When I was going to college, everything cost what felt like an arm and a leg. Textbooks were one of the larger burdons students didn’t always see coming as the semester grew closer. In some cases, these books made up a larger amount of your initial investment than housing (for the first month of the semester). Things haven’t really changed since then, except that tuition fees, books, and housing all come with a higher price tag.

According to College Board, books can make up over $1,000 of your yearly college investment. Tuition at two-year public schools clock in at around $2,400 per year with private four-year institutions charging tuition and fees scaling up to over $25,000 in one year alone. This means that if you don’t have an impressive scholarship or some other form of serious financial backing, you’re likely to get stuck with an oppressive amount of debt from student loans.

If you decide to take on student loans, you’re likely going to have to pay them off over the course of your career. Some students opt to join military or volunteer organizations that promise to assist with paying off student loans in exchange for service. If you decide to dive in to your career of choice, you may find the financial advantage of the diploma won’t come in handy until years down the line when you’ve eliminated the debt caused by getting the degree in the first place.

Education is an absolute must for any society to further itself technologically or academically. For too many students the focus of the best years of their lives is spent wondering how they’re going to pay for their education, and not how they’re going to benefit from it in the long-term. As much of an importance as we place on education as a society, we seem to do little to prevent it from being out of reach for so many of our young citizens.

We have the technology, and many schools are beginning to offer online courses that reduce the overhead of the campus and allow good professors the ability to teach important lessons to a larger audience in a way we never could when I attended, or anyone from generations prior. Instead of reducing the costs for their students as a result, universities seem to be pressing even harder and asking for more from a student body that rarely has anything left to give.

Here is some response to this post by the community on Google+:

Craig Clawson – My brother had to purchase a virology textbook that cost $978 dollars. that is just greed, pure and simple.

Erin Fox – It’s expensive because it’s meant to be exclusive. As my Philosophy professor said, “We can’t educate everybody. Who would clean toilets?”

Shane Corning – I began at a University after High School. Scholarship, the whole nine. Guess what? They didn’t have any practical classes, and some of the Profs were barely qualified to teach a H.S. class. So I went to Community College and actually learned skills I could use in jobs.

Why is Education so Expensive?

Do you have a decent microphone and a unique voice? Have you considered possibly giving voiceover work a try? There are many ways to make money with your voice online, and most of them don’t even require you to leave your home at all.

First, this isn’t a good idea for everyone. It is harder than it looks to master the vocal tone required to grab the interest of the audience and accomplish whatever it is your voice is needed to accomplish. Voiceover actors rarely make big bucks (though they certainly can) doing contract work here and there. If you’re dedicated, and your voice has a quality that casting agents are looking for – you may be able to make money on the side as a voiceover actor (or actress).

You also need to invest in some decent recording equipment. A standard USB microphone might not be enough to capture the rich tones and create a true representation of your natural voice. The WAV files you send in need to be as clear as possible of any background noise or distortion cheaper setups can create. A prosumer or professional-grade condenser microphone, USB or FireWire interface, and sometimes a mixer should be considered to allow you to capture rich, vibrant sounds.

Alright, so you’ve got your equipment in place and you’re ready to start getting jobs? Well, you could find a talent manager and pay them to manage your career (maybe getting you a job, or maybe not). You could also start working now and build up your resume through a few methods online.

oDesk
oDesk is a service offered online to help people find freelance workers in a hurry to fill certain business needs. Companies or individuals needing help with a website, businesses looking for extra members of a remote development team, data entry services, content-driven sites, and agencies looking for voice talent regularly use oDesk to find the right person for the job, quickly. You can post your resume, portfolio, and link to some samples of your voice as you apply for various positions posted on the site. Once hired, your time and/or fees are all paid through oDesk which, in turn, pays you. This service is a quick way to find work, but it does have its downsides. For one, you aren’t likely to find long-term jobs here. This is primarily a site that helps companies find people to work on specific tasks for short periods of time. If you happen across the right employer, you may have further opportunities, but that isn’t the norm.

Classifieds
Another way to find voiceover work online is through a more traditional online classified system such as Craigslist. This can be a great way to find local employers and increase your chances of finding long-term employment. Radio stations, advertising agencies, and other media-related companies are often looking for voiceover talent.

