La Piazza

As we told you in the post Instagramming any normal day at Panda Security, courses are periodically held at Panda. Well, this week there was a course on social media at the headquarter offices of Panda Security in Bilbao. The course was taught by one of the Panda social media managers, Ana Castillo (@anakas86). Today, both Ana and Marta López
(@mlpzcastellanos) will tell us about social networking at Panda.

Hello Ana and Marta, tell us something about yourselves

Ana Castillo: I am from Granada but I have been over eight years in Madrid. I have a degree in Communication Studies and slowly my professional career focused in the field of online marketing and social media.

From left to right: Ana Castillo and Marta López

Marta López: Like Ana, I have lived many years in Madrid – eleven! but I am from Oviedo and presume of my Asturian origins whenever I can. I have a degree in Journalism and a Masters in Communication Management and Advertising Management. My professional career began in offline communication but, almost without realizing it, I moved towards the online environment.

In 140 characters, what qualities do you think a social media manager must meet?

You have to be very creative and get an overall view of marketing, but more especifically: empathy, listening skills, being a good communicator and, occasionally, a small dose of patience.

Why do you think a company should implement a social media strategy?

Social networks are currently one of the most active and important media that users have. Through them we talk with our friends, with our family … and, inevitably, talk about our lives and our experience as customers of different brands. If the company wants to control this side conversation, be able to respond to problems, improve its brand image and influence the purchase decision process, the ideal is to develop and implement a social media strategy. Currently, most users decide which product to buy heavily influenced by the recommendations of their contacts and friends.

On which social networks is Panda Security present?

We are currently present in Facebook, Google+, YouTube, LinkedIn and Twitter. These are the social networks with most users, where the majority of our customers or potential customers are and where we can get higher return. Here go just a few examples:

• Panda Security Facebook
• Panda Security Twitter
• Panda Security TechSupport Twitter
• Panda Security Google+
• Panda Security LinkedIn
• Panda Security YouTube
• Panda Security YouTube TechSupport

What are your main goals for this year?

Mainly, to strengthen the Panda Security brand. We want the world to know that Panda Security is a modern brand, constantly evolving and adapting to the customer’s needs; it is a very dynamic company, always growing and improving. We want to get closer to more people, to give them the opportunity to try out our fantastic products and to build a strong and global community of safe and protected users.

Of the initiatives that you have put in place on social networks, which is the one that has given you greater satisfaction?

Facebook is probably the most rewarding social network.

There, everyone is more open and predisposed to start a conversation, people love to tell you something about their life and they often express how much they like our products and praise Panda’s outstanding customer service.

Well, thank you Marta and Ana very much for sharing your “social ways” with us!

If you want to be part of our community, why don’t you just join us?

Bilbao is not only home to our company, Panda Security, but also to many other technological leading companies such as Sher.pa.

Sher.pa is a different way of search, a revolution in voice searching and the Spanish Siri challenger for Android. A Siri challenger from Bilbao sounds almost like science fiction to me, but it can’t can be more true! Sherpa is taking voice-enabled user interfaces to the next level. A natural language Android app compatible on Android, but eventually will work for iOS.

The app uses what’s called a “MultiKnowledge” system that sifts relevant information from different sources to provide the user with the right particulars. As a result unlike Siri, that is dependent on search engines, Sherpa delivers specific answers and eliminates the need to actually tap the “Search the web” button which is pretty  more convenient.

By linking together your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn profiles, you can update your status across each social network. You can send messages directly to Facebook by talking. You can ask Sherpa to show all your mentions on Twitter, set calendar appointments, turn the volume on your phone up or down. Moreover, Sherpa can play music of your choice through varying streaming services because it has access to a database of about 4 million music files.

Another interesting feature of  Sherpa is its ability to enter into transactions. You can ask Sherpa to transfer money from your PayPal account to someone in your contacts without having to type in an email address. And best of all, Sherpa is incredibly fast.

Well, the “Sherpas” have organized in Bilbao what is already considered to be “the international mobile technologies event of the year”. With speakers as renowned as, Martin Varsavsky, Founder of Jazztel and CEO of Fon; Mitchell Baker, President of Mozilla or John Sculley, ex CEO of Apple. The event will bring together CEOs, key experts and decision makers discussing and debating “the next generation of user interfaces, mobile search, voice search, interaction and user experience”.

And all this is going to happen in Bilbao, which as they say in their website,  is “One of the most developed regions in the world” (from Wikipedia), awarded the “World City Prize” (Nobel prize of the cities) Winner in 2010. Our city is part of one of the most innovative European regions.

