Giving Social Security
by Sarah on January 26th, 2010
Am I the only one who finds it odd that my friend’s condo door doesn’t have a peephole? I do not want to have to look out a side window to identify the solicitor at my door. But, isn’t that exactly how giving through social media feels? Now, don’t get me wrong, I think it is great that the internet has revolutionized and accelerated online giving. The Red Cross has thus far raised over $21 million in $10 text donations for Haiti (and I hope there is more to come!); all nonprofits raised $4 million in the entirety of 2009. But, a reported 4,000 scam sites, disguised as nonprofit relief organizations, arose to take a cut of online donations to Hurricane Katrina. Social media makes it easy to give and hard to identity fakes. With Americans having already donated $150 million online (out of the total $300 million) to Haiti, I don’t want to see this giving trend mitigated by fear of cons. Here are a few social media reminders that will help.
Always check for ID. BBB Wise Giving provides a few tips on verifying online nonprofits. First, look for ID verification, such as a verified badge on Twitter. Second, find out if the nonprofit relief organization has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted areas. Third, find out if the nonprofit relief organization is providing direct aid. Fourth, rely on expert opinions. And, finally, when in doubt, go with the one you know or just give offline.
Beware of geeks bearing gifts. Just because you have been invited to use a Facebook application or have received a link from a friend doesn’t mean you have to open it! More than once I have received an email from a friend that warns not to click any link from previous emails because of its malicious intent. If something looks odd, it is better to get confirmation from your friend that she is the sender rather than to just open the link.
Limit your social networks. Would you invite your 5,000 Facebook friends to a house party? Most likely you would not. The greater your social network, the greater the likelihood that one of your friends or an evil doppelganger could send you a malicious link that could scrape critical logins and passwords or infect your computer with a nasty virus. Know who your friends are and keep them limited to 600.
Lengthen abbreviations. Bit.ly and Tiny URL are fantastic ways to shorten URLs to fit character limitations. But they are also creative solutions to mask malevolent web addresses. Protect yourself by installing an add-on that will display the full URL. When clicking on links, longer is better than shorter.
As we continue to maximize the profoundly good impact that social media creates, to paraphrase the film Home Alone, our social media profiles are our homes, we have to protect them so we can continue to make them safe havens for giving.
Tags: identity theft protection, ShoreBank, social media, triple bottom line
