IoT Security: Why Experts Are Scared -- And What You Can Do to Protect Yourself

The Internet of Things can enable your smart refrigerator to order a new carton of milk for you, but it can also allow cyber criminals to hack internet-connected baby monitors, compromise smart cars, and even shut down most of the East Coast’s internet access.

IoT devices like Fitbits, pet trackers, and smart TVs all make your life easier and more convenient. But since these devices store your personal data and communicate with a lot of other internet-connected devices, your privacy is more vulnerable than ever before.

The Internet of Things is notorious for having weak security, even though the technology harbors some extremely sensitive information. And cyber criminals are definitely aware of this vulnerability -- IBM reported that criminal IoT compromises have exploded by 600% this year.

But despite the technology’s major security risks, Gartner expects consumers to possess over twice as many IoT devices in 2020 as they do today, increasing the number of world-wide IoT devices from 11 billion to 26 billion.

It’s clear that IoT devices’ convenience and savings prompt consumers to keep buying them, despite their associated risks. But if IoT products are more popular than ever right now, why aren’t vendors scrambling to fix their products’ security issues?

Revenue Trumps Security

The rush to release products in the booming IoT market is similar to the personal computer craze in the mid-90s. Businesses wanted to reap the rewards of selling computers that had their own software and operating systems before they missed out on a massively profitable opportunity.

To quickly develop these new personal computers, release them, and, ultimately, cash in on them, they decided to put their computers’ serious security issues on the back-burner. They could worry about them after they made enough money.

But making security an afterthought placed an enormous amount of risk on these businesses’ customers. Viruses, worms, and spam could easily infect their computers’ software and operating systems, allowing cyber criminals to infiltrate people’s personal computers and steal their data.

In the flourishing IoT market, which is bolstered by a forecasted global market value of $1.7 trillion in 2019, businesses are also scrambling to enter before it’s too late. Unfortunately, though, one of the fastest and cheapest ways for companies to develop and release IoT products is by turning a blind eye to the strength of their devices’ security. Building strong security into IoT products is expensive, could hamper the devices’ speed and abilities, and would slow down their development and release.

IoT vendors can gloss over their devices’ security in various ways, but one of the most fixable problems they have is hard-coding weak usernames and passwords into their products. This means they permanently assign incredibly predictable credentials, like “admin” or “12345” to their customers’ IoT devices. In fact, cyber security researchers at Symantec discovered that over 60% of IoT devices’ passwords last year were “admin” or “12345”. And since consumers can’t change these predictable credentials, hackers can easily guess their devices’ passwords.

Another reason why IoT vendors want to develop and release their products so quickly is that it allows them to collect as much consumer data as possible. Gathering hoards of this precious information will help businesses improve their IoT devices and generate more revenue in the future.

The fate of IoT is worrisome, to say the least, and its wobbly security naturally begs the question: what are the current and future risks of such an insecure technology?

Current and Future IoT Security Threats

For now, the Internet of Things is relatively secure. Hackers can’t exploit the technology to blackmail people or devastate entire organizations because most internet-connected devices are built on different platforms, operating systems, and use different programming languages. Developing malware attacks for every type of IoT device isn’t feasible or worth a cyber criminal’s time.

According to Forrester research, though, as IoT grows in popularity, its security will become weaker.

An ever-expanding Internet of Things will need to integrate with the public cloud, which will give hackers access to consumers’ personal data and open the technology up for more malicious attacks. For instance, cyber criminals could hack your smart car while you’re driving and threaten to disable your vehicle in the middle of the road unless you pay them a ransom. They could also hack systems that deliver water and power to your workplace and threaten to destroy it.

It's important to note that major IoT attacks like the example scenarios above aren’t a possibility now. But even though cybercriminals currently can’t orchestrate catastrophic IoT security breaches, they can still exploit your smart devices’ vulnerabilities to access other systems connected to it. For example, if your smart fridge can order groceries from the local supermarket, then your bank information is stored in the fridge’s network. In turn, people who hack your fridge could access your funds.

IoT devices are already commonplace, and soon, almost every business that sells household devices will connect their products to the internet. This way, they can collect as much consumer data as possible.

But if IoT companies think they can gather unprecedented amounts of data from their customers and not make a concerted effort to shield their personal information from malicious cyber criminals, they’ll lose their customers’ trust and business. For the sake of retaining loyalty, revenue, and their own decency, IoT vendors need to start strengthening their devices’ security before hackers ruin the industry’s public perception for good.

How Companies Can Protect their Customers from IoT Security Threats

In 2017, the U.S. Government passed the Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act, which sets security standards for IoT devices that vendors can sell to the U.S. Government. The bill requires IoT vendors to ensure that they can patch up any of their devices with new security updates, they won’t hardcode their devices’ passwords, and they won’t sell devices that have any known vulnerabilities.

While the Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act is a huge step forward for strengthening IoT security, it really only protects the Government from IoT security threats. Businesses should prioritize the everyday consumer’s security just as much as the Government’s, but this movement is off to a slow start. IoT vendors like Amazon are currently building IoT security solutions, but their products are all still in the early stages of development.

Some cybersecurity experts suggest forming a partnership between the government and the cyber security and intelligence communities could bolster the technology’s security. Together, they could determine the best set of security protocols for IoT devices and pass these regulations into law.

Hopefully, the government can help protect consumers from IoT security threats soon, but before you bank on them to protect your devices and data from malicious hackers, check out these five ways you can rely on yourself for protection.

How Consumers Can Protect Themselves from IoT Security Threats

1. Choose reputable IoT device vendors.

You might have to pay more for a reputable vendor’s products in the short-term, but their commitment to security will save you money and maintain your peace of mind in the long-term. That said, if you don’t know if you can trust a reputable IoT device’s security, don’t connect it to the internet.

2. Immediately change your devices’ login and password.

Hackers can easily find most IoT devices’ default passwords online. To protect your devices and data, use a password manager like LastPass to generate a random password for each of your IoT devices -- they’re nearly impossible to crack.

3. Always update your devices’ and connected systems’ software to its latest version.

When IoT vendors discover vulnerabilities in their products, they will issue software updates, or patches, to fix them.

