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Showing posts from February, 2011

The Stop and Go of Data Flow and #privacy - new research

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What do you consider personal information was the based question for research conducted by Ball State University's Center for Media Design published Feb 2011 and the reports finds that the notion of privacy is actually "situational," and depends on the context of the consumer, the nature of their information being tracked, and the organizations that are tracking it. The report is worth reading  " Notions of Privacy: Ignorance, Illusion or Miscommunication ," They have also supplied an excellent interactive infographic (main illustration) The work is very good and whilst it does lack the sense of global diversity around the world (different geographies what is personal very different), it does highlight that people have strange views about data.  Some data that people highlight as private is indeed public already and therefore the work represents the confusion between “what we would like/ believe we have as privacy and what we have in reality” Part 2 of t

What data do you need to determine influence?

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Trying to determine someone level of influence is attractive for a number of reasons, not least to be able to understand how valuable you are as a multiplier in a social network. There are growing (nine as I write) significant attributes that will affect your influence. The issue is interruption of words... Authority What authority have you been given by you social graph and what authority can you command (depth) Credibility How credible are you on the topic in question, the closeness to your are of given authority Expertise Proven domain expertise from an independent third party that shows more than common knowledge or willing to stand up and be counted.  Think how others whom you are influenced by rate you Location Often overlooked but sometime meeting people helps or having someone local is a positive. Proximity Both the relationships between people and how they are connected. Closeness is more than family Reach Think about the size and potency of your "so

What data do you need to determine influence?

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Trying to determine someone level of influence is attractive for a number of reasons, not least to be able to understand how valuable you are as a multiplier in a social network. There are growing (nine as I write) significant attributes that will affect your influence. The issue is interruption of words... Authority What authority have you been given by you social graph and what authority can you command (depth) Credibility How credible are you on the topic in question, the closeness to your are of given authority Expertise Proven domain expertise from an independent third party that shows more than common knowledge or willing to stand up and be counted.  Think how others whom you are influenced by rate you Location Often overlooked but sometime meeting people helps or having someone local is a positive. Proximity Both the relationships between people and how they are connected. Closeness is more than family Reach Think about the size and potency of your "so

What data do you need to determine influence?

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Trying to determine someone level of influence is attractive for a number of reasons, not least to be able to understand how valuable you are as a multiplier in a social network. There are growing (nine as I write) significant attributes that will affect your influence. The issue is interruption of words... Authority What authority have you been given by you social graph and what authority can you command (depth) Credibility How credible are you on the topic in question, the closeness to your are of given authority Expertise Proven domain expertise from an independent third party that shows more than common knowledge or willing to stand up and be counted.  Think how others whom you are influenced by rate you Location Often overlooked but sometime meeting people helps or having someone local is a positive. Proximity Both the relationships between people and how they are connected. Closeness is more than family Reach Think about the size and potency of your "so

Hiding in plain sight - Dirty Data and Fake Locations

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Dirty Data is a term used when referring to inaccurate information or data collected during capture.  Dirty data can be misleading, incorrect, without generalised formatting, incorrectly spelled or punctuated, entered into the wrong field or duplicated. Dirty data can be prevented using input masks or validation rules, but completely removing such data from a source can be impossible or impractical There are several causes of dirty data. In some cases, the information is deliberately distorted. A person may insert misleading or fictional personal information which appears real. Such dirty data may not be picked up by an administrator or a validation routine because it appears legitimate. Duplicate data can be caused by repeat submissions, user error or incorrect data joining. There can also be formatting issues or typographical errors. A common formatting issue is caused by variations in a user's preference for entering phone numbers. The reason for looking at this topic was

The question is not what data can I get or what can I do with it....

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image from http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/ It may or may not be true that social media companies know more about us than our Government.  However what is known is that we are generating more data that can be tracked (aka one element of the digital footprint).  We know that value comes from how companies analyse this data and then use it to influence you in some purchase decision.  To increase the value companies are then trying to close the loop by understanding what influenced you and how you influence your social group. Johanna Blakley did an excellent TedTalk on the end of gender and how our current views of segmentation only provide a "distorted mirror of life".  In summary she says that ridged segmentation based on old school demographics is restrictive as it labels and define us assuming us all have similar behaviour, taste, likes and are predictable - based on your demographics and buckets.  This is however different to Dan Ariely views from "Predictab

