Three Rules for Safer Passwords

A new research report shows that the passwords used by the average computer user are so weak that it would take a hacker just 17 minutes to break into 1000 accounts. In a survey of one network the top password in use was ‘123456′, chosen by over 290,000 users. Second most popular? ‘12345′. So how strong are your passwords and what are the best tips for generating them?

Top Tips: How to Backup and What to Backup

If you don’t have a proper backup plan you are vulnerable when disaster strikes, whether you spill coffee in your laptop or burn down the office. February is Backup Month at US-based TechSoup, and they’re kicking off with an excellent article that offers an up to date view of what should you be backing up and how should you do it.

It offers a simple, mostly non-technical guide that covers a range of issues including Home Computers and Handheld Devices, Website, Internal Data, Email and even Bookmarks. Take a look at the article now  to help you review your current plans.

Your NonProfit’s Backup Strategy.

Channel 4 announces Young People’s Inspiration Week for

Young people between 14 and 19 aintereste din a career in the media are invited to apply to be part of Channel 4’s Inspiration Week South 2010, which will run in April.

South West Screen | Channel 4’s Inspiration Week South.

Fundraising: Email versus Facebook

The Washington Post has published a report that compares the value of using email as a core fundraising strategy rather than social networks such as Facebook. Although there is still a case for using such sites to raise awareness of your cause the income generated on Facebook was reportedly dwarfed by the fundraising from email campaigns and other tried-and-true methods.

I found this story on FrogLoop, a blog about nonprofit online marketing which you can find at www.frogloop.com/wpost

Feedback on online learning session

The bad weather last week gave me a chance to have a go at running an online learning session to replace a 90 minute slot about social media I was due to deliver at a meeting in London. Given a day’s notice I had nine people join me in as I ran though a presentation and demonstrated how I use Twitter. It seemed to be well received and I’ll running more in future, as a way of reducing costs and offering insight into specific topics.When the meeting was cancelled on Wednesday I did some rapid investigation into possible solutions and used Webex, from a shortlist of three or four which I will continue to evaluate. I could share a Powerpoint presentation and individual applications on my computer, whilst learners logged onto a specific website and either dialed in on a free teleconference line or used their webcam.

We had some significant technical problems at the beginning – including a really nasty noise – probably feedback – and at least three other people were bounced off and couldn’t join the event. But once it was up and running we worked through the materials, chatted via text and voice and one or two of us could be seen scratching our noses on our webcams.

Feedback after the event confirmed that most people found the session very useful. Four people filled in a online survey of which 3 said they’d recommend the sesson to other people (the other person said Maybe). They also suggested other topics for future events and I’d welcome your thoughts on how this sort of learning session could be useful to you – use the comments box below to add your thoughts or email me to be kept informed of similar events in future.

A new age in online publishing?

It is easy to forget how the web is a new kind of space, a place where anyone who wants to can post whatever they want, saying anything they like. Now Posterous is pushing the boundaries even further and may be about to change the rules for how to get your stuff on the web, by lowering the threshold in terms of the skills and resources you need to actually have a website to publish your ideas to.

Latest News from the Villages | NABUUR

Nabuur.com is a great networking site, helping to tell stories from people in villages in Africa and showing you how you can help them. There’s lots of great interactions and lots of insight into the lives of real people, missing out so much of the drama and negative filtering we often see in reporting about Africa.

Latest News from the Villages | NABUUR.

YouTube and citizen journalism

#YouTube to Roll Out ‘Direct’ Link to Citizen Journalism http://bit.ly/38G8Sl

Do I need a social media policy?

You may be wondering how to strike the balance between giving your team the freedom to make the most of new social media whilst still retaining an appropriate degree of control. The potential benefits may be obvious but there are plenty of horror stories about dodgy posts on Facebook to give pause for thought. The newly published Online Database of Social Media Policies is a great way to learn from other organisations that are grappling with this dilemma.

Extending the Life of Your Computer

 

 

Computer specifications are constantly changing to meet the demands of new software, but many of us can make do with out the need for a new computer more than every few years. A new screen may be great if the old one is starting to hurt your eyes, but most of us can function quite happily with email, web browsing and word processing, which don’t need the latest chips or huge hard drives. Techsoup, the US-based technology advice centre for non profit organisations, has provided a very useful run down of how to extend the life of your PC. It’s a bit techie in places but offers a good way of get more from your existing investment, as well as being greener.

Extending the Life of Your Computer.

Should you ban Facebook in your office?

We all know how to waste time and we all know that the latest techie gadgets seem the consume the lives of some people that we know. But is it better to allow staff and volunteers to have access to Facebook, Twitter or other online tools? Or will they spend their time mucking about looking at pictures of cute kittens when they’re meant to be writing the next funding bid? An article on Socialnomics looks at this questions and says that it is better to offer access, and that it can make your work more effective.

Did You Know 4.0

Update 4 of the ever-popular Did You Know series of videos featuring rapid-fire facts about the world around us…

more about "Did You Know 4.0", posted with vodpod

Grassroots Grants

Looking for a pot to fund the IT needs of small groups? Have a look at Grassroots Grants, which funds small groups with grants of between £250 and £5,000, on a flexible basis that encourages people to work in manageable steps.

In terms of IT this could mean, for example, that a group buys a computer and then pays for training to learn how to get the best from it, such as investing in a laptop and training for a Treasurer in budgeting to manage the finances and support fundraising. Or it could pay for a training course for a neighbourhood group to set up and maintain its own website.

A full list of local Community Foundations that cover the south east is available on the Community Development Foundation’s website.

Do you know a Digital Hero?

There are still a few days left to nominate a Digital Hero, as part of a scheme run by TalkTalk and Citizens Online. The TalkTalk Digital Heroes Awards rewards one individual from each UK region who is doing outstanding work using digital technology to bring about positive social change and improve the lives of people in their local communities.

IT Volunteers on the Isle of Wight

The Volunteer Centre on the Isle of Wight has been developing its work with IT volunteers. Since the start of 2009 five new volunteers have helped with ten new projects, with projects that include websites, databases and specialist software. Whilst many of the volunteers have been recruited from the Island one project has been successfully delivered by a website expert living in London.