/10 Nice idea and looks great to start with. Execution and reliability seems poor, although with some tweeks and reduced cost this is probably the most comprehensive solution available. Shame really...

AVG Mobilation/Anti-virus Free - http://www.avgmobilation.com/

A more recent contender in the market, the product of AVG and DroidSecurity is the AVG Mobilation package suitable for Android smartphones and tablets. On first installation and to the discerning mobile app user the visuals of the app are a little unnerving. Pale white screens and non-branded app logos make this offering look like malware itself. However pressing on I discovered a comprehensive scanning functionality which delves deep into settings, emails, SMS, contacts and even bookmarks.

Assuming you trust AVG's signatures, this looks like a pretty watertight solution for the security minded Smartphone user. The on-demand and real-time scanning features are also lightweight and efficient so you dont have to worry about your Smartphone real estate being gobbled.

The free trial of the pro software lasts 30 days which should give you ample chance to test if its for you (full version license £6.15) Alternatively there is Anti-Virus free which offers continual free (albeit slightly slimmed) protection.

Verdict: 7/10 Looks to be a great option for comprehensive threat protection, cant help feeling that one of the 'all-round' solutions offering remote locking and location offers a better investment if you want to spend cash on protecting your handset.


So there you have it, a whistlestop tour through Mobile security, for a full run down check out this from Top Ten Reviews.

Happy (and safe) Smartphoning!

The Instant Relevance Age

Social media as a concept has revolutionised information sharing and growth of communities online. Being a largely wholesome pursuit, an appreciation of a softer side of marketing and more personal communication which Social Media embodies has been a positive influence for Businesses and individuals alike.

Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter provide not only instant communication (which is expected as a minimum in our digital age) but relevant and immersive methods of engaging with groups of people according to their relationship with you, or common interests. Personally I believe the point at which the internet was at its broadest has now passed. A content explosion spurred on by multiple social media platforms coming to maturity in the past 5 years is now coming into some form of order. Whilst it is exciting for a single internet user to behold a potentially limitless bounty of content, the time has come for relevance.

Increasingly content hosting websites across the globe and from all sectors are striving to provide a more personalised experience, acknowledging that users want information useful to them, not endless streams of data. BBC iPlayer allows users to save favourite programmes and makes recommendations based on these preferences. Twitter provides its lists function which facilitates the amalgamation of streams into a single interest area. Facebook groups currently provide the best forum for informal but closed information sharing within a like minded set of individuals. And of course Google have spearheaded their social media offering with the Circles concept, encouraging selective and tiered sharing of content to ensure maximum interest for those at both end of the exchange.

So as Internet users we can now enjoy a highly tailored yet rich immersion into content which we enjoy. Yet this is not without its price. By the nature of expressing and recording a preference we are placing more of our personality into cyberspace. For instance, if you were to take advantage of all the forums listed above, someone who gained access to your accounts would quickly be able to garner your friendship groups, your relationship with colleagues, and even your favourite television programmes. The increasing concerns surrounding identity theft highlight readily available photos, personal preference information, and location data to be serious exposures for the average internet user. This friendly infographic from mashable spells out the considerable cost of the new criminal pastime.

And the undercurrent of online persona has not gone unnoticed by society as a whole. The recent London riots have in part been attributed to the almost military grade communication mechanisms now available to the average phone user. The ability to secretly share instant group messages whilst on the move is a powerful tool and one that realistically has only just come into widespread existence. Whether or not it facilitated the recent mob violence it highlights the potential power of limitless social communication and might be a sign of things to come.

I thought Spam went out of fashion?

As consumers we have the not inconsiderable burden of choosing where to spend our money. This dilemma is presented on a daily basis as we go about normal pursuits and routines. A sizeable faction of retailers and salesman are not content with letting the money fall from our purse in good time however, they instead feel that the only way to secure our hard earned cash is with a brute force approach.

As a child I remember seeing junk mail pile through the letterbox, only to be thumbed through and discarded. I always found it amazing that companies who spent a small fortune sending out thousands of unsolicited letters could make it worth their while. Presumably enough people must have been signing up for credit cards and cash prize puzzle competitions to cover the cost of the vast amounts of paper that end up in the bin. At least in this sector the evident underlying profitability of the operation provides some reassurance of the senders logic (providing we swerve the environmental hot potato on where all the waste paper goes).

Of course the modern age has heralded modern methods of purveying mass commercial plugging. The birth of 'SPAM' email is considered to be in 1978 when the same email was sent to 300 recipients without being personalised as was the trend at the time. Of course this made those diligently watching their inboxes more than a little upset. How dare the sender on this magical new system not take the time to write something which was addressed to them by name and had some relevance to what they might be interested in? If only they knew what was to come. By 1988 the first chain mail reared its head, "Make money fast" bore all the hallmarks of SPAM to come.

Unsolicited bulk email now makes up 80-85% of all emails sent worldwide. To this end both individuals and corporates spend significant time and money to filter out this bulk of chaff, to leave them with a workable system for communication. There is a worldwide contemptuous attitude towards such mail, with even the less internet-savvy individuals being able to spot most scam or promotional emails a mile off and send it reeling off into the ever-present Junk folder.

