Social Mashup

“Privacy is an onion” (patent pending maxim); it is situational, temporal and multi-dimensional. Perhaps said axiom should be recast as a ‘genetically modified onion’.

Perusing articles on Facebook privacy control changes from a well-known security company, there is the revelation that “no private information should be on the Internet”. A wise statement for an information security purist, but what constitutes ‘private information’, to what degree is it fluid and are the controls within Social Networks sufficient to allow us to restrict access in the ways we demand / require? What are the ’sociological norms’, and what of ’super-social’ libertines (such as I) that have exceeded Dunbar’s Number by a magnitude of 700%?…

Read the full article on the Atos Origin CIO / CTO Blog

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Article first appeared in the July 2008 issue of ITNOW.

From interruption to interaction, online advertising has progressed quickly in the last few years, says Steve Nimmons.

Online advertising has been with us since the earliest days of the internet and where eyeballs meet content, advertisers will be close by. The first web portals were (almost uniformly and tastelessly) bedecked with every imaginable flashing widget that might attract a valuable click-through. I will spare the early designers’ blushes but some sites would today come with health warnings for photosensitive epilepsy. Quality had to, and did, improve. ..Continue reading..

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Article originally published by Evaluation Centre / Conspectus, Summer 2008

Steve Nimmons warns of the hidden threat to corporate privacy and reputation lurking within Web 2.0.

The Historical Problem

I recall (approximately eight years ago) reading an interesting poster on social engineering at a well-known electronics company in California. This wall-chart communicated sensible advice for dealing with unsolicited phone calls, ‘chance’ conversations and the importance of discretion when discussing corporate matters on planes, trains and automobiles.
Topics such as tail gating, the ‘risk of gallantry’, the social and psychological tricks used by experienced practitioners to project ‘belonging’, the need for discretion and vigilance in public spaces and of course ‘clear desk policies’ were explained in concise, relevant and accessible language. ..Continue reading..

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