Google Buzz and Your Business

If you use Gmail, you've probably been invited to use, or have already started using, Google Buzz. This new feature piggybacks on Gmail users' already-established contacts and allows them to share comments, pictures, video, etc., for your Buzz followers to see—similar to status updates on Facebook. Google Buzz's capabilities for mobile users are so popular that reviewers have already created a buzz of their own. Here's what some tech writers are saying about it so far.

Mike Elgan of Computerworld notes the powerful way Google Buzz can be used to promote business among mobile users. Utilizing mobile devices' GPS capabilities and Google Maps, Buzz allows mobile users to see Buzz posts made by those in their near geographic area. What's more, anyone in the area can see the posts—they don't need to be following you, as they do using Facebook or Twitter.

“If you own a small business that relies on foot traffic, embrace Buzz immediately,” writes Elgan. “You can broadcast the availability of specials or sales. You can even use the real-time nature of Buzz to implement flex pricing. Too many loaves of bread, empty theater seats or other perishable items? Cut the price and broadcast the sale. People nearby will see it and come running. In addition to selling to existing customers, you'll win new ones.”

Kevin Getch, president of Portland, Oregon-based web design and SEO firm Evolve 24/7, speculates on the potential for businesses to gain attention from mobile users Buzzing about them. “You can Buzz about a business you like, you don't like, etc.,” he writes. “This is an area where Google is leagues a head of Facebook or Twitter as people who are using Google Maps to search for local businesses will be able to see what other people are saying about this business, much like a review.”

Mashable's Ben Parr called Buzz a “nuclear bomb whose fallout will permanently alter the social media landscape.” He noted that the ease of getting started with the feature—a click of a button for all Gmail users—has contributed to its already strong popularity. Google launched Buzz to an already huge user base and utilizes already-developed social media features that can be integrated into the Buzz experience.

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Security Breach Potential from Social Networking Worries Businesses

A new report published by Sophos, a security research firm, raises concern about Facebook's role in doing business, calling the social networking site “the worst offender” in a list of threats to online security, according to Richard Adhikari from TechNewsWorld.

This finding puts businesses who want to capitalize on the power of social networking in an awkward position, and they aren't getting any sympathy from  Facebook's company co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, who, according to Adhikari, “recently stated that he thinks the desire for privacy online is fading.”

Adhikari continues, “Like just about everything else, social networking sites are a mix of bad and good elements. Although they can constitute a threat to security, they also provide valuable outlets for business to connect with their customers ... [A]ccording to the Sophos report, over 2009, companies widely adopted social networking techniques such as blogs and social networks like Facebook and MySpace to connect with customers and spread the latest company news or product offerings to the public.”

If businesses don't use social networking sites, they may lose business. As Adkikari puts it, “Social networks have become so woven into the fabric of our lives that many businesses now face a distinct disadvantage if they turn a blind eye to them or forbid staff to access them. 'Not only will your workers circumvent your block  and participate surreptitiously, but also your competitors will sneak an advantage and get closer to your customers,' Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, told TechNewsWorld.” Yet, Adkikari continues, “The number of businesses hit by malware and spam attacks through social networks rose by 70 percent in 2009, the report found. More than 72 percent of businesses believe employees' behavior on social networking sites could endanger security.”

One of the dangers businesses face is the ease with which users can be duped by hackers. As reported by Adkikari, “Sixty-one percent of respondents to a survey Sophos conducted in December 2009 believe that Facebook is the worst security threat of all the social networking sites. More than 72 percent of the respondents to Sophos' survey believe that employees' behavior on social networking sites could endanger the security of their business.” Security breaches where hackers pose as friends and ask for money is one of the most widely used schemes.

Facebook Teams with McAfee to Allay Security Worries

Social networking giant Facebook recently reacted to critical outcries over its privacy policies—not to mention its reputation as the “worst offender” in online security threats—by teaming up with McAfee, the well-known provider of spam-swatting, malware-marauding personal computer protection packages. This deal, according to an article by Caroline McCarthy from CNET News, is a “move to show its 350 million members that it's serious about their safety.”

McCarthy explains that the move is designed to hit concern and criticism head on, saying, “The partnership comes at a time when viruses and scams on Facebook have drummed up pages' worth of bad press for the social network...The company is in need of some image repair in addition to legitimate battle plans.” Sarah Jacobsson, writing for PCWorld, calls the move “a great start,” but cautions it is “only one of many steps Facebook users will need to take to protect themselves from the myriad of tricks and traps that inhabit Facebook, including 419 ploys, phishing scams, and ID crooks.”

The immediate benefit for consumers from the Facebook and McAfee partnership includes a free six month subscription to the McAfee Internet Security Suite, and a discounted rate thereafter. Additionally, according to Jacobsson, “Back in July, Facebook created a custom service that detects if your account has been compromised by a malicious third-party via a phishing attack. Now, if that security trigger is set off, McAfee jumps into action and will prompt you to use a free McAfee Scan and Repair program...the next time you log into your Facebook account. The assumption is (that) if your Facebook account has been compromised, your PC may also be infected with malware.”

McAfee maintains its own Facebook presence and is currently celebrating its partnership with Facebook by offering a sweepstakes contest called “Rhyme Time Sweepstakes.” The grand prize is a Dell laptop computer.

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