So how and why do the senders persist? Re-applying the metric of profit from the Junk postal mail story, it is reasonable to assume at least a few recipients must offer their wallets. What is different with email is the cost per send for the Spammer. With little or no overhead and the ability to be invisible as a sender, even one or two sign-ups from 2 million mail outs proves to be a good day at the office.

The only real solution is for the Internet community to form consensus and crack down on what is heralded as a free, easy and cheap solution for global communication. A strict opt-in service for inbox owners or lock-down of acceptable recipients would go some way to cleaning up our daily e-post bag. I am not sure the problem will ever go away, but with spending on combating SPAM estimated at upwards of £150 per Business user per year, can we really afford not to tackle the root cause?

Calculate the cost of SPAM to your Business with this nifty calculator... http://www.commtouch.com/spam-cost-calculator

The Great Carrier Bag Scandal

In a time of unprecedented ecological concern and constant reminders to be green, we as the UK general public have made a respectable stab at washing out our jam jars and turning down our thermostats. Whilst there will always be gaping holes in the sustainable practise of the nation with old-school industry and air-conditioned office blocks, the last few years have seen a conspicuous improvement in the attitude of consumers towards waste. Most importantly, we seem to still be happy enough, perhaps demonstrating that consumption and waste is not the only source of enjoyment in Western society.

In fact the recent drive to be "green" from both manufacturers and our peers has spawned a die-hard elite of frugalists and return of the 'make do and mend' brigade. The old British adage has been revived in a recent BBC remake where handy sowers and resourceful cooks provided lessons on how to reduce waste and save money.

The combination of belt-tightening and the dawning revelation that we might be actually be knackering the planet has prompted the almost ubiquitous 'war on carrier bags'. Once a time where triple bagging heavy items was actively encouraged by the teenage checkout assistant, punters now have to wrestle a few measly bags from the attendant just so they can get their products out the door. Instead loyalty points and growing sense of smugness are provided as recompense for bringing your own scrumpled carriers or buying into the bag for life scheme. All in all, a sustainability success you might say.

So how is it that logic still evades us in such glaring ways in other areas? I recently saw a pile of Argos catalogues which had made their way half a mile down a high street and subsequently been rained on providing enough material to create a sizeable papier mache sculpture. I am presuming that the culmination of 3000 pages of printed product adverts was not used before being discarded, instead providing a massive waste of energy and effort. What's more someone has to then be paid to clean it up.

Levels of product packaging seem to have also escaped the chop. Apart from my annoyance with the fact it often takes me 20 minutes to wrestle open stubborn plastic blister packs, there is simply no need to wrap things 4 times in a packagers almanac of different materials. Some of the worst offenders are listed over on Business Insider, with my personal favourite being individually wrapped bananas...

All this makes me worry that it doesn't really matter whether I only use one sheet of toilet paper, or whether I get some nectar points for bringing a smelly carrier bag for my shopping. In the grand scheme of things it feels like we need to do a lot more if we are serious about not living in a planet-wide rubbish dump before the next century.

The Chewbacca E-mail Defence

After four years of University and working in Industry I have come to notice a strange phenomenon which seems to afflict everyone from the lowest administrator to the highest director with equal virility. All of us have experienced the moment where all eyes turn in your direction on the revelation that an expectation has not been achieved or a target has been missed. Whether its coursework past its deadline, or a long overdue action point from a rather tedious meeting there is a stock standard defence which seems the commercial embodiment of the 'Get out of jail free card'.

"I sent you an email". A few small words so innocently placed, but covers all manner of sins. I don't really understand how it is that a Director on the Warpath or a Lecturer hell-bent on docking marks can be so easily subdued by the timely delivery of the phrase. Whether the purveyor of the excuse is telling the truth or not it I have seen devastating delivery causing instant disarray in those who are turning critical eyes.

On more than one occasion I have seen students excused timely coursework submission due to perceived uncertainty surrounding the delivery of electronic mail. I have even used the excuse myself to cover tardiness when contacting clients at work, professing that "my email didn't send the first time". And of course who could forget the classic Sales Rep tactic of insisting that they speak to the intended recipient in person, just to check if they got that email containing "A really interesting offer".

In an age where E-mail is ubiquitous and largely seen as superior to paper mail, are we really that uncertain as to the quality of the delivery mechanism? Surely if there was genuinely this much doubt as to whether Business-critical documents will arrive when we click 'Send' then we would save some of our raging contempt for Royal Mail, and vent it at E-mail providers instead.

Perhaps it is the lack of per-send cost associated with most E-mail services which lowers our expectations, or perhaps we enjoy the dance of uncertainty surrounding our merry distribution of scores of emails every day. Of course who would forgo the amusing back and forth whilst trying to dictate an E-mail address over the telephone prompting 4 failed emails and one Nigerian scam respondent before finally getting the message through.

Either way it makes me wonder how long before we start to demand more from our best electronic friend. With so much of Business and Personal life depending on timely and safe delivery of Electronic Mail, I think it might be time to iron out the kinks and fire some of these incompetent digital postmen.

There are even some hailing alternatives to E-mail altogether. Could RSS really be a replacement?

PS for those of you pondering the relation to Chewbacca, see this video for a likeness to many a meeting where the E-Mail diversion defence has been employed...