So this post just intents to be a tribute both to our hometown and to such great entrepreneurs as Xabier Uribe-Etxebarria. People like him have made the growth of the city possible.

See you all at the Sherpa Summit!

A very interesting study by Social Times on social media explained how using social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, you name it, can drain you out. Surprised? I must confess I was. Especially when I came to learn some of the statistics the study revealed. Other than the strain on the network that airtime usage implies, or how high broadband costs are, are you aware of the emotional stress that these sites may inflict upon you? Here go some hard facts:

• Tweeting or texting while driving slows your reaction time by 38%, which is more than drinking or smoking pot.
• 45% of people feel worried or uncomfortable when not able to access their social networks.
• 66% of people have difficulty sleeping after using social media.
• 64% have accepted a friend request from a stranger.
• 46% women are “highly concerned about letting a stalker know where they are.
• 41% are “aware or extremely concerned” about letting potential burglars know when they are not at home.
• Turning off mobile phones and avoiding the internet can leave people suffering from symptoms similar to those seen in drug addicts trying to go “cold turkey”.

Alarmed? Personally, and I use Twitter and Facebook on a daily basis, I can proudly say that I have never had trouble sleeping after using a social network, I have never, ever, driven and tweeting/texting at the same time, basically, because 1.How stupidly dangerous is that! 2. I hate fines.

I have never accepted a friend request from a stranger – but hey! sometimes I don’t even accept requests from “acquaintances”. Last but not least, I have certainly never experienced withdrawal symptoms. Quite the opposite! How nice is it to disconnect for one full day and not know anything from anyone every once in a while?

But, I could well be the exception to the rule, so how to stop the drain? Take a look at these tips:

• Set a time to be social and help eliminate stress from constant interruption.
• Disable automatic app updates.
• Delete some Facebook friends. Supposedly, the mind can only handle 150 relationships at a time, although I think my mind can only handle 20 max!
• Check your privacy settings.
• Measure is the key. Learn to enjoy social networks but don’t let them take over your life.

Addiction to social networks can be avoided, as we explained in the post Hooked to the Internet (Part I) and Hooked to the Internet (Part II). Don’t let your social media services become addictive, it is up to you to control it. Or are you a FOMO sufferer? If you know what this acronym stands for, please send your comments and enlighten our readers!

The other day my friend Joseba Gutierrez, PandaLive Technical Support engineer, sent me an email with the latest Robbie Williams video.

This time the British singer promotes the single Losers from his latest album Take the crown, in a peculiar way. Basically, he is sitting on a couch with his laptop as he sings out loud to users who are randomly connecting to Chatroulette and see it by webcam. For those of you who are not familiar with Chatroulette, this is a website based on the videoconference, but is unique in the randomness of the participants. Visitors begin to talk to a stranger, being able to leave the conversation at any time to start another conversation. The video is funny because some participants think Robbie is not really Robbie, but someone pretending to be him. Therefore, they disconnect themselves and go on to the next random user. But those who believe it is really him singing to them, are amazingly shocked. The video is clever, funny and has a surprising end  of dubious taste.

But then I thought about the possible risks that a chat application of these characteristics may entail. I told you a few weeks ago that I loved to play Angry words. I usually play with my Facebook friends, but sometimes I also play with opponents who are elected by the application completely at random. It is not risky because the shared information is minimal and is always related to the games; how many times you won, how many you lost, how many you have resigned, what is the longest word you’ve written, in what languages you have played and little else.

In Chatroulette, the goal is to establish total and open video-communication with people you do not know at all. And although Chatroulette has gradually been applying more and more measures to protect privacy and content control, in my opinion it is still very easy to elude them. Let’s take for example, the point of access, the registration process, where anyone can enter false data. And that includes minors, who, as we know, are so keen on chats.

Chatroulette lays your identity bare naked. Speaking of naked, according to a study by RJMetrics published by TechCrunch, “The overall rate of perverts on Chatroulette is 13%. This means that about 1 in 8 chat sessions will have something decidedly rated R or NC-17. NC-17, according to the Motion Picture Association of America and American Association of Movies, describes NC-17 content as:

“Most parents would clearly consider it too adult for children under 17. The rating simply indicates that the content is appropriate only for an adult audience. An NC-17 rating can be based on violence, sex, aberrant behavior, drug abuse or any other element that most parents would consider too strong and therefore off-limits for viewing by their children “.