4. Separate your home IoT devices from your business IoT devices.

If a cybercriminal hacks your home network, you don’t want them to be able to access even more of your personal data, like information about your work.

5. Limit the number of devices you connect to the internet.

Does every appliance in your home need to be smart? Once you connect a device to the internet, it connects to millions of other computers, allowing cybercriminals to hack your device.

More Security, More Money

Inevitably, companies who sold personal computers in the mid-90s didn’t leave their products plagued with vulnerabilities. They ended up fixing their security issues. And more than 20 years later, business is still booming. If the IoT market wants to live a long, prosperous life like their digital counterpart has, they must follow suit. Because even though shoring up security might cost IoT companies more money now, it’ll help them gain more trust, loyalty, and revenue for the future.

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The Ultimate Guide to RPFs

Have you been tasked with the job of creating a request for proposal, or an RFP?

Whether you have no idea what that is or haven’t written one in awhile, today’s guide can help.

We’re diving into the specifics of what an RFP actually is, why you might need one, and how to create your very first one today.

To start, you should understand what all these letters even mean.

 

When your company has a new (often large) project, or one that’s more complex and requires a bit of outsourcing, an RFP can help you get the job done right the first time.

The RFP doc becomes a way for you to quickly uncover the strengths and weaknesses of potential vendors in relation to your project without having to spend too much of your time hunting for them yourself.

RFPs can also give you a sneak peek into different strategies you may not have considered since each vendor will include their own unique action plan along with their bid.

And you’ll have this information before you ever have to commit to the vendor.

Keep in mind, this should not be confused with an RFQ.

RFP vs. RFQ

An RFQ, or request for quotation, is slightly different than an RFP since it’s just the quote itself. Here, companies solicit multiple price quotes from various vendors to compare services based on price alone. While an RFP includes a price quote (along with several other specifics), an RFQ does not detail anything other than price.

As opposed to an RFP, an RFQ is a request for quote or quotation.

Here’s how to understand the difference:

While you’re technically receiving a quote in an RFP, you’re also getting information like the action plan, timeline of completion, deliverable schedule, and the list of services provided as well.

But with an RFQ, you’re only receiving the quote itself for the service or products you’re interested in purchasing.

In most cases, simply comparing quotes is not enough to see if a potential vendor is the right fit for your company, which is why an RFP is more appropriate in these situations.

The RFP Process Explained

Before potential bidders can submit their proposals, an RFP must be drafted by the company requesting the work. (P.S. We’ll show you how to do this later in this guide)

This gives potential contractors a better idea of what your company is looking for.

Once your RFP is sent out, contractors or vendors can review it and submit their best bids to compete for the job.

In these proposals, vendors generally include the following items:

• An action plan of how they’re going to solve the issue
• A timeline of what you can expect
• Any necessary background information
• How much they expect the entire project to cost

In certain cases, bidders may come back and say specific components of the RFP need to be adjusted based on their experience in the industry.

At this point, you can either review their feedback and create a new RFP to adjust for the changes, or you can leave the original as is and keep it in mind while considering the other submitted bids.

Once you receive all the proposals, it will be almost effortless to compare each one and determine which vendor is the best fit for your company.

Out of the stack of bidders, you’ll want to narrow this down to a handful of your top three, five, or 10 favorites to consider, depending on how many you receive or are interested in.

From here, you’ll want to spend time vetting potential vendors further to determine who’s really the ideal fit for the job.

Some companies may request one more best and final offer from their top vendors after they’ve started this negotiation process to ensure they’re not only getting the right person or company for the job, but at the right price, too.

While this may sound like an extra step, it’s one that may save you money, time, and headaches down the road.

But this also leads us to a big question: Is all of this really necessary?

Can’t you just spend time reviewing two or three vendors on your own?

As you’ll see next, that route is definitely not in your best interest.

Why Issue a Request for Proposal?

Let’s briefly compare these two scenarios:

• Option #1: Spend time finding the perfect vendor on your own.
• Option #2: Use an RFP to get potential vendors to come to you.

Choose the first route, and you’ll probably use your coworkers, friends, and networking groups to help solicit possible referrals for the job.

Or you might perform a Google search to check out the top vendors in your area.

After you review the website of a possible candidate for the job, you’ll craft the perfect message to reach out and learn if they can even help.

Then, you’ll have to explain the specifics of your project and you may or may not ask them to submit a proposal before deciding to choose them for your project.

It’s not a complicated process, but did we mention you have to repeat it for every promising referral or vendor you come across?

Imagine how long that’s going to take!

Now, what if these potential contractors already knew your project details and they came back with their best plan of action and a formal bid for you to review?

So instead of having to explain your needs each time, you would simply outline it once, and send it out to the masses.

And to save you even more time, it would be up to potential contractors — not you — to reach out.

The RFP route also gives you a sneak peek into each vendor’s real plan of action, not the one they talk you into over the phone or in person.

Since potential candidates have to submit a formal bid, they’ll need to spend time outlining the solution and really working through the problem at hand.

And if they don’t, you have an easy way to weed out vendors and cut through the stack of options fairly quickly.

But, to get to this point, you can’t make this next mistake.

Here’s What Not To Do With an RFP

If you want to find the right vendor, you need your RFP to be specific.

Only asking “yes” or “no” questions won’t get you anywhere.

That’s why you must create specific questions that require thoughtful answers.

Try to use sentences similar to these:

• Can you share an example of how you’ve solved this problem or a similar one for another company? Did you encounter any unforeseen roadblocks? What would you do the same or differently this time?

• With your proposed redesign, how long would it take a non-tech savvy person to complete the new registration form? How much time do you estimate this could save?

With these tips in mind, you’re ready to draft your first RFP.

How to Write an RFP

Here’s the basic structure of an RFP and what to include in yours:

1. Project Overview

Before you go into the specifics of your company, you should give a brief introduction to the project itself so vendors know right away if it’s something worth bidding on.

2. Your Company Background

This shouldn’t be a long history of your company. Rather, it should give contractors a better idea of what your company does and who you serve as a target market.

3. The Goals of Your Project

Clearly identify what you hope to accomplish with this project and what you see as a “win” so everyone is on the same page.

