VirtualMV/Digital Learning Technologies/Social/Facebook

Overview
Facebook is a popular social networking site started in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg. It began as a social network of Harvard students to get to know each other but within months other colleges became part of it to. By the end of the following year Facebook was opened to the public and has been growing ever since and on the 21 July 2010 hit half a billion users.

Issues
There are many security issues surrounding Facebook including identity theft, malware, social engineering, phishing and privacy.

Social engineering - also called no-tech hacking - is when the identity thief surfs through profiles that have relaxed security settings or gain access by friending people. They gather the personal details that the user has freely published about themselves. These details may be adequate enough for the thief to assume the users identity. However, there is another use for these details; no-tech hacking into other accounts the user might have. This was the case 2009 when a hacker called Croll managed to gain access to some of Twitter's employee accounts just by using information that was available to the public.

On Facebook third party applications can access user information. Accepting an application will grant it these rights. It is important to be careful about accepting applications because they could contain malware or phishing software. The programmers of the fake Facebook dislike button took advantage of people wanting to be able to 'dislike' rather than 'like' something and put their malicious program in that. The application granted the programmer access to the user's personal profile and details.

An example
Take This Lollipop” asks for access to your Facebook account in order to give you a customised video featuring a crazy-eyed, dirty-fingered man going through your Facebook profile, photos, and location information in order to hunt you down. It’s designed to prey on any Facebook privacy fears you may have, especially if you have a dirty, sweaty ex-boyfriend who resembles the guy in the video (Bill Oberst). While harmless, this gives you a great insight into the sorts of data that is visible by granting an app access to your account. Try it. Take this lollipop

Resolving the Issues: Four Tips
The following tips show a few ways to be aware in an online social networking environment:
 * 1) Understand security settings - granting everyone access to you personal information and photo is asking for trouble.
 * 2) Do you really have 300 friends?  Don't friend just anybody, when they become a friend they can see all your information and photos and can copy any of it.
 * 3) Only accept applications from a trusted source.
 * 4) When posting consider if there is any information in the post that a malicious person could use.  Good examples include location, birth date, addresses and phone numbers.

Now Pages are set up similar to Trade Me
I feel the following article is relevant to learning and teaching in Business sales and marketing online. Pages with catchy names such as Pre-Loved have been created to Buy Sell or Swap anything from a $5 to a $300 item to a car or house. These pages have been in circulation for some time. Membership to these pages are 2,000 to 6,000 plus. They are created as private but seen by anyone but only members can post. How do you become a member? you will request and you must be nominated by 3 existing members and only then, an admin person will approve you. You must be of 18 years age and there are further rules documented to how one would sell, buy, swap or even give away. Photos of the articles are posted. Administrators do not make money so there is no fee to pay. The operation is local therefore most items are by pick up unless arranged. There a limited amount of trust in each other. Though i have not experienced issues with these pages, i must say the page that was first originally set up is more trustworthy than others which have followed the same model. However the follow list is what i do recognise that one should be aware of. Also to note from the admin rules, you can go to a mutual place for pick up.

Issues i recognise:
There is Learning for security purposes recognised here. The following link is a slideshare on "Face Book Marketing" http://www.slideshare.net/codeaweb/facebook-marketing-8091276?qid=5c0a7164-86f5-41dc-8553-b3c88f365b4a&v=default&b=&from_search=1
 * 1) People come to pick up items from your house now they know where you stay.
 * 2) To take item to a mutual place to meet wont be good on your own.
 * 3) Delivering to the buyers house may not be safe.

TuparoaTuparoa 10:26, 11 March 2014 (UTC)

Customisation
Facebook Fan Page Customisation: Tips, Tricks, Applications (Betonio, 2010, December 19)

Facebook Pages for Businesses
Facebook now offers (and has for a while) pages to businesses to create representation on the Internet for their business in a socially engineered setting. Facebook claims that this will lead to increased turn over and exposure for businesses (big and small) Facebook Business pages are no different from an average users account, and has the full range of features that a usual Facebook has. Facebook also offers advertising for pages that are made on Facebook (regardless of their business status) -SamuelNZ 03:56, 3 April 2014 (UTC)

Examples

 * Keeping contact after the course is over
 * EIT Bachelor of Computing Systems http://www.facebook.com/groups/96139039685/
 * EIT has other Facebook pages which also can be used to contact
 * EIT Hawke's Bay https://www.facebook.com/#!/eithawkesbay?fref=ts
 * EITSA Hawke's Bay (EIT Student Association) https://www.facebook.com/#!/EITSAHawkesBay?fref=ts
 * Professional groups
 * Wikieducator http://www.facebook.com/groups/Wikieducator/
 * There are a number of positive ways to use Facebook in the classroom (Walsh 2011)
 * pages can be configured for privacy
 * class discussion forum
 * posting homework assignments
 * communication tool with parents
 * students generally already know how to use Facebook
 * teachers become positive role models in an online environment
 * class information portal e.g. assignment dates
 * Other groups EIT has to offer https://www.facebook.com/groups/426318240790100/?fref=ts