Volunteer
Do you know of a podcast or show that could use some voiceover work for a frequent segment? Voiceover actors and jingle writers often submit free content to high-profile podcasts on the off chance that they might start using the contributed work. This is one way to build your portfolio without having to go through the frustrating process of tireless interviews and low-profile jobs. This shouldn’t be a primary strategy, but it could help you on your way to something great. Believe it or not, some of the best-known podcasts on the web are using jingles and voiceovers they picked up from emerging artists using this very strategy. Who knows, they may pay you to for more content down the line themselves.

How to Make Money with Your Voice Online

The so-called “Amazon” Tax has become a huge national story as the online retail giant sent out messages to their affiliates in California announcing the end of the affiliate program there. Even though this new law has “Amazon” as a nickname, any online merchant with an affiliate program falls under its jurisdiction.

It was their affiliate program that gave California’s law jurisdiction over Amazon as they consider it a “presence” of the retailer in that state. Amazon, and online retail in general, has gained in popularity in part to the savings that come with not having to pay sales taxes on items purchased from retailers based in different states.

In 1992, the Supreme Court decided that in order for sales taxes to be collected, a retailer has to have physical presence within the state. This presence could include any business offices, warehouses, or physical stores within the borders of that state.

The new rules set in California redefines presence to include affiliates that make money by referring their audience to online retailers, including Amazon. In order to maintain a policy of providing products tax-free to their customers, they are forced to end affiliate programs in states adopting this new policy.

So, the argument might not be whether or not these taxes will hurt online retail. The fact is, local small business owners that make profits from referring people to online stores are being critically wounded by this policy. The point can and has been made that by imposing stronger taxes, the state is actually doing more harm than good to the local economy unless online retailers continue their affiliate programs and implement sales tax.

It should be noted here than many state and local governments do charge taxes for online purchases. Because they can’t tax the retailer directly, this tax is imposed directly to their customers in the form of a “use” tax. It’s the responsibility of the citizen in this case to report and track their online spending and pay the necessary dues as a result. This is an entirely different matter altogether, though it does play an important role in the overall discussion.

I asked the community how a sales tax on their online purchases would impact the frequency of their online shopping. Here are some of their responses:

Steve Woods – It’s a difficult decision for me. I buy online often for convenience and price, and do think an additional sales tax of 8-9% will still offset the price of gas and time in a store. But I have also had to consider the lack of profit to a local business in my city.

That said, many of the “local businesses” I shop from are chain stores with profits leading out of state anyway. My community and state benefit from the sales taxes only.

Having a local sales tax added to online purchases will offset some of the losses by bringing at least some sort of revenue back to my city and/or state to upkeep the roads and bridges. Even if this means the same price in or out of a brick and mortar shop, I’ve still gained the time and expense of gas.

Local merchants that create something unique have already begun the rapid shift to online sales, creating Etsy accounts and online shopping carts. If they’re making something desirable, the profits should come back to my area anyway, as potentially people from all over the world buy their goods.

Leon Carpenter – Gas costs more than taxes for most purchases — especially when Prime allows me to have free shipping. So, yes, I would pay sales tax. The only time online sales tax would give me pause is for large purchases such as TV’s etc.

Debbie Wolfe – Like several others here, I shop online for convenience & selection, somewhat for price, but not at all to avoid taxes. When I lived in California, I would also pay use tax on my online purchases.

Joe Hackman – It wouldn’t change my online purchase habits much, it’s really only a factor today on high ticket items where the tax is a significant amount.

Jen Reeves – It’s about convenience and discounts for me, not taxes.

Shane Brady – Personally, for a lot of things, the shopping experience is better online, where I can research, compare, get feedback. I still buy stuff online from companies who charge me sales tax because the whole process is nicer.

Stephen Shankland – Yes. I shop online mostly because I don’t have to drive some place, especially some place that’s closed in the middle of the night when I have time to shop.

Will an Internet Sales Tax Hurt Online Retailers?

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It seems no matter what retail store you go to, each one has their own extended warranty plan for your devices. In some cases, the extended warranty can cost almost as much as the actual item, which can really hit you hard in the pocketbook. One of you out there in the community asked recently if I believe in warranties. Well yes, I believe they exist. But I’m not so sure that they’re worth grabbing in addition to the thing you’re buying.