4. Project Scope

The details of the project are essential in an RFP. In the same way you don’t want to use vague questions, a vague project scope won’t help you find the right vendor either.

Spend time really detailing your project scope so there’s no surprises later on.

5. Target Deliverable Schedule

Even if your deadlines aren’t super tight, you should still have a target deliverable schedule in mind. This needs to be included in your RFP so potential vendors can properly gauge if they have the resources and bandwidth to complete the job on time.

6. Possible Roadblocks

Don’t hide your existing or potential issues under the proverbial rug if you want them to disappear. A successful RFP is explicitly clear about any technical issues or possible roadblocks, such as: Are you dealing with custom coding or an outdated platform? Does your team have limited resources?

By explaining these up front, potential vendors will know exactly what they’re getting into.

You’ll also naturally weed out contractors who can’t handle the task due to those constraints.

But you’ll also connect with companies that know how to work around these common issues with skill and finesse.

Remember, it’s far better to find this out now than after you’ve accepted the bid and started work.

7. Budget Constraints

It’s also important to be upfront with your budget too. The more you can eliminate surprises, the better for all parties involved.

8. What You’re Looking For in Potential Vendors

Another way to reduce or eliminate surprises is to explain exactly what you’re looking for in potential contractors.

All you have to do is outline what matters most to your project (i.e., time, solution, budget, etc.) and show how you’ll be evaluating their proposals based on that.

We’ll show you how this is done soon, but before we do, there’s one more thing to add here: an RFP cover letter.

Just like a cover letter for a resume, an RFP cover letter creates a professional image for your brand and sets the tone for prospective vendors. It signals that they should take the proposal and the project seriously.

The good news is there are a number of tools to make creating RFPs easier and less stressful than you’re imagining.

Proposal Software Tools to Help You Manage RFPs

In this article, we outlined 10 tools to help you manage and create professional looking proposals in less time.

For today’s purposes, the following three tools are great places to get started:

1. PandaDoc

To create customized RFPs with your own branding, consider using the proposal software PandaDoc.

Here you can set up your first RFP within minutes and even collaborate with team members using real-time updates within the document itself.

2. Nusii

Similar to other proposal software on the market, Nusii uses a drag and drop editor that makes building RFPs a breeze — especially for beginners.

Thanks to its clean, modern, simple design, it’s also really easy to figure out too.

One of the most helpful features of Nusii is using it for re-working existing RFPs to save you time. Just copy the content from an RFP you like and edit information to fit your new request.

3. Loompio

How do you plan on organizing all the responses to your RFPs?

One standout feature with Loompio is its RFP response library, which gives you instant access to all your answers from previous RFPs. This saves you the hassle of digging around to find what you need in a crowded inbox.

Their magic feature will even help you auto-populate a response if it appears similar to one you’ve already done.

Plus, you can manage your entire RFP process — including sending automated responses — and collaborate with your team all in one place with their intuitive dashboard.

And if proposal tools are out of the budget right now, or if you’d like to try your hand at creating your own first, use this template as a starting point.

RFP Sample Template

To use this template, simply replace or remove anything [IN BRACKETS] and enter your company’s information instead.

You can also remove sections or pieces of information that don’t pertain to your project.

[TODAY’S DATE]

[PROJECT TITLE]

[PROJECT OVERVIEW]

[YOUR COMPANY NAME + BACKGROUND INFORMATION]  

1. Project Goals

The goals of this project include:

i. [INSERT COMPANY GOAL #1]

ii. [INSERT COMPANY GOAL #2]

iii. [INSERT COMPANY GOAL #3]

To reach these goals, [YOUR COMPANY] is now accepting bids in response to this Request for Proposal.

The project details are as follows:

2. Scope of Work

[Include a description of the project and a detailed scope of work here. The description can be in paragraph form, a bulleted list, or a combination of both.]

3. Target Deliverable Schedule

[Add the date when the project must be completed by using the text below.]

The expected project completion date is [ADD DATE]. If this date needs to be adjusted, please include your readjusted proposed date, as well as your reasoning for shifting the schedule. All proposed date changes will be considered.

4. Existing Roadblocks Or Technical Issues

[Here, you’ll want to outline any time, resources, or other constraints that will affect both the proposal and the project.]

At this time, [YOUR COMPANY] currently has [INSERT CURRENT ROADBLOCKS] bidders should be aware of.

5. Budget Constraints

The budget for this project is [ENTER FULL DOLLAR AMOUNT + CURRENCY IF DEALING WITH VENDORS OUTSIDE OF YOUR COUNTRY]

6. Evaluation Metrics

[YOUR COMPANY] will evaluate bidders and proposals based on the following criteria:

• Previous experience/past performance history
• Samples and/or case studies from previous projects
• Projected costs
• Experience and technical expertise
• Responsiveness and answers to questions in the next section

7. Questions Bidders Must Answer To Be Considered

[Create thought-provoking questions related to this project so you can properly assess potential vendors. Consider asking questions that you would in person or over the phone.]

i. [INSERT QUESTION #1]

ii. [INSERT QUESTION #2]

iii. [INSERT QUESTION #3]

8. Submission Requirements

Bidders must adhere to the following guidelines to be considered:

• Only bidders who meet all 5 metrics in the evaluation section should submit a proposal.
• Proposals must be sent in by [INSERT DATE]. Bidders who are interested in submitting a proposal should inform [POC NAME + EMAIL] no later than [INSERT DEADLINE].
• Include samples and references with your proposal.
• Proposals should not be more than [ENTER NUMBER] pages. Failure to comply to this guideline will result in an automatic rejection.
• A proposed schedule must also be included and clearly expressed.

9. Contact Information

For questions or concerns connected to this RFP, we can be reached at:

[POC NAME]

[POC EMAIL]

[POC PHONE]

Over To You

Now that you have a better idea of what an RFP is and how to create your first one, you’re ready to get started.

Sit down with your team to narrow down your project’s specifics, goals, and scope of work. Then determine when the project needs to be completed and your budget before moving on to the drafting phase.

With this intel gathered, you’ll be ready to plug everything into our template.

You can also use this tried-and-tested proposal formula to ensure your RFP is professional and polished too.