Why using the same user ID may give away more than you think - Friday Thoughts

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Roger Grimes posted a very insightful blog about reuse of user ID and passwords, with the usual sprinkling of fairy dust and FUD to create sales for security experts, however it co-insides with Microsoft publishing some data about the reuse of passwords on different web sites and a very good research paper from INRIA in France which asked “ How unique and traceable are usernames ” Essentially can identities established on multiple web sites be linked together based on the usernames to recreate an “identity” and what are the implications for privacy?  INRIA experiment looked at over 10 million usernames from popular services such as Google and eBay. In some of the tests, Google profiles that listed multiple accounts on different web services were used to establish “ground truth” about linked usernames. The first finding was that the usernames chosen by people on the various websites tend to be very unique, with a probability of duplication being approximately one in one billion. Thi

Why using the same user ID may give away more than you think - Friday Thoughts

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Roger Grimes posted a very insightful blog about reuse of user ID and passwords, with the usual sprinkling of fairy dust and FUD to create sales for security experts, however it co-insides with Microsoft publishing some data about the reuse of passwords on different web sites and a very good research paper from INRIA in France which asked “ How unique and traceable are usernames ” Essentially can identities established on multiple web sites be linked together based on the usernames to recreate an “identity” and what are the implications for privacy?  INRIA experiment looked at over 10 million usernames from popular services such as Google and eBay. In some of the tests, Google profiles that listed multiple accounts on different web services were used to establish “ground truth” about linked usernames. The first finding was that the usernames chosen by people on the various websites tend to be very unique, with a probability of duplication being approximately one in one billion. Thi

Why using the same user ID may give away more than you think - Friday Thoughts

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Roger Grimes posted a very insightful blog about reuse of user ID and passwords, with the usual sprinkling of fairy dust and FUD to create sales for security experts, however it co-insides with Microsoft publishing some data about the reuse of passwords on different web sites and a very good research paper from INRIA in France which asked “ How unique and traceable are usernames ” Essentially can identities established on multiple web sites be linked together based on the usernames to recreate an “identity” and what are the implications for privacy?  INRIA experiment looked at over 10 million usernames from popular services such as Google and eBay. In some of the tests, Google profiles that listed multiple accounts on different web services were used to establish “ground truth” about linked usernames. The first finding was that the usernames chosen by people on the various websites tend to be very unique, with a probability of duplication being approximately one in one billion. Thi

How hard would it be to program our website to collect your data?: #Dilbert insight

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Your Life Torn Open - a response to WIRED

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  Wired Magazine readers are receiving personalized versions of the magazine, with their personal details spilled across the cover.    http://blogs.forbes.com/kashmirhill/2011/02/01/wired-uk-tries-to-creep-out-readers-with-invasive-personalized-covers/ http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/02/behind-the-scenes-of-wired-uk-magazines-personalized-covers/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter   Personally, if you don't know what is out there why are you playing with digital fire.  Fear, Uncertainty and doubt sells security solutions that are not secure or stops you from engaging.  It is all in the presentation, if you told someone where you live, don't be surprised how they know where you live, however, creepy is when someone implies, works out, buys your data and uses it.  But there are different laws for that.   Storm in a tea cup.

Is there more at stake with Nokia/ MSFT than an mobile phone OS?

Much has already been written about the Nokia Microsoft strategic alliance for use of the Windows Phone OS for Nokia handsets and what great timing ahead of Mobile World Congress this week and as a follow-up to the Burning Platform memo. Opinions range across mud slinging from fan boys, heretics and doom mongers; few outspoken and a some considerate, thoughtful and strategic. Therefore, this piece is about what the announcement did not say as my instinct says there is a wider strategic issue that is worth considering.  There is a third way to view the alliance announcement beyond defence against Google and Apple and I highlight an alternative scenario in this Viewpoint. 140 character Summary Nokia/ MSFT don't need to have the best OS, UI or UX as there is value in being the provider of Payment, Identity, Location & Reputation. Help The alliance has also forced me to think about what market research to focus on in March/ April.  Please can you take 2 minutes to answer 10 que

infographic from Opera Software about Internet Fears

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Opera Software recently released (Jan 2011) the results of a survey which found that a majority of Americans (54%) believe they should be the most accountable for their online security. While 79% surveyed use antivirus software to help beat cyber crime and 61% use ‘safe’ passwords, few go beyond that. Some estimates say as many as 50million people have had their data exposed in the past 18 months alone. Internet fraud as a result of online privacy violations was among the top four concerns tipped in all three countries, recorded by between 22 and 29% of respondents in each country. Distress over being hurt in a traffic accident topped the lists in Japan (35%) and the United States (27%), while relationship problems keep 40% of Russian respondents awake at night. Relationship drama and pandemics such as swine flu tied for second place in Japan’s worries (34%), while concerns for bankruptcy took third place in the United States (23%).