Sometimes, extended warranties can be a waste of money. You need to read the fine print, and even ask other people what their experiences have been like. Most of these big stores make their money with the person behind the register – trying to upsell the extension to you. The largest problem will be figuring out if there is even any value to you at all.

How many different places do you shop? I’m sure you don’t buy everything at the same place. This can make it even more difficult to keep track of various purchases and warranties. Will you even remember you added the extra coverage if something should happen to your item? Does it even cover “normal” issues, or will it only kick in for some strange occurrence that most people will never even hear of? This is why you have to do a bit of research, and figure out if the extra cash outlay is worth it.

When you buy any time of consumer electronics, you’re looking for the best price and deal. Giving in and buying an extended warranty you’ll either forget about or never use ends up costing you more than the original price would have.

Most of us throw away broken devices anyway. Is it really worth it to have to dig up the warranty, find someone who can repair the item or even beg the store to take it back? How much is your time worth? I know that mine is usually worth more than any warranty.

What do you do? Do you always buy extended warranties?

Are Extended Warranties Worth Your Time?

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Can new media help the real estate industry? Years ago, you used to be able to place an ad in the paper and receive almost guaranteed results. At the time, that’s where people’s eyes were. Now, potential home buyers are spending their time on social networks like Facebook and Twitter instead of reading the local newspaper. It’s for this reason that companies like Century 21 have expanded their public reach in to the realm of new media.

Just like many of you out there, I happen to own a house. While visiting BlogWorld, I noticed a booth from a real estate company. That shocked me, since this venue is not normally a place you’d see this type of business having a booth at.

Century 21 is still a real estate company, yes. That hasn’t changed. What has changed is the way they talk to consumers. By visiting conferences such as BlogWorld, Century 21 and other businesses are able to connect with people face-to-face in a relaxed atmosphere in ways they couldn’t otherwise.

This is a much different type of scale for the companies. Part of the effort is to let people know of all of the social media properties out there, so that they can get involved with the brand.

When I bought my first house back in the late 90s, it was so difficult to find information online. Blogging as it is now didn’t really exist. Forget “social media” as you use it today. None of that was around. I wanted to do things though when researching that the Internet simply wasn’t ready to do.

The second time I bought a home a few years ago, I was able to learn everything I could possibly want – and then some – just by logging in to my computer. I found blogs and podcasts and tools and ways to connect with my realtor, my company and my own mind.

I’ve always trusted technology to help me make decisions. Talking with Matt from Century 21 helped me realize exactly how much more my beloved tech is being ingrained into every aspect of our lives.

This video was filmed during a live broadcast from the BlogWorld & New Media EXPO 2011 in New York.

How to Buy a Home Using Technology

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Webgrrls International is a forum to exchange job and business leads, network, form strategic alliances, mentor and teach, intern and learn the skills needed to succeed in an increasingly technical workplace and world. In this interview with Nelly Yusupova during BlogWorld, we discuss the challenges women face in business, and how Webgrrls helps women to get ahead in business through networking and technology.

Webgrrls helps women to leverage the power of technology and tools to empower themselves. Even if you’re not completely geeky, there are still many benefits to you. The organization has been in existence since 1995, and has members from every walk of life, age, race and technology background. The organizers and other members can help teach you the tech you need to know to succeed and reach your goals.

I was shocked and happy to see the number of women walking around the floors during BlogWorld. Nelly says that it’s almost a “non-question” these days. The tech sector is not just dedicated to men. More and more women are coming forward and proving that they are just as highly capable as their male counterparts. She’s quick to point out that women have a lot of potential power as developers, even, and need to stop being afraid to show it.

As the CTO of Webgrrls, Nelly says her biggest challenge is keeping up with everything and everyone. You need to have a strategy, and hold yourself back from jumping ahead too quickly. It’s better to do fewer things the right way than to try to go after too many things just to be on the “cutting edge.”

Blogging has transformed female-oriented communities and helped give them the power to step forward. Webgrrls has over 30,000 members and is rapidly expanding to include more females from around the world. There is strength in numbers – even when it comes to helping women connect and conquer the tech scene.

Webgrrls Empowers Women in Technology

No matter what line of work you choose, there will always be someone who does it better than you. You will find more prolific writers, smarter code monkeys and better designers. Finding someone to look up to is good, as is a little healthy competition. Jealousy, however, can eat you alive – even online – just as it did back in high school. That despicable green-eyed monster will do nothing more than bring you down and incapacitate you.