Follow these steps and you’ll have an RFP template you can quickly update. Your next project will be a success that much faster. 

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How to Build Better Stories With Collaboration and Improv

Want fresh ideas for your marketing content? Curious how improv techniques can help? To explore how collaborative storytelling can help you create engaging or interactive content, I interview Kathy Klotz-Guest. More About This Show The Social Media Marketing podcast is designed to help busy marketers, business owners, and creators discover what works with social media [...]

The post How to Build Better Stories With Collaboration and Improv appeared first on Social Media Examiner.

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The 27 Best Websites for Wasting Time on the Internet in 2018

There's a lot of content out there about productivity -- everything from hacks to shortcuts to tips and tricks for how to get more done in less time.

It's all about the sprint, the checking things off the list, and the downloading of software that'll block out any and all distractions.

But what about those times when you just want to surf the internet aimlessly? No one can be hyper-productive all the time, and studies have shown that taking deliberate breaks after periods of work is actually better for your productivity.

The question is, how do you spend those breaks? You could check your email, but that still counts as working. You could check Facebook or Twitter or Instagram, but there's something so mundane about haphazardly scrolling through your peripheral friends' photos.

We have a few better ideas. Here's a shortlist of the most wonderfully entertaining places to waste time on the internet outside of email and social media. Get ready to bookmark your favorites.

Best Websites on the Internet

1. WaitButWhy
2. The Oatmeal
3. Supercook
4. OCEARCH Shark Tracker
5. Apartment Therapy
6. A Soft Murmur
7. LEGO Videos
8. Gravity Points
9. Pottermore
10. xkcd
11. BuzzFeed "Comments" Sections
12. The Toast
13. The Onion
14. Cracked
15. Mental Floss
16. HowStuffWorks
17. Lifehacker
18. Mix
19. Space.com
20. Imgur
21. Animal Planet Kitten and Puppy Cams
22. Zillow
23. Google Maps Street View
24. Wikipedia
25. Giphy
26. Wayback Machine
27. The Oregon Trail

Cool Websites

1. WaitButWhy

WaitButWhy is one of my favorite places to spend time on the internet. Every week or so, a guy named Tim Urban churns out one, really long, really awesome article. (Seriously, they're canonical. You can kill a lot of time reading just one of them.)

His articles are always fascinating, in-depth, and really well written. His writing style is the perfect mix of informative and humorous -- making topics like the Fermi Paradox (the what?) approachable for someone like me who'd never heard of it before in my entire life. He writes about relationships, religion, outer space ... pretty much everything.

My favorite posts of his include "Everything You Don't Know About Tipping," "The Great Perils of Social Interaction," and "Your Life in Weeks" (which has some awesome graphics in it, by the way). He even wrote a great post on why procrastinators procrastinate, which anyone reading this article might want to check out.

2. The Oatmeal

The Oatmeal is another one of my absolute favorite places to spend time online. It's a huge library of awesome content -- some comprised entirely of graphics. Even if you've read everything already, it's the kind of stuff you can read over and over again.

Some of my favorite posts include:

• Why Working From Home is Both Awesome and Horrible.
• How the Male Angler Fish Got Completely Screwed (I think I legitimately cried laughing when I first read that one).
• Ten Words You Need to Stop Misspelling.
• You're Not Going to Believe What I'm About to Tell You.

3. Supercook

If you want to surf the internet in a semi-productive way -- but not so productive that you actually have to leave the house -- then check out Supercook.

Here's how it works: You tell it which ingredients you have in stock in your home, and it'll give you a big list of recipes you can make using just those ingredients. It's a fun way to stay thrifty, clean out the fridge, and make sure food doesn't go to waste.

4. OCEARCH Shark Tracker

Tracking sharks as they swim around the ocean may not be the most conventional way to waste time on the internet ... but it might be the coolest.

The Track Sharker tool by Marine Research Group OCEARCH lets you track tagged sharks -- who all have names, by the way -- as they travel all over the world. You can even zoom in on a specific location to see which sharks are hanging out there and where they've been swimming and traveling for the past year. Go, Hilton, go!

5. Apartment Therapy

If you're even a little bit of a fan of home decor or DIY projects, this is a website you might find yourself spending hours and hours on. There's a ton of awesome visual and written content on here. My favorites include their "before and after" series, their "small spaces" series, and the tours of people's actual apartments and homes.

Plus, they have a whole lot of helpful articles giving tips on everything from how to redo your stairs to ideas for using that awkward space above your fridge. There's no shortage of useful and fun information on here, making it prime for endless browsing.

One of our own was recently featured on ApartmentTherapy too -- check out INBOUND Elijah's adorable spot here.

6. A Soft Murmur

When taking a break from your usual work grind, set yourself up for true focus with A Soft Murmur. This website is your customizable white-noise machine. Its dashboard, available as an app for both iOS and Android, gives you slidable volume bars for five different nature sounds: rain, thunder, waves, wind, and fire.

This website allows you to independently adjust the volume of each of its five sound effects, creating an outdoor ambience that resembles your favorite soothing activity. Turn on "Waves" and "Fire" for the sound of a beach bonfire. Turn on "Rain" and "Thunder" for the sound of a distant storm outside your house.

7. LEGO Videos

You might've seen the recent (and awesome) LEGO Movie, but did you know LEGO's involvement in on-screen entertainment began much earlier than that? Believe it or not, LEGO has been creating hours of video content long before we saw them in theatres, and all of these videos are sorted by theme and story on its website.

For every pop-culture phenomenon to ever steal our attention, there's a LEGO video series version ready to steal our hearts. Star Wars, Jurassic Park, Scooby Doo, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter ... the list goes on. Tune into LEGO's video channel and enjoy.

8. Gravity Points

Gravity Points is a digital "pen" created by Akimitsu Hamamuro, and it is quite mesmerizing. The website simulates the effect of gravity by allowing you to plot small gravity centers across your screen. Then, even smaller floating objects will flock to these gravity centers and orbit them.

The more gravity centers you plot, the more these forces will start to compete, making your screen all the more chaotic. And yes, your gravity points can absorb one another to create a black hole. It's outer space right there on your computer screen.

