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Episode 008: Kirk St Amant–Reflective Listener and Leader
Episode 008 Show Notes: Kirk St. Amant Introduction Kirk St. Amant and Ben Woelk discuss what it’s like being “on” as an introvert, and his introvert strengths of being a reflective listener and being...
View ArticleProtect Yourself Online–Anti-Phishing Toolbar
Today I received an Alert from Google that my name had appeared online. (Being in information security breeds paranoia, so I'd set up a Google Alert for occurrences of my name online--and for the rest...
View ArticleSafe(r) Use of Social Media: Facebook, Blogging, and Online Privacy
Concerns over Facebook privacy settings have increasing steadily, with more and more mainstream media running stories about it. Although it is possible to more or less "lockdown" your privacy settings,...
View ArticleOn the Eve of the Latest Facebook Privacy Fix
A much bigger issue is that we seem to have abrogated OUR responsibility to protect our private information. Fundamentally, information security is about managing risk. ANY involvement in social...
View ArticleAre location services on mobile devices a good thing?
I've always had mixed feelings about the location services offered by various mobile devices and by social networking sites. For example, is it a good thing to let people know where you are when you're...
View ArticleBest Security Awareness Videos for College Students
Each fall, the RIT Information Security Office provides a Digital Self Defense orientation to first year students. s you might imagine, keeping the attention of these students midway through their...
View ArticleHaving Fun with Security Awareness–Phishing
The task of creating a culture of information security awareness in higher education can be a daunting one. You may feel as though your efforts are unnoticed and unrewarded. One of the really cool...
View ArticleDigital Self Defense Workshop 101 (RRLC)
I had the pleasure of presenting the following presentation to the Rochester Regional Library Council on Oct. 25th. It contains general Internet and computer safety tips and is slightly modified from a...
View ArticleTop Ten Ways to Shockproof Your Use of Social Media
How do you stay safe online? Here are ten ways to shockproof your use of social media: Tip #1: Use strong passwords Tip #2: Keep your computer patched and updated Tip #3: Use appropriate security...
View ArticleWhy Professional Conferences Matter
I’ve heard a lot of discussion recently that professional conferences aren’t needed anymore because of the inter-connectivity afforded by the Internet. Why is it reasonable to spend hundreds or even a...
View ArticleApps for Integrating Mobile Devices into Classroom Use and Campus Communications
How many of you are integrating mobile devices into classroom work? In addition to my role as Policy and Awareness Analyst, I teach a couple of classes, Cyber Self Defense and Effective Technical...
View ArticleMobile Devices: Paradigm Shift or Just Another Content Delivery Mechanism?
I’m curious about whether you think the integration of mobile devices into curricula is a “game changer/paradigm shift” or whether you regard it as just another content delivery mechanism. As a...
View ArticleDigital Self Defense for Technical Communicators, Part Two
Digital Self Defense for Technical Communicators was first published in the Society for Technical Communication‘s Intercom magazine in November 2010. Best Practices for Safer Social Networking...
View ArticleDigital Self Defense for Technical Communicators, Part Three
Digital Self Defense for Technical Communicators was first published in the Society for Technical Communication‘s Intercom magazine in November 2010. How We’ve Communicated These Concepts at RIT Higher...
View ArticleCommunications Liftoff! Rocketing Your Community to the Stars
Society for Technical Communication Summit Conference Leadership Day Presentation, May 15, 2011 Join the discussion on MySTC at https://ow.ly/51WfG Communications liftoff! rocketing your community...
View ArticleTwitter Use at #STC11 Summit
Last year, I kicked off this blog by posting about Twitter Use at the #STC10 Summit in Dallas. I thought it would be interesting to look at Twitter use at #STC11 as well. Methodology I’ve only analyzed...
View ArticleTen Ways to Shockproof Your Use of Social Networking Lightning Talk
I had the privilege of presenting my 25-minute presentation on Shockproofing Your Use of Social Media as a five-minute Lightning Talk at the STC Summit in Sacramento on May 18th. Lightning talks...
View ArticleParenting in the Cyber Age: A Parents’ Guide to Safer Social Networking
Are you as a parent worried about what your kids may encounter online? Are you unsure of how they or you can stay safe online when using social networking sites? Although our kids are now college...
View ArticleAvoiding Phishing
What’s the easiest way to break into a computer account? Cracking the password? Putting a trojan on the computer? Hacking? Unfortunately, it’s simply tricking you into giving up your password through a...
View ArticleTop Ten Tips for Safe(r) Social Networking
Did you know you’re a target every time you go online? Did you know that cyber criminals are targeting social networking sites? Do you know how to recognize a phishing attempt? Following these tips...
