Spring Cleaning Time!

 

When I hear "Spring Cleaning", I usually want to run to the couch, turn on reality television, and pretend I didn't hear those words!

But mix that idea with online media - my favorite thing ever - and then it gets my attention!

So here are 3 ways to do the kind of "Spring Cleaning" that I appreciate!

1) Clean Off Your Desktop

We start with an easy one, folks! Not only will cleaning off your desktop make each log-in a little easier on the eyes, but it has technical benefits as well. Your computer will start and run faster when it doesn't have to load all your desktop files. Additionally, many auto-backup services don't back up files displayed on the desktop! So move those docs to nicely organized folders and enjoy actually being able to SEE your background image!

2) Clean Out your Passwords

Password breeches are on a rampage! Just last weekend, LivingSocial had its password list hacked, and many other sites have too. And while I know that I am supposed to change my passwords regularly, who am I kidding! I rarely do! So take the time to spring clean your passwords. And while you are at it, make the new ones difficult to guess! Do not use words like "password" "passw0rd" "12345678" or easily guessed words. Hackers have programs that can just test any word in the English dictionary! So try a 12-character password with a random mix of letters and numbers. It may be annoying to remember, but your online safety is worth it.

3) Clean Up Your Twitter

Check out Tweepi.com, an easy to use tool to Spring Clean your Twitter! Tweepi can flush out users that that you’re following but who aren’t following you back, reciprocate a follow for users following you, and clean up any users who you are following but aren’t active on Twitter. It's a simple process with Tweepi, just press a button to generate a list of Twitter accounts with details such as bios, when their last tweet was, how many followers they have, and everything else you could want to know. A few minutes on Tweepi and your Twitter feed will have more relevant tweets and less tweets that you probably just ignore anyway!

Do you have any other annual digital spring cleaning tips? Share them below!

Rest Assured, Your Twitter Account Wasn't Hacked.

 

 

If you woke up to an email from Twitter warning that your account might have been compromised, rest easy. Twitter reported that they mistakenly emailed a mass amount of users urging them to change their passwords, when only a few accounts were actually in danger.

I was one of those users, and received this email this morning: "Twitter believes that your account may have been compromised by a website or service not associated with Twitter. We've reset your password to prevent others from accessing your account."

Yikes!

Luckily, no strange tweets from my handle. Best thing to do is be safe and change your password, even if you don't think your account was one of those actually targeted. But don't lose sleep over it! And, follow these tips from The Twitter Team for the safest tweeting experience!

• Always check that your browser's address bar is on a https://twitter.com website before entering your password. Fake scam sites often look just like Twitter, so check the URL before entering your login information!
• Don't use websites or services that only promise to get you lots of followers. These sites have been known to send spam updates and damage user accounts.
• Review your approved connections on your Applications page at https://twitter.com/settings/applications. If you see any applications that you don't recognize, click the Revoke Access button.

Be Happy! Keep Tweeting!