9. Pottermore

As a marketer, you might dive so deep into branding your business, you have no time to brand yourself. Even if you're not a massive Harry Potter fan, Pottermore can scratch that itch for you.

Pottermore is widely recognized as the official website for finding your Patronus, your wand type, the Hogwarts House you belong to (of course), and much more. The quizzes you take to earn these identities are just obscure enough to hold your excitement for the result, and might even encourage you to read (or reread) the famous Harry Potter books -- something you should definitely do to balance out your time-wasting website sessions.

Funny Websites

10. xkcd

If you're into nerdy humor even the littlest, tiniest bit, there's a lot to love about xkcd. Each post features a short, stick-figure comic strip on humor about technology, science, mathematics, and relationships. The guy behind it is Randall Munroe, who worked on robots at NASA's Langley Research Center in Virginia before starting this blog.

Below is an example of one of his comic strips. (He always includes a joke in the comic strip image's alt text, so if you look at the strips on the xkcd website, be sure to hover your mouse over the image to catch those jokes.)

Source: xkcd

11. BuzzFeed "Comments" Sections

You already know BuzzFeed is a great place to waste time on the internet, but we're looking beyond the actual article here. Scroll down to the "comments" section of pretty much any article for a hilarious showcase of the crazy (I mean crazy) stuff people are saying. I find it especially entertaining to read the comments on benign topics that shouldn't make people so irate, but do anyway.

12. The Toast

If you're into great (and hilarious) fiction writing, then you'll definitely want to bookmark this site. Every day, writers Nicole Cliffe and Mallory Ortberg publish a post on "everything from literary characters that never were to female pickpockets of Gold Rush-era San Francisco," reads their About page.

To get an idea of whether it's up your alley, start with their post, "A Day in the Life of Seth MacFarlane, Human Male (Definitely Not a Swarm of Hyper-Alert Bees and a Metal Jaw.)" It's just so good.

13. The Onion

If you haven't spent some quality time reading the online satirical newspaper The Onion, then you're seriously missing out on a good laugh. (And you've kind of been living under a rock.) But seriously, I sometimes forget how consistently hysterical the articles are.

The publication started in 1988 and they've managed to successfully maintain a high standard for humor and writing ever since. Their headlines are laugh-out-loud funny in and of themselves -- from "Free-Thinking Cat Sh**s Outside the Box" to "Archaeological Dig Uncovers Ancient Race of Skeleton People" to "Buyer Of $450 Million Da Vinci Painting Sort Of Assumed It Would Come With Frame."

Of course, their headlines being hilarious makes sense, seeing as the headline is where each story begins. This awesome episode of NPR's This American Life gives you a really cool peek into The Onion's editorial process.

(Bonus: ClickHole, their sister website that makes fun of Upworthy-style viral content on the internet, is another great place to waste some time.)

14. Cracked

Similar to The Onion, Cracked is a pseudo magazine for your everyday life -- and yes, it will crack you up. But while The Onion gives you a satirical take on a real news trend, Cracked makes snarky pop-culture observations that are ironic or just ridiculous by design. Sometimes the writers will say the one thing everyone's thinking, but is afraid to say out loud. That's Cracked for you.

You might just be passing time on this online magazine, but with respect to some of its most popular articles and pictures, it's time well spent. Here are a few ridiculous think pieces from Cracked to whet your appetite:

• The Actual Answers to 6 Famously Unsolved Movie/TV Mysteries
• 7 Hilarious Ways Reality Would Ruin Famous Movie Scenes
• 5 Random Questions You Didn't Know You Wanted Answered
• 6 Underrated (and Selfish) Benefits of Parenthood

Websites for News & Information

15. Mental Floss

Mental Floss is a super addicting online magazine with articles covering a really wide range of topics. Their articles are really well written, really well researched, and usually on topics that don't get a lot of airtime.

For example, in their "Big Questions" section, they tackle weirdly intriguing questions like why shells sound like the ocean and why yawns are contagious. Readers can even submit their own big questions.

16. HowStuffWorks

This website is dedicated entirely to -- you guessed it -- how things work. And by "things," they mean everything: from airbags to regenerative medicine to velocipede carousels. They've covered so much on this website, it'll be hard to run out of things to read about.

Plus, they have a whole bunch of really cool podcasts that have branched off the main site over the years and are worth checking out. My favorites are "Stuff You Should Know," "BrainStuff," and "Stuff Mom Never Told You."

17. Lifehacker

Lifehacker is a hub of productivity tips, tricks, and downloads. It's basically an archive of all the information it would be incredibly useful to know, but nobody ever really teaches you. Aside from productivity, they also cover topics such as money-saving tips, clever uses for household items, and so on.

For example, did you know you can buy alcoholic beverages at Costco without a membership? Or that you can peel a mango in under 10 seconds? Or that there are four lengths of naps that'll benefit you in different, very specific ways? Along with the fun articles, they have some pretty awesome, in-depth articles, like this one on how to plant ideas in someone's mind, as well as helpful listicles like the top ten obscure Google Search tricks.

There's so much content on there that it can be hard to find posts on specific topics. Use the Lifehacker Index for an introduction to their top-performing posts and tips on how to find posts on any topic on the website.

18. Mix

Sometimes you want to surf the internet, but don't want to do all the paddling. For that, there's Mix.

You might know the above website by its former name, StumbleUpon, a site (and an add-on to your internet browser) that allowed you to select topics that interested you and then served you various news and information that fit those interests. Today, it's called Mix, and it puts a new spin on StumbleUpon's popular content randomizer.

Mix lets you set your reader profile and then share the articles, photos, and videos you discover from your own personal "mix." It's a convenient way to entertain yourself and learn new things by simply telling the web to surprise you.

19. Space.com

As long as your head is in the clouds, raise it above Earth's horizon and head on over to Space.com. This website reports on astronomy news and trends through friendly, easy-to-digest content that, sometimes, just serves to quench your thirst for a cool nebulous shot of our solar system. Who knows? Maybe you'll tap your inner space enthusiast.