View ArticleMaking Information Security Fun
I shared this presentation at the October program meeting of the Rochester Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication. The presentation demonstrates how the Information Security Office at the...
View ArticleUpdated: 2012 Speaking Schedule, January through June
I’ll be speaking at the following events this winter and spring. Watch for my presentation materials on SlideShare. January 9: HEISC (Higher Education Information Security Council), Town Hall....
View ArticleBullet Proofing Your Career Online, Spectrum 2012
The brilliant Hannah Morgan and I presented Bullet Proofing Your Career Online at the STC Rochester Spectrum Conference. We’ll be presenting again at the STC Technical Communications Summit in...
View ArticleTwitter Use at #STC12 Summit
For the two year anniversary of this blog, we’ll review Twitter use at the STC Summit conference. Twitter use among attendees continues to grow dramatically. Although this post only looks at tweets...
View ArticleEngage! Creating a Meaningful Security Awareness Program (Updated)
7/12/12 Updated with seminar slides! Engage! Creating a Meaningful Security Awareness Program View more PowerPoint from Ben Woelk This may start quite the discussion, but it’s a viable argument that...
View ArticleSave the date! Bulletproofing Your Career Online live webinar 8/2, 4-5 pm EDT
Hannah Morgan and I will be presenting Bulletproofing Your Career Online as an STC webinar on Thursday, 2 August | 4:00–5:00 PM EDT (GMT-4) What are the 10 key steps to building and securing your...
View ArticleDigital Self Defense for Incoming Students at RIT Presentation
We had a great time presenting to our 2800-person incoming class at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Here’s the YouTube video of the five presentations (Hannah Morgan, Dawn Soufleris, Nick...
View ArticleAmazing Mind Reader Security Awareness Video
One of our student workers at the RIT Information Security Office shared this security awareness video from YouTube. What do you think of it? The post Amazing Mind Reader Security Awareness Video...
View ArticleFacebook Security Audit
A friend shared this post by Ian Anderson Gray today. I think the information is pretty worthwhile. What do you think? The post Facebook Security Audit appeared first on BenWoelk.com.
View ArticleRIT InfoSec Awareness: an Interview With Ben Woelk
RIT InfoSec Awareness an Interview With Ben Woelk. Read my interview with RIT alumnus Neil DuPaul on the Veracode Blog where we discuss how we’re increasing information security awareness at the...
View ArticleWould You Like to BulletProof YOUR Career Online?
I’ve partnered with Hannah Morgan (careersherpa.net, @careersherpa) to produce our Bulletproofing Your Career Online workshop. We’ve presented Bulletproofing Your Career Online at regional and...
View ArticleMore on Security and Google Tips from @benwoelk and @careersherpa #stcpmc13 |...
More on Security and Google Tips from @benwoelk and @careersherpa #stcpmc13 | ed marsh dot com. Ed Marsh’s review of our Bulletproofing Your Career Online Keynote and Workshop at the STC Philly Metro’s...
View ArticleVisualizing Your Professional Network
Did you know that LinkedIn Labs provides a graphical representation of your professional network? It’s similar to a hyperbolic browser I saw demonstrated several years ago in a research facility in...
View ArticleUpdated Shock-proofing your Use of Social Media Presentation
I’ve updated my Shock-proofing your Use of Social Media presentation for the Fall 2014 New Student Orientation program at the Rochester Institute of Technology. I’ve changed the passphrase example,...
View ArticleThe Secure Communicator
I had the pleasure of discussing information security best practices for technical communicators through an STC webinar. Here’s the presentation: The post The Secure Communicator appeared first on...
View ArticleShockproofing Your Use of Social Media eBook available!
My Shockproofing Your Use of Social Media: 10 Things You Should Know eBook is now available on Kindle! For those of you who have attended one of my Lightning Talks about Internet Safety, this book...
View ArticleWhat’s in a Name (and a Price)
I’ve changed the subtitle of my Kindle eBook on using social media safely to better communicate the subject matter. I’ve also lowered the price point to $0.99. The book sold reasonably well during the...
View ArticleCollaborating Securely: Protecting Your Community and Yourself
Collaborating Securely: Protecting Your Community and Yourself I had the privilege of presenting Collaborating Securely: Protecting Your Community and Yourself to a room full of community leaders from...
View ArticleBuilding a Culture of Digital Self-Defense
Note: This article was previously published on September 20, 2016 in the EDUCAUSE Review Security Matters Blog One of the biggest challenges in information security is raising the awareness of our...
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