Facebook Hijacking Alert: BEWARE!

Preventing Facebook Hijacking

Facebook has improved protection for Facebook page administrators.  Now you can assign your fellow admin "lower rights" which can prevent them removing you as an admin.  Page admins can be assigned specific roles: The most powerful role remains "Manager", but there is also "Content Creator", "Moderator", "Advertiser" and - at the bottom rank - "Insight Analyst".  Facebook page managers have the power to send messages, view insights and create posts and adverts.  Crucially, they are also the only role which can access admin roles, and remove other administrators.

If SMC has helped or continues to help your company with Facebook,  you would be wise to check the roles used by your co-admins now - and adjust them as required.

Here's how you check who is an admin on a Facebook page that you administrate:

• Open your Page's admin panel
• Click Edit Page
• From the left column menu, click Admin Roles
• Type the names of other people you'd like to add in the open field
• Click Manager below the name to choose what kind of admin you want to add
• Click Save Changes

Giving a co-admin too much power may bite you in the bottom later, if their account is compromised or if they become mutinous and try to hijack control of the page from you.

PLEASE READ:  Hijacked Social Media and Business Accounts

Hijacked social media and business accounts are definitely the largest business reputation management problem today.  There are tons of social networks and business listing pages (or internet yellow pages | IYPs) that anyone can set up. Social media account hijackers set up impostor social media accounts for businesses and individuals.  This can cause major problems when the impostor social media account has thousands of followers and you want control.  A hijacker may try to sell you the account with the threat of deletion or defamation.  At this point it may be best to pay the hijacker’s ransom for your social media account.  If you don’t pay, you may lose all of the followers already acquired. Further, it is probably not worth the legal headache and cost of a lawsuit.

Similar to social accounts, online business listing pages are harder to hijack because there are more verification steps.  Even so, business pages get taken over by hijackers.  Most of the problems seen with business listings (IYPs) are created by existing misinformation online, aggregator websites and disgruntled ex-employees who have set up the IYPs and then don’t share access with the company. Social media companies and IYP providers have very little account support.  Deletion of either a social media or an IYP account can be devastating to a business’ rankings and clout online.

FACEBOOK: What's the difference between a business account and a personal profile?

Converting your profile into a Page 

http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=213602951994043

If you need further assistance in setting up a Corporate Facebook Page (and/or Twitter), please email mike@smcsoftware.com.  There are 5 easy steps!

Is Facebook Worth The Hassle?

We all take care of our cars with the typical maintenance issues; oil change, flat tire, brakes, etc.  And then there are sometimes where we need to address some bigger and more serious problems; leaks, belts, electrical, and much more.

In regards to a bigger problem, such as a radiator leak on a Friday evening, where does one find an auto service repair store on a Saturday...affordable...trustworthy...and has your parts?  A better question is, how do you search for an auto service repair store?  Since I was fortunate to have this happen to me a few days ago, I thought it would be appropriate to share my story.

Here is the Where and the How options:

Yellow Pages - not in our home or business these days; who wants to call all over the community?
Newspaper - no more delivery at our house; stopped reading old news 10 years ago
Direct Mail - not too much promotion here; currently receive car dealerships advertising their services
Internet - the only timely way to find anything; Google search 'tampa auto care services' and voilà

Along with the basic keyword search, a shopper receives multiple choices in the community.  This is how business is done today, right?  Absolutely! 

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I clicked on three automotive websites who appeared to be a trusted brand, open on Saturday and have the necessary parts for a 9-year old BMW.  This is where the fun begins for a shopper, and that is trying to locate pertinent information (value and service) fast (right now, not Monday) on a website full links from tires to services to parts (like looking for Waldo).  The three companies were Firestone, Pep Boys and Sears.

Please allow me to cut to the chase and make this 30 minute story real short.  When I visited the companies mentioned,  I found myself thinking...who wants my business?  Who is going to make it easy for me to drive my car into your facility and pay you money?  Good question right?

So why or how did Pep Boys earn my business?  The answer is simple!  After reading up on their services, I clicked on their Facebook link and it directed me to a "Monthly Deals" page. This page convinced me and closed me, and from there, the savings of 10% looked good on my invoice.
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Knowing this, if you were responsible for Sear's or Firestone's online strategy, would you change your strategy to drive more customers into your business?  Of course!

In summary, I asked the Assistant Manager at Pep Boys a question:  "Do you receive many of these Facebook coupons?"  His answer:  "More and more each day".  And then he said, "Next time, just pull the coupon up on your phone and we will honor it."  That is what I am talking about....Keep It Simple & Smart!