Educational video for "Your Digital Footprint" and taking responsibility for sharing

This 10 minute video is aimed to encouraged you think about the implications.  Two other related posts are here: http://blog.mydigitalfootprint.com/very-simple-and-very-good-video-about-what-ha http://blog.mydigitalfootprint.com/when-you-cross-this-line-updated-definition-o   The original is here the reasons why young people are taking and forwarding images the issue of trust in relationships how photos can end up out of the hands of the intended recipient and be circulated much more widely the speed at which images can be spread on the internet the online and offline bullying which may occur as a result the  idea of digital footprint and online reputation the legal implications of self-generated indent images the process of removing content online, and where to seek further help and advice why they should not take and send these images. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ovR3FF_6us]

Educational video for "Your Digital Footprint" and taking responsibility for sharing

This 10 minute video is aimed to encouraged you think about the implications.  Two other related posts are here: http://blog.mydigitalfootprint.com/very-simple-and-very-good-video-about-what-ha http://blog.mydigitalfootprint.com/when-you-cross-this-line-updated-definition-o   The original is here the reasons why young people are taking and forwarding images the issue of trust in relationships how photos can end up out of the hands of the intended recipient and be circulated much more widely the speed at which images can be spread on the internet the online and offline bullying which may occur as a result the  idea of digital footprint and online reputation the legal implications of self-generated indent images the process of removing content online, and where to seek further help and advice why they should not take and send these images. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ovR3FF_6us]

MyWebCareer.com - another tool that tracks your footprint from the web

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Like Klout and other, MyWebCareer is a service that simultaneously looks at multiple platforms with the goal of helping you improve your personal brand. The result format presentation is somewhat different, and with a few clicks bingo. The service has a few bugs at this Beta phase – I am defiantly connected to my companies, it just appears that they cannot see them. The MyNetwork service is a map of who I am connected with – novel but not sure of the value. It does provide some helpful tips on what you can focus on if you are worried about getting your score up…. What this does not do is find out what others think of you….. but maybe that is a little to honest for a service to catch on.

MyWebCareer.com - another tool that tracks your footprint from the web

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Like Klout and other, MyWebCareer is a service that simultaneously looks at multiple platforms with the goal of helping you improve your personal brand. The result format presentation is somewhat different, and with a few clicks bingo. The service has a few bugs at this Beta phase – I am defiantly connected to my companies, it just appears that they cannot see them. The MyNetwork service is a map of who I am connected with – novel but not sure of the value. It does provide some helpful tips on what you can focus on if you are worried about getting your score up…. What this does not do is find out what others think of you….. but maybe that is a little to honest for a service to catch on.

MyWebCareer.com - another tool that tracks your footprint from the web

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Like Klout and other, MyWebCareer is a service that simultaneously looks at multiple platforms with the goal of helping you improve your personal brand. The result format presentation is somewhat different, and with a few clicks bingo. The service has a few bugs at this Beta phase – I am defiantly connected to my companies, it just appears that they cannot see them. The MyNetwork service is a map of who I am connected with – novel but not sure of the value. It does provide some helpful tips on what you can focus on if you are worried about getting your score up…. What this does not do is find out what others think of you….. but maybe that is a little to honest for a service to catch on.

MyWebCareer.com - another tool that tracks your footprint from the web

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Like Klout and other, MyWebCareer is a service that simultaneously looks at multiple platforms with the goal of helping you improve your personal brand. The result format presentation is somewhat different, and with a few clicks bingo. The service has a few bugs at this Beta phase – I am defiantly connected to my companies, it just appears that they cannot see them. The MyNetwork service is a map of who I am connected with – novel but not sure of the value. It does provide some helpful tips on what you can focus on if you are worried about getting your score up…. What this does not do is find out what others think of you….. but maybe that is a little to honest for a service to catch on.