Whether you want to see an object burn up in our atmosphere or get real into the weeds of how a black hole forms, Space.com has something for everyone. Get your fix today with this amazing picture of a green aurora seen from the International Space Station, part of Space.com's "Image of the Day" series.

Websites for When You're Bored

20. Imgur

Imgur collects the most viral images of the week and collects them all in one place for your mindless scrolling and enjoyment. What I like about Imgur is it's usually more timely than Twitter or Instagram -- more popular sharing networks where funny pictures and memes might appear a week or two later. Use Imgur to waste time and introduce your friends to the funniest stuff on the internet first.wx1

21. Animal Planet Kitten and Puppy Cams

Puppies and kittens. What could be better? I have this website bookmarked for whenever I need a pick-me-up. You can check out a live stream from animal shelters in the U.S. to see some of the adoptable cuties in action.

22. Zillow

It's fun to check out real estate in areas you might want to live -- and it's just as fun to check it out in places you'll probably never live, but would love to in a dream world. Go ahead and explore what's out there. You can set up saved searches (some more realistic than others) to relive your discoveries later.

23. Google Maps Street View

In the same vein as Zillow, it's wildly entertaining to go to Google Maps and zoom in on the street view in random places around the world. It's so strange and thrilling to see what life was like at a random moment in time, on a random street somewhere you may never visit in your lifetime.

I recommend the Palace of Versailles in France, Mount Everest Base Camp in Nepal, the Swiss Alps, and the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Australia. (Yes, they have underwater cameras.)

24. Wikipedia

You didn't think I'd write a post on where to waste time on the internet without including Wikipedia, did you? Of course not. You've gotta love spiraling into the proverbial Wikipedia black hole: Look up one thing, and then check out something that's interlinked to it. Before you know it, you'll have charted the entire Russian Revolution. (Read: This is an actual glimpse into my colleague Corey's Sunday morning.)

If you want to get more involved while wasting time online, remember Wikipedia is based on a model of openly editable content -- as in, anyone can edit any unprotected page. So if you're into editing and updating content in your free time, it's yours to edit. (As long as you follow their guidelines.)

25. Giphy

When you need to find the perfect GIF, you can't just stop at the first result you get for "dancing" or "awkward" or "animals being jerks." I could spend (... and have spent) hours on Giphy looking for juuust the right GIF. How long do you think it took Ellie here to come up with all ten of the ones in this post? Totally worth it.

26. Wayback Machine

Feeling nostalgic? Check out what websites have looked like over the years via Internet Archive's famous Wayback Machine. It lets you pick a date and see exactly what any website looked like at that time. (For a real trip, compare how Facebook looked back in the 2000s to today. Remember the wall-to-wall?)

If you just want to take a quick peek, check out this roundup of what nine famous websites used to look like. All the images in that post were taken from the Wayback Machine.

27. The Oregon Trail

Here's a little gift for those of you who made it to the end of this post: Internet Archive -- yes, the same one responsible for the Wayback Machine -- made it possible for people to PLAY THE COMPUTER GAME "OREGON TRAIL" AGAIN. I can practically hear all the Gen X'ers out there screaming with joy.

If "Oregon Trail" isn't your cup of tea, the other games made available by Internet Archive include "Duke Nukem," "Street Fighter," "Burger Blaster," "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," "The Lion King," and "Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer." Check out the full library here.

http://bit.ly/2zYJyI0

How Building an Offline Community Can Help Your Online Marketing

UCLA scientists found that sixth graders who went five days without using a smartphone or digital screen were better at reading human emotions than those who stayed online. As evident by UCLA's study, offline communication is critical for maintaining relationships.

In business, nearly 100% of people say face-to-face meetings are essential for long-term relationships. However, most business interactions exist primarily online.

Online communities can create meaningful connections that lead to long-term relationships -- but if you only have conversations online, you risk losing that personal touch.

If you want to have more personal interactions with your customers, it might be time to add a human touch to your marketing by turning email flows and comment chains into offline communities.

At Typeform, we host Meetups with industry experts to connect people with similar interests, and to elaborate on topics relevant to our product. If you want to host events for your own customers, you have a ton of options.

To create a more well-rounded marketing strategy, let’s dive into the benefits of offline marketing communities and consider how they can sync up with your online methods.

1. Align your offline community with your company’s mission.

Every successful business has a purpose and something unique to offer. So if you want to create a successful offline community, figure out how you can create an event centered around something that nobody else offers.

If you're not sure where to start, ask your customers. Consider sending out a survey, or reach out to them on social media. Ask them: What do they come to you for? What do they like about you? Why do they choose you over your competitors?

Of course, your product or service won’t appeal to everyone. But to foster a successful offline community, you'll need to bring people together who truly believe in your business and what it stands for.

For instance, Product Hunt recognized that giving its early adopters special status and connecting them with each other was a powerful way to drive growth.

The company began hosting happy hours and offline events to bring together their product users in real life and build a sense of community. By listening to this group of dedicated customers and delivering value, Product Hunt went from 40,000 to 400,000 users in the span of four months.

 

2. Determine a goal for your event.

What do you want to achieve with your offline community? Whatever your goal, it should tie into your brand and your online marketing objectives. It should also be tailored to your business’ target audience.

If you’re hosting events, make sure the events have a clear purpose that’s obvious to attendees.

Clearly outline what your attendees can expect to get from the event -- will you provide networking opportunities, insight from industry experts, or is the event just for fun. Rather than considering what's in it for you, take the time to contemplate what's in it for them.

Whatever incentive you provide, map out how it will bring people closer to your company, and how it’ll encourage them share your company values with friends and coworkers.

Hootsuite’s member-organized workshops are a fantastic example of this. They have a clear educational purpose that offers people a reason to engage with their brand. The events are free, and they bring together people who are passionate about social media.

People can network and get industry insights -- all while learning more about the Hootsuite app.

3. Decide on a location.

Offline communities can reinforce loyalty in places where you’re already popular, or boost brand awareness in more uncharted territory.

Wherever you choose to host your event, make sure you understand the local community.

Take inspiration from local businesses to see which issues they’re promoting. Once people know you care about the same things, you’ll be able to create a grassroots community that is loyal to your brand.