I don’t care how good you are, there are people out there who are better. It’s a fact of life. You’re never going to be “the” best, no matter how hard you try. You can – and should – strive to be the best you possible. Pushing yourself is a good thing. Trying to go beyond any limits you see yourself as having is fantastic. Striving to be exactly like the guy on the next blog – or better than him – is a complete waste of your time.

Who wants to read something that is already being done elsewhere? I know it’s insanely hard to find something unique and different to write, design or create every single day. Take something you find interesting and build on that. Add your own spin to it and do so in a way that brings it to life even more. Allow others to see your personal touch in everything you do, instead of thinking “oh, that’s exactly what I saw on Johnny’s site earlier.”

Being jealous of those who do things differently or better is plain ridiculous. What good will that do you? I see this happening constantly, even within our own community at times. So what if Sally writes better than you do? Are you putting forth your best effort? What more can you possibly ask of yourself?

The beautiful thing is that you don’t have to be Sally or Johnny. No one expects you to be the best, so you’re disappointing no one but you. We already know that there will always be more and “better,” so we don’t expect perfection everywhere we go. You’re the one putting that pressure on yoruself. It’s certainly not us.

The next time you feel yourself becoming jealous of what someone else does or has, remember that the only one who matters is you. When you look into the mirror at night, are you happy with what you see? If the answer is no, then reevaluate what YOU are doing, how you’re doing it and what you can do to make things better. Measuring yourself against everyone else isn’t going to cut it. You are the man (or woman!) in the mirror.

Jealousy Will Eat You Alive

A little over a year ago, I did an interview with the creator of the OMGFacts Twitter account, Adorian Deck. At the time, I was vastly impressed with what the young man had accomplished. He started the account for fun back in 2009, Tweeting interesting and amusing facts. Very quickly, he had amassed more than 300,000 followers. This growth spurt attracted the eye of 24-year-old Emerson Spartz. Spartz promised to help the account mature into a viable business in exchange for a piece of the pie. It’s starting to look as though he asked for a bit too much – or did he?

Mr. Spartz is definitely not new to the game. He has his ears tuned to what teens take viral – in more than one way. You’ll find him behind the popular GivesMeHope Twitter account and the go-to dating site for teens, Flirtlocker. The contract the pair signed indicated that Spartz would receive 100% of the rights to the OMGFacts brand and content.

Since that time, the Twitter account has grown to boast nearly two million followers. The pair have added a YouTube channel and a website. With all of this growth, you’d assume that the boys are making money hand over fist. It’s not clear how much money Mr. Spartz may be making, but young master Deck claims to have netted a mere one hundred dollars. He has now filed a lawsuit against his partner, claiming that the original contract was “predatory” in nature, created simply to wrest control of the account away from the creator.

While it’s easy to feel bad for Adorian, I’m not sure how he has a case. He willingly signed away all rights to the content AND the brand itself. To come back more than a year later and claim that the contract was designed to “wrest control” away from him seems to be rather redundant. Of course it was designed that way. It stated it outright in the papers both parties signed.

One has to wonder where Adorian’s parents or guardians were during this changing of the guard. Since Mr. Deck was under the legal age of consent at the time and could not legally sign a contract on his own volition, his guardians would have had to agree. I’d assume a lawyer was involved to advise them. Don’t you think that any one of those adults would have advised Deck not to give up complete control?

And, of course, if it turns out that no adults were involved and Deck simply signed the paperwork… then we have a whole new ballgame, y’all. I don’t know – what do you think? Do you feel there’s a bit more to this story than we’re being told thus far, or is it simply a sad case of a young man taken advantage of without a leg to stand on now?

The Fight for Control of OMGFacts

We’ve discussed having a good backup plan for your computer many times in the past. I’ve given you tips and tricks and offered coupons to software that can keep your information safe. One thing I don’t think we’ve ever touched on is having a personal backup plan. Unfortunately, there is no software in this world that can restore you to a previous state should something unforeseeable happen. Have you ever even thought about what you will do if the worst befalls you, preventing you from doing whatever it is that you do?

It’s difficult enough to figure out what the hell we want to be and do when we grow up, isn’t it? How the heck are we supposed to come up with an alternative plan? This is one area I’m learning that seems to be ignored all too often. We plan for computer failure. We may even plan for financial disaster via investments and savings. Those things will only hold you over for so long, though. What will you do when that runs out?

