There’s nothing more frustrating, and potentially dangerous, than someone masquerading as you online. In a recent interview with the Austin American-Statesman, ReputationDefender CEO Michael Fertik shared some advice on how to keep your Internet identity secure and prevent people from maliciously hijacking your Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace accounts.

The article also features insight from Austin-based tech journalist and co-owner of Wildwood Interactive, CJ Romberger, who teamed up with Michael Fertik back in August to offer advice on building the perfect password.

From the article:

One of the easiest ways to safeguard your account is just to log out every time you stop using a site, whether it’s on your phone or your computer, Fertik says.

“Don’t leave your account open on your desk when you walk away from it,” he says. Doing this leaves you vulnerable to someone stopping at your device and changing your password, which gives that person control of your account.

“In-person theft is by far the most common,” Fertik says.

Another possible misstep that puts your account at risk is signing up for or downloading third-party applications that haven’t been proven safe.

If you’re a Twitter user, for example, you’re probably aware of all the applications that change how the service looks and functions on your desktop or phone.

They’re avidly discussed by social media users, but it’s smart to resist the temptation to try the latest apps as soon as they’re released.

“Anybody can write third party apps on top of Twitter,” Romberger says. That means Twitter users benefit from the creativity and innovation of legitimate developers, but it also means they risk giving their passwords to unsavory ones.

Romberger, who’s known as Gadget Girl and writes a column of the same name for Austinwoman magazine, frequently tries out such third-party software as research for her column. “I had been doing a lot of research on Twitter apps and had signed up for something new that night” when her account was hacked, Romberger says. But she adds that there’s no way to know for sure whether that was to blame for her Twitter troubles.

Before she downloads any third-party applications now, Romberger uses search.twitter.com (which searches posts on Twitter) and Google to research them. She searches the name of the application plus the words “scam” or “fraud.”

And it’s better to wait a while after a new app comes out before downloading it yourself, Fertik advises. The great thing about social media is that if an app turns out to be shady, word will spread about it fast. See what others have to say before you install an app yourself.

Using social media tools to promote and expand your personal and professional brand is a must in the digital age. Still, you must understand the risk involved as well. As Romberger says at the end of the article, “It’s not without its risk, but the value that [social media] brings to your life and your business is worth the risks. You just have to make sure you mitigate them.” If you don’t know where to start, allow me to recommend any of ReputationDefender’s cutting-edge products.

Tweet This Post