Clear as day. It is a real danger. An adult should be psychologically prepared to take pornographic content. However, a minor is much more vulnerable. Joseba, my friend, is a member of Chatroulette himself, so who better than him to see what he thinks:

Joseba, of all the times you’ve connected, how many times have you seen inappropriate content?

Since they changed the system which now requires registration and includes a more sophisticated ban system – not efficient enough because the filters are not performed correctly, though – I would say on average, 4 out of 10.

Have you ever videochatted with people who were clearly underage?

Quite a few times and almost always without adult supervision. The few times that there was an adult it was the 20 or so year old brother or sister who don’t care about what their little sister or brother is doing.

What would you recommend to a parent to allow his teen into these networks?

If the kid really wants to use the web to talk to new people as a fun pastime, and I understand it, as to me it is also a lot of fun, then, I would let him use it but always with supervision and control. If parents are not going to be on top of it or are a bit overwhelmed by computers, Internet and so on, I would choose a web filtering system or a system to block access to the site. That way they don’t have to worry about whether the child is using the web or not or what he is seeing or not.

I would add to what Joseba says that, once again, parents have to make an effort to know what sites and networks their children use. An informed parent can always prevent.

I post a video on Chatroulette that was shown in Southpark to laugh a little.

What is your opinion? Had you heard of Chatroulette or similar programs before? Do your teens use or have ever used Chatroulette?

Following the information we already commented in the article WhatsApp is unsafe. Truth or myth?, and taking into account the comments you made, we want to share with you a new entry.

WhatApp has always been reluctant to release a public API and encourage developers to create applications based on its platform. This has led some people, by means of reverse-engineer, to get to know how WhatsApp works internally.

Thanks to the reverse engineer work, an alternative known as WhatsAPI was published  to use WhatsApp from programming languages like PHP and Python, thus opening the door to web applications.

If we add this information to the formerly mentioned weakness of the encryption key, we face the troubling situation that it is even easier now, if anything, to impersonate someone in WhatApp: we only need to know the IMEI of the phone (in the Android devices), or the MAC of the network card (for IOS devices). There are already websites which offer to non-technical users the ability to impersonate a user in WhatApp: you only need to know the MAC or IMEI of the phone you want to impersonate.

• To know the IMEI of a phone you need to have physical access to it but if we do, in a few seconds and entering a key combination (* # 06 # to Android devices), the IMEI will be displayed.
• On the other hand, to know the MAC of an IOS device, you only need to capture the traffic while being connected to the same network of the phone to replace, for example, a public Wi-Fi network.

Let us reformulate our safety recommendations, then:

• Never lose sight of your phone, or leave it accessible to strangers.
• Avoid using this application when connected to public Wi-Fi networks (airports, coffee shops, etc.). You never know who may be listening.
• Apply basic security measures to your own Wi-Fi network. This way, you will prevent other users from connecting to it without your consent.
  
  Note: check your router user guide for more information to know how to implement the following recommendations, as they may vary depending on the manufacturer:
  • Change the default password that gives access to your router or Wi-FI access point
  • Increase the security of transmitted data, enabling WPA/WPA2 encryption
  • Enable MAC address filtering

Published by Ana Etxebarria, 26th July 2012

A few days ago I experienced a situation that most parents will probably face, especially when children become teenagers. One of my nephews boasted on a social network of having taken his first alcoholic drink and smoked his first cigarette. He is 12 years old. I still do not know, and doubt that I will ever know, if it was a big boy bravado or fact. But nevertheless, this led to a family dilemma with a complex solution.

Should we spy on them or not?

In a world where six year old kids play with strangers online, 10 year olds already have smartphones and 13 year olds (or younger) have profiles on Facebook, it may seem tempting to think that the best weapon parent have to defend our children from any potential danger is spying. Now to be fair, children should always know that we are watching their moves. That is, we would have to be those uncomfortable and unwanted “friends” whose invitation they have no choice but to accept. As discussed here a few months ago, Mom, were you spying on me?, if it were our case, at least we should not forget the “etiquette” with them.

How much should we spy our kids?

Asking to be his “friends” on Facebook is a truly subtle and honest way of espionage. A step beyond, there are  programs which will allow us to know exactly the content of SMS exchanges with friends, the exact pages they are browsing and the time they spend in each one of them or in chat conversations.