For instance, the Orlando City Soccer Club organized a scavenger hunt on social media by hiding three pairs of tickets across their home city. Then, they linked the real life search to their online communities using Periscope, Twitter, and Instagram to offer clues on how fans could find the tickets.

4. Encourage your customers to organize events.

If your business is running on a tight budget, you might not have the resources to organize an event. So why not encourage your loyal customers to run their own?

If your product or service is good enough, people will want to share the experience, and your following will grow organically -- both online and offline.

There’s no marketing tool more powerful than your own customers.

Take kitchen appliance Instant Pot, for instance. Their product is worshipped by online communities, with fans setting up their own Facebook Groups. This has inspired offline communities who meet to swap recipes, and even Instant Pot cooking classes for students.

5. Avoid a hard sell approach.

You'll want to think of offline communities as another channel that targets the top of the marketing funnel. Instead of centering these communities around selling your product, make it about giving back to the community or offering a unique service -- even better if it’s free.

Creating a face-to-face, human connection is key to getting people invested in your brand. If you offer a positive human interaction that really connects with people offline, then they’re much more likely to want to engage with you online.

Grain Surfboards hosts events that teach people how to shape their own surfboards. The workshops don’t focus on selling, but instead on creating a community of like-minded people who are interested in making their own surfboards.

These events drive sales during the classes themselves, and also serve as a powerful brand awareness tool. After a surf student leaves a class, Grain will be top of mind next time they run out of board wax.

6. Make your offline and online communities talk to each other.

Bringing online and offline communities together works in two ways.

First, you can reward your loyal online community members and customers with exclusive access to your offline events, such as:

• Early registration
• Discounts on ticket prices
• Special members-only events

Additionally, you can provide your offline event attendees with special access to online communities, events, or perks. This will help you build a holistic community.

By forming a deeper relationship with your customers in this way, they’re more likely to respond positively if you ask them to leave a review, share your content, or take a survey.

7. Moving forward: building a community that scales.

A community is a powerful thing. When people feel like you care about them, they care more about your business.

But any community must be able to scale to succeed. Once you’ve put in the hard work to build strong relationships offline, you need to make those people advocates of your brand. You need to empower them to spread the word through their own communities to get your name out there.

HubSpot does this with their global HubSpot User Groups, HUGs. HubSpot users can apply to become HubSpot Agency partners, who lead local user groups. Each meeting is by users and for users, and covers themes related to marketing, sales, or services, with industry experts.

This provides an emotional connection that endures both online and offline.

Connecting like-minded people with groups like these is the foundation of healthy offline communities.

An offline community represents a loyal following of people who are emotionally invested in your product. While an online connection to your company needs a good WiFi signal, emotional connections endure far beyond the limits of a laptop screen. 

http://bit.ly/2NAl6To

7 of the Best Bitcoin Mining Hardware for 2018

Despite the profit potential of mining Bitcoin, your Bitcoin mining hardware’s upfront and energy costs can actually do harm to your bank account. Picking the wrong hardware could cost you more money to operate than the amount of funds you earn mining Bitcoin with it.

To avoid losing a profit on your Bitcoin mining, we curated a list of the best Bitcoin mining hardware, with their price, hash rate, and energy consumption, to help you decide which hardware is best for you, no matter how much mining experience you have. Read on to find the right Bitcoin mining hardware for you.

7 of the Best Bitcoin Mining Hardware of 2018

1. Bitmain Antminer S9i

Picture Credit: ASIC Miner Value

Since it's considered the most popular Bitcoin mining hardware in the world, the Antminer S9 is entirely sold out on Bitmain’s website. Fortunately, though, Bitmain released the Antminer S9i for only $499 this May. The S9i boasts a hash rate of 14 TH per second and an energy consumption of 1,320 watts, which makes it one of the most efficient Bitcoin mining hardware out there.

If you’re an intermediate or expert miner trying to make a profit, the low upfront cost and high efficiency of the Antminer S9i could offset its somewhat lofty energy costs and help you make some money.

2. Halong Mining DragonMint T1

Picture Credit: ASIC Miner Value

Out of all the Bitcoin mining hardware on the market, the DragonMint T1 has the highest hash rate of 16 TH per second. And with an energy consumption of 1480 Watts, which translates to a 0.075 Joules per Gigahash ratio, it's the most powerful and efficient Bitcoin mining hardware out there.

Naturally, there’s a lot of demand for the DragonMint T1, so you'll have to pay a hefty price of $2,729 to buy it. But if you’re an expert miner with low electricity costs, the power and efficiency of the DragonMint T1 could offset its high upfront cost and help you turn a profit.

3. Bitmain Antminer T9

Picture Credit: ASIC Miner Value

With a hash rate of 12.5 TH per second and energy consumption of 1,576 Watts, the Antminer T9 is less powerful and efficient than the Antminer S9i, but it’s considered the more reliable option. It has higher quality chips compared to the S9i, so it’s more stable and doesn’t burn out as fast.

You should expect to pay around $500 for an Antminer T9. If you’re an expert miner who wants a durable mining hardware, this is a good option.

4. Pangolin Whatsminer M3X

Picture Credit: ASIC Miner Value

Even though it uses the most power out of all the hardware on this list, requiring 2,050 watts of energy, the Whatsminer M3X is also one of the most powerful, possessing a hash rate of 12.5 TH per second.

The M3X is also more affordable than other powerhouse hardware, costing $1,022, which can offset its high energy costs and help you earn a profit. If you’re an expert bitcoin miner with below average electricity costs, this could be the best hardware for you.

5. Bitmain Antminer R4

Picture Credit: ASIC Miner Value

Bitmain’s Antminer R4 falls right behind the Antminer S9i in terms of efficiency, with a hash rate of 8.7 TH per second and a small energy consumption of 845 watts. Another one of the R4’s best features is that it runs almost silently, making it the ideal hardware for mining bitcoins at home.

The R4’s convenience and efficiency comes at a cost, though -- you’ll need to spend $2,999 to buy it on Amazon. If you’re a hobbyist or intermediate miner trying to make money at home, consider using the Antminer R4.