Most people will choose a career path that interests and excites them. Still others pick something that will potentially earn them a lot of money. Let’s say you’re doing something that requires a lot of physical strength. What will you do if – God forbid – you are in an accident or sustain an injury that ruins any chances of ever returning to your profession?

I’m definitely not telling you to go out and get a second degree today. I’m not going to preach to you about knowing exactly what you will do should you suddenly find yourself needing to change your life’s direction. However, I do feel strongly that you need to think about the possibilities. Instead of coasting through life feeling invincible, what would it hurt to have a bit of a backup plan in mind? Instead of finding yourself in a huge mess, take some time to wrap your mind around things you could do if the situation someday calls for it.

There have to be better options out there than the one I came up with!

Do You Have a Backup Plan?

Being a geek can be an expensive position to be in. You’ve got a nagging urge to buy the latest gadget, collectable, game or otherwise. How do you fund such an expensive lifestyle? Do you drain your paycheck and let your bills wait? Here are a few tips to help you make some extra cash doing things you probably already do.

Start a Blog
Starting a blog is extremely easy, and there are a lot of options out there for monetizing your written word. If you’re passionate about a certain subject, you may find it to be a perfect niche for your blog. Writing articles can be a tedious task and research will become a huge part of your daily routine. If you stick with it, and provide consistently good content on a regular basis, you may find an audience large enough to provide a reasonable second income. This won’t happen overnight, but it can happen if you work at it.

Create a Podcast
Do you like trying out new things and sharing your experiences? You could create a video podcast either using your screen as your camera (screencast) or put a camera on yourself and demonstrate the widget you’re reviewing. Screencasting has become an extremely popular method for creating videos in the tech space. This is especially true for video games where machinima is constantly dominating the top viewed slots on large video sites such as YouTube. You can compliment your video podcast with a blog that contains write-ups for various topics covered on the show. If your YouTube channel becomes popular enough, Google may select you as a partner. This allows you to earn money for videos you post.

Take on Paying Gigs
If you’re really in to computers and know enough to fix them reliably, consider offering your services to others for a fee. You’d be amazed how many people in your social circle know someone that needs their system restored, or more RAM installed and don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars for fifteen minutes of a professional’s time. After you’ve done this long enough, you might gain enough attention and recognition to start your own business on a more full-time basis.

Work for Free
This tip sounds off, but bare with me. If you really like to develop software but don’t feel that anyone would pay for your work based on being a small company with little to no reputation, you can always develop for the open source realm. By doing this, you can distribute your creations more freely and gain help from the community in development. Accepting donations is one way many small developers earn enough funds to grow.

Radio geeks that love to play music for others can find volunteer gigs on Internet radio stations fairly easily. If you’re good at it, they may offer you more air time which results in more experience. This kind of experience can eventually go directly on your portfolio which can help you land that dream job you’ve always wanted. The same would go for Photoshop and graphics design enthusiasts, or any other “geeky” hobby that parallels a commercial industry.

Join Competitions
This one is a bit out there, but if you’re the kind of geek that really gets in to video games, you might consider trying your had at a few ladders. You may discover a natural talent about yourself that can lead to a fun and profitable adventure doing what you love. While becoming a professional gamer is about as likely as becoming a professional football player, many cities host smaller competitions with excellent prizes. If you really like card games like Magic: The Gathering, you can ask your local hobby or comic store about any tournaments going on in your area or search online for nearby events.

Five Ways to Make Money Being a Geek

During testimony at a Congressional hearing earlier today, Dr. Gene Spafford of Purdue University stated that Sony knew months ago that its software was outdated. Approximately three months before more than 100 million users had their information stolen by hackers, the company was informed by security experts that its version of Apache Web Server was seriously out of date. This version was unpatched and had no firewall protection of any kind.

Dr. Spafford spoke during a hearing with the House Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade. Sony was also invited to attend but declined. In a letter to the committee, the company stated that it has now added “automated software monitoring and enhanced data security and encryption to its systems in the wake of the recent security breaches.”

Excuse me for pointing out the obvious, but Sony made these moves just a smidgen too late, don’t you think? Had it been actively monitoring its software all along, these colossal data breaches may never have occurred, and more than 100 million people wouldn’t have their information at risk. Any company – especially one that deals with credit card numbers and identifying personal information – has a duty to its customers to protect them by making sure that its Web site and service is as secure as could possibly be.