Yet this attitude is at odds with the concept of a father who naturally trusts his son, who teaches him to be a responsible adult and that, without reasons for it, nothing can justify an intrusion of this kind in the private life of anyone, let alone their children’s. The objective of this somewhat unrealistic group, is not to ignore the habits of their children when they are online but to limit the use of all electronic devices as much possible and postpone the purchase of smartphones for as long as possible. Encouraging outdoor activities is certainly a healthy lifestyle and the time spent on the Internet is decreased and therefore the risks associated with the network are reduced.

But then, Who is right? Who is wrong?

I believe that, as in any other aspect of life, common sense is the only tool to be applied. In order to raise confident and self-sufficient children, which deep down is the main desire of any parent, you must be able to mix all the ingredients properly. Basically a father is not very different from a cook and a tasty dish must have a liuttle bit of everything and everything in the right amount. You have to watch the cooking time but also let it cook at its pace. And of course every cook has his tricks and no dish is always the same.

What do you think?

Published by Ana Etxebarria, 20th June 2012

How does it feel when you see on Facebook that all your friends go to parties to which you have not been invited? Or when you see them holidaying in Polynesia, a trip that not even in your wildest dreams you could afford?

A January study published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking found that the more time people spent on Facebook, the happier you consider your friends to be and the sadder this makes you feel.

Facebook and unhappiness

Because, people tend not to share unpleasant events on Facebook. Most people share exciting and pleasant experiences: photos with family and friends enjoying the pleasures of life, pictures showing off exuberant girlfriends or boyfriends, etc.

Some indulge on succulent meals with extraordinary regularity, others never miss a concert of the coolest group of the moment, some seem to have great plans every single weekend. Others have already traveled the world several times and prove so! Not to mention the intellectual tastes certain friends add to their profiles. They can be  the most extravagant and frankly, at times bordering the improbable. What can I say? In my opinion, some people are simply narcissistic – both in the virtual as well as in real life.

Not to mention that mutant species that inhabits the social network and whose personality has nothing to do with his real identity. This chameleonic friend has a special ability to adapt to the environment, becoming someone completely different, as we described in the post Do we lie more on social networks?

So, it is not surprising that jealousy, envy and resentment arise… But hey, envy is free! The great paradox of this is that, despite the fact that what you see or read infuriates you, somehow you are still compelled to look at the life of others.

What’s more, thanks to status updates and alerts, the temptation is almost inevitable. Experts say that when this phenomenon becomes overwhelming and the feelings your Facebook friends provoke in you are consistently negative, the ultimate consequence is to end this “irritant” friendship. Just like life itself. This process is called the theory of applied socio-emotional selectivity. It is an inevitable stage of life when you reach the sufficient maturity and self-awareness to know who you are and what you want. And this of course applies to friendships. There comes a time when you have to decide what friends deserve your attention and which don’t.

Have you ever felt unhappy caused by envy or resentment toward your Facebook friends? Have you stopped being friends with someone on Facebook for this reason?

Published by Leyre Velasco, 8th June 2012

Some time ago we called your attention to the fact that many children under 13 lied on social networks such as Facebook in order to be able to sign up (see post Parents help their children to lie to get on Facebook). The minimum age set to connect their Facebook social network is 13 – this age is set based on U.S. federal laws to protect online privacy of children. However, a report by Microsoft says that up to 36% knew that their children had registered on Facebook before the age of 13. Moreover, many parents helped their children during the registration process.

Facebook under 13s

It is known that Facebook, like other social networks, has been the subject of criticism in regard to the privacy policy. Furthermore, it is clear that it is very easy to register by entering false data.

The pressure on the company to avoid children lying to get an account has increased over the last year. For this reason, Facebook is developing a technology by which children under 13 can use the social network under parental supervision. Thus, the children’s accounts would be connected with the parents’ accounts and they will be the ones deciding who they can add as friends as well as which applications they can download.

I think this is a great initiative to formalize the presence of children who, in a clandestine way, are already in the network. Apparently, Facebook does not rule out charging for certain games and applications in this controlled environment. You can read the full information in the BBC article Facebook ‘may soon allow’ under-13s to join the site

In my opinion, anything that strengthens the security controls in the network is positive, yet charging for a service aimed at protecting children when this should be the default option is not quite right.

These controls should be implemented by default in the systems of registration of any social network. Moreover, I think it would be preferable for all the social networks of greatest impact to come together to design the patterns and mechanisms and that they all follow the same pattern of security. Joining forces to protect children and together they make it more difficult to cyber-criminals.

But I fear, often particular interests of each company take precedence over common sense and general interest. It seems that it is preferable to ignore these issues so to attract more and more users.

And you, what do you think?