6. Avalon6

Picture Credit: Buy Bitcoin Worldwide

Listed at $300 on Amazon, the Avalon6 is one of the most affordable Bitcoin mining hardware, and it's the easiest to set up. But it also has low efficiency, possessing a hash rate of 3.5 TH per second and a relatively high energy consumption of 1050 watts.

Unless your electricity costs are extremely cheap, using the Avalon6 to mine more Bitcoin than it costs to operate is nearly impossible. The Avalon6 is best for beginners or hobbyists, since you’ll most likely never make a profit using the hardware.

7. Bitmain Antminer S7

Picture Credit: ASIC Miner Value

Another solid Bitcoin mining hardware for beginners or hobbyists is the Bitmain Antminer S7. Its low $200 cost matches its low efficiency -- it has a hash rate of 4.73 TH per second and energy consumption of 1293 watts. But if Bitcoin’s price shoots up and you can find extremely cheap electricity, it’s possible to make a profit using the hardware.

http://bit.ly/2ws5lHz

How to Create LinkedIn Video Ads

Do you want to reach more prospects on LinkedIn? Interested in using LinkedIn video ads to promote your products and services? In this article, you’ll learn how to plan and execute your first LinkedIn video ad campaign. #1: Define Your Target Audiences The first step is to determine what audiences you want to target with [...]

The post How to Create LinkedIn Video Ads appeared first on Social Media Examiner.

August 30, 2018 at 12:00PM http://bit.ly/2NzQHEu
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Everything We've Discovered About Instagram's Secret Shadowban

When you're trying to grow a following on Instagram, you depend on hashtags and engagement to expand your audience and reach. So it can feel more than a little disheartening when it suddenly seems like your content isn't showing up anywhere.

If you feel like your posts are receiving fewer likes and comments, or aren't appearing for certain hashtags, you might be shadowbanned.

Shadowbanned

Shadowbanning is the act of blocking a user's content on social media sites, in such a way that the user doesn't know it's happening. If you're shadowbanned on Instagram, your content won't appear on anyone's feed unless they already follow you.

From Instagram's point of view, shadowbanning makes sense. Shadowbanning allows Instagram to filter out accounts that don't comply with their terms. Some people use inauthentic measures to expand their Instagram following, like automated bots or hundreds of hashtags irrelevant to their content. If that's the case, it seems only fair for Instagram to block those accounts, so users can continue receiving genuine and helpful content.

While Instagram doesn't openly admit to shadowbanning, they released a statement in February that addressed the problem users were having with their content not showing up for certain hashtags. Their statement at least confirms the hashtag dilemma as a real one -- but many speculate that the statement is Instagram's way of admitting to shadowbanning, without actually admitting it.

It's important to note that Instagram changes its algorithm often, so those alterations could be the reason you have witnessed a drop in your engagement. However, there's a possibility shadowbanning is a real tactic meant to hide users' content from the wider Instagram audience, and if you're being shadowbanned, it's important you take the necessary measures to get your content seen.

Let's explore how to know if you're shadowbanned, as well as our tips for getting yourself off the list.

Am I Shadowbanned?

There's an easy trick to figure out if your account is shadowbanned. First, post an image with a hashtag that isn't often used. (If you post an image with a hashtag that has millions of posts associated with it, it will be hard to see if your content is hidden from a shadowban, or simply from competition).

Once you've posted something with a certain hashtag, ask five Instagram users who don't follow you to search that hashtag. If none of them see your post under the hashtag, its likely you've been shadowbanned.

However, if one or two of the accounts can see your post, you might simply be dealing with a drop in engagement (if that's the case, check out our Instagram Marketing: The Ultimate Guide).

If you run this test and believe you've been shadowbanned, don't worry -- we have a solution for you.

Why You Got Shadowbanned, and How to Fix It

There are a few potential reasons your account could have been shadowbanned. To ensure this doesn't happen again, let's explore some actions you might have taken that led you to being shadowbanned:

You use bots or another automated "Instagram growth" tool. If you aren't putting in the hard work yourself, you're not growing a following authentically. Instagram frowns on this -- in their statement above, for instance, they encourage users to have a strategy that focuses on connecting with the right audience. Using bots is a spammy tactic, and could result in a shadowban.

You use broken hashtags. Occasionally, a popular hashtag will become overrun with inappropriate content. When this happens, Instagram can remove the hashtag or limit its use. If you use a broken hashtag, it will prevent your other hashtags from ranking, and could also result in a blocked account.

Your account is often reported. When users repeatedly report an account, Instagram will assume your account is posting inappropriate content or violating their terms of service. They might disable your account, or they could shadowban it.

You've exceeded your daily or hourly limit. Instagram places time constraints on how often you can follow, unfollow, like, comment, or post within an hour or day. This makes sense -- if you're following 80 people within an hour, it's likely a bot doing the work, not you.

These actions might help you grow a following quickly, but they can't help you connect with the right people, which is why you're on Instagram in the first place. Additionally, these behaviors likely result in shadowban, which severely restricts your exposure to a new audience.

To get your account back to normal, you'll want to reverse the damage. Here's how:

If you use a bot or another automated service, stop using them and delete them immediately. To make sure the accounts aren't still attached to you, go to your desktop Instagram and click "Edit Profile", and then "Authorized Applications". If you see any of your bot accounts in the list, click "Revoke Access" to remove them completely. Remember, it's better to have 100 followers who love your brand and purchase your products, than 1,000 followers who never buy from you or interact with your content.

Take a look at Preview's list of banned hashtags for 2018, and make sure to remove all broken hashtags from your content. Moving forward, be selective and careful with the hashtags you choose, and when in doubt, take a look at the hashtag's page -- Instagram will likely post a message like, "Recent posts from #summer2018 are currently hidden … ", which will indicate to you that the hashtag is no longer in use.

Take a two-day break. People have reported a full 48-hour break from using their Instagram accounts can reset the system and get you back on track, and it's worth the temporary social media cleanse anyway, isn't it?

Read and follow Instagram's Terms of Use and Community Guidelines.

Most importantly, it's critical you're posting helpful, authentic content, and abiding by best practices when growing your audience. It will take longer to do this, but slow and steady wins the race -- and doesn't get shadowbanned -- right?

http://bit.ly/2oorTVi