I cannot help but be outraged by this. I was not (thank the Lord) a PlayStation Network member. However, it doesn’t take much to set me off when a company is so obviously negligent. Heck yes, it has taken steps to correct the problem. Too bad that it’s not nearly enough to make up for the lack of security to begin with.

It’s bad enough that Sony never knew its software was outdated – or chose to ignore the fact. It’s far worse that it was told in a public place on more than one occasion by educated consumers and continued to do nothing. Was the company hoping to save money by not purchasing new software? If so, I think it’s safe to say that particular choice just bit it in the butt in a very large way.

Sony Knew Software Was Outdated Months Ago

How many posts have you seen in recent months which discuss the exorbitant fees most airlines charge for pretty much everything? How often have you yourself ranted over the cost of checked baggage or a simple glass of wine in-flight? Unfortunately, many of you out there take your frustrations out on the wrong people – the flight attendants. These people are just doing their job, y’all. They don’t set the prices. They aren’t responsible for the raping of your credit card. They didn’t do it… but some of them are trying to help you out a little.

One frequent flier, CNBC’s John Carney, was pleasantly surprised during a recent trip. He ordered himself a ten-dollar chicken sandwich. The flight attendant serving him apologized for the outlandish price of the food and offered him a free beer to wash it down. The attendant later produced another complimentary brew. Keeping the airline’s identity a secret, he happily witnessed what he is calling a “quiet mutiny.”

Another passenger in the aisle ordered a bottle of wine. The attendant refused to take the woman’s money, claiming that the airline gives out free wine on birthdays – and proceeded to loudly say “Happy Birthday!” (It is unclear whether this woman was even celebrating a birthday that day.) Carney watched in awe as the attendants continued to give out free items to people all throughout the plane.

This was, of course, only one flight. One can’t help but wonder if this is happening on other trips, as well. Are attendants just as fed up as we are by the horrible pricing that these airlines are charging us in order to try and make some money? Are they perhaps – rightly so – sick of being the ones verbally abused for said pricing? Is this their way of giving back and attempting to make life a little easier for all of us?

If you’ve been on a flight recently and seen something similar to this, let us hear from you in the comments. Please do not post the name of the airline. We don’t want any of these wonderful flight attendants getting in trouble.

Are Flight Attendants Making Your Life Easier?

Renting furniture, home appliances and electronics is pretty easy these days, thanks to chain store Aaron’s Inc. With the economy forever tanking, people may not be able to afford to go out and buy something outright. Let’s say your stove bites the dust… heading to Aaron’s and making small(ish) monthly payments is preferable to shelling out several hundred bucks all at once for a lot of you. The same holds true with a computer or laptop. The company carries those, as well, but they aren’t exactly being honest with you when you rent one. It turns out that they are – quite literally – spying on you.

A couple in Wyoming signed an agreement with Aaron’s in early 2010 for the purchase of an Inspiron laptop. They paid the machine off in full a month prior to the end date, in October of that year. Two months later, the store manager showed up at their door and attempted to repossess the laptop, claiming it was never paid off. (Side note: Isn’t it funny that the company never contacted them between the payoff period and when the manager showed up?) While arguing over whether the company had the “right” to the Inspiron, the manager pulled out a photograph of Mr. Byrd using the computer… taken with the built-in webcam.

It turns out that Aaron’s routinely installs several layers of tracking software on every computer they lease. This is made by PC Rental Agent. Supposedly, the Agent is designed to keep track of machines so that no one can run off with them, and to lock customers out if they refuse to pay. However, no consumer is ever told of the presence of this evil little piece of software.

According to the lawsuit filed by the Byrds, law enforcement officials determined that there are tracking components soldered onto the motherboard itself. The laptop also has software installed on the hard drive which allows the chain store complete access via keylogging, screenshots and webcam access. Every single keystroke a customer makes is recorded… Every. Single. Keystroke. They’re also snapping photos of your family and guests to your home doing any number of things!

Hello?! This is likely the worst type of privacy invasion I have ever heard of. The potential for abuse of this software is mind-boggling. Any store employee who can use their end of this monitoring software can now access any sensitive and personal data on thousands of machines running around the United States and Canada. The couple and their lawyer are working to turn this into a class-action suit so that other people can come forward. In this case, I am all in favor of a huge lawsuit being slapped on a company by a heck of a lot of former customers.