Published by Leyre Velasco, 17th May 2012

If you don’t have the foggiest idea about what today’s title post means, all the more reason for reading it.

We recently published Kids and technology: 6 basic rules to bear in mind in order to emphasize how important it is to encourage your teen to trust you and to share with you who his online friends are, what personal data he has facilitated on his Internet profiles as well as various other safety tips.

But .. what good is it that your child shares with you his WhatsApp, Messenger, or Skype conversations if you do not understand half the things he or others write?

What is LOL? What do the symbols xD stand for? Why FAIL? Why is your son, who usually gets outstanding marks in English, all of the sudden making atrocious spelling mistakes in Facebook?

Relax, breathe deeply. Your child simply speaks the Internet slang, a language with its own communication rules, plagued by new terms, acronyms and symbols mainly used in forums, chats, blogs and social networks and rapidly spreading to other common places such as the email at the workplace.

LOL

And I am warning you .. the vast majority of users are fluent in it, so please, do learn some basics and please, please, please, do not ask your child to follow the formal written English rules or the BBC standard English rules because this simply is not cool therefore it just won’t happen. It is not about wrecking any language rule possible –Internet users do not appreciate this either – yet there are unwritten and written rules that have become common practice amongst Internet users.

So, if you not only want to belong to the community but also want to understand what is discussed here, you have no other choice but to learn some basic terms. And don’t forget to always use your wit! As a study by the University of Tasmania published by the BBC called Do not be 404, know techslang points out, while the use of Internet slang saves the writer time, it takes the reader twice to understand the message.

The list of terms is endless, but here you will find some of the most used terms. And stop feeling like a fish out of water!

Acronyms:

• AKA: Also Known As. Used to list aliases a person, movie, book, etc.. is known as.
• ASAP: As soon as possible.
• LOL: Acronym for Laughing Out Loud or the Lot Of Laughs, it means noisy or loud laughter.
• IMO / IMHO: Acronym for In My Opinion / In My Humble / Honest Opinion.
• BRB: Be right back.
• BTW: By the way.
• THX: Thanks!
• OMG: Oh my God
• WTF: What the fuck. Rude as it is, excuse us for including it here but it has become common practice.
• FAIL: Or sometimes, Epic Fail. Mistake of huge proportions, very often used to express disappointment at failure.

Symbols:

• xD: Small face representing the expression of a smile with your eyes closed and tight. Used when you want to share a joke.
• o_0: Face with eyes wide open. Indicates confusion.
• ^ ^ ^: Long laugh
• XOXO: If the person you like writes this, it means that they are sending kisses.
• XXX: Kissing.

Do you dare send a funny acronym you learnt with your teen?

Published by Ana Etxebarria, 11th May 2012

You always swore not be a controlling parent, promised not to spy on your children, you set yourself the objective to educate them to be responsible adults and yet, suddenly, one day you find yourself spying your preteen Facebook account … What happened?

To make matters worse, you make an unforgivable mistake. You make an informal comment on his wall, just like that, something about the shirt he is wearing in one of the pictures he has uploaded (you are certain that you have not bought the shirt) and this is where your little boy bursts in anger like a caveman and begins to accuse you of spying, of publicly embarrass him in front of his friends.

Your worry is normal. Yet, do not torture yourself, although your offspring thinks and so he constantly reminds you of it, you have not suddenly become an abominable being.

As much as you trust your children, when they reach a certain age, parents should be very much on top of things. But how can we do so without appearing to distrust or interfere too much on their privacy?

First of all, sit down with your child and let him know the first condition in your home when he uses social networks such as Facebook is that you are one of his “friends”. This conversation should aim to make him understand how important it is for you to be forward and honest, just the opposite of feeling spied on. Unless your relationship with your child is very special, under no circumstance should you comment on his photos or status updates. Do not make him feel ashamed, at this age these things can end up dramatically.

Sit with your child and review with him his profile and the configuration of his privacy policy (the latter is not easy, as they tend to change often and are relatively complex to understand. There is much information on the web, like the Facebook Security Center find out before if you’re not entirely sure).

Teach him to think the same way a cybercriminal would. Teens create web profiles to express themselves. They need to understand their own identities, and tell others. It’s part of growing up. But cyberspace can be dangerous. So make him realise how easily personal information can be shared with strangers and the dangers this entails.

It is much easier to be “permissive”, “tolerant” and “open” if we are confident that our, however much we are reluctant to admit, not-so-children, know the dangers that social networks involve. And of course, nobody better than us to teach them to mature. Demand them to behave in a grown-up way yet lead them by example!