OC-IT

One issue that’s sparked a large amount of debate is whether or not companies should allow their employees to access social media while at work.

Most businesses have started to take social media seriously. They are spending time and effort developing their profiles and reaching out to customers.

Many companies are turning to Twitter to increase their online presence. This is a bit of a double-edged sword, as companies can easily reach a large amount of existing and potential clients at the same time. The downside is, if there is a negative tweet about your business, all subscribers can see the complaint

The thing about the social media boom is that so many people are thinking of ways to make it better and to put a unique twist on an otherwise used and reused concept.

With the integration of business and the Internet, business reputations are built or destroyed online. While you can’t control all of what ends up online about your company, there are many ways to manage how it affects your or your company’s reputation.

For many businesses, it’s hard to draw the line between what they can and cannot do when it comes to social media. And while social media use can help boost a business’s growth, it can also impair growth when it’s used the wrong way.

McAfee posted on its blog recently news about e-mail purportedly coming from Facebook urging recipients to open an attachment to get their new password on the site. Unfortunately the email is a scam to get not only users’ password of the popular social networking website, but potentially any accounts they use while using their computer as well. This is the latest in a wave of malware and phishing scams specifically targetting uses of social networking websites.

Security company Websense released a survey of of 1,300 IT professionals worldwide revealing that although social media or the use of “Web 2.0″ technologies such as blogs , wikis and social networks are already pervasive in business, a majority of IT managers seem ill equipped to manage its use, much less protect against security concerns associated with it.

Last May 14th, reports indicated that hackers had launched a phising attack on Facebook ‘s 200 million users, successfully stealing passwords from some. The hackers set up websites designed to look like the Facebook home page

Social Media such as Blogs, Micro-blogs, Wikis, and Social Networks are not only helping many people communicate and connect, but are also powerful tools for business as well. They can be used to promote your products and services, engage customers in meaningful conversations, network and develop new relationships, or simply to distribute information about your business online