What are your thoughts?

Rental Computers from Aaron’s are Spying on You

Companies everywhere are finally realizing that they need to be social to survive in today’s marketplace. They are scrambling to figure out how to use Twitter and Facebook in order to be where their customers are. Some of them are grasping the advantages of Foursquare. The problem is that many of these brands aren’t doing social the right way. Yes my friends – there is a right – and wrong – way to “do” social media. Big corporations hiring a person or outside company to talk AT consumers are doing it absolutely wrong. Those establishments who talk WITH their community are the ones who are owning the social space.

There are businesses all over my Twitter stream who just can’t seem to figure out the difference between talking at someone and talking with them. Sending out messages about your latest “deal” or sale isn’t enough. Shooting a link or two their way with the hope they will click and buy doesn’t cut it. I don’t care how good your product or service is these days. If you aren’t opening a real dialogue with your patrons, you’re missing the entire point.

It’s great to see corporations such as Comcast and TechSmith really connecting with people. They don’t take the conversation out of the public eye just to shut someone up… they honestly do it to HELP people. However, I feel there is still so much more they could be doing. Creating actual back-and-forth conversations – even on Twitter – is something that each and every one of you needs to be doing.

Ask questions. When you receive answers, don’t just ignore them and congratulate yourself for getting a reply. TALK WITH THEM. Don’t tell people what you’re going to give them or do for them – ask them what they want. Find out how you can make your service better. Discover what the consumers think would make your product stand out from the competitors. Figure out your customer’s lives… what will make things easier for them? What is it you can do to help make their day better? All of this can be done right on social networks, y’all.

Stop counting your numbers and measuring your damn metrics. Quit worrying about that stuff, because it honestly doesn’t matter nearly as much as you think it does. What matters is those people sitting behind their screen attempting to connect with you. Once you’ve established that, the metrics will fall into place all on their own.

How to Help Your Company be Social

This could very well be the first case of many we’ll see where the PlayStation hackers are using the credit card information they obtained. Rory Spreckley is one of more than 77 million people who had a credit card on file with Sony in order to access their PlayStation Network. He also is apparently now the victim of credit card fraud. The Adelaide man logged into his bank account earlier today only to find more than $2,000.00 worth of charges that he didn’t run up.

Sony claims that there is no solid evidence that any credit card information was stolen. The company firmly stated that this type of info is encrypted. We all know how fail-safe that is, right? At this point in time, the gaming giant isn’t even sure how many – and which – databases were accessed. Therefore, it cannot be sure. With the news of Mr. Spreckley’s unauthorized charges surfacing, I’d think it’s safe to say the hackers may just have gotten their hands on your financial stuff after all.

“There was a number of early transactions on the 23rd of amounts under $1, which they say is the usual kind of test run that fraudsters do and then there’s been a number of transactions of larger amounts, including domestic flights within Australia, bookings at Best Westerns [hotels] and what not,” the Australian man stated.

Most galling to me is that someone is telling these consumers NOT to cancel their credit cards. They should instead simply watch for unauthorized charges to their accounts. Uh… right. Who the hell thought this up? I’m sorry, but if my credit card information was taken by anyone other than myself, I would be on the phone to cancel it faster than you can blink your eyes. That’s absolutely ludicrous as far as I’m concerned.

Security experts agree that there needs to be MUCH more done on the part of the compromised companies. They agree that disclosure needs to be much sooner – even if all details aren’t clear. Customers deserve to be warned that something could be up, so that they can take proper precautions. These experts would even like to see a disclosure law in place: “It would require a company to contact and inform customers within one day or two days of the event occurring so that those customers can take action to cancel credit cards or change passwords or other private information and also to be aware that their information has actually been stolen,” said Mark Gregory of RMIT.

If you were a PlayStation Network subscriber, do yourself a favor: take action. Don’t sit around and wait to see if hackers will run up your accounts. Be proactive. Discuss with your bank or financial adviser the best steps to take in order to keep yourself – and your credit score – safe. Yes, you can get charges reversed if you have your cards stolen. But doing so can sometimes be a long and painful process.

Are the PlayStation Hackers Running up Debt?