Entries from August 2010 ↓
August 18th, 2010 | Online Reputation Management | Jennifer Takahashi
In his first guest blog appearance on HBR, Fertik’s “15 Hyper-Practical Tips on Starting Your Own Company” is quickly rising in the “most read” charts, with its quick-read, useful tips.
“There are some great handbooks on starting your own business (like this and this) which focus on larger questions like “whom to hire” and “how to write a business plan.” But I haven’t seen a short list of hyper-practical tips on starting and running your own company. Since I would have loved one of those back in the day, I’ve put one together here. These are rubber-meets-road recommendations intended to help you avoid wasting time on very basic topics. The point is to get you past the easy decisions so you can focus on the business.
- Use Quickbooks. It’s easy to use, it will work for several years at least, and the other options are too complicated or overkill.
- Make it a Delaware C-Corporation. If you’re starting your company in the U.S., and if you’re hoping to take outside investment one day, just make it a Delaware C-Corp from the jump. Other forms of incorporation are distracting or prohibitive to investors, and these disadvantages outweigh potential tax benefits.
- Put 100% of expenditures on a single credit card. As soon as you can get a corporate card, putting everything on one account makes it easier to keep track of expenses and prepare for eventual audit. Your employees will also have a heightened sense that you are watching the expenses.
- Practice interviewing. When you post your first job listings, be over-inclusive in which candidates you invite for interviews. You will become a better interviewer fast, learn more about the right requirements for the job, understand the candidate pool, and learn how to sell the role to the best candidate well before you meet her. Four extra 30-minute interviews should do it.
- Let the law firm handle your cap table Never modify the cap table yourself. There’s just way too much opportunity for human error with outsized consequences.”
For the rest of Michael’s tips, click here.
August 18th, 2010 | Fun Stuff, Reputation Insurance | Jennifer Takahashi
On Saturday, an Op-Ed article appeared in the International Herald Tribune (global edition of the New York Times) in which Alex Beam takes a humorous look at the letters that Reputation.com might receive from those seeking help with their online reputation.
Reputation.com
by Alex Beam
“There is a company in Redwood City, California, with the suggestive name of Reputation.com. According to its Web site, “Reputation.com was created in 2006 to defend your good name on the Internet. Today, Reputation.com has grown to be the world’s first comprehensive online reputation management and privacy company. We’re the most experienced and most technologically innovative company of our kind …”
One can only imagine the correspondence they receive:
Dear Reputation.com:
Things have proceeded from extremely bad to unimaginably worse. I have a problem with unscripted events.
A few years ago I made some unfortunate comments about Jewish people, which I tried to retract, except they appeared in a police log. Now I am again world famous, but not for my dynamic work in the field of motion pictures, but rather as a potty-mouthed Australian cad accused of striking the mother of my child.
Can we turn back the clock to a rosier time? Appreciating your guidance in this matter.
— Mad Mel in Malibu”
Read the rest of the article here.
August 18th, 2010 | Careers, CyberBullying, Facebook, Fun Stuff, Legal Issues, Online Reputation Management, Privacy, Quick Hits | Jennifer Takahashi
In today’s Quick Hits, we find out more about the latest clickjacking attack, stats further proving the growth of social media for businesses, the Facebook comments that led a high school teacher to resign, and why a man got arrested for sending a friend request.
The latest social networking scam is spreading through Facebook’s “Share” button. According to Sophos, users are offered to click “Top 10 Funny T-Shirt Fails ROFL”, a mistake that could result in a $5 weekly charge on their cell phone bill. Similar to the “Dislike” button scam, this attack culminates with a list of surveys.
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A new CareerBuilder survey further proves more and more companies are using social media. Interesting finds include: More than one-third of employers use social media to promote their organizations, and one-quarter of companies leverage social media to recruit and research potential employees.
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A Cohasset, Massachusetts high school teacher was forced to resign after comments she made on Facebook sparked a furor with parents. On her page, Dr. June Talvitie-Siple, a supervisor of the school’s math and science program, called the town residents “arrogant and snobby” and wrote that she is “so not looking forward to another year at Cohasset schools. In an interview, Siple says that she is not apologizing for her comments, but is sorry they went public.
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Another reason why you shouldn’t be friends with your exes on Facebook! Florida man Harry Bruder was arrested for violating a domestic order… by sending his estranged wife a friend request. According to police, this violated the injunction, which prohibits Bruder from making any contact with his wife. He is currently in jail in lieu of a $5,000 bond.
August 17th, 2010 | Careers, Facebook, Google, Legal Issues, Online Reputation Management, Privacy, Quick Hits | Jennifer Takahashi
In today’s Quick Hits, we take a look at the latest in Facebook rumors, the Clearspring Technologies lawsuit, Google Street View investigation, and the settlement involving a Brownsville high school teacher and some risque Facebook photos.
Rumor has it that Facebook will soon announce its own location-based features. The social media giant will be talking about new feature and product updates in a press conference on Wednesday. With about 1 out of 5 users accessing FB from their cells, location-based features are expected to meld well with users.
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Disney, Warner Bros. Records, Ustream, and other companies are being accused of installing illegal codes on millions of computers with the intent of tracking online activities. These so-called Flash cookies (aka Local Shared Objects) are normally used by Flash apps to improve user experience. However, they can be misused to store tracking cookies and even re-create those intentionally deleted from the browser. According to the complaint, the info can be used to determine “users’ video viewing choices and personal characteristics.”
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Spain is the latest to join the Google Street View investigation. Google has admitted to collecting fragments of personal data through WiFi in 34 countries with its Street View cars. The Madrid lawsuit is being filed under an article of the Spanish penal code relating to the interception of communications without permission. A Google rep is scheduled to appear before a judge in Madrid in October.
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Brownsville high school teacher has reached a settlement with the school district after being suspended without pay after some questionable photos showed up on Facebook. The teacher was suspended for 30 days without pay once photos surfaced of her at a bachelorette party with a male stripper. The American Civil Liberties Union disputed the suspension, arguing that the teacher’s actions were private and legal.
August 16th, 2010 | Facebook, Legal Issues, Privacy, Quick Hits, Twitter | Jennifer Takahashi
In today’s Quick Hits, we talk about the new “dislike” button scam, privacy accusations against Clearspring Technologies, the controversial photos a former Israeli soldier posted on Facebook, and the interesting tweets North Korea has been posting.
Facebook ‘dislike’ button scam spreads virally
The latest viral Facebook scam is asking users if they want to install a “dislike” button. After users give the sham app permission to access their profile, it posts spam messages from the account, spreading the message virally to other friends on the network. The app then requires users to complete an online survey before finally pointing to a Firefox browser add-on for a “dislike” button.
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Software company Clearspring Technologies is being accused of spying on children through an online advertising widget. The widgets display targeted advertising to a number of websites popular with children, including Disney, Facebook, and MTV. The lawsuit alleges that the service’s Flash cookies also track users’ web browsing habits. Plaintiffs are arguing that this violates the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, Californian Computer Crime law, and the Californian Invasion of Privacy Act.
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Israeli military is trying to take legal action against a former soldier over Facebook photos. The controversial pictures show “Eden from Ashdod” posing in front of blindfolded Palestinian prisoners with caption “IDF — best time of my life.” The Israeli military responded, “This is shameful behavior by the soldier in light of the fact she was discharged last week.”
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North Korea is now on Twitter! @uriminzok (Korean for “our people”) made its debut with tweet “Website, ‘our nation self’ is a Twitter account.” So far, other tweets posted include links to past speeches praising leader Kim Jong-il and a denunciation of reports the country’s military sank a South Korean navy ship.