Mobile Megatrends by @visionmobile - but misses digital footprint value

As I would expect this is a very insightful presentation ahead of MWC and Nokia announcements from Andreas Constantinou of Vision Mobile.   Why is mobile so important, as most of your digital footprint will come from mobile and for many in the world it is the only device that will create their footprint - it is shame that this point is not made.   Mobile has benefitted for over 20 years from the forced upgrade due to the arrival of new sexy shinny things, more minutes, more text and finally more data.  As users migrate to "same" hardware, updated apps and OS offer the new and value/ control migrates away from networks and handsets. What this presentation says is that the value is now in OS/ Software/ Apps and not in Hardware, however, my opinion is that the battle will be fought for your data and locking in your digital footprint is a strategy that Apple and Google understand.   scenarios that are wrestling for prime position include: Worship - this is the Apple fan boys c

Why viral is not always good for a digital footprint

version with a moral (Disney)

Why viral is not always good for a digital footprint

version with a moral (Disney)

Chomp - specialised market research for free

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Chomp is a search technology firm which enables native and web apps discovery to all users and published their monthly metrics report, called Chomp Charts . Chomp stores and analyzes data from each app search query to better understand how users interact with our app search technology. Chomp Charts is a collection of data that showcases what Chomp users are searching for and downloading in a given month. Why look at them and the results “specialised market research for free”

Chomp - specialised market research for free

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Chomp is a search technology firm which enables native and web apps discovery to all users and published their monthly metrics report, called Chomp Charts . Chomp stores and analyzes data from each app search query to better understand how users interact with our app search technology. Chomp Charts is a collection of data that showcases what Chomp users are searching for and downloading in a given month. Why look at them and the results “specialised market research for free”

Your Digital Footprint Is Muddy - my response

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A blog post by Mitch Joel  " Your Digital Footprint Is Muddy"  outlines what happens when you say one thing in the physical world and do something on the back channel showing that you are really doing something else. The post and the comments go over some old ground and most companies have concluded that they want to recruit people who have a life and are professional.   Without a doubt one very small aspect of a digital (footprint) opens up the opportunity for detailed tracking and this in turn would enable anyone to exploit the differences between expressed behavioural and actual behaviours.  However, what make us human is the ability to change our minds as we learn, grow up and gain experience. In finance and investing we often see a phase that implies that past performance (behaviour) is not a good prediction of future performance (behaviour).   What will become interesting from digital footprint analysis in the future is that are we more predictable than we thi

Your Digital Footprint Is Muddy - my response

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A blog post by Mitch Joel  " Your Digital Footprint Is Muddy"  outlines what happens when you say one thing in the physical world and do something on the back channel showing that you are really doing something else. The post and the comments go over some old ground and most companies have concluded that they want to recruit people who have a life and are professional.   Without a doubt one very small aspect of a digital (footprint) opens up the opportunity for detailed tracking and this in turn would enable anyone to exploit the differences between expressed behavioural and actual behaviours.  However, what make us human is the ability to change our minds as we learn, grow up and gain experience. In finance and investing we often see a phase that implies that past performance (behaviour) is not a good prediction of future performance (behaviour).   What will become interesting from digital footprint analysis in the future is that are we more predictable than we thi

who.unfollowed.me - tracking

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"Do you ever wonder the age old question, who unfollowed me on twitter? Wonder no more! We allow you to easily check your unfollowers on your schedule, every 15 minutes, without waiting for an email or a direct message." A very simple tool that tracks those who unfollowed you on Twitter (but not why, you need to work that out) Probably more useful for Brands/ Celebrities rather than individuals - but will you stay aligned to your core values and loose followers or abandon your values and go for volume.

Reveal hidden passwords in all major browsers

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Andrew Worcester has joined the long list of those offering a small software plug-in that allows a user to reveal stored passwords in browsers.  Worth noting that in Firefox and IE you can password protect your saved passwords, however, this is not currently available in Chrome. Why write this post - so when the pop-up appears "saved user name and password" you know that it is not secure, unless you have made it secure, but then you have the very problem we all face - remembering passwords?  Surely we will grow out of them soon. Firefox To access the list of saved passwords, click the Tools menu and click Options. Open the Security tab. Click on the Saved Passwords button. The password are stored in a list divided in two columns (sites and username) click Show Passwords to see the corresponding passwords. Click OK. The passwords are displayed in clear text. I don't have IE, but I am sure it is in options....