Thursday, June 14, 2012

I know what you tweeted last summer...and all the way back to May 2008!


Webnotes by: Theresa Payton, Fortalice, LLC. Content also covered on WBTV's "Protecting Your Cyberturf" segment featuring Kristen Miranda and Theresa Payton.
We have mentioned before that Twitter will send every tweet to the National Archives and the Library of Congress so watch what you tweet!  But now the access to past tweets is just a few clicks away and you don’t have to get out of your pajamas to access it!   

New tools are popping up and they can unleash a treasure trove of data in moments.  for the 140 million and growing user base that tweets over 400 million tweets per day this might be a little more than alarming!


Cyber Expert, Theresa Payton, explains.


When tools are new, people love to experiment with all the features available.  Although Twitter was launched in 2006, it really started gaining steam in 2008 and has quickly become one of the top 10 websites around the globe.  In the early days, people were tweeting, uploading pictures with geocodes, doing location check ins.  Many felt like they were just sharing all this information with a small group of people.  But these tweets leave behind clues that tell bad guys, potential employers, people you might date, people you might want to forget a lot about you.


What you may not realize is, that all Twitter accounts are searchable.  To test it on yourself and loved ones, try a tool like Topsy  http://topsy.com/


Tips to Stay Safe:

1.  Tweet about a location AFTER you leave

2.  Think about the tweets you do, do they show a pattern of behavior that puts you in the best light for those that don’t know you?  do they provide patterns that you would not want a bad guy to see?

3.  If you post photos make sure geocodes are turned off unless you like someone tracking your digital tracks


WORD OF THE WEEK:

POLITWOOPS:  this is a database of deleted tweets made by U.S. politicians that a group called Sunlight keeps online.   You can check out their feed at:
Politwoops

RESOURCES:


Here are a few of the Twitter search tools out there:

Check out the tool Topsy at
http://topsy.com

You can search for links that have been posted using Backtweets:
http://backtweets.com
If you want to look for local tweeps that leave their location information turned on, check out Nearby Tweets:
http://nearbytweets.com

If you want to see what tweets are the most popular, try searching on Tweetmeme:
http://tweetmeme.com

Anyone that wants to track tweets by a specific location, including one on a Google Map, try Areaface:
http://www